[dogscoff]

Hmm. All my combat is in 'tactical' mode, as 1) I don't play simul, PBW or multiplayer, and 2) I don't trust the computer to do the right thing!

I used to play exclusively in tactical until I got narked off with how lame the AI is in combat. It was just unfair, I was able to massacre AI fleets too easily in tactical.

Now I play all my solo games in simultaneous mode, which forces me to use strategic combat and is good training for PBW. Although my ships often die needlessly now or run away from planets instead of dropping troops on them, at least it's a level playing field for the poor, hapless AI.