Autopilot
A galaxy with an absent commander in it is a lopsided galaxy: their neighbours take the nearby neutral stars for free and can leave that border unguarded. So Nova does not let an empire sit completely still. If a commander stops giving orders, the autopilot steps in and makes a few basic moves on their behalf — not well, but enough that the empire keeps breathing.
When it takes over
Idleness is counted in production cycles, so it scales with the pace of the game:
| Cycles without an order | What happens |
|---|---|
| 2 | A warning push: "autopilot takes over your empire soon" |
| 3 | The autopilot takes over; everyone sees a line in Diplomacy → Global |
In a Quick one-hour game that is a few minutes; in a two-week game it is a day or two. Only real orders count — sending a fleet, buying, building, setting a standing order. Reading the map or chatting does not reset the clock. (Exception: the neutral "Nobody" is never steered.)
What it does
Each production cycle it makes a handful of ordinary moves, the kind a cautious new player would make: send a modest fleet at a nearby star (neutral or not — it goes by distance, and sizes the fleet to about twice what it believes is there), occasionally spy-probe a neighbour, shuffle surplus ships toward a thinner star, and spend spare credits on factories and upgrades. It never launches a nova bomb, never probes a star it knows is shielded, and skips an attack it knows it would lose. It also gives up for the cycle when there is nothing worth doing, so a cornered empire goes quiet rather than busy.
What you see
While the autopilot is steering a commander, their name carries an AUTO tag in the Standings panel, and every order it issues is reported in Comms as "Autopilot dispatched …" — so the commander who comes back can tell exactly what was done in their name, and their neighbours know what they are dealing with. The moment it takes over (or a commander engages it) is logged as a system line in the Diplomacy Global channel, like a pause.
Taking back control
Give any order and the autopilot stops at once (the Global channel notes that you have taken back control). Fleets it already launched stay in flight — they are real orders.
Your switch
The Autopilot panel in the rail (web) or the sheet (mobile) is yours to set:
- Switch off for me — never let the autopilot steer you in this game, however long you are away. If it is already driving, this releases it immediately and the server stops making moves for you.
- Engage now — hand your empire to the autopilot straight away, before you go: if you know you will be away for a while, a simple bot expanding and spending is usually better than nothing. Any order you give later takes control back, as usual.
The creator's switch
When creating a game, Absent commanders lets the creator choose Autopilot (the default) or Sit still for the whole theatre. A group that knows everyone will keep playing may prefer Sit still; for an open public game, leave Autopilot on.
Neighbours, take note. A commander on autopilot is not a free lunch. It expands into nearby neutrals, it will probe you, and it will take a star you have left thin. Keep your border garrisoned — and read your Standings panel for that AUTO tag.