I agree that there's a lot of optimization to be done in the code in battles.
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If you give a man a fish, he will eat a day;
But if you teach a man to fish, he will buy an ugly hat;
And if you talk about a fish to a starving man, then you're a consultant
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.
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Creator of the Star Trek Mod - AST Mod - 78 Ship Sets - Conquest Mod - Atrocities Star Wars Mod - Galaxy Reborn Mod - and Subterfuge Mod.
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.
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Creator of the Star Trek Mod - AST Mod - 78 Ship Sets - Conquest Mod - Atrocities Star Wars Mod - Galaxy Reborn Mod - and Subterfuge Mod.