Moderator: Moderators
Originally posted by me - four years ago!
Ground attacks consist of two things.
Strategy
Strategy is the ability to get the correct amount of desired units with the ability to attack. o_O
The ground battle will be useless if you do not have strategy.
1) Strategy involves getting the resources required to build the units (and - If you are using units that require energy, supplying them too!)
2)Once you have the required resources, the next step in strategy is selecting the correct units.
This cannot be layed out, as different situations will call for different units.
a.A map has the biggest affect on the units you choose. Pick faster units for flatter maps, and more maneuvreable units for more steep maps.
b.The next most important factor is what you are coming up against.
By the time you are ready for a fully fledged attack, you would know what type of defense your coming up against (this includes enemy units too).
You should then plan your attack force with this infomation.
Does he have rocket towers? Maybe you need rockos/crashers.
Does he use dragons teeth to guard his units? Maybe you need some lob-shot units.
Does he have a large airforce? Maybe you should get some AA units.
c.The final thing that affects your choice of units is how good the units are themselves. You wont just build a zeus because it suits the above two, because they are crap.
Note: Strategy is only usefull in a ground battle to the point where units can actually attack. If a unit is forced to defend your base, rather than attack, that unit is nolonger an offensive unit, but a defensive unit, and cannot be counted in with the strategical element involved in the ground battle.
Tactics
Once you have used strategy, and you have all the units you need, the next part is Tactics.
This involves getting the units to where they would best suit your goal, and controlling your units to the best of your abilities to succeed in that goal.
1)The key to a successful ground battle is information. If you have the correct infomation (ie:you have scouted out their base), you will know how to best plan your attack. (suggestion: Use hawks to scout well defended bases, not peepers/finks, as they fly faster and have more armour)
2)Assuming you have this infomation, you must plan where to best place your units to succeed in your goal, whether it be a mere strike at the economy, or an attack designed to eliminate your opponent. (some might argue that this belongs in strategy).
If an enemy has strong positions in one area, you must exploit the weaker areas of his base.
If you know he has MTs on one side, and units on another, you should send your rockos/crashers to the rocket towers, and your armoured units to the army.
3)While to succeed in battle you must have information (as mention in #1), you must at the same time deny your enemy information on your own movements. Radar jammers are very usefull units.
4)Deception is an excellent way to win a battle, but it all depends on the opposing player 'taking the bait'. You could send a dud attack on one of his flanks, drawing his defending units to that side, while your real assault force sneaks in under radar jamming to the opposing flank.
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As you see, engaging the enemy is only a finite part of the entire ground battle.
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5) Once you have finally engaged the enemy in combat, unless you have far superior numbers, you must control your units so as to maximise their attacking ability.
The defending side, though they have emplacements designed to eliminate attacking units, lack the ability to be mobile. Exploit this.
If you are attacking a single structure (or an army smaller than yours) minimise your losses by surrounding the enemy. This means that they are forced to split their fire among several targets, while you are still able to pinpoint yours.
If you are attacking a structure that aims slowly (annihilators, etc) run around it with a fast unit!
6) Remember, your units are expendable (don't tell them that though ). Do not feel too attached to your units to try and keep them alive. Send cannon fodder units (whether they be cheap quick units to attract fire [flash, most level 1 Kbots], or lumbering armoured units to soak up the fire [bulldogs, sumos, cans, goliaths etc.]) to take fire away from your powerful units.
7) A ground assault needs support to be successful. Back up your ground units with long range artillery (whether it be mobile Lugers, or immobile LRPC's). Use fighter craft (Vamp, Hawk)to delve deep into the enemy base to eliminate the juicy inner-base targets while the AA is otherwise occupied, or use gunships to lend a powerful hand to your assault force.
Using ships to pummel an enemy base is always a great thing, but assuming you have won supremacy of the seas, you would have done that already, whether you are attacking or not
8 ) Make sure you set out goals before you launch an attack, and concentrate on them during the attack.
9) Concentrate on your goals, but don't ignore threats.
Your goals (destroy the Fusion/LRPC/commander) are always the key point for an attack, and concentrating on them is important, but if you are being fired on (and you have sufficient units to eliminate the threat) destroy the attacking units. Don't just sit there and hope you can kill the target before you are destroyed.
10) A major advantage of attacking is that your enemy is cought in a tight position where their very existance is threatened. They will do whatever they can to defend their base.
You, on the other hand, are on the offensive, and while winning the battle is important, it will not necesserily mean life or death (though it may, if you throw all of your units in, and are unprepared for a counter strike).
While you are attacking, continue to build your base. Expand, reclaim dead units in the battle, build your economy further (so you can pump out more units - think like a capitalist ).
11) Have reinforcements. Its always good to have a backup regiment on their way.
This does not mean save some of your units for reinforcements. Send everything you will spare into the attack.
When I talk about reinforcements, I talk of any units created while you were on your way to/in the middle of a battle.
These units can replenish losses and catch the enemy unaware on an unguarded flank.
Do not though, send reinforcements on a long trickle to your main battle group.
While it is important to reinforce your units as quickly as possible, it is useless sending single units into a base, only to be picked of one by one before they even reach the main battle.
Sending units in waves is a good idea, but you have to be careful about how big your waves are.
Remember, you are building reinforcements, not another battle group. If your units are destroyed before your reinforcements arive, the reinforcements are useless.
12) If you have failed in your attack, remember, retreat is always on option. It is much better to withdraw your units, then let them fight to the last man inside the enemy base.If your attack fails, whether it be because your enemy was in a better position originally or because of good play on the defensive side, or poor play on the attacking side, it means that your enemy is now (most likely) in a position to counter attack in the next few minutes.Originally written by some smart guy
It is better to live, and fight another day.
AIf you have lost all of your units fighting, and your enemy has simply lost some defensive units, he most likely has a better offensive army then you, and can launch a counter offensive on your (possibly) under defended base (a natural assumption given that you have no longer any units to defend your base,and you have spent large resources building the assault force rather than building defences).
If you retreat your units after a failed assault, you will have a better chance at fending off his counter offensive, thus balancing the scales again.
There is a thin line between bravery and stupidity. It takes a good commander to realise the point from where a battle can no longer be won.
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Both Strategy and Tactics are completely different, yet equally important parts of the ground attack.
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Isn't TA great that I can go into so much detail on a lone ground attack?
), but it definitely would not work on a metal map.
can't imagine why... :D
