Game tick

A game tick (also referred to as netcode) is a mechanic that controls the very flow of time in the Dungeon Keeper games. Ticks are the smallest, and the most bare-bones unit of time in not only Dungeon Keeper, but nearly every game in existence. A single tick is one small advancement of game time, and when enough ticks have passed by, it makes up a single second of in-game time.
The speed of the ticks going by control the exact speed of the game. Depending on which version of a Dungeon Keeper game is being played, how it's being run, the game's settings or the settings of what's running the game in question, the number of ticks going by varies. In some cases, this can be controlled to customize the game's speed.