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a general strategy post [message #262306]

Thu, 31 May 2007 18:02

Spoony
Messages: 3915
Registered: January 2006

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General (3 Stars)
Tactics & Strategies Moderator

I wrote a few strategy guides a couple years back, and they basically hinged around one all-important principle. It's obvious to any good RTS player, but apparently way beyond most public-server players I seem to encounter in Renegade.
The enemy will have weapons, tanks and such. Disable them before you attack their base.

For example, City Flying. In a public server, you can be sure that 85% of the time Nod players will want to stank rush. The reason for this is they don't think far ahead. Imagine, if you will, that Renegade is a game of chess. Stank rushers are only thinking in terms of the immediate move - what piece they can capture (i.e. what building they can destroy). If the rush doesn't kill a building, it's basically an utter failure and you're back to square one - the players just try another rush. What's more, chances are you're actually somewhere below square one since GDI will have been able to operate unchallenged in the field. (This is thanks to the fact stanks don't hold the field and clear it of enemies, they AVOID enemies)
A better chess player will think about the repercussions of that move several moves hence. e.g. what if the stank rush fails? what is GDI doing right now? how likely is it they'll stop us?

A far better strategy is the light tank+sakuras+1 apache strat. This takes into account the fact that you want to be foiling GDI's plans, not simply avoiding them as stank rushers want to do. GDI will have meds and whatnot on the field, if they are wise. If the stank rush fails, by that time the meds will lock the Nod base down and having no tanks, you'll have an uphill struggle from that point on.
The light tank/sakura/apache strat is based on killing GDI's weapons first, before you think about taking a building out. The only counter to lights+sakuras+apache is for GDI to do exactly the counterpart: meds+havocs+an orca, and do it better. If GDI gets anything other than meds+havocs+one orca, you'll chew them up and spit them out. They certainly won't rush past you either.
Have better snipers than your opponent. Why? Once you take out the havocs, their Orca can't match your Apache and hope to win. Once the Orca is denied free movement, your Apache can help your lights take on the meds, and the meds will drop like flies. (When it comes to a mass tankfight such as this scenario, once one team starts losing they'll keep losing. So, don't be the team who starts losing - make sure you're co-ordinated, make sure you call your targets and focus fire all on the same tank at once, etc)

Once that's done, GDI will have very little in the way of firepower and very little in the way of money.

Then you start killing buildings. because at that point, they can't do much to stop you.

Like I said, most public-server players don't get this, but it is hands-down the top level of Renegade strategy. Many players misunderstand this. They see a player like myself use an artillery, they shout "pointwhore". What they don't realise is I'm not going for points. I'm aiming to take out GDI tanks and expensive infantry so my team is more likely to get basekill. A rush is far more likely to succeed if you take out their tanks first, it's a plain fact.
And even if the rushes fail and we don't get basekill, we'll win on points - that's the backup plan and it's being achieved in the process of trying to make plan A work.

That was probably unappealingly long-winded, but once you understand this principle and apply it to Renegade, you will win more games.

In a nutshell, the difference is this:
stank rush: "let's destroy a building"
lights+sakuras+apache strat: "let's create a situation where they can't stop us destroying a building"

The difference is subtle but vital.

Unleash the Renerageâ„¢

Renedrama [ren-i-drah-muh]
- noun
1. the inevitable criticism one receives after doing something awful