Military strategy, to some extent, has had to change over the years and those changes were generally dictated by the advancement in technology. A classic example of this point was shown during the American Civil War. Previous military strategy called for Army Corps to align in rows and columns and march into battle, effectively the strategy employed in every war prior to the Civil War. Unfortunately, modern advancements in weaponry made that military strategy obsolete within a matter of months as guns were able to shoot farther and more accurately than ever before.
Some basic beliefs regarding overall strategy in battle have not changed. In the United States Army Field Manual of Military Operations, essential battle concepts are listed as:
- Objective (in other words, have a plan and move towards it)
- Offensive (always push the initiative)
- Mass (choose where to concentrate your combat power)
- Economy of Force (more expenditure of assets for essential efforts)
- Maneuver (make the enemy react to your moves)
- Unity of Command (all efforts dictated by one commander)
- Security (protect your forces)
- Surprise (seek the enemy’s area of unpreparedness)
- Simplicity (use the Keep It Simple Stupid concept so no misunderstandings)
Although these basic battle strategies are always in the mind of a combatant, it must be remembered that fluidity must always be employed because situations are constantly changing in combat and one must have the capabilities to adjust based on the ever-changing aspects of battle.
Massive 3d multiplayer games like Aces High require that players always keep these basic military strategies in mind. This is especially difficult considering the fact that each time you go online you are facing different opponents whose strategies are different from the last opponents you faced in a combat game. The fluidity factor is readily apparent in flight simulator games in each battle. Questions like, “what do I want to accomplish?” or “how can I use my opponents’ actions against them,” should always be considered when entering battle. There are simply too many skilled players out there for any player to enter an arena without clear objectives and certainly without the ability to change on the fly.
Give Aces High a try; use the free two-week download and find out just how exciting multiplayer games can be. A warning, though: make sure you have clear objectives because you can bet your opponents have theirs.”
