How to Play Strategy?

 

The Rules

Is there really a universal rule to how you set up strategies? If there were, it wouldn't be much fun then would it, without the thinking involved, it'd just be a boring pattern of rules that you have to follow. Good single-player strategy games try to program your opponents to be as hard as playing a real human, but most fail at the attempt and end up easy to beat. So the answer to that question is NO, if there was a rule that strategists had to follow, then the one who made the rules would be retarded if they think they can anticipate every move a human makes. Computers are easier, but that's because they can't program them well (unless it's chess, then that's hard to beat).

The reason why we can't use a guidebook is because strategy comes in all sorts of different situations, you can even find it in RPG games. Some questions from those are, what points do I invest in, or how much would it cost to make an item, and how much would I be able to sell this for in the end? My favourite application of strategy is in turn-based games. Although I do like the MOBA style games, they aren't the kind of strategy that I prefer, just because those games involve action as well. Getting back to the point, unless the guidebook is made for a particular game that has static strategies, then it would be worthless. I'm not saying that something written down can't help you pass a level in a particular game, I'm saying that there's no formula to winning every strategy game in the world. Tips are welcome, I love tips they help you out, but don't always make you 100% indestructible to your enemies.

Writing Isn't Wrong

I'm not saying that anyone who writes a book about strategy is wrong, in fact I prefer to have something written down for me to better comprehend (I'm a reader, not a listener), in fact there are some strategy books such as "Sun Tzu's Art of War", and I'm sure it has helped commanders prepare tactics for war. However, restricting oneself to symbols on a piece of paper is ridiculous. People should learn to take the lead, most of the people in this new generation like taking orders, and that's not a bad thing as long as they get the job done. But the problem is that new leaders need to rise, and with the population expanding, and books that restrict imagination, there won't be enough leaders to control the over-abundant population that will soon flood the world.

If you want to learn how to play strategy, you have to study, you have to experiment, gaining strategy requires lots of practice, it is a part of wisdom, and like all wisdoms, you can only gain them by patience and thinking. Tips can help you, but you should always look for ways that can improve what paper says. After all, how is the person writing on paper and better than you when you are their age? If they are geniuses, that doesn't mean they can pass on all their knowledge onto refined trees, something is lost, and you can't retrieve it, you can only gain a new version of it. However, it may seem tedious, but later on, your mind would be wired to work out problems with strategy. You will know what to plan for days ahead, maybe be able to anticipate what your opponents will do. Because, when you are in a sticky situation that's not in the book, then you have to act with your strategy-imbued gut, not with your brain.
"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. "  -Confucius

You're Going to Need This 

 Strategy will be useful to you, because there will always come a time when there is no one there for you, when you are all you've got. Either when you've lost your parents at the mall, or forgot where you last left your keys, a plan is what will help you achieve your goals. By borrowing a phone from a stranger to call your parents, or looking in places where you least expect to have left your belongings (if you frequently leave your belongings in a designated place, you are less likely to have lost it there, then you are if you had placed things in a new area). As I was explaining, you will need strategy for devising plans to achieve your goals, no matter how big or small the task is, strategy can take you half way there, and the rest is up to your skills in applying the strategy, and of course in luck.

Confucius

Fate has a sick sense of humour sometimes, but you're going to have to live with it until the day you stop existing. You might be spared too much distress but your lineage will always hold trouble, there is no way to stop it, but you don't need to think about that. You should think about how you can help the ones you love that are here for you. You should always have a plan for yourself and for others. Living free is OK, in fact it can be quite nice to not have any stress, but not every can get that opportunity, so you have to make the best of what you have with the worst of what you have. I'm not one to help you understand your problems, but you should always be prepared, taking risks are fine, just don't overdo it, because you might as well be gambling with fate, and here's a tip, fate usually cheats. If you want to secure yourself, you will need strategy, and without it, you won't last long, even if you have tons of money, what will happen once you've used it all? It is in the nature of most humans to look after their lineage, to keep it going on, that's the way we work. So you might be asking how you can secure your lineage to be long-lasting? Well, you can't, you can only carry it on, there is no security on this Earth, you can try to get away from this sense of duty, and I'm sure some have succeeded, but not many people are prepared to leave their human nature behind, so they stay and get stress. I am also on of those people, I'm willing to accept this, but I'm not going down without a fight, at least if you fight, the inevitable will be further off, and that's all I'm hoping for.

"Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage." -Confucius

"You plan for the life ahead of you, once you're done, you start living."

-The Rooster