The Fine Art Of Rushing

written by Lion

Rushing is without a doubt one of the most controversial topics when it comes to RTS games. It's been called a cheesy tactic used by rednecked players online for as long as I've been playing RTS games. And that's been about five years now. I consider it one of the most misunderstood game strategies that is used, and often times abused. But love it or hate it, if your desire is to win RTS games on a regular basis, you will need to learn how to use it. This article attempts to dispel some of the misconceptions that rushing is not really a strategy at all and requires no thought. Enjoy the article! 

     The original Red Alert, released in December of 1996, proved to be a great game and has retained it's popularity for over four years now. One of the most widely used strategies for that game was the now infamous Tank Rush. The idea was to build as many tanks in as short a period of time as possible, then take your entire force and rush the enemy base head on. Some players would argue if you could even call this a strategy, labeling it lame, and a cheesy way to win. But before we go any further, let's turn to the Webster's dictionary, which gives us several meanings for the word strategy:

Strategy: 
a. The science and art of using all the forces of a nation to execute approved plans as effectively as possible during peace or war. 
b. The science and art of military command as applied to the overall planning and conduct of large-scale combat operations. 
c. A plan of action resulting from strategy or intended to accomplish a specific goal. 

     As you can plainly see, if you take the meaning of strategy literally, then Bulk Rushing in any form, whether it be tanks or whatever, can be described as a strategy in the truest sense of the word. And I might add, a vital part of the game if your intention is to win. Players who subscribe to the age old proven law that he who has the most wins, usually come out the winner. History has proven that time and time again. So is it fair to say that bulk of anything wins? Not necessarily so, but brute force is bull of the woods.

     The actual act of building up a huge army of units and deciding how to use them does require real strategic thought. You have a lot to plan for and little time to do so. It's not a no-brainer as some would have you think. For the rest of this article, we'll use Westwood's newest RTS game, Red Alert2, as an example of what you can do with the fine art of Rushing.

     There are many avenues you can take when trying to win at Red Alert2. But just like the original Red Alert, building in bulk and rushing your enemy is still arguably the most successful way to win. Now, unlike the original Red Alert, RA2 offers more ways for your opponent to combat the rushing strategy, and ways to slow down your production rate. You have to take all of this into account while planning out your tactical moves. You have many factors to look at before you go rushing in gung-ho with your chest flaring out shouting CHARGE! Patience and planning are the key words here.

     Before I go any further, let me clear something up. If you think all players who use rushing tactics are simply redneck morons who want to add you as a notch in their computer and gain bragging rights, you are mistaken. Now I'll be the first to admit you will run into some rather colorful and enthusiastic players occasionally. But that's to be expected. Heck, your playing a game of war, not checkers. And most people do play to win. When your playing a game against the computer in skirmish mode, don't you play to win? Why would it be any different online. The difference is this. If you play against the computer and lose, your ego is still intact. Who's gonna know, right? But if you lose against a live opponent, you come away feeling defeated, sometimes embarrassed, and your ego has taken a big blow. And often times your winning opponent goes back to the chat room like a cockbird with feathers flaring and carrying all the bragging rights that go with winning. Who cares...it's just a game. Get over your fear of losing and enjoy the game. 

     Now where were we? Oh yea, the art of rushing. You see, rushing the enemy base is the final act in what should be a well thought out plan. And since Red Alert2 is a fast and furious game, you may have to do all this in under 30 minutes. In advance of your push to wipe the enemy off the face of the earth, you need to gather intelligence. This means scouting out the map early in the game, knowing what your enemy is building, amount and type of base defenses he has built, and then build up your army to counter whatever he is building. That's half the battle. The other half is picking the right time to attack and how. You can do it in several small rushes, or one big charge like General Pickett did in the battle of Gettysburg! But if you studied history at all, you know General Pickett's mighty charge failed miserably. My best advise is to accomplish your victory by doing what a real army would do. And that would be to disrupt the logistics of your opponent first. That being his money source, means of power for his base, etc. In other words, annoy him first, throwing his game off balance, and then go for the kill with all the units you can muster together. Just remember one thing. It's no disgrace to retreat if you attack and determine his base defenses are too powerful to take down. Better to gather up what units you have, fall back, then continue to build more units and try again. You may have lost that battle and a bit of your pride, but that's far better than losing the war. 

     In conclusion, as long as game developers continue to make games where it's possible to build bulk units in a short amount of time, rushing will continue to be used, as it should be. For those of you who still think it's a lame tactic used by morons, my advise is to play skirmish against the comp and practice ways to combat the rushes. Lots of good tactics to use in Red Alert2 to combat against the rush. Even better, why not try to learn the fine art of rushing. You may find yourself liking it. Believe it or not, it does take a certain amount of skills and thought to be successful at performing this strategy. The next time your up against a player who uses rushing tactics against you, instead of being critical of him, learn from what he does. Better still, ask him what you did wrong and how you can improve your game. The majority of players I've met online don't mind helping out a fellow player. Either way, enjoy the game. It's all about having fun!