Tank rush
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It has been suggested that this article be merged into Rush (computer and video games). (Discuss) |
Tank rushing is a strategy often used in Real-time strategy video games where the focus is to amass a large amount of armored attack vehicles to attack your opponent with rather than focusing on creative tactics.
The first game to enable use of this tactic is Command & Conquer, all previous games had a unit limit or some other such limitation to disallow it.
So-called tank rushing is one of the main arguments against the real-time strategy genre, and is most likely a reason for the popularity of real-time tactical games. Within the RTS genre, game designers and beta testers can play a role in limiting the viability of single-type mass tactics. Mass-area damage effects, build limits, and group size limits, all of which can be observed in Blizzard's Starcraft, represent calculated efforts to limit the utility of extreme rush tactics in RTS games.
An alternative definition of the tank rush is to take your most mobile units at the very start of the game and make a strike on your opponent's base. The aim is to destroy key buildings before they are able to erect defenses (walls, towers etc). As these units face all of your opponent's initial forces, they are likely to be destroyed due to no infantry or other slow moving support. This would seem to be foolhardy as it leaves the rusher's forces greatly weakened, and these units could be helpful in scouting for resources. However the gambit is to slow or cripple the opponent's ability to expand and upgrade his forces, allowing the rusher to overtake him in technological levels and production capability thus securing the victory.
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[edit] Conditions
- Information is key. Early scouting determines a rusher's ability to gauge the appropriateness of a rush. Conversely, a defender who recognizes a rush in its early stages has the best chance of stopping the rush.
- Small maps maximize the effectiveness of rush tactics. The rusher wants to limit the opponent's ability to attack his force en route to the target, and any time the rusher spends in transit is time a defender can use to prepare countermeasures.
- A player must be proficient in build order strategy. The economic and base building efforts of a rusher must be devoted wholly to the rapid, efficient, and prolific production of a homogeneous force. This requires some prior research or experimentation on the part of the rusher.
- Micro-management skills are essential. The tank rush does, in fact, require command skills on the part of the player. Many games feature anti-rushing game mechanics that are designed to frustrate mass-control of units. The 12 unit group limit of Starcraft is an example of designed-in rush control. The rusher must be proficient in the use of hotkeys, which allow for rapid selection of pre-grouped units. A more significant challenge to the micro-manager is the effective control of large armies. Massed units often experience odd pathing movement around obstacles and through chokepoints, so a player must compensate for this phenomenon if the rush is to succeed. Furthermore, the rush must arrive as a mass army and never as a trickle of units.
[edit] Advantages
The primary advantages of the tank rush lie in its simplicity for the attacking player in relation to the strain it places on the defender. The attacker can streamline his build order and focus his efforts on a relatively simple attack plan. Bases can be tailored to optimize production of one unit type, thereby affording the rusher great economic and production efficiencies. The defender must counter a large number of units attacking en masse. This can be difficult under the best of circumstances but almost impossible if the attacker divides his army into multiple columns and attacks from more than one direction. A player who does not specifically prepare for a tank rush is at a great disadvantage. Players who opt for balanced build orders can be overwhelmed by players who rush. Due to the production efficiencies that can be achieved by a well-prepared rush build order, rushers can replaces losses faster than opponents and send a second wave against a reeling defender. For this reason, even a failed rush can be considered a success if the initial attack softens the target for a quick second wave.
[edit] Disadvantages
The principle weakness of the tank rush is the tendency of the rush to limit a player's tactical options. A player who devises a tank rush must dedicate himself to a specialized build order that gears all resource gathering, tech improvements, and unit production to maximize access to a limited range of weapons. In the event that an opponent of the rusher recognizes the rush tactic early, he can take advantage of the rusher's limited options. For example, a player who recognizes an incipient tank rush can build aircraft to exploit the vulnerability of ground-based tanks (or visa-versa, as "tank rush" is a generic term for homogeneous mass-armies). Many well-designed RTS games give players access to weapons that are specifically designed to counter-mass tactics (e.g. the Reaver of Starcraft or the EMP of Tiberian Sun. A rusher who confronts specialized anti-rush weapons or effective asymmetric defenses (e.g., aircraft vs. tanks) has boxed himself into a corner. A rusher's economy and production often are poorly designed for adaptation to a changing threat, and a better-balanced strategy may be able to exploit the limited options of the rusher. Another major limitation of the rush is the lopsided base construction that it encourages. A base that is geared for mass production of units may have little defense against counter-attacks. The final weakness of the rush is the tendency of massed units to behave erratically and become unwieldy. Unless a player plans the execution of his rush, the rush itself may become a chaotic parade of exposed units, or, even worse, a trickle of units that fail to challenge the defenses of the target player.
[edit] Variations on the Rush
There are several distinct variations on the basic rush. The most famous of these derivatives is the Zerg Rush of Starcraft. Like the term "tank rush," "Zerg rush" has become a generic term for an early, low-tech effort to win a quick game with basic units. The "commando drop," or "Reaver drop," is another rush strategy, albeit one that differs from the mass-tactics of Zergling and Tank rushes. The "Commando Drop," involves a race to insert a highly destructive "elite" unit into the enemy base, often with the help of a companion vehicle (i.e., the "drop"). It could be argued that this tactic is not a true rush because it does not utilize mass tactics, however, it exhibits other significant characteristics of the rush. These similarities include asymmetrical build tactics, commitment to supporting essentially one unit type, and a race against time in order to take advantage of an opponent's balanced build strategy.
Another form of the tank rush is the "air rush" or "air raid". The tactic revolves around the mass construction and deployment of air units. The air rush is commonly practised in the online games of the Command and Conquer series, with the overall goal of overpowering any of the enemy's air defense buildings and units. This provides access to destroying critical parts of the enemy base. The only counter to an air rush is mass amounts of anti-air defenses.
