New to multiplayer and completely lost.

[Lucid_Interval]

I just got out of a multiplayer game and realized the hard way that combat is actually done in real time? I lost an entire army because my opponent was attacking before me. Can someone explain to me the basics of combat, simultaneous turns and how all this works? It didn't even feel like a turn based game to me.

I want to enjoy multiplayer and gain a better understanding of it, but it seems so shallow compared to single player. Just rushing units and clicking on the other guy before he clicks on you? Is this Civilization I'm playing?

 

[Foffaren]

Unfortunally this is the way normal mp works in civ5. Nothing to do about it. You can get used to it though if you try.

To really play turned based mp you'd have to play a hotseat game. This is when you play with other people on the same computer.
Another alternative is to use GMR as I'm sure you've seen multiple threads about on the forums.
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=455596
This lets you play a hotseat game where everything is turned based, and when you're done you save and send the file to the next player who then takes his or her turn.

 

[Onan]

And it gets worse if they use shift-click moves...then they can move their whole army at the end of one turn instantly, then jump all over your units at the start of the next. It's like a mass double move.

Still, if you can get used to it, and play with people who won't abuse those mechanics, live MP games can be a lot of fun. You can also finish them much more quickly.