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RTS Tips #2 – Misdirection is the Key

Good Day Gamers,
One of the biggest hints that I can give you is the idea of misdirection. Harry Houdini is probably the very best example of this feat by leading his audience to think a certain way, leading them down a path, and then surprising them with a completely different outcome. His illusions and sleight of hand was legendary because of this skill. The same tricks can be applied in RTS games and others.
Now, how does this work in the game world? Imagine that you are in a 1 vs 1 match against another human, not the AI for this case. As the match ramps up, instead of attacking your opponent with a single massive force, you will get more done by splitting up your army, attacking from multiple angles. The idea here is that your opponent may have a massive army, but will rarely think enough to split it up to engage you every where. Losses on your side may be sustained, but the damage you inflicted can hamper their economy or thwart expansion plans.
In addition to this, send a small force at one of your opponent’s expansions, as a distraction, then send your main force directly at their base. With their army messing around with your smaller force, your main army can do the serious damage.
Another trick is to begin the match by attacking with aircraft (for example), forcing your opponent to spend lots of money on anti-aircraft units and structures while you build a land force. This forces your opponent to either build up air defense, or be crushed by it. By the time their base is immune to aircraft, you hopefully have tanks and a respectable land force to push them off their feet.

Make the decisions for your opponent and force them to defend themselves. Don’t let them make your decisions on the battlefield.

This and other great strategy game tips can be found in the forums:

!General Strategy Game Tips and Tricks!

That’s all there is to it; Fight smarter, and harder.
-John Megacycle