User Interface Overview covers how to actually navigate Imperium Sine Fine — starting here with the full desktop keyboard shortcut reference, organised by the screen, panel, or dialog each shortcut is active in. A visual walkthrough of the interface itself will follow once screenshots are ready.
Shortcuts are only live while their screen or dialog is open and focused. When a dialog opens, it normally intercepts all keyboard input — the underlying screen's own shortcuts are suspended until that dialog closes.
Main Menu Screen
The main menu itself is mouse-driven and has no shortcuts of its own. The two dialogs it can open each have their own bindings:
Load Game Dialog
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Close the dialog
|
| Enter |
Confirm a pending delete — after clicking the [X] next to a save, Enter confirms it, letting you clear several saves without reaching for the mouse each time
|
Create/Load Scenario Dialog
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
If browsing existing scenarios (Load mode): return to the Create form. Otherwise: close the dialog.
|
| Backspace |
Delete the last character in the scenario name field (Create mode only, field must be focused)
|
| Enter |
Create the scenario (Create mode only)
|
Create Game Screen
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
If the Victory Conditions sub-dialog is open, close it. Otherwise, return to the Main Menu.
|
Scenario Select Screen
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Return to the Main Menu
|
Mod Manager Screen
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Return to the Main Menu
|
Settings Screen
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Close Settings
|
Game Screen
Global Shortcuts
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Cascading close: closes whichever overlay is currently on top (game menu → event feed → combat → status → diplomacy → laws → research → imperial court → army list → settlement list → troop → leader → equipment → army panel → population → settlement panel → terrain panel). If nothing is open, opens the game menu instead.
|
| Space |
Pause / unpause
|
| Ctrl + S |
Quick-save (saves as "savegame", no name prompt). Disabled in Ironman mode.
|
| + / − |
Increase / decrease game speed
|
| 1 2 3 4 |
Switch map mode: Terrain / Political / Expansion / Diplomatic
|
| F1 |
Toggle empire panel — Status tab
|
| F2 |
Toggle empire panel — Imperial Court tab
|
| F3 |
Toggle empire panel — Settlements tab
|
| F4 |
Toggle empire panel — Armies tab
|
| F5 |
Toggle empire panel — Research tab
|
| F6 |
Toggle empire panel — Diplomacy tab
|
| F7 |
Toggle empire panel — Laws tab
|
| F8 |
Open the Focus Trees screen — see the note below
|
| V |
Open the Victory panel — see Victory Conditions
|
| N |
Select the next army (hold Shift to cycle backwards)
|
| C |
Select the next settlement (hold Shift to cycle backwards)
|
| H |
Centre the camera on your capital
|
| I |
Jump to the next idle army
|
| W A S D / Arrow keys |
Pan the map
|
| Shift (held) |
Doubles pan speed while panning
|
| Page Up / Page Down |
Zoom in / out
|
F8 opens the Focus Trees screen, but this is another look ahead at content tied to a future expansion that hasn't been announced yet — see Government Types and the Focus Tree JSON Reference on CSV and JSON Reference for the same caveat. The key is live now; without that content, opening it is simply a no-op.
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Cancel
|
| Enter |
Confirm and save
|
| Delete |
Delete the character to the right of the cursor
|
Rename Dialog (army / leader / settlement)
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Cancel
|
| Enter |
Confirm the new name
|
| Delete |
Delete the character to the right of the cursor
|
Victory Dialog (shown once a win/loss condition triggers)
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Dismiss and keep playing
|
Victory Panel (opened via V)
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape or V |
Close
|
Focus Trees Screen (opened via F8)
DLC required: This feature requires the Chronicles of Cardolya expansion.
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape or F8 |
Close
|
| W A S D / Arrow keys |
Pan the focus tree canvas
|
| Shift (held) |
Faster pan
|
Editor Screen (Scenario Editor)
DLC required: This feature requires the Eternal Creation expansion.
Global Shortcuts
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Open the Quit Editor dialog (Save & Exit / Exit without Saving / Cancel)
|
| Ctrl + S |
Save the scenario (opens the rename dialog to confirm or change its name)
|
| Ctrl + Z |
Undo the last terrain paint stroke (up to 5 strokes of history, oldest dropped first). Works regardless of the current mode; also available as an Undo button on the Terrain panel toolbar, greyed out when there's nothing to undo.
|
| T or F1 |
Switch to Terrain mode
|
| I or F2 |
Switch to Empire mode
|
| D or F3 |
Switch to Diplomacy mode*
|
| A or F4 |
Switch to Asset mode*
|
| E or F5 |
Switch to Select mode
|
| R |
Toggle territory-edit mode — only while the Settlement editor panel is open
|
| 1 |
Map view: Terrain
|
| 2 |
Map view: Political
|
| 0 |
Set brush size to 0
|
| 3 |
Set brush size to 3
|
| + / − |
Increase / decrease brush size
|
| W A S D / Arrow keys |
Pan the map
|
| Shift (held) |
Doubles pan speed while panning
|
| Page Up / Page Down |
Zoom in / out
|
* D and A also pan the camera (right/left). The mode switch only fires when you tap the key without an active pan in that direction, so holding D or A to pan won't also flip the editor mode.
Rename Dialog (rename army/settlement, or name the scenario when saving)
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Cancel
|
| Enter |
Confirm
|
| Delete |
Delete the character to the right of the cursor
|
Confirm Dialog (e.g. "Delete this army/settlement?")
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Cancel
|
| Enter |
Confirm
|
Quit Editor Dialog
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Cancel (stay in the editor)
|
There's deliberately no Enter binding here — with three real choices (Save & Exit / Discard / Cancel), there's no single safe default action, so this dialog is click-only apart from Escape.
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape or Enter |
Dismiss
|
List Dialog (e.g. the scenario picker for Load)
| Key |
Action
|
| Escape |
Cancel
|
| Mouse wheel |
Scroll the list
|
See also
