[Gandalf Parker]

Sounds good.
But even if it could be done with a simple upgrade of the coding, I cant see how it would work very well for direct control in combat. It seems that the combat mode we have now is what makes the games possible that are being played now. Multiplayer games across time zones with turns days apart. or playing by email where each turn is mailed into the server. Or even just the ability for any player to also be a host since Id suspect the hosting requirement for a direct-action game would be much heavier?

Id hate to lose those. There are plenty of direct-control games out there and damn few turn-based like this one.
Besides, the non-direct control with your units having the ability to sometimes disagree with you does seem to fit the "pretender gods" theme