Why not just make standard games have 20 hour paydays like the mega 32/64 player games? this way no matter what time zone one is in the disadvantage is the same for all.
I’m not sure what you mean. I think vision while the game is filling should be relative to initial jump range so it works with custom games.
The 20 hour cycle isn’t equally bad for everyone. The first 3-4 cycles of the game are the most important so 20 hour cycles still screw some people worse when it matters most for the first few days. 20 hour cycles do help a little but it’s not a uniform disadvantage.
Remember also that different cycle lengths effects the game economy. Science is ~17% less effective in 20 hour cycles games. You might want this, you might not, but it’s worth knowing.
Also, I really like having a single time of day for production. For games lasting a few weeks it’s nice having a single time of day when most of the trading and discussion happens. IMHO the optimal solution is to have a single time of day which suits everyone in the game when production happens. By having a configurable start time you can see this before joining a game.