Basic miltary tactics?
jeffc
basic concepts, like getting your different resources to cooperate (air,
artillery, and infantry), or putting troops in the right order (archers in
back, spearmen up front fending off the cavalry). I was playing the Rome
Total War demo last night and I realized I don't know basic military
tactics. I need an online resource that gives a good overview of the
fundamentals that can be applied to all combat. Like "Military Tactics for
Dummies". How and when and why to flank, how and when to retreat, and to
where, how to cause deception, etc. etc.
David
Army Field Manual FM 7-8 INFANTRY RIFLE PLATOON AND SQUAD. Don't worry,
it's not a hard read either.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/7-8/index.html
The whole list of Army Field Manuals on the site are at:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/
The manuals in the FM 6.xx series aren't bad either. Granted, a little
dry, but the information is in there!
Regards,
Dave
Eddy Sterckx
news:Ovbyf.14291$Kp.1...@southeast.rr.com:
> I was playing the Rome Total War demo last night and I
> realized I don't know basic military tactics.
The trouble with RTW is that there's a difference between historically
accurate military tactics and the best tactics to win in this particular
game. The current issue of the PC Gamer (UK) magazine has a complete
article on "how to win battles in RTW" - just by accident I'm also just
reading a book on the actual tactics used by Roman armies. Well, to be
gentle : RTW winning tactics would have been rubbish IRL. So the trouble
is that even if you read the best book there is on military tactics and
then try to apply them to a game that doesn't allow these sound tactics
to work correctly you're back to square one.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
--
"Ceterum censeo Belgicam delendam esse."
(Cato, 'Pro Gerolphe')
Oleg Mastruko
wrote:
>"jeffc" <jeff...@yahoo.com> wrote in
>news:Ovbyf.14291$Kp.1...@southeast.rr.com:
>
>> I was playing the Rome Total War demo last night and I
>> realized I don't know basic military tactics.
>
>The trouble with RTW is that there's a difference between historically
>accurate military tactics and the best tactics to win in this particular
>game. The current issue of the PC Gamer (UK) magazine has a complete
>article on "how to win battles in RTW" - just by accident I'm also just
>reading a book on the actual tactics used by Roman armies. Well, to be
>gentle : RTW winning tactics would have been rubbish IRL. So the trouble
>is that even if you read the best book there is on military tactics and
>then try to apply them to a game that doesn't allow these sound tactics
>to work correctly you're back to square one.
Rome: Total Realism mod does a solid job on making the RTW game
more realistic, more believable (for us grog types - public at large
has no problems believing anything) and more true to real-world period
tactics.
This mod is *still* not nearly enough to make me love RTW, but
it's a huge step towards making the game better in most aspects. I
suggest everyone still playing RTW to download and apply Rome: Total
Realism mod (it's free).
Oleg
Oleg Mastruko
>>The trouble with RTW is that there's a difference between historically
>>accurate military tactics and the best tactics to win in this particular
>>game. The current issue of the PC Gamer (UK) magazine has a complete
>>article on "how to win battles in RTW" - just by accident I'm also just
>>reading a book on the actual tactics used by Roman armies. Well, to be
>>gentle : RTW winning tactics would have been rubbish IRL. So the trouble
>>is that even if you read the best book there is on military tactics and
>>then try to apply them to a game that doesn't allow these sound tactics
>>to work correctly you're back to square one.
Oh and PC Gamer is crap. Poor journalism - plain and simple. I
haven't seen that article but it would not surprise me if it is wrong
on more accounts than just giving unhistoric advice ;o)
RTW may be baddish and faulty, but it's not THAT bad. Sane
military tactics, applying things well known from Roman times, should
and will win you (even) a game of unmodded RTW.
O.
James Gassaway
news:Ovbyf.14291$Kp.1...@southeast.rr.com...
Well, there is one that's been around for a bit over two thousand years
called "Art of War" by some Chinese named Sun Tzu. But I suspect that much
of what you'd learn from it couldn't be easily used in a computer game. :P
Also, what kind of tactics and strategies to apply depend on the scale and
time period of the game. The logistical basics of building a mid-20th
century Southern Pacific airbase may not be entirely applicable to helping
you obtain forage for your elephants as you march with Hannibal over the
Alps.
--
"I reject your reality and substitute my own."
"Now, quack, damn you!"
Multiversal Mercenaries
You name it, we kill it. Any time, any reality.
jeffc
problem with real world tactics vs. ways to win in a game. I am interested
in general tactics still, though.
Giftzwerg
says...
> Well maybe I shouldn't have mentioned RTW at all. I do understand the
> problem with real world tactics vs. ways to win in a game. I am interested
> in general tactics still, though.
How about:
http://www.military-info.com/freebies/murphy.htm
I mean, you'll hear a lot about Napoleon's Maxims, Sun Tzu, Clauswitz
... but I think you'll find those sources either too philosophical or
too steeped in bygone lore to be practical.
--
Giftzwerg
***
"We should be encouraged by the progress in Iraq and heartened by the
American people's distrust of elitist propaganda. From Hollywood's
latest anti-American rant to the decaying New York Times, the stars of
the America's Most Arrogant Show have had to learn yet again that we
don't take orders from trust-fund snots, campus cowards or actors."
- Ralph Peters
Shawn Wilson
> I've played a few games, Panzer General, Age of Empires, etc. I get some
There aren't that many general guidelines-
Fight battles to win- either bring enough force to bear to destroy the
enemy, or don't fight.
Fight to set up your next move- each battle should play a role in winning,
if it doesn't then save your forces for something else.
Maximize your strengths- keep strong units out of situations that make them
weaker.
Minimize your weaknesses- put weak units in situations that make them
stronger.
Maximize your opponents weaknesses- stab them in the back, not the front
Minimize your opponents strengths. if he has an unstoppable force, make
sure it fritters away its time attacking irrelevant targets in bad terrain,
not valuable ones in good terrain.
(more specific advice here would depend on time period, technology, and
situation)
Economy of force- make sure you have every unit contributing as much as
possible to victory, if they aren't then it's like handicapping yourself
Fair fights are for suckers.
Jukka I Seppänen
> ... - just by accident I'm also just
> reading a book on the actual tactics used by Roman armies...
For curiosity: which book?
Jukka
eddys...@hotmail.com
Mike Cox
a general sort of way. His concept of the indirect approach serves well
often.
Someone pulled out some maxims and posted them online
http://home.att.net/~nickols/maxims.htm
Dan
jeffc wrote:
>I need an online resource that gives a good overview of the
> fundamentals that can be applied to all combat. Like "Military Tactics for
> Dummies".
This isn't an online resource, but you'll find it a very good and cheap
read:
Be Your Own Napoleon by William Seymour
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=own+napoleon
The author looks at 10 historic battles from the Hastings on and you
can choose the direction of the battle at critical junctures to see how
your answer compares with directions chosen by the likes of the William
the Conqueror, King Edward III, Henry V, Cromwell, Burgoyne, Napoleon
(of course), Lee, Hooker, Allenby, and Kesselring, to name a few. The
maps are great and there's a fairly detailed OOB for each battle.