[Gandalf Parker]

One more question: How do you play MP on this?

Multiple ways. A person can tell the game to become a server on port xxxx and everyone can connect on that machine to play almost as fast as solo play.

That same arrangment can be used to let people connect every so often (1/day, 3/week, etc) to turn in their turns or pickup their result files. (this is the most common)

Or it can be fully PBEM (play by email) where the turn file you create is emailed to a site (or uploaded) and then you get the result file back later by the same method.

Given how long a regular game nust taken, does anyone play MP at all?

Heehee. Many do. A game that can be played by PBEM is an acquired taste. Either you love it or you dont. The most known type of pbem game is probably those chess games people play by mail where they both keep a board setup. You see them on tv shows alot. The time between mails (says, weeks) is spent studying the board any free moment they get and trying to plan many moves ahead. PBEM is like that. You might only do 1 turn a day, or 2 a week. But for a game this involved that can be a good thing.