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All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when capable of attacking, feign incapacity; when active in moving troops, feign inactivity. When near the enemy, make it seem that you are far away; when far away, make it seem that you are near. Hold out baits to lure the enemy. Strike the enemy when he is in disorder. Prepare against the enemy when he is secure at all points. Avoid the enemy for the time being when he is stronger. If your opponent is of choleric temper, try to irritate him. If he is arrogant, try to encourage his egotism. If the enemy troops are well prepared after reorganization, try to wear them down. If they are united, try to sow dissension among them. Attack the enemy where he is unprepared, and appear where you are not expected. These are the keys to victory for a strategist. It is not possible to formulate them in detail beforehand.
This is pretty obvious in my opinion. Strike when he's in disorder? Send a cruiser ahead to confound enemy ships and then move in your main forces. Avoid when he's stronger? Hide in the belts, or near a station. Almost all of these techniques can be accomplished with the use of races like the Salrilians and Cantharans, with their cloaking ships.
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A speedy victory is the main object in war. If this is long in coming, weapons are blunted and morale depressed. If troops are attacking cities, their strength will be exhausted. When the army engages in protracted campaigns, the resources of the state will fall short. When your weapons are dulled and ardor dampened, your strength exhausted and treasure spent, the chieftains of the neighboring states will take advantage of your crisis to act. In that case, no man, however wise, will be able to avert the disastrous consequences that ensue. Thus, while we have heard of stupid haste in war, we have not yet seen a clever operation that was prolonged. for there has never been a protracted war which benefited a country. Therefore, those unable to understand the evils inherent in employing troops are equally unable to understand the advantageous ways of doing so.
Always finish off your enemy at the first chance you get; if he's able to hide out and build up a force again, you are left with a number of ships which are weakened from the previous fighting. Additionally, if you allow yourself to get frustrated, then you might find yourself playing worse just wanting the damn game to end. Finish it fast.
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Generally, in war the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this. To capture the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a regiment, a company, or a squad is better than to destroy them. For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence.
Thus, those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle. They capture the enemy's cities without assaulting them and overthrow his state without protracted operations. Their aim is to take all under heaven intact by strategic considerations. Thus, their troops are not worn out and their gains will be complete. This is the art of offensive strategy.
Thus, those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle. They capture the enemy's cities without assaulting them and overthrow his state without protracted operations. Their aim is to take all under heaven intact by strategic considerations. Thus, their troops are not worn out and their gains will be complete. This is the art of offensive strategy.
As of now, you can't take over ships. When hera come out, I'm sure many will see the use of making ships capturable, but until then the part about subduing without battle holds true. Transports, anyone? Draw your opponent out with an attack on an ATR, or simply attack him when your transport is near to confound him and give it time to land. This will keep your losses low. In missions with multiple planets, this holds especially true.
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Thus, there are five points in which victory may be predicted:
1. He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.
2. He who understands how to fight in accordance with the strength of antagonistic forces will be victorious.
3. He whose ranks are united in purpose will be victorious.
4. He who is well prepared and lies in wait for an enemy who is not well prepared will be victorious.
5. He whose generals are able and not interfered with by the sovereign will be victorious.
1. He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.
2. He who understands how to fight in accordance with the strength of antagonistic forces will be victorious.
3. He whose ranks are united in purpose will be victorious.
4. He who is well prepared and lies in wait for an enemy who is not well prepared will be victorious.
5. He whose generals are able and not interfered with by the sovereign will be victorious.
Well, there you go. Match ships with what they're good at killing. If your opponent builds nothing but carriers, build ships which work well at killing carriers (note: Do NOT attempt this with Ishimans, the best you can hope for is to match you opponent's strategy if he builds the 2 carriers.) Cruisers will swarm gunships. carriers toast cruisers. As for united ranks, target your enemies, not yourself. As for the general stuff, just imagine that there are actual people on your ship or something, although it could be interpreted as advice not to leave ships at planets and bunker stations.
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If I am able to determine the enemy's dispositions while, at the same time, I conceal my own, then I can concentrate my forces and his must be divided. And if I concentrate while he divides, I can use my entire strength to attack a fraction of his. Therefore, I will be numerically superior. Then, if I am able to use many to strike few at the selected point, those I deal with will fall into hopeless straits. The enemy must not know where I intend to give battle. For if he does not know where I intend to give battle, he must prepare in a great many places. And when he prepares in a great many places, those I have to fight in will be few.
If you are a cloaking species, you can easily concentrate, especially if your enemy moves in more directions at once. If they attempt to take 2 bunkers, move in on their planet. Even if you can’t cloak, you can hide in the belts and only give a vague idea of where you are to your enemies.
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Therefore, both advantage and danger are inherent in maneuvering for an advantageous position. One who sets the entire army in moriton with impediments to pursue an advantageous position will not attain it. If he abandons the camp and all the impediments to contend for advantage, the stores will be lost. Thus, if one orders his men to make forced marches without armor, stopping neithe day nor night, covering double the usual distance at a stretch, and doing a hundred li to wrest an advantage, it is probable that the commanders will be captured. The stronger men will arrive first and the feeble ones will struggle along behind
There you go. Don’t just blindly rush forth. Humans especially suffer from this. If you attack, just telling all your ships to attack the target, you will end up regretting it. Your HVD arrives first, with your gunships lagging, and the confusion in your fleet will likely lead to your loss of the game.
And there you have it. The thousands of years old wisdom of Sun Tzu applied to Ares. Holds up pretty well, in my experience. Any comments?
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