Thanks Xathos, but sadly none of my friends find the game enjoyable. It's too slow-paced for their liking, that's why I'm looking to go online. Could you give me a rough estimate of the usual game time? Say, one of tiny maps and one for the huge multi-star 100+ planet maps?

Oh how nice of you to give the newcomer a chance. I wish more gamers would behave so kindly! Thanks for the info by the way, I think that 80-minute average is good enough for me. By the way does ICO multiplayer support saving games or is it just a LAN feature?

Yes there are plenty of players, however, most games that are coops against the AI are limited to friend-only or are password-protected and therefore most of the games that are created are not accesible to you. If you want to play those then you will have to host your own games.

Multiplayer coop games against AI are similar to single-player games against the AI and can take a really long time.

Multiplayer games again noobs like me are more or less similar to playing against the AI, but those games will take a long time too.

Multiplayer games against experienced humans are completely different from what you are used to against the AI. Those games don't take long, but an hour? That's not enough time to conquer 100 worlds.

Given your time limit, you'll probably not be able to play such large 4v4 or 5v5 games, you'll be limited to 1v1 or 2v2 or at most 3v3 on fairly small maps.

Yes MP 5v5 games are completely different beasts. It is almost like playing different game.

At least in skilled matches settings are always locked teams random large single star map normal fleets pirates off and all settings on faster.

You do keep in mind that 5 players play against 5 and when one team gets the upper hand it is 5 person push not 1 as you are used to against AI. Even most balanced 5v5 games do not go far beyond 2 h game time which depending on rigs and sins late game lag usually don't go past 3h real time.  Also consensus is that when it is obvious that one team won the game other team quits so there is no mopping up to the last planet. 

Given the above rule if you are last on your team and you do not want to quit and drag game out you are making sort of a name of your self with addition that you are non quitter and that you drag games.... With that kind of behaviour you are risking that you will be banned and kicked from future games that contain players from games you did not quit...

So in short, it wouldn't be worth it to buy this game given my limited free time?

Again, I was talking about competitive games or 1v1s. Geoman said he is talking about "Comp Stomp" games which is totally different from competitive PVP. The big difference is

A. In games with only human players it is standard etiquette for a team that is clearly losing to surrender rather than draw out the game. One last desperate attack is acceptable if you want to go out on a final battle, but at that point you should do nothing else to prolong the game.

B. Yes, players new to competitive PVP think the action occurs way to fast. Generally these are the more 4X inclined players or RTS players still in the turtle, build up then smash everything mentality.

In short, if you don't mind learning the PVP style games (generally you'll get slaughtered your first few games but that's part of learning), I don't think time will be as much of an issue. The other game types play more like Sins against the AI (because it literally is against the AI or against player who have only ever fought the AI), and those game can also take forever.

I see.. Lots of insight there.. Thank you both for the info! I'll check it out on Steam hopefully find it on sale or something.

Buy it on sale at Steam and enjoy.