Brian 5
Sami PetrosA Real Time Strategy Guide Pt6
Today I would like to discuss some tricks I have found to be particularly useful when playing rts games in a multiplayer situation. I will divide this up into: free for all play and team play.
Free for all:
Use psychological tactics – telling your opponent that you have a stealth tank in their base, even if not true, will keep them on edge. If you repeat it enough they might get sloppy in their surveillance and this will allow you to make a real infiltration.
Spreading yourself out to some extent is advisable: it will give your opponent a headache as they will have a harder time destroying your means of production. In relation to this, not to mention it’s a good idea, it is important to start your second base as soon as possible, especially to provide a firm economic basis for your actions.
The best, and most effective, tact to take that I have found in any rts game is to keep pressure continuously on your opponent. Keep attacking while you are doing other things, make them only little bites, 5 to 10 units max; enough so that you can continue to attack while building other things. This has several important effects: It is very stressful to be continually attacked! This has a very important psychological impact and even if your opponent is as cool as ice it is still an extra thing to worry about; secondly, these constant attacks will, more often than not, gobble up more resources than they cost – your units will tie up and destroy parts of your opponent’s garrison, and defenses and buildings will have to be repaired; finally, as I have said before, it is very difficult to switch from a defensive manner to an offensive. Being on the defensive all the time your opponent will feel, and be, boxed in – your opponent’s supply lines will be under constant threat, assault forces will have to be pulled back to defend their base if you attack while their force is away, they will be hesitant to expand and thus give you free reign of the map.
In a free for all where there are 3 or more players it’s a good idea to wherever possible, let your opponents weaken each other. Say you are about to attack an enemy base and your scouting units pick up an enemy attack heading in the same direction. Let them attack first and either attack them in the rear or after they have been driven off, attack your weakened opponent.
Team play:
Communicate! There is no easier game to win than one where you can capitalize on a team’s lack of co-ordination and communication. If you’re not communicating with your teammate or attempting some sort of coordinated action you will be chewed up by the other team/s.
An idea to try (this may only work in some games) is to divvy up the responsibilities of rts management. An example of this might be as simple as one player being put in charge of base defense and one in charge of making assaults.
And there you have it, next time I will be wrapping up the series with a nice little conclusion.
Alskreek, out.
Free for all:
Use psychological tactics – telling your opponent that you have a stealth tank in their base, even if not true, will keep them on edge. If you repeat it enough they might get sloppy in their surveillance and this will allow you to make a real infiltration.
Spreading yourself out to some extent is advisable: it will give your opponent a headache as they will have a harder time destroying your means of production. In relation to this, not to mention it’s a good idea, it is important to start your second base as soon as possible, especially to provide a firm economic basis for your actions.
The best, and most effective, tact to take that I have found in any rts game is to keep pressure continuously on your opponent. Keep attacking while you are doing other things, make them only little bites, 5 to 10 units max; enough so that you can continue to attack while building other things. This has several important effects: It is very stressful to be continually attacked! This has a very important psychological impact and even if your opponent is as cool as ice it is still an extra thing to worry about; secondly, these constant attacks will, more often than not, gobble up more resources than they cost – your units will tie up and destroy parts of your opponent’s garrison, and defenses and buildings will have to be repaired; finally, as I have said before, it is very difficult to switch from a defensive manner to an offensive. Being on the defensive all the time your opponent will feel, and be, boxed in – your opponent’s supply lines will be under constant threat, assault forces will have to be pulled back to defend their base if you attack while their force is away, they will be hesitant to expand and thus give you free reign of the map.
In a free for all where there are 3 or more players it’s a good idea to wherever possible, let your opponents weaken each other. Say you are about to attack an enemy base and your scouting units pick up an enemy attack heading in the same direction. Let them attack first and either attack them in the rear or after they have been driven off, attack your weakened opponent.
Team play:
Communicate! There is no easier game to win than one where you can capitalize on a team’s lack of co-ordination and communication. If you’re not communicating with your teammate or attempting some sort of coordinated action you will be chewed up by the other team/s.
An idea to try (this may only work in some games) is to divvy up the responsibilities of rts management. An example of this might be as simple as one player being put in charge of base defense and one in charge of making assaults.
And there you have it, next time I will be wrapping up the series with a nice little conclusion.
Alskreek, out.
