Doomsday clock???

Yeah, this game looks very promising.

But I will not buy a game that I am rushed through. I mean if the doomsday clock fills up in 40 turns then...

Granted it could be 300 turn game.. who knows? Certainly not me. But I aint touching it until I find out. Ain't throwing $30+ on a game to play for 30 turns before starting up new game.

On a large map, it would take hours and hours (more like days and days) and hundreds of turns to get through.

This is most definitely not a quick play game.

I've played two games for roughly 3 hours each, and barely passed the half-way mark on the clock in the first game, am less than 50% full on the clock in the second game. These are on smaller maps, with a larger number of shards games could likely last many, many hours.

Throw in the fact that you can turn the clock back during some quests, and I think Frogboy is right on saying this is no quick game.

Keep in mind this game is (I think) trying to combat the 4X problem of a tedious mop-up endgame. And from what I've seen so far, Sorcerer King is a great solution to that problem.

The clock is mainly event-based, rather then time-based. If you have control over and are defending shards, the clock is not really a countdown, but a progress bar for the SK. Once you start to build power, your ability to slow and halt the progress bar increases dramatically.

I suppose it would be okay if you had some option to lengthen the time (pace of the game), to suit you type of play.  So if the game felt rushed to you personally, you could lengthen the time to something more casual.

The Doomsday Clock works very well and is a great addition to the game, IMHO.

The tension is a good thing. The difficulty ramps up as it climbs and the game becomes more challenging.

Quoting Frogboy, reply 2

On a large map, it would take hours and hours (more like days and days) and hundreds of turns to get through.

This is most definitely not a quick play game.

End of Frogboy's quote

LOL, you haven't seen me play a 4X game. Hundreds of turns is a "minimum" for me. 

Distant Worlds is one game that comes to mind where I'll be in a SP vs. AI game for at least a month playing at least 10 hours a week.

I asked the same question on Steam yesterday and suggested having an option or mode for those of us who turtle because we really think out our strategies. Is it possible to turn off the timer or even have an option where the Sorcerer King cannot cast his Doomsday spell until all of the shards are destroyed?

I believe it's been posted there will be spells to heal crystals and reverse the clock. http://steamcommunity.com/app/241990/discussions/0/613937942922465364/

I like the counter because I find myself thinking about what is really necessary and re-thinking moves/buildings/units to make. Every time I hear it increase I feel dread that only I can stop. It's a good pressure. Unlike pressure I'd feel playing FF14:Lightning Returns. I haven't played FF14:Lightning Returns where I believe the clock runs out and can't really be stopped(Please no spoilers). That sounds harsh and unfortunate, especially for a FF title, known to take HOURS. I like the pace and pressure in SK.

I like the counter as well. It provides motivation and incentive to complete the objectives.

However, IMO, an option to slow down or speed up the counter would be a good thing to have.

The doomsday clock seems similiar to, and probably inspired by, the Armageddon clock in Kael's 'Fall from Heaven 2' Mod (Civ4). 

As a competitive RTS player, I thought of Victory Points in Company of Heroes 

I'm also an aggressive player that can't stand sitting back defending so pressure and urgency is very welcome by me.

As others have mentioned an slider/option during world creation to set the speed for the Doom counter could be a feature. This way you could tailor your game style to your own liking. Aggressive players can up the slider to have a faster game, while turtles can reduce the slider to lengthen the game.