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I was looking around for passages from Sun Tzu's The art of War, and I came across some things that I thought were very relevant to Ares strategy, though perhaps not quite relevant enough to warrant posting in the Briefing room. Anyways, here are the passages I felt were most important, followed by my personal explanation of why.
Quote
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.
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.
_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. _
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.
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.
WOW! The stratagy Sun Tzu explained really is relevant with Ares! Who would have thought that a guy thousands of years ago explained some stratagy that applies to a computer game! Listen to this stratagy people, it works!
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Of course it works. War, no matter how technologically advanced it gets, follows a universal rythim (sp?). Sun Tzu, a brilliant strategist and philosopher, understood this and worked out the elements of winning. The tactics works just as well for space combat as they do for ancient blade-to-blade melees. I read The Art of War about three years ago and have applied to any strategy game since. Bravo Newt!
BTW, in eastern culture the Art of War is applied to anything having to do with competition such as business, diplomacy, etc. I suggest that everyone here read it.
------------------ Throughout their history these "unenlightened" beings have continually opposed and fought abuses of power wrought by their own bretheren. We, as the prophets would do well to learn from these Humans. -Final statement of the Salrilian reformist Sirthis shortly before his execution.
Originally posted by Sargatanus: **...War, no matter how technologically advanced it gets, follows a universal rythim (sp?). Sun Tzu, a brilliant strategist and philosopher, understood this and worked out the elements of winning. The tactics works just as well for space combat as they do for ancient blade-to-blade melees... **
I agree with you absolutely on this.
Actually, this was all very relevant to strategy games, because while I knew who Sun Tzu was (roughly,) and that he wrote the book and everything, I didn't know a thing that was in it until I saw that cutscene from Alpha Centuari, for the Hunter Seek Algorithm, and I though, hey! That applies to Ares. I wonder if anything else does? So I tracked down the passages, and voila. Anyways, I'm probably going to try and find an actual copy of the book now.
------------------ We woke up one morning and fell a little further down, for sure this is the valley of death. I open up my wallet, and it is full of blood. -Godspeed you Black Emporer!, Dead flag blues
This is really quite relevant in one level, but surprisingly, not in my strategy; in the early level where Flak Drones first appear, the most effective way to sneak your engineering pod in, I've found, is to take 10/20 cruisers and hyper them around the base, thereby distracting the enemy. My strategy, however, is to gain ground slowly, and not lose it. I don't strike quickly.
------------------ "If so, then how does one count to 10 on the Mac?" "128, 127, 126, 125..." -Pallas Athene, Member of the Obish Consensus