Progression of Tactical Evolution

[DX]

I've been thinking about this idea for a while, but just today it finally came together into a usable system. During my 3 hardcore seasons of water wars so far, I've seen a huge amount of progression in tactics and changes in general attitudes toward various aspects of these wars. This new part of Tactical Theory will follow the Ridgewood Militia/Waterbridge teams through the progression of tactics, starting in the "Team Building Era" and terminating in the modern "Fluid Era". The progression has no time specifications, however, in this example, the teams hit various eras at various dates and years.

Each "Era" comes with a set of tactical beliefs and attitudes that can change drastically when that era terminates. Some can terminate abruptly, while others may transition gradually. It depends on your team. There is no one universal era for any date in time, since any team can be in any era at any time.

There have been 5 distinct "Eras" so far: [Again, dates only apply for the example]

The Team Building Era [2002-2003]
The Fort-Building Era [2003-2004]
The Firepower Era [2004-2005]
The Progressive Era [2005]
The Fluid Era [2006-?]

Waterbridge started as the quintessential team of the Team-Building Era [locally], which took hold throughout the community at that time. The RM, by contrast, was an innovative type of team formed during the height of the [local] Firepower Era. The impacts of this continue to date, as Waterbridge still uses some outdated Progressive Era tactics, while some RM members actually create new Fluid Era tactics.

Because much of the Fluid Era innovation comes from the RM/WB and is not documented yet, the community is largely in the dark about tactical progression. Many new members display the attitudes of the Fort-Building or Firepower Eras, in fact the majority of the community does.

I'm not going to bother describing these stages here and now, since I could ramble on for pages and pages. Descriptions will come slowly, one at a time.

Oh, there are exceptions to the natural progression. A team can slide backward in the progression, or skip one moving forward. Skipping in either direction is rare, although a team could start anywhere depending on caliber. Teams of higher caliber tend to have built up to the more recent eras, while lower caliber teams tend to still be in the older eras.

This is definately one of my stranger concepts, although it should make more sense when the descriptions come into play.

[WaterWolf]

Interesting, this looks almost exactly like my long-term plan for the Maple-Mountain-Marines.
Currently, since we only just started, we are in both the "Team" and "Fort-Building Era", I'm still searching for more people and working hard at fortifying our defensive structures.
This winter, since I can't do anything outside, I plan to be constructing homemade weapons to strengthen our teams "Firepower"

Next year, I intend to keep "Progressing" with all three of the previous items listed. Training the team harder, looking for more people and starting construction on what will be our teams real stronghold. A log fortress on a large, suddenly flat, area on top of our mountain. As-well as continuing to strengthen our teams armory with homemades and weapons off e-bay.

Either in 2008 or in late 2007, I have plans to put into effect that would make our team more "Fluid" as you said, but I'm not going to revel what those plans are here.

[Adrian]

This kind of mirrors the development of my old team. Put the team together, find and secure a battlefield, acquire weapons, fight. Don't think we got beyond the Progressive Era though.

Adrian

[DX]

Next year, I intend to keep "Progressing" with all three of the previous items listed. Training the team harder, looking for more people and starting construction on what will be our teams real stronghold. A log fortress on a large, suddenly flat, area on top of our mountain. As-well as continuing to strengthen our teams armory with homemades and weapons off e-bay.

That's still technically the Fort-Building or Firepower Era. The Progressive is easy to identify, since that's when a major shift occurs. Forts are generally abandoned during that time, and overwhelming firepower starts to decline in value, as good tactics start to increase in value. Positions don't exist in the Progressive Era, and natural strong points are used instead of fortified ones.

[WaterWolf]

I see, thats sort of an on-going thing with me, every day (if possible) I sit down and either read through tactics or play Ghost Recon.
Ghost Recon is a squad based FPS game that I found felt very much like leading a team in a 1HK water-war, you can even have the computer control the actual "shooting" part of the game, while you make the tactical deceptions of where your six troops should move and how they should fight (Avoiding combat vs charging into the fray, etc).

The biggest difference between Ghost Recon and water-war, is that the gun's range in Ghost Recon is in terms of real army weapons, instead of water-guns.
But other than that, most of the tactics used in Water-wars can be applied to it, and visa-versa.

[DX]

I love Ghost Recon, although I don't play the original. My friends and I have GR3 parties, where we play well into the morning. The opportunity for tactics is great in that game, although not as applicable to water wars since you can set up shop in a nice little dip and snipe away. The manuevers, however, work excellent for connecting to water warfare.

[WaterWolf]

I have an article in the making, on the topic of using it as a training tool for Generals/leader/Squad Commanders etc.
I feel that I've gained more knowledge in squad tactics from playing it, than from most articles that I have read online.
And it gives you more of a feel for actually commanding troops in battle.



Edited By WaterWolf on 1158441271

[DX]

I feel that I've gained more knowledge in squad tactics from playing it, than from most articles that I have read online.

Ghost Recon is mostly Fluid Era tactics, vs most online articles being in older ages. I've found even articles in the Team-Building Era. I believe that is one of the reason you get more out of playing the game in comparison.

[WaterWolf]

Really? Thats a shame.
Maybe I should make that article I'm working on right now longer and more detailed than I had been planning.
For the sake of keeping the Water-War community moving forwards.

[DX]

Innovation in warfare is what the general soaking community is worst at. Anyone can talk ad nauseum about *insert stock soaker name here* or build the ultimate cannon of doom. But few choose to pursue the art of fighting wars further. Perhaps because you can't become an expert on wars just by reading a review or a guide. So organized war lags severely behind. I'm out to change that with SoakerMedia and Tactical Theory. However, it is slow going, since it is difficult to explain a complicated concept with a simple answer.

[SilentGuy]

I love this concept! But why shouldn't people be able to try to jump straight to the most recent concepts?

While I don't really have a team, I'd say I'm currently into firepower (well, to some extent...I have few chances to get supplies for homemades, WBLs, water cannons, and the like) and the most basic of tactics. I prefer mobility over bases, and I do simple tactics such as basic flanking.

Obviously, for that to change, I would actually need to be part of a team...

[DX]

It is perfectly possible for one to jump right into the Fluid Era. It's not very likely, however, since even my team has fairly recently entered that stage of concepts.

[WaterNapoleon]

My army is in the first one.

EDIT: Positions are needed to give orders in my opinion. Squads can be combined, etc.

Grand General Napoleon out.



Edited By WaterNapoleon on 1160279591

[DX]

Well, if you are in the Team-Building Era, then you likely use positions and "give orders." I, being in the newest era, use the ubiquitous position and the fluid command style. Neither is "better" since they are totally different concepts in totally different eras.

[WaterNapoleon]

My big deal is keeping people thinking they are important more than giving orders. But until the team gets to know each other and the plans organization is needed.

I'm also going to work on firepower since I'm renting a house while ours is being built so I can't build a fort.

Grand General Napoleon out.



Edited By WaterNapoleon on 1160338683

[Lt.Winters]

In reply to the first post. It seems "human" for the need to catigorize different aspects in one subject particurly dealing with phases thoughtout time. I.e-Water warfare history. In my opinion it's scary to see this catigorizion in action from a first-person account. Although not as signifacant as the "Jurrasic Era" or "the Age of Steam." It still gives me a "punch" with a fist of importance.

Anyways, it's a good concept, which should be put into (or at least suggested into) a Water Warfare team. My suggestion however is that it should be more appropriate to call them "stages" rather than "eras." Although I lack the true defination of "era," therefore my suggestion isn't a demand. but your concept-as it goes in the order or your team's progress- is kinda like "the evolution of tactical thinking" (or could I have put that in another way?). Focusing on what's avalible and using or fortifying those, then go through a change in the way you think, you use tactics more and harness that for a winning factor and less of pre-made fortifacations and/or "uber" weapons to decide victory.

My 2 cents.....

(If this doesn't make sense then i am sorry as I'm doing this a the middle of the night ):laugh:

[HBWW]

Not enough people around me would be interested enough to organize a team, it's basically just invite as much people as I can for me, and many people who come don't even have a squirt gun. I am currently sort of trying to bring heavier firepower to the team, and with a little luck, I might have some homemades/WBL's by the end of the school year. The teams are organized at the fights, and I try to distribute the weapons equally to the team. The battlefield is my house to my friend's, very small and corresponds to the size of the fights I can have, and in a few cases (5 or less, not enough for teams), even that field is a bit big and I have to keep it to around my house only. So far I do not plan on changing the field nor allowing new ones unless I find a good one. The park nearby lacks vegetation and is too open, and I don't like the idea of using water balloons there so artillery won't be an option. (heck I didn't even build the WBL's yet)

[WaterWolf]

It seems like this Fall has been marked by the start of several teams (My own included).
I wonder what the specific cause of this is, or if its just random chance.

[wetmonkey442]

My team ran through the team building era between 2002 and 2003. We skipped the fort building era completely and went to the firepower era which we were in from 2003 to 2004. By 2005 our action had mostly calmed down. I'm hoping to get a few larger water fights organized among friends sometime this spring, but for now, I'm mostly limited to smaller 2 on 2 or 3 on 3 1HKs.

[WaterNapoleon]

We all knew each other and our own strategies so it didn't take me long to get a team organized and now we are in the Firepower Era building our strengths. None of us are big on permanent forts. And knowing each other as well as we do by April 2007 we should be in the Progressive Era. By July 2007 I want us to be in the Fluid Era.

Grand General Napoleon out.



Edited By WaterNapoleon on 1160437166