Defcon
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General Strategies for New Players

 
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Kissinger





Joined: 06 Mar 2011
Posts: 2
Location: Israel
 PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 2:17 am    Post subject: General Strategies for New Players Reply with quote Back to top

Hey everyone,

Cruising through these forums for the first time, it did not take long to realize how deep the strategy of this game goes. To be honest, for a new player - it can be more than a bit overwhelming.

So I'm asking on behalf of myself, and all other new players, if someone can post a general guide of basic (and I mean, REALLY basic) strategic knowledge of the game.

The only way to get better is with stepping stones... and so far I can't quite see how to get to there (calculating launch times, trajectories, and AA rates of fire to integrate into super complex and detailed strategies) from here (having bombers nuke the ground from left-clicking instead of right-clicking a destination Rolling Eyes.)

Any helpful tips that I can use - at my current skill level - would be appreciated.

- Kissinger
 
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kudayta





Joined: 09 Aug 2010
Posts: 556

 PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

Really basic stuff? Ok.

1. Group your stuff together (To defend everything is to defend nothing). This means silos, navy and airbases. You can spread out a bit with radar, but don't go hog-wild with that.
2. Hide your stuff. Don't place all of your silos along the border in EU vs Russia. Don't place your entire navy in the middle of the Atlantic in EU vs NA.
3. Don't just open up one silo to launch randomly spread nukes across the enemy. And for god's sake, don't waste silo nukes on the enemy's navy (that just gives away the position of your silo, and has a very low probability of hitting anything). In other words, group your attack as well as you've grouped your hardware.
4. Launch subs from outside the enemy's radar coverage, and have some ships and planes around them when you do to ward off enemy fighters and bombers.
5. Fighters regenerate throughout the game, in airbases. Reload your carriers with those. Bombers do not regenerate. Use them wisely.
6. Keep moving. Guys and gals will exploit your closely packed hardware with nukes from bombers, so keep them guessing as to where your fleet actually is.
7. Don't just take the shortest path to the enemy's homeland. Mix it up a bit. Launch attacks from multiple vectors simultaneously, launch from rarely used or seen vectors, camp in your home waters and put up a moving wall of fighters to intercept his attacks then counter-punch, etc.
 
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Groeteschele





Joined: 06 Jul 2009
Posts: 103
Location: Czechoslovakia
 PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 11:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

Instead of Strategies for New Players I advise to learn tactical knowledge first (that Kudayta actually wrote). Difference between good and bad players isn't made primarily on strategic but tactical level. Strategy is a cherry on a cake and can't win you a game without your tactical skills (greetings to Tom Busch). Read through the forum, you'll find tons of knowledge for practising.
 
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Kissinger





Joined: 06 Mar 2011
Posts: 2
Location: Israel
 PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

Groeteschele wrote:
Instead of Strategies for New Players I advise to learn tactical knowledge first (that Kudayta actually wrote). Difference between good and bad players isn't made primarily on strategic but tactical level. Strategy is a cherry on a cake and can't win you a game without your tactical skills (greetings to Tom Busch). Read through the forum, you'll find tons of knowledge for practising.


What's the difference? I thought "tactical" and "strategic" were synonymous?

@ Kudayta - great stuff! That's already helpful!
 
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trickser





Joined: 06 Mar 2008
Posts: 1292
Location: The Senate ; GMT+1
 PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

Strategic are decisions which make you win a game. Simplified example: Nuke the cities and gain more points then your opponent.
Tactical are decision which makes you win certain situations. e.g. Kill more ships of an opponent then he kills of you. Tactics are kinda tools or methods. If you play only vs players with weaker tactics you can easily win your games without actually understanding what made you win. Visa verse all strategic planning on how to get points are futile if you cannot at least get a tie in naval encounters.

btw Specs are often great strategists (as they have superior overview) but that doesnt mean they can actually play.
 
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Schubdüse





Joined: 08 May 2007
Posts: 1162
Location: Germany_GMT+1
 PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 3:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

trickser wrote:
btw Specs are often great strategists (as they have superior overview) but that doesnt mean they can actually play.


Thank you very much! One of best remarks I have read for a long time in this forum.
 
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thesonarchicken





Joined: 22 Feb 2013
Posts: 2

 PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

Oh man, I sure arrived late to this game. Just struggled through Tutorial stage 7. This game is kinda deep and yeah, the tips here seem helpful. Smile
 
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paktsardines





Joined: 01 Oct 2012
Posts: 3
Location: Australia
 PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

Welcome... I thought for a moment you were going to sell me a kitchen...



(sorry, in-house joke).
 
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