Disconnects, and no escape

You being unable to jump back is probably due to the enemy having built a phase jump inhibitor. Once you destroy it, you'll be able to jump away.
I agree, it feels incredibly punishing, moreover, those things can be pretty hard to kill, if the enemy can heal them. I'm not a fan of those.

Hello! So help me understand, are you suggesting that if a player disconnects that a current player control both themself and the disconnected players faction?

Yes, I think it would be preferred to waiting for someone to jump on or an A.I. we could start devising a strategy with the control of our team mates yes even up to more then two. 

No, escape. I am having a problem accepting losing my entire fleet due to a jump then realizing I have to retreat to build a better fleet just be wiped out due to not being able to jump back. It is intentionally designed in game but gives a poor experience will this be re addressed?

That's why scouts exist. Don't you get intel before making a jump?

This is intentional. Planning your defenses and fleet movements based on the orbits of the planets is core to the game design. However, on the top right you can press a button to animate where the planets will be up to an hour into the future. Or, you can press ~ (tilde) and move your mouse to rewind/fast-forward the orbit planet animation.

Finally, if players really don't like this, planet orbits can be disabled in the game setup options.

Hmm, it will be nice to look at the re play to see if it was due to planet orbit.

I forgot to mention it may also be because the enemy had a Phase Jump Inhibitor in the gravity well which blocks all jumping. You would have to destroy it before you could jump.

I'm not sure I like that idea. Part of the appeal of Sins games is that they are micro light, with fleets and auto building/ability uses to help mitigate it. Having to control an entirely separate faction would be a huge micro infusion. Some people dig that, but I would most likely just scuttle everything on the player side if they weren't able to rejoin.

Maybe have the option to decide to control it or have AI take over?

I'd like to add my opinion again regarding the phase  jump inhibitors.

I agree with Cosmic_37331, they feel unfun. Yes you can scout ahead, yes you can destroy them. In my experience, the enemy will have built an inhibitor, a starbase and a few regeneration bays / retrofit whatever they're called to heal the buildings, so killing them can be a fairly time consuming task, unless you have a fairly big fleet. The starbase makes me think twice about doing anything like that. It's nice that I can scout ahead and decide to not ever jump to the planet unless I have a nice and beefy fleet.

Which leads me to the problem I have with the current phase jump inhibitors. It makes me just turtle up until I have a huge fleet and can steamroll everything. It disincentivizes doing ... anything really. Even as Vasari Exodus, which I feel like should be going out, being mobile and aggressive ... I just do not ever want to move to a planet with a starbase and a phase inhibitor, unless I'm already basically winning. This becomes even more obvious when the enemy has a sizeable fleet themselves. Every Fight turns into an all-in commitment, you either win, or you lose everything. If you have enough firepower to ignore the enemy fleet and starbase to destroy the phase jump inhibitor to be able to run away later ... you can probably just destroy everything in the gravity well.

I believe, if they were less punishing, more interesting tactical options would be available to me. Harassing a planet with planet bombers to draw an enemy away from another place, or at least force them to build more defenses around the planet. Harassing orbital structures to weaken the enemy's economy, or as Vasari to gain income via reclamation centers.
Using a Titan to harass the enemy fleet and running away, before it dies, thus forcing the enemy out of stalemate, where neither wants to attack the other's planet due to defender's advantage.

I understand, the phase jump inhibitor exists precisely to make these tactics less appealing. I believe it's too good at its job, often making me wait and wait until the enemy is foolish enough to attack one of my planets with a fully upgraded starbase and defenses ... thus giving me the upper hand. The waiting is not a lot of fun to me, I'd rather be doing something else. 

That pretty much sums it up, I think the direction of the game goes into a wait for three hours to build a steam roll fleet then 2 hours to win rather then a large fleet's back and forth fighting for planets. 

One of the largest issues I see with disconnects are shipps aimlessly jumping back and forth waiting for us to do the overtaking unless I am somehow controlling them or communicating a team attack with communication and defending like wise,(currently missing from the game due to a small community I beleave).

All this for a 200 credit / 80 metal scout...

No, i believe the phase jump inhibitor is quite balanced actually. It has a high cost to military slots and high build time. You either have a good strategy and for that you need intel, or you have good tactics and outmaneuver your oponent, by destroying the phase inhibitor and jumping away. Or you are just reckless and at that point you should pay the price.
If you pay attention you will notice that the AI also sends scouts before attacking a planet. Which gives away their intention.

And if you are talking about the changing orbits that leave you stranded then that is again about strategy and if you don't like it then you can turn it off.

It seems, I wasn't clear enough. Yes scouting is cheap and easy. The intel I gain through scouting generally encourages a passive playstyle against nightmare and impossible AIs. I defend and build up my fleet until I can steamroll everything.

In your experience, which strategies are most successful, if you don't mind me asking?

It depends on what i'm playing and the position i have. But what i'm avoiding at much cost is loosing capital ships. And after the initial set skirmishes, first hour or so, i avoid investing in armies. Here an there some specific units but otherwise capital ships and upgrades. It's ok if i loose a planet or two, if i get to win some experience and fight another day. This army composition makes you almost immune to Vasari Titans.

Defenses can be an effective speed bump for the enemy but they aren't a showstopper for the full army pretty much at no point beside you've already broken your oponent. Enemy armies have a rather simple tactic: attack what comes first in their path (planet bombers go strait for the planet so make sure you have a plan). So leave turret like defenses in front, followed by star bases, carriers for tec and lastly repair structures. You can have some support units like Overseers or repair droids and maybe some corvettes for distraction, but generally defense structures are cheaper, have more firepower and  health. So keep building what gets destroyed. If your repair structures have their energy depleted you can scuttle one at a time and rebuilt them (they are rebuilt with full energy).

Anyway all of this is to slow down their advances until your fleet gets there. As even twin fortresses fully upgraded won't last to a capped army.

Recently enemy ai has suffered a bit and it keeps insisting on absurd fights while leaving planets unoccupied and supply lines exposed. You can do whatever you want on the map as long as it's occupied in some other fight. One Colonization ship with a bit of an escort and you take unoccupied planets near enemy lines just for the resources. Also since the recent patch nobody is interested in culture anymore. So no more pesky Rebel raids keeping me busy everywhere.

But back to my point. You should know were enemy armies are as soon and as much as possible because then you know how to maneuver, where to be or where to not be. Make decisions of where you want to invest in defenses and where it's better if you just get resources as long as it works, but no biggie if you loose the planet. Capital ships with many points in Colonization are key here as they can save you the initial cost of setting up the planet (insert free real estate meme).

There is more to say but maybe you already knew it so i'll save my energy