The empire tree is the defining feature that makes Sins so micro-managable on such a large scale. Especially when you have multiple battles going on then it becomes essential.

Granted you arn't an avid MP player but it still has its uses. Learning to use this will greatly increase response speeds greater than any form of zoom in and out can do.

Ships do keep reasonable formations and for some ships you want them to clusterfuck with your emenies such as diciples and flak. If your LRFs are getting in there then you're doing something wrong.

The point is that you are trying to make the game a bit too easy with just pre-set formations and distances. And frankly having them all seperate distances turns battles into boring musket fights.

I find that very hard to believe. Everybody has to use it for 1 thing every once in a while.

It doesn't even take up such a large part of the screen. Just use stacks and compresses into like half the size.

I just set it to only autopin frigates/capital ships. That way the only thing on the empire tree is things I want to keep an eye on, no giant wall of planets.

I just wish that you could toggle the autoscrolling on and off. For a quick update on all of your units it's great, especially in the middle of a battle, but I hate how it autoscrolls to the current gravwell all the time.

Its not hard to believe, not at all. Some people (like me) are able to orient themselves easier in space (meant as starmap) than in some spreadsheet (empire tree). That is all. Maybe its useful on mega large maps with 100 planets - although in such case i suppose you got to scroll the tree a lot, so not really - but i never played those and probably never will, as it just makes the game more repetitive.

That it is one of the defining features, that is just marketing blabber. It is not for ME, and from those other posts, seeing how other people try to screw with it, collapse it to the smaller size possible, unpin everything etc..., it seems, that i am not alone. 

Finally, the battles in Homeworld had more moving objects and were fully 3D, but because the ships did not tend to clump together like there is no tomorrow, they were easier to manage and it was definitely not less fun. 

If you want turn off it press CRTL+| (the key near to number 1 key), is the console key. (this button unpin all in this moment of the empire tree).

If you want haven't auto pin, go to options --- Interface, and disable all Auto pin options.

If you want turn off HUD / UI press CRTL+ALT+Z.

Now if you want only have capital ship on empire tree, look the left top in the screen you have a mini search, now in the left of this you have a PIN botton, when you selec ships / estructures and click this boton YOU PIN OR unPIN IN EMPIRE TREE

Sorry if you no understand my english.

Actually, the empire tree, although I have it on a tight leash, is one of the features that makes me wish for dual screen support. I have two monitors, but Sins leaves me to turn one off. If I had a second screen, I wouldn't mind having a secondary battle screen, but moreso would like a place to put research windows, the empire tree, and other tidbits.

The empire tree is for the most part useless to me, also, you get a speed boost if you do not pin items in late game.