If you are trying to be sarcastic here, you are failing.

Numgun, get off the GTalk with Data this instant.

Escape is the only way I ever use to escape CC quickly.

The LAST thing we need are more complex freakin' shortcuts.

Afraid of losing your epic games? With Cortex Command, that
isn't a problem, because EVERY game is epic (though an in-game
save option for Bunker Building would be cool).

I actually resprited the background of the menu to look like a MS Word window once for secret use in a computer class. The buttons were still a dead giveaway from any close distance though. It was ineffective, and left on the school servers, which get cleared in summer time, so I don't have it now.
I actually ruined that computer class by introducing friends to CC. [or the concept of playing it in the class] They got kicked out after the first semester for playing it too much [I was much sneakier in playing it], and there were only a few people left in the class. From then on, the teacher was lazy and it was an easy A. It all worked out well for me.


But yeah, with further consideration, I think quick game closing is important, but esc esc isn't ideal.
Maybe if you hit '1' five times in quick succession on the menu it closes? 1 is close to escape, and on quick closing, I'm always spamming a button as it lags anyway.

a five hit combo on an semi-obscure button is a stupid thing to have as "quit" in anything, if only for the sakes of RSI, but mostly for my sanity.
i dont see why we cant just have a pause button and keep esc's current function, or just have a setting (that would default to on) that adds an "are you sure you want to quit" dialog box on the second esc press. the second one would allow us modders to turn it off and mash esc to out hearts content while we wait for .rte resetting.

Best idea yet, do this.

Or have an option in Game Options to select whether ESC quits the game or returns to game.

This is the best suggestion.

Better yet, the ability to setup your units while paused. That way when you're ordering troops, you don't get pummeled with rockets.
And OP, Data already is trying to improve the AI. And there is only one man making CC, Data, with some help from Numgun and Capnbubs.

EDIT: fixed the post.

What are you even saying?

I don't know if this happens for you, or anyone else for that matter, but every time I try to buy a soldier, the one I was controlling at the moment somehow dies by something very unlikely such as a dropship engine grinding him into the ground from across the map. So if you could pause and go to the "buy menu" you would have a chance to perhaps avoid anything that may have damaged your soldiers.

Oops, I see what you meant there, I forgot to say that you could purchase units while the game is paused.

Also, this reminds me.

Bring the ♥♥♥♥ 'press both actor select buttons to open buy menu' thing, it was VERY comfortable to use.
Quick access to the buy menu helps ALOT.
I'm tired of having to open the inventory, then pressing right and letting go of it just to open it...

So there should be a checkbox for that and for how the esc key works.

I fully agree. Shouldnt be to hard to do either, no?

Do this with the added option to toggle this box's appearing in the options menu, as well as a little checkbox in the box with the customary "show this window again?" question. Saves speed racer and other people who don't want to accidentally exit the game due to spazticity.

lol, I remember this "boss mode" thing from commander keen, funny stuff.

But anyways, Esc to go to main menu, and Esc again to go back to the game.
For closing the game fast; Alt + F4.

Good? Improvements/Suggestions?

Can't see a problem with that. How about control-Q though? More intuitive. I mean, control-R restarts the scene, R is for restart, Q is for quit!