Ending combat

[BannerDog]

If one is in tactical level combat, how can one "go to" strategic level combat, so that one does not have to wait through the tedium of the rest of the battle?

Same situation in "simulation" mode. How can one terminate the combat without tediously going through every turn?

Thanks!

[Alneyan]

Hello, and welcome!

You cannot stop a tactical combat once it has started, nor go into strategic mode. However, you can let the computer fight in your stead (by switching on the auto button), and there are a few options to remove some animations. In the Options screen, remove the tick on "Animate ship movement in combat" and tick "Fast Tactical Combat", and it should speed up the battles.

Simulations can be ended by hitting the Escape key (and battle replays can be ended with this key too).

[Suicide Junkie]

Alneyan said:
You cannot stop a tactical combat once it has started, nor go into strategic mode. However, you can let the computer fight in your stead (by switching on the auto button), and there are a few options to remove some animations. In the Options screen, remove the tick on "Animate ship movement in combat" and tick "Fast Tactical Combat", and it should speed up the battles.

Also, the best way to speed it up is to move your view to an unoccupied corner of the map.
Battle goes MUCH MUCH faster when the game dosen't have to render the weapons, shields and ship movements for you to watch.

[NullAshton]

Its bad when you have 100 light cruisers simulated against a homeworld filled with antiproton beams, and you leave off fast tactical combat and turn on animations, and then hit resolve combat. Homeworld finnally won around turn 15-20, but I was bored out of my mind as the hundreds of anti proton beams filled space one at a time with their slow, purple, lines.

[Atrocities]

Alneyan said:
Hello, and welcome!

You cannot stop a tactical combat once it has started, nor go into strategic mode. However, you can let the computer fight in your stead (by switching on the auto button), and there are a few options to remove some animations. In the Options screen, remove the tick on "Animate ship movement in combat" and tick "Fast Tactical Combat", and it should speed up the battles.

Simulations can be ended by hitting the Escape key (and battle replays can be ended with this key too).

Depending upon the size of your fleet and that of the AI's, after turning over the battle to AI control, go watch a movie. Its going to take a long while for it to conclude.

[NullAshton]

It once took about 5 minutes to end a strategic combat once...

[Atrocities]

I once made the mistake of selecting to fight with a fleet of nearly 400 ships againt an AI that had 200 plus three planets. I went to bed and when I awoke, I discovered that I had lost.

Oh well. - Never trust the AI to fight your battles for you.

[douglas]

For ending tactical, there is also a "Resolve Combat" order accessible through the Orders button right above the End Turn button. This will turn on auto for all sides and fight the rest of the battle without waiting for you to click end turn. Double check that the speed and animation settings are what you want before using this, as it won't give you a chance to do anything but watch once it's started resolving until the battle is completely over.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

And welcome to the forums.

[Gandalph]

douglas said:
For ending tactical, there is also a "Resolve Combat" order accessible through the Orders button right above the End Turn button. This will turn on auto for all sides and fight the rest of the battle without waiting for you to click end turn. Double check that the speed and animation settings are what you want before using this, as it won't give you a chance to do anything but watch once it's started resolving until the battle is completely over.

It can still be very tedious. In a recent STM game, I sent a fleet of about 30 ships to kill a Homeworld. I used Tactical to take out the defense of the plane as I had already lost another fleet at this same Homeworld. When I got in Tactical mode, I checked and the planets defenses had apparently been knocked out by the first, now dead, fleet so I hit "Resolve Combat". 3 1/2 hours later, the combat finally ended and the planet was still alive.