Playability of LAN and internet multiplayer?

[bartender]

Several months ago I bought CivIII PTW. I also downloaded the latest patch. The game was such an incredible crashfest that I took it back to best buy and, despite the draconian software policy, got a full refund. (They could tell I was cranky with their sale of software that in practical terms did not function).

Some time has passed and evidently with more patches the game doesn't crash constantly - a step forward. But what about the reported lag? From this forum it seems there are a few hard-core folks, "fanatics" (this site is well named) that enjoy the game so much that they are willing to put up with substantial lag and the occasional significant bug. Any hope on the horizon that the game will support either LAN or multiplayer at a speed that will satisfy the normal (non-fanatic) consumer?

 

[Captain Murphy]

I play on a LAN regularly, and find the gameplay to be good enough, and get hooked on the games. The remaining lag can be annoying, but over a LAN I rarely experience crashes.

Over the internet, every couple of hours the game will crash, and need to be reloaded from a resynch file. While annoying, the crashes I've experienced haven't really hurt the experience, as all involved take the time to get beverages, use the restroom, etc. Playing with simultaneous turns, you just don't want to leave the chair...