Another problem with retreating from combat

[Spectarofdeath]

I guess what it comes right down to is preference then. There should be a no retreat option for the game, and a retreat option. To me I prefer to have the retreat. It adds realism. It's not like through history two opposing forces get in range of each other and a giant steel curtain falls around them and God says "Lets get ready to rummmmmmmmmbbbbbblllleeee!!!" Retreating can even be used as a offensive manuever, if you have all your ships retreating you might lure the enemy into sending his fastest ships at you at maximum rather then escorting the slower ones and defeat in detail ensues. Personally, I play this way, I design the same ship several times. Lets say a Destroyer. I give one all the speed it can handle. This would be my scouting destroyer designed to penetrate enemy space and give me a heads up whats going on in the sector. I give the next one all the weapons it can carry and hold. This is my battle destroyer, designed for combat with the enemy. And last I might make a support destroyer of some kind, say one with mine/sat/fighter launching, or maybe it's a repair ship, or maybe a AA ship. The point is, I don't just design one class of a ship and then wait for it to be obsolete then design another, I design multiple at once. I might not do this for every single ship design, but when it comes to the lighter ships, multiple designs (for me) is the way to go. How you feel about them running wild through your space is how I felt watching my colony ship get trashed by a scout with 1 DUC in SEIV on like turn 3 because it couldn't actually retreat, it had to run the clock down.