Strategic vs. Grand Tactical vs. Tatical

[Chanfan]

I'm wondering if, and how, the fluid nature of this game will affect strategic and grand tactical planning.

That is to say, it appears that there are many ways to get into combat pretty quickly. Base spawn tubes, HART drops, convenient "take me to the fight" buttons, etc.

This is good for game play and keeping downtime between fights down. But everything has it's drawback, and I'm thinking this one may be limiting the front to - well the front lines.

Sure, you can fly your loaded Galaxy deep into enemy lines - and drop a squad (or two, or three) at a target. But given the rate folks will be re-spawning at, I'm assuming you will be quickly overwhelmed by people spawning at your target, unless you can also get spawn tubes up (via AMS or capture).

Strategically, I tend to think of things like - let's attack this continent on Tuesday. Aside from the difficulties of getting a large force on your side organized, I'm trying to see how picking a location to attack will have much effect other than selecting the kind of pretty backdrop you are fighting in. Within a few minutes, I would guess that any location you pick will be flooded with reenforcements, due to the ease of transport in re-spawning.

Grand tactically, even things like "let's flank this base or bypass it" would seem to be equally nullified by the quickness of reenforcements.

Am I missing out on something here? I would just like to see smart strategic or grand tactical planning rewarded, but I'm worried that the instant reenforcements will ge the "great equalizer" for any planning.

[Saint]

Grand tactical seems to work best. Usually outfits are a ood way of planning mass attacks. In order to stop the enemy from respawning you have to strike hard and fast into the control room so the enemy can not bring in reinforcments.

[Ruthless]

Tatical?

[Bodak]

It is going to be highly important that generals, squad leaders, outfit leaders, etc are very tactical and precise in their decisions about troop placement. Brute force alone won't be able to win the types of conflicts that will present themselves within the game.*cough*NC*cough cough*

I expect to see a good mix of tactical maneuvers and raw combat as the game develops, or at least, its what I hope to see.

[Modeus]

strategic planning will require a strong understanding of all game mechanics and a large enough force to do something useful with it. no need if you dont have the army to use.

grand tactical, will be a very key aspect as most outfits should be able to field enough troops (even if rarely) to make it so.

the most critical will be small unit tactics. squad composition, manouver to contact skills. attacking, holding, defending of bases. skirmishing and harrassment tactics.

all tactics are based upon game mechanic limitations.

[Vis Armata]

It sounds to me like respawning will one just one of the considerations that commanders will have to take into account in order for them to pull off their objectives. Respawing will permeate all levels of thinking, I'm guessing.

Vis

[Jakal]

Dont forget that in one of the beta journals they talked about how one smart vs infiltrator stole the enemy ams and screwed over the nc attack. I think that helps prove that tactics are still going to be an important part of the game

[LiquidThunder]

don't forget that you can in fact disable an enemies respawn tubes individually, or take away all amenities by going for the generator.

also don't forget that the HARTs are on a timer and won't just be dropping constantly.

-LT

[Chanfan]

Oh, I have no doubt that tactics will be very important. My question and concern is that the spawning mechanism will make grand tactics and strategics fairly unimportant.

BTW, for definitions (for Planetside), I think of them as:

Strategy - assuming there's a willing command structure, strategy would be planning on what continent to attack next, partitioning out your sides total forces between the two opposing groups, large scale type things. "Tomorrow, Outfits A, B, C & D attack to grab this Vanu jump gate and the surrounding bases, while Outfits E, F and G try and hold off the rest of the Vanu and the NC. Expect independent troops to flow to the fighting."

Grand Tactics - organizing and planning for multiple squads or platoons. Coordinating between such groups - "You two platoons attack the front, the third platoon will bypass the base and try and cut off reenforcements from these two areas"

Tactics - local battlefield control, from two folks working together to squad and possibly platoon leaders. "The AA Max guys will cover the rest of the squad as they rush the base".

[Warborn]

Vehicles turn the tide of battles, and vehicles are not acquired as easily as simply respawning with them.

[Chanfan]

Good point.

[euth]

Grand Tactical is the most likely

[Creediki]

Remember, Strategy and Tactics all depend on the fundamental realities of the battlefield.

So far, we understand the following things. Soldiers respawn at respawn tubes, but those tubes have a capacity. ie.. there is no respawning of the entire team instantly at one point aka BF 1942. Second, soldiers spawning need access to stations to equip. Otherwise they are pretty helpless. Third, vehicles are entierly different. You have Galaxy's restricted to the dropship facilities, and the heavy equipment restricted to tech facilities. Look at the maps.. most continents are really archipelagos. Vehicles have natural chokepoints at bridges... unless you're Vanu. Fourth, every vehicle, spawn, ammo, etc.. has to be brought to the spawn point via ANT. That's your logistics tail.

Putting all of that together, it looks like there are plenty of opportinities in the game for strategic moves. They may differ from continent to continent.

This all leaves one dramatic variable. The Forces struggling for control. What is their size and number. Their organization. The quality of their leaders. Will the squad leader realize it's more important for him to hold that bridge? Maybe it would prevent NC Vanguard reinforcements from getting through.

It seems to me that any area of Planetside will have a limited capacity to respawn and resupply troops in the field. Forces moved into an area will suffer attrition due to the natural friction which will not be able to be replenished from the battlefield site itself. Victory on any particular field will depend on the ability to concentrate forces faster and more effectivly than the opponent, while retaining the flexibility to disperse them again.


My prediction. Planetside breaks down into 3 types of play.

1.) Small unit disorganized action takes place between forces. This type of fighting would be akin to BF 1942. The respawn capacity of the location is not stressed. The battle will swing back and forth.

2.) Small unit organized action. Here we begin to see the seeds of organiaztion. Established squads with defined objectives begin operating. They do not tend to spawn close in to the fight, but spawn farther back, get organized, and move in. If they do fight close in, they bring their own spawn capacity with them and attempt to protect it.

3.) Large Unit organized action. Here is where the strategy comes into place. Large well-organized forces (an aaccomplishement itself) move into an area. Here, the forces are so large as to be unsustainable by the infrastructure of the area in which they are fighting. They have a considerable logistics tail of people moving war material into the battlezone from outside the combat area, perhaps outside the continent. Their war aims are more expansive. Perhaps targetting an entire continent or a large piece of it.


Thoughts??

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All warfare is based on deception.

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

[2coasts]

people will go where the action is, the battlefield will balance itself automatically, like it does in BF1942

[Chanfan]

I was unaware that spawn tubes had any kind of limitation on the rate they can spawn.

If that limitation is great enough, what you suggest could well be correct, which would be very cool. It also would give added value to advanced medic revive, which would also be cool.

I hope that it is, in fact, limiting enough.