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"Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals."- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Chapter 6: Command Your Army Well (Level: Advanced)

In battle, the movements of your troops should be careful yet confident; any delay in issuing orders can cost you troops you may find it difficult to replace. It is also vitally important that the troop movements have a purpose: moving an army without considering where it is going can delay or possibly ruin any plans you may have for that army.

Controls: Learning the controls for a game is crucial. Being able to quickly and confidently control your army not only increases your chance of winning, but also gives you a more complete feel for the tides of battle.

The most important control you have is your keyboard. Every modern RTS has "hotkeys" that are mapped to certain actions, such as building, movement, or formations. Learning these commands will increase the speed at which you can issue orders, and give you much better control over the actions of your army.

If the keys are inconveniently located, it is possible in many cases to re-map them to your liking. Having them in the right place for you can go a long way to making you more comfortable with command, and further increasing your chances for victory.

Your mouse is important as well; ensure that it is set for just the right sensitivity for your needs. Being able to put the cursor exactly where you need it will help enormously.

Set the scroll speed as high as you are comfortable with: while most games allow you to click on a mini-map to put your view where you need it, it is still good practice to know how to scroll the view, especially if the place you wish to view is close by.

Above all, practice the key combinations you need the most. The more you practice, the more naturally they'll come to you. In the thick of a fierce battle, the difference between victory and defeat is decisive action; if you have the combinations you need at your fingertips quickly, you will have the edge over your opponent.

Control groups: These are a valuable tool that allow you to group several units that may be recalled with a single keystroke. Once selected, the units can then be moved as a team to wherever you need them, giving you safety in numbers. They can also create problems if they are misused.

The best practice is to group units with a similar type (infantry, cavalry, etc.) and purpose (anti-armor, anti-infantry, etc.). If, for example, you come across a group of infantry, selecting the groups that counter them will be much easier, allowing the rest of your army to continue on to their ultimate destination.

It will also allow you to set up formations of units much easier: moving a group of heavy armored units into a staging area, for example, while stacking up lighter units behind them, is much simpler if all the armor is in one group.

That doesn't mean you should put all the armor in one control group, however: spreading your deployments across two or more groups allows more flexibility for tactics and strategy. A pincer attack using one control group would be awkward, as you would have to manually select each group before sending them to the next area; having two (or more) groups totally independent of each other saves actions, and makes coordinating these type of strikes much simpler.

One of the better habits to acquire is using the same number for the same type of unit each time you start a new battle(for example, if you use Ctrl+1 for anti-armor infantry). It takes away an element of uncertainty, and gives you something you can always rely on instinctively in a fierce battle.

Waypoints: Another excellent way to route your troops to their destination is waypoints; this will allow you to set a pre-determined path to your target. It can also be used to shuttle reinforcements to a battle, by setting your unit production structures to deliver newly-trained and -built units too the beginning of a path automatically.

One of the ways to do this is setting a route that takes you to a lightly-defended part of the enemy base, by an indirect route. It may take longer to reach the objective, but the chances of being intercepted (the first time) are slim. Once the opponent figures out your path, however, it is wise to abandon that route and create a new one.

Conclusion: Commanding an army is a difficult task under the best of circumstances... and war is far from the best conditions. Using the tools provided by the game's controls will make this task much easier, and take you much further on your way to victory.

(Next: Chapter 7- Defensive Tactics)