[ColdSteel]

Personally, I think the tactical combat is the weakest and most tedious part of SE4. The interface is kind of clunky though I may grow more used to it in time. I agree with the initiative comments here and also wish they would allow ships to retreat in a fashion similar to MOO2. Having fleeing ships trapped and bouncing around the edges of the tactical screen is just plain silly and detracts from the overall experience. What the heck does this supposed to simulate? How is bouncing into the edge of the screen tactical in nature?

The two opposing forces also seem to start the combat quite a distance apart and spending 4 or 5 turns moving a bunch of ships close enough to engage is tedious at best. One reasonable suggestion is that they could let the attacker or the race that has the combat initiative decide at the beginning of tactical combat if they want to start the engagement at long, medium or close range. That would allow some strategic advantage for forces that have the initiative and simulate forces being able to pick and chose the ground (or space in this case) on which they fight. I think this would add a really tense element to combat and allow the initiator, in some cases,(particularly the AI) to overcome some of the shoot and scoot tactics that are often employed. This would also at least allow some choice if you wanted to get in closer and into it right away.

Overall, I see tactical combat as one particular area where the developer could make some much needed improvements to smooth the interface, reduce tedium and increase the fun factor in this really excellent game. As it is, I find myself using the Strategic Combat option far more than I'd like to or ever thought I would given that I always really liked doing the tactical combat in MOO and MOO2.

Oh, another thing they might do to improve tactical play is allow you to switch to strategic combat in the middle of tactical combat if it is just taking forever to resolve. That should be easy to do since the software routines are already there for it. It would basically just involve adding another option tab to the tactical combat screen and switching the combat variables to the appropriate subroutine. As it is now, once your into tactical combat, you're in for the (often very long) duration.

Does anyone feel that I'm way off base here? I'd welcome other's perspectives on this topic.