Discalimer: Aces High is a game. It is not a simulation of war. A comment by a prominent BBS denizen last night on country channel about “a waste of game time” got me thinking. The situation was ten sets of B-17s at 20k+ with escorts to hit a small airfield. This got me thinking about Economy of Force, which in turn lead to the whole enchilada … and nod to Agent360 and “The Aces High War Doctrine” thread for getting me to think a little deeper.
The US Military has nine Principles of War: Objective, Offensive, Mass Economy of Force, Maneuver, Unity of Command, Security, Surprise, and Simple. After a quick (and lazy) wiki research, I tried to apply the principles to Aces High and the mission in question. I also realized that many are whined about on the AH Forums.
Objective – More specifically, “a clearly defined, decisive and attainable objective.” Clearly, the massive B-17 raid had the objective of taking the base mentioned above. It is arguable that “the destruction of the enemy's ability to fight” is against the whole purpose of the game. What fun would it be to completely remove our virtual enemies? Still, having an objective provides some structure.
Offensive – It goes without saying that 10 sets of buffs is an offensive force. What separates the real world from Aces High is that the military wants to achieve “decisive results.” The stakes in real life warrant a rapid decision of the conflict. In a game, there should be (and are, in my opinion) results that are gratifying and consequential without completely disabling the other side.
Mass – My first thought was “horde.” Then I read further: “Massing effects, rather than concentrating forces, can enable numerically inferior forces to achieve decisive results, while limiting exposure to enemy fire.” This is more about the point of attack. The Germans had a word for it. Schwerpunckt? In game, this manifests itself as large gaggles.
Economy of Force – This is the one that got me thinking. Someone called the mass raid on a small airfield, and the green guys who upped in defense a “waste of resources.” I had to agree that ten sets of B-17s hitting a small airfield and town was overkill. Again, reading further, something not seen too often in Aces High are “limited attacks, defense, delays, deception, or even retrograde operations.” Retrograde operations? No one retreats in AH. Back to the point, in game, there are few cases of coordinated forces outsmarting numerically superior red guys. The comings and goings of individuals throughout the day hamper these types of operations.
Maneuver – Not ACM. In game, this is moving to a target where the enemy isn’t prepared. I have read a lot of the “avoid the fight” posts. But, here it is. Another example of the divergence between real life and a simulator based on WWII aircraft.
Unity of Command – Only in FSO. To try to get a coordinated effort in the Main Arenas. other than a gaggle, is like herding cats. I am guilty of chafing against the armchair generals myself. To be fair, it is up to the individual to find fun within the game.
Security – Spies! And enlarged radar circles with lower minimum ceilings. It also goes on about understanding the enemies strategies and tactics. Who the heck knows?
Surprise –Recent radar changes have neutered the NOE. The part of this one that has yet to appear in game is that “deception can aid the probability of achieving surprise.” I am not sure why not. I guess few want to be the decoy.
Simple – Self explanatory. I do get a kick out of this: “Everything in war is very simple, but the simple thing is difficult.” I thought smoking weed in the military was discouraged.
