There is co-op multiplayer in the game, but some people have had trouble connecting. One person reported that they couldn't connect if the game was running, but if they exited the game and waited for the Steam invitation, the game would load from there and join the host game. That may not help you, but would be worth trying, if you haven't already.
The next update should hopefully address connection issues. There are also UI improvements and functionality that needs to be added (currently it is restricted to Steam friends and uses the Steam overlay, there is no feedback given when someone joins a game, etc).
And to be fair to the OP, it isn't terribly hard to imagine an impulse buy without any research (even just the Steam page/trailer) based on Larian's previous RPGs. I've done that buying (physical) music CDs and books and only got burned once.
BTW character speed depends on how far your mouse cursor is from the characters. Click/hold farther away and they will run faster (though the overall walk/run speed could stand to be a little faster).
