Combat Mechanics

[Gregstrom]

Thanks for the info. FWIW, I'm with you on the GSB-type battle planning.

As far as the SP/MP/network/PBEM debate goes, I'd definitely like to see the plan in advance concept used. I remember network MOO2, and in a larger game it could get very frustrating for nations at peace to wait for two players in a major war to resolve a series of battles. And as noted in posts above, if you're having battles on an epic scale (dozens of ships on each side) then taking direct control of a combat can become cumbersome.

It also offers the distinct advantage that battles can be resolved in the same way whichever type of game is being played. This means tactics learnt in SP games still apply if a player goes into MP, which helps avoid a potential barrier between the two game types.