I agree. Not only is Simultaneous combat more realistic, it certainly doesn't remove complexity but in a way adds more. If you are no longer guaranteed to be safe from combat, better decisions will have to be made by the player.
You mean because smart unit placement and thus first strike isn't as important your no longer safe from bad AI in combat? How does that allow better decisions? I mean what options are players given in tactical combat?
Let's look at usual tactical combat:
1. Build units with equipment that boosts armor and damage the most.
2. Enter Combat, and position weak units(Escorted) behind tanks.
3. Position your units so the enemies run to you so you can squish them because of bad tactical AI which always gives you first strike and bad unit design.
This shows us three main problems. Firstly the tactical AI is horrible, secondly units are glass cannons, and lastly the current equipment balance has only 1 correct path and is extremely unforgiving if you don't maximize damage and armor using as high tech gear as possible.
Let's look at it with Simultanous Strike:
1. Build units with equipment that boosts armor and damage the most.
2. Enter Combat, and position weak units behind tanks.
3. Let the enemies run to you so can trade simultaneous blows where bad unit design will allow you to win.
While Simultaneous combat helps with first strike it certainly doesn't make combat deeper or more enjoyable. The AI will still rush you except the penalties for dumb AI decisions will be less. It simply negates one way players were using strategy to beat the AI. This change won't cause any new strategies to form, it simply makes positioning less important. I mean sure it helps the AI but you now what else does.. autocalcing every combat. This is simply a step closer to making combat purely a exercise in math where the larger army always wins.
