Create a game with a password and add bots. That is pretty much what the single player verison would be like.

bizarre ... ok i suppose i'll try it, but if it's primarily MP then I guess im out anyhow... thank you

Generalkazar is correct. Create a game with a password, then put AI bots in each slot.  Then you can play against the AI and even adjust the AI's difficulty level from easy to nightmare.  The retail game also has a single-player skirmish and tournament mode, although the game is largely geared toward multiplayer. 

It is nice to play it single though till you get the feel of it.  What you said is true though, but this way you get to iron some of your kinks out before you play with the tough folks.  Unfortunately, HoN and LoL do not have this capability.  This nets a lot of caustic comments from the harcore players.

R,

nacho

The Ai is well............Retarded. And you can adjust the speed to make it faster or slower. Alot of people think the normal speed is too slow so they play only on the fast speed.

1. The AI is better than it used to be, but it still needs some work.  It is actually rather inconsistent.  On the upper difficulties, you might see it do a passable job one game (in single player, not online), but the next game it's dying all over the place.  It still needs to retreat more often from unwinnable fights and to have greater map awareness.  It also seems to switch between demigod builds, occasionally making some odd choices regarding skills and items.  At this point, if you have an AI demigod on your team in an online game, you are almost guaranteed to lose if your human opponents have any skill at all.  The developers are supposed to be improving the AI more; we'll see.  I personally like single-player games better than online.  However, for a challenge, Demigod is best played online, at least for now.

2. Under game options, there should be an option for changing the speed.

Yes, the developers are working on it.  Visit the "Demigod journals" section of these forums for updates (http://forums.demigodthegame.com/forum/470).  Two new demigods are in the works, which will hopefully be out by the end of the month (*fingers crossed*).  There has been no mention of any new maps, though Stardock is supposed to be providing support for modding shortly.  The 1.2 patch is also forthcoming which should make various improvements.

Regarding game speed, I do not know how to adjust it in-game, although that is supposed to be an option.  You can adjust it pre-game to fast, slow, or normal.