PROVERBS New pearls of strategic wisdom from Red Shirt's fortune-cookie factory ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek From: hde+@cs.cmu.edu (Herbert Enderton) Subject: Re: a little gem from jch archive Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 04:19:25 GMT I've been revising that file occasionally of the last couple years, so here's the updated version. I've deleted some, revised others, and added more. I've attributed some of them to various players; sorry if I butcher what you actually said, or attributed it to the wrong person. Send me more proverbs if you think of them, and I'll post another batch. NETREK PROVERBS from Red Shirt's fortune-cookie factory, 2nd edition. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The team that uses the most armies wins. One kill is enough to begin taking planets, if that's what your team needs. If you don't pick up the armies, they'll just get bombed anyway. (Spaceace) Just because you carry armies doesn't mean you can't fight. To a team with few planets, every army counts. Work as fast as you can. Have flexible goals. Attack at the same time but not necessarily the same place as your teammates. Synchronize attacks by watching your teammates on the galactic map. Take fuel planets. If you can take a planet quickly, do so. Force the enemy team to pay attention to you. Cloak to slip past an escort, or else kill him quickly. Be creative and deceptive. Feint to one planet, then cut to another. Always go for the open planet. It's dangerous to underestimate opponents or overestimate teammates. (Spaceace) When orbiting, detonate enemy torpedos. All cloakers look alike. (Woof) Scummy is another word for smart. It's tough to take a planet when you're the point man. Escorts and decoys should go in well ahead of the carrier. Sometimes you just have to hope that they miss. Don't cloak in your own backfield; you will only fool your teammates. If you need to travel far, choose a fast ship. Send a single distress call after you pick up armies. Planning is good, but opportunism is better. An escort should stay between the escorted ship and the attackers. Don't kill an ogger who is out of fuel or crippled. To take a core planet you may have to get past an ogger without killing him. To control an area, stand between it and the enemy home planet. Escort a planet-taker instead of a starbase. Be brave enough to enter enemy space ahead of your teammates. Cloak and fly by enemy planets to confuse the defenders. Uncloak and fire to draw attention away from other cloakers. Think globally, act locally. Get in the way of their best players. Fly forward into enemy space, and try to stay there. When close to a friendly ship, detonate torpedos that will hit either of you. Little is as satisfying as killing a cloaker as he tries to blow past you. Watch the galactic map at all times. Tractor enemies off of planets. All you can control is your own ship. Experiment with new strategies. Don't chase a ship you can't catch. If you are going to og the base, announce that fact to your team. Don't pass up an opportunity to bomb. Anticipate your enemy's course of action. You can't be everywhere at once. Don't become obsessed with one idea or one enemy. If an enemy is annoying you by playing well, consider adopting his strategy. Instead of trying to stop their bomber, go bombing yourself. Nobody completely understands the game. Certainly not you. If they have many armies and many kills, you are in trouble. Always join the side with fewer players, even if it means switching teams. Give information, not orders. There's never any one thing which is absolutely necessary. Go bombing even when there is nothing to bomb. There will be. Fly at maximum warp unless you need to turn. Fire and turn away just as your opponent commits to closing in. Get behind enemy lines. Defend the planet which is their obvious next target. Stay calm. Shut up and play. (Mojo) Don't get hit by torpedos. Phaser like a borg. Fire torpedos at enemies that rush in your direction. Step into the path of an oncoming ship. Don't waste your fuel firing torpedos that the enemy will dodge. Even admirals can't dodge phasers. (Woof) Close with an enemy whose ship is more valuable than your own. Close with enemies who are near your home planet. Don't give a kill to an enemy who lacks one. Do the easy things first. Fight near the enemy's front-line planets. If you want more respect, increase your offense rating. New ships always have full fuel tanks and no damage. (Spiff) Death is only a temporary setback. (Spiff) The lines are better than the dots, but the dots go farther. (Balton) ------------------------------ End of PROVERBS ***************