Does anyone know how to stop VCMI from connecting when I just want to play a singleplayer/hotseat game? My internet is satellite so I have to wait about 5 seconds on that annoying screen.
VCMI always works as server-client. It's not connecting to an external server, it's connecting to a server that runs on your computer as soon as you start the game. It's how they build the engine from the start. You can't change that.
Ah so it's slow regardless of my internet connection.
I've also noticed the server can stay running after the game closes (probably after a crash) and then the game mysteriously doesn't run. I solved that problem eventually. Turns out running the client rather than the launcher is your friend for troubleshooting.