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EVE and the Art of War

Published on 05. May, 2009 ... written by Damorris Laht, Tags: Articles

Eve, The Art of War – An Advanced Guide to Warfare

About the Writer: I have been writing science fiction for over 20 years with many of my short stories being published. Playing Eve is another passion I have and was enthralled the first day I played. I am a big history buff and played with the idea of writing this article for several months before actually starting. I am 36 years old and I live in Arizona with my girlfriend our 4 kids, 2 cats and our new puppy. Hope you enjoy the article.

Prologue

This guide is a compilation of combat tactics from basic PVE to solo & fleet PvP. Many sources have been researched to make this guide a reality including personal experience. By following this guide you will win more battles then you will lose. Comparisons will be made to Sun Tzu and his book The Art of War which have been bolded. The book was written thousands of years ago but it is still applicable today. I will attempt to not repeat what has been written in other guides except when it is pertinent. Many of you will know some or even all of the tactics discussed here. How consistent are you in using them?

Chapter One
Laying Plans

The art of war is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field. These are: (A) The Moral Law; (B Heaven; (C) Earth; (D) The Commander; (E) Method and Discipline.

(A) The Moral Law causes people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

From a small gang to a massive fleet one thing is constant. There must be a leader. One leader who oversees the entire operation whether it be running a mission or fighting a battle with hundreds of ships. It must be agreed that their orders will be followed to the letter with out question or hesitation. Leaders have the responsibility of obtaining the objective with as little loss of ships as he can. When running PvE missions there is no reason to lose any ships. In PvP losses are expected but it should be avoided when possible and when it will not impede reaching the objective.

(B) Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.

To apply this to Eve think about time zones. There are players from five general areas. Americas. Europe, Australia, the Orient and Africa. If you are in a corp war, finding out where the majority of your enemy’s players are could be the key to your success. Corp wars in Empire have one goal, cause one side to surrender.

This can be accomplished in one of three ways. One, station camping their players so that they can not operate by running missions, mining, trading etc. Two, destroy more of their ships then they do of yours. Three, cause them to be afraid of undocking. Not because you are station camping them but because you could be there any minute to kill them.

If you are dealing with a corp who has players from several countries it makes it easier to use the advantage of numbers to take down the few players who find themselves online when you are. Remember war is not always honorable. When war is declared the end justifies the means. Your enemy will take advantage of anything they can so do not hesitate to use anything and everything at your disposal to get an advantage.

(C ) Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

This is in regard to distances of all kinds. From the ranges of your weapons and modules to the distance you may have to travel to conduct combat operations. Know the optimal range of your weapons and you will be able to maximize your damage in every engagement. If you can find your enemy’s typical area of operation research it for places that will be the optimal engagement locations.

I have been in wars where my enemies had offices 20 to 30 jumps away where they would hide and I would have to travel there to engage them. In order to conduct remote operations I would find an office within 1 jump of their system. This would be where I would move my clone to so that if I was pod killed I would clone one system over rather than having to move the entire distance again. I would bring modules and ammo to outfit several ships then purchase them once I got into the area. In 0.0 Space this can be more difficult. If the enemy is more than 3 jumps from where you can set up an outpost for ship replacement and cloning then do not engage. I will explain why
later in the guide.

Distance plays a huge factor in your chances of survival when in the heat of battle. Knowing at what range you inflict the most damage is key. Knowing how long it will take you to escape warp scramble range will also save you if you’re losing the battle. Granted you can use warpcore stabilizers but by doing that you shorten your maximum range and you can use those slots on something that could make the difference in battle. If you are assuming you will lose, do not fight. Fight when you are confident of victory. There is no dishonor waiting for things to be in your favor. Remember its all about who wins the war not who puts up the best fight before they are killed.

(D) The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.

As mentioned earlier a leader’s job is to obtain his objective with as few losses as possible. Holding the field of battle but taking greater losses then the enemy is a lost battle. Veterans of the battle will know they lost and they will lose confidence in their leader and their ability to beat the enemy. If this happens you will have lost your next battle before it begins. Keeping your men alive while winning battles is a tough thing to do. Aside from training and the ability to obey commands your army also relies on their commander making calm and thoughtful decisions in battle. Commanders should train with their army as much as possible and take part in all aspects setting the example and personally showing them that he knows what they are doing. This will garner respect in your troops and they will follow you into the sun.

Many people have different opinions about what makes a good commander but there are qualities that remain constant. During combat a good commander will keep their cool and know when to stay in the battle and when it is time to go. When not in combat a good commander is the one that corp members can turn to for help them with fittings or to give them advice on skills training. A good commander will never go into a battle with out some kind of plan for the attack and the escape.

Anyone can be the CEO of a corporation in Eve but a good commander will recognize when there is someone better to lead his troops into battle other then himself. Also do not hesitate to use ideas given to you by other corp members because sometimes they have thought of something you have not. Be flexible in your thinking but also stand by your plans. If the plan fails take responsibility for the defeat and if they succeed give everyone credit and your corp will be there for you and each other.

(E) By Method and Discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.

Being able to marshal your troops for battle is important and should be practiced, even for smaller corps. When assembling a force, whether it’s three ships or hundreds, forming the fleet using the person with the best fleet skills and having plans of attack and retreat are vital. Using a voice chat system like Ventrilo or Teamspeak is also vital in assembling and directing your battle.

These five heads should be familiar to every general; he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine military conditions, let them be made on the basis of a comparison, in this wise;
1) Which of the two corps is imbued with the moral law?
2) Which of the two generals has the most ability?
3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?
4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?
5) Which army is stronger?
6) On which side are the officers and men more highly trained?
7) In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?

By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat.

While heeding the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules. According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one’s plan.

Be fluid in your plans making adjustments or changing it completely depending on what the enemy does. More often then not the enemy will have a plan of their own and it does not conform with yours.

All true warfare is based on deception.

Attacking your enemy by surprise is key in war because it lessens your enemy’s chance of escaping the system or getting to a safe station “or even making proper preparations for defense/offense. Hiding your movements is key. When logging off assume your enemy will use a locator agent to find all of your members. Keep them spread out as much as possible so they can only station camp one or two at a time. Using alts to scout out your and your enemy’s systems can be helpful as well and I myself use them often. When possible I will even have an alt join the corp I am going to war with so I can identify all of their members while feeding disinformation to them.

When able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

In one war I was involved in I utilized a spy to locate members I wanted to kill. They had two offices 15 jumps apart. I would go between their offices, find their members at one, attack them, then race back to the other. After they lost ships this way and feeling like they could not go anywhere without me finding them, they surrendered.

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder and crush him.

Again using a spy that was in the same station as another fellow corp member we had been camping with three ships we decided to lure him out. The system was Maurasi in The Forge. It had only two gates. One gate led to Jita and the other led to Itamo. I knew that the best place to engage him would be on the Jita side of the Maurasi gate because of the lag experienced jumping into that system. So we had one ship leave the system and wait in Jita. Our spy then announced he was making a break to Itamo and he undocked. My other two corp members were at the Itamo gate waiting for my command. Our spy told our prey he was being chased by two enemy ships as he headed to the Itamo gate. We had two Thorax’s and a Rupture while our prey was in a Hurricane. He soon jumped into Jita and I was able to lock, scramble and webify him before the lag even wore off. I then had my other two members come and assist in the kill. He went down with out a single loss to us. We found out he did not have full insurance on it and he quit the corp the next day. By using the spy to convince the target he was safe we were able to engage rather then spend possibly hours station camping him.

If he is secure in all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.

I know the enemy will attempt to entice you to engage when they have the advantage but do not bite. You can use a shuttle to evade a station or gate camp very easily. Nothing will frustrate your enemy more than for you to evade them and avoid combat when they have gone to the trouble of assembling a stronger force then you. Wait until you positively have the superior force before engaging.

If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow
arrogant.

Often simple insults in convo will do the trick. Especially if he is an older player. He will look at you as a newb and therefore have no respect for you. DO NOT answer his insults if he throws them in local. Try and rouse him without rousing others against you. No matter how right you are, saying the wrong thing in local can bring other wardecs to your door. Two front wars should be avoided at all costs.

If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.

The constant pressure of your presence in his system will begin to frustrate him especially if he is on the defensive. Stay logged in within their system even when you are not actually playing. This will make him think you are always on and he has no hope of sneaking away.

If his forces are united, separate them.

Send a convo to all identified members offering them places in your corp. Let them know that you will give them very good positions and big bonuses the more they can steal from the corp they are in and information they can give you. One of the honest members will tell the CEO that you have made the offer. The CEO will have no choice to start to doubt the loyalty of all his corp mates. I usually offer twice the market rates for any ships or BPCs they can get.

Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

Using locator agents and corp spies you can find identified members wherever they are. Do not hesitate to go to them and attack especially if you are stronger then them. They will perceive you as being everywhere and start to get paranoid.

These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged before hand.

Keep the entire plan to yourself giving only the appropriate parts to your subordinates. This will keep spies from learning the whole plan. Remember the use of spies is universal. Assume that everyone is a spy unless you know them in real life. Only tell your subordinates their part of the plan limiting a spy’s time to pass along the information.

Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus doing many calculations leads to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculations at all!!! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.

This is very simple. Never enter a battle where you have no plan. Have an escape plan. Know where your troops need to reach in damage taken before letting them withdraw, have avenues of pursuit covered. Going against even newer players who have a solid plan while you have little or none will only get you defeated.

Tags: art of war, Damorris Laht, eve, EVE guide, strategy, sun tzu, Wardec