Could it be possible to remove the loading in time for runs? A few reasons:

1. Rome, Medieval II, and some other games do this already
2. It would make the times lower, which is nice
3. PC differences can lead to slower computers being a bigger disadvantage
4. In long attempt sessions, I find that lag increases after about 6-10 attempts, forcing me to restart the game.

aside from only a few cases, most runs have similar (not identical) loading times at the start. it only happens once, and is obviously dependent on pc specs. we are talking a few seconds variance at most. using the 'press start' rule was a mechanism for simplicity. there are cases where a pc simply runs just a bit too slow, not just with loading times, but with end-turn processing, that amount to a lot more than a few seconds over a run.

there is a case for contested runs in 1st to be adjusted. mostly we haven't seen this yet. it's far better to have a uniform 'one size fits all' rule, which we have.

The only other thing is that it is somewhat annoying to reset every 10 runs to avoid increasing lag on the load in. If there is anywhere where it might have an impact, it would be Italy.