When to attack

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
The Prince?

Il Principe , The Prince, by Nicolo Machiavelli. From which we get the term machiavellian -- success by any means necessicary.

I've already quoted Sun Tsu once, let me see, something from The Prince ...

OK, well, everyone building masses of weapon platforms would do well to read Chapter XX - Are Fortresses, And Many Other Things To Which Princes Often Resort, Advantageous Or Hurtful?

For a quote how about...
"a man who wishes to act entirely up to his professions of virtue soon meets with what destroys him among so much that is evil. "

"Hence it is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity. "

{Thank you Project Gutenberg, I gave my peguin copy away}

[ October 11, 2002, 00:21: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Fyron]

Ok... that is what I was thinking The Prince was.

[Taera]

Does someone have a link to full translation of Sun Tzu's book and Prince, too? I have one Sun Tzu's translation but its rather puny...

[Fyron]

I used to have a link to Sun Tsu's book. I think I got that link from the old EZ Board Hypercomm Central.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Taera:
Does someone have a link to full translation of Sun Tzu's book and Prince, too? I have one Sun Tzu's translation but its rather puny...

Well, for The Prince, I have this link to project Gutenberg

I used to have one with side-by-side english and italian. But I lost that link. If anyone finds one please pass it along.

A good, complete, Online Version of Art of War would be nice. I'll do fine without a Chinese Version.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Zoompet:

quote:

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Originally posted by Puke:
Sun Tzu and The Prince both have direct applications in SE4. I tend to favor the latter over the former.

Which one said "don't attack until you can sweep 100 points of mines."

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Neither, Machiavelli said your ships should already be at the enemys resupply depot before you broke your military alliance.

Sun-tzu said to activate the warp point opener -- into a non-colonized system in enemy territory behind the lines.

Look it up, it's in there, just translated poorly.



[ October 11, 2002, 14:17: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Zoompet]

Hmmm, this is getting a little far a field.

I guess what I was driving is which is better an early, middle or late game attack. Why, do people think they need a certain tech item, an economy of X size, a fleet of Y size, etc.

This is in particular reference to human players.