This is an excellent addition, and should make the game much more friendly for new players.
I'm curious about a few details. How are reputation/loot handled? Will fleets sometimes break off between sub-battles when their ships are worn out, or do they always support allies after the initial decision? And if they can leave, how is only part of a larger fleet retreating handled?
Regarding battles taking place on the campaign map: is simulated combat done in discrete "rounds" like in Mount & Blade where you can hover over them and watch combatants disappear every few seconds, or is it a single timer?