EVE General Discussion

I didn't want to wander into as much detail as has been described here, and as was pointed out, land tactics don't work well in a direct comparison so I was staying up at the strategic level and not down into the tactical/logistics level.

My point was far more basic, in every situation, you have to adapt or be destroyed. It's actually rare that the original plan survives first contact with the enemy, you have to adjust. That is somewhat true in EVE as well, however, EVE has a dynamic that is fairly different from reality.

• Fog of War is less (tons more intel than in reality)
• Communication is instant (you have chat, voice, phone, etc. to call/guide your troops)
• Your troops don't die, they are momentarily detained/delayed from rejoining the fight

So, it comes down to command ability, resources available and will to fight... which isn't far off of reality, only the execution of combat is different. That's why we can directly correlate other forms of engagement to EVE, but only in broad strokes.

Even Naval combat doesn't work as a good analog because naval combat is frequently dictated by obstacles like islands, shoals, wind, sun, etc. EVE has none of that. If it's in range, you can blast it.

Coming back around to the original course, there is no 'one size fits all' tactic in EVE. The closest thing you have is overwhelming force but unless you have some kind of trap laid, your foe can always run, even if you destroy every ship your foe has, they just respawn and grab new ships. Thus EVE, is at the end, about attrition of resources. Intentionally depleting your own resources in grinding attacks that hurt you more than your foe would be counter productive and a tactic that would probably be left to either some kind of subterfuge or desperation.

I admire the good FC's here in EVE. It's like herding cats but the good ones actually make it look easy. So, I'd worry less about the exact tactic to employ and more about finding a good cat wrangler!

The major problem I have with EVE which removes it (sadly) from being seen as replicating (virtually) more real-world conditions and situations is the jump gate. It's understandable moving into an adjacent block on the board requires a transition which can only handle solitary players; nature of the beast. It results in the receiving block (the defense) being handed the gem of naval warfare displacements; crossing the T. No competent commander would lead a force into the most disadvantageous formation possible, to be torn to shreds ship by ship in succession. So, the only wise decision is to not engage. Don't make the jump.

Add to this the delay in server ticks. The advantage of seeing your enemy materialize before your eyes before they can even see where they are. Being able to simultaneously kill their targeting, drain their caps and open fire before the enemy orients themselves...it's suicide. (Small wonder gate camping is the low hanging fruit of the day.)

But, yeah. You can cyno your fleet in. Right. Only, IRL the idea of moving even one ship undetected into your territory (all things being equal tech-wise) is unthinkable. To be able to cloak, then be undetectable (except in local) to establish a cyno-entry point, then rush in carriers that can instantly spew forth a sizeable fleet....sure it takes training, ISK to afford the equipment, practice, coordination, etc. However, when trying to correlate real world strat and tactics to EVE play - beeeeeeeeep. Sorry.

So, this idea in a greater sense is a pipe dream. I really don't agree EVE gives you copious amounts of intel, by comparison, however. And, a lot of the information you can get, like someone appearing in local, doesn't give you enough to use for the most part. Yes, have scanning ships at hand with pilots who can fly them continually combing your system - doable like NORAD. Have an active force if not actually in space, close enough at hand to get in to space should an alert go up - doable as well.

However, in the real world you generally can get enough information to know with certainty if you're going to be heavily out-numbered and by what class of craft before an invasion. There is also ample capacity to detect if invasion is forthcoming. So, the element of surprise has been greatly reduced (with intent) by technology.

One of the things I like about the annual competition we have is, it's a match between relatively equal sides, both on the field at the same instant, and each knowing where the other is located. No one is forced to use a particular force structure, and has plenty of lead time to try out, select, and finally practice with a particular combat approach and force structure. It's a PvP closer to chess.

But, after all, it's like the guy said, "I don't fight fair. I fight to win."

No. Of course not. I've never used a jump gate. Jump gates? What are they?

As a parade example you could take the staging days of the battle of Stalingrad, when the Red Army attacked the weakest points on an overstretched frontline, which has been the Romanian Army, and broke through.
There is no need to attack the strong points of an enemy when you can attack the weakest links of a chain and force a reaction upon your enemy. A reaction which he is, in most cases, not prepared for.

Also you could think of the Island hopping campaign in WW2's Pacific theatre of Operations (PTO), where the goal was to isolate hugely fortified positions like Rabaul or Truk simply by bypassing them and take the surrounding Islands which rendered the bypassed Island worthless until the wars end.

Another tactic which could work as well in EVE as it worked in real life are fast raids like HMS Warspite and her DD's did during the Second Battle of Narvik. Get in, cause mayhem and destruction as much as possible and get out as fast as you can.

What could work also are raids deep into enemy territory like the british SAS did in North Africa. Small units causing trouble in the enemies ratting grounds will force him to protect his ratters. Well, when he has the will to fight in the first place.