SOME NOTES ON R.T.S TERMINOLOGIES (ver-1.0)

• STRATEGY:

The overall play of the game, where you engage in high-level & long-term planning, which when executed, will help you in winning the skirmish [or war !!, if you like to use that word too]

• TACTICS:

The varied measures taken in order to execute said 'strategy', along with the real-time adjustments made in those measures according to the events taking place in the battlefield itself

• MACRO:

Your overall management of your base or stronghold, which may include; resource-collection, base-building, base-expansion, intel-gathering, research, unit-production & base-defense etc... So in a manner of speaking, we can say that Macroing can be 'How well you are able to convert your collected resources into an advantage'.

• MICRO:

The precise controlling or management of your individual units [Or your 'Control-Groups'], making the most of each units, unit-type, their special abilities & even positioning or maneuvering them well for the sake of maximum-efficency.

• EARLY-GAME:

This is the beginning phase of an RTS-game, which is dominated by build-orders, intel-gathering via scouting & Achieving economic-stability via resource-harvesting. In this phase the strategy of rushing [Or 'harassment-tactics'] is the most effective, since a good rush will effectively cripple your economy, which is potentially GAME-ENDING.

• MID-GAME:

This is probably the most exciting phase of the game for most people, which is dominated by map-control, economic-boom, tech-tree advancements & tactical-engagements. Here, the strategy of booming [Or 'Expansion-tactics'] is the most effective, as you need to gain more resources to field larger armies & conduct research in order to move up the Tech-Trees, so that you can gain more advanced units, new abilities, support-powers & structures in order to complement your strategic-commitments

• LATE-GAME:

As the name indicates; it is the ending-phase of an RTS-game, which is dominated by fortified-bases, diverse army-compositions, complex strategic moves & advanced super-weapons. We get to see units with extreme-range like artillery [AKA Indirect-Fire units] or some exotic or experimental units that are potentially change the tide of the battle. Normally at this point the strategy of turtling is usually employed so that the players are free to assault the bases of their opponents with an ease-of-mind.

This is a fundamental Real-time-Strategy mechanic that allows you to assign groups of your units to a specific numerical-key [Typically from 0 to 9]. So that you can instantly select them for more efficent microing or micro-management in high-pressure situations or matches [Leading to significant improvement in APM; which is short for Actions-Per-Minute].

A sort of path your factions need to take when researching new technologies [Hence the word 'Tech-Tree'] or techniques in order to unlock higher-tier units, structures or abilities & even upgrade your existing structures & units & even grant you bonuses in other areas of the battle like improved economy, increased unit production speed etc...

Securing key areas of the map to gain advantages like resources, battlefield-vision or strategic-positioning to suppress opponents.

It is also a fundamental Real-time-Strategy mechanic where an unexplored or unclaimed areas of the map are hidden from view [Or if left unoccupied, then that area shrouds itself], adding uncertainity & depth to gameplay by obscuring vision & hence preventing you from surveiling your opponent.

• RUSHING:

The strategy of investing or sacrificing economy to create an early-offensive power in order to cripple the economy of your opponents as early in the game as possible [Sometimes you may hear the term 'HARASSMENT-TACTICS' pretty often], usually players employ this in the form of 'hit & run tactics'.

• TURTLING:

The strategy of fortifying your base in order to survive the early-game offensive [Like an opponent's 'rush' attacks] & then launch a counter-offensive with preferable stronger units. So turtling is actually a counter to rushing in a way.

• BOOMING:

Prioritization of a rapid economic-growth via base-expansions & hence gaining map-control of several resource-zones. This is then converted into a militaristic-advantage via rapidly researching the tech-tree to gain access to powerful late-game units, superweapons or amassing a massive army to steamroll your opposition. [Usually this is countered by rushing, while this strategy COUNTERS 'turtling']

Usage of usually lightly-armoured, cheap & fast [& preferably stealthed or cloaked] units to attack vulnerable targets & evade before your opponent can counter-attack or defend appropriately. The most popular way of using such tactics is when you use it to hamper or cripple your opponent's economy like destroying their harvesters, production-structures or maybe even their superweapons [Usually called 'HARASSMENT TACTICS'].

It is an aggressive tactic that employs the usage of numerous amount of medium-to-heavy units in order to overwhelm an opponent's base or stronghold before they can produce effective defenses to neutralize your massive army. This tactic relies on an early economic-boom & rapid unit-production [So in other words the strategy of 'booming' is essential here]; however proper macro, micro & turtling can counter this.

• INDIRECT-FIRE:

This is a game-mechanic that allow some special units [Usually medium or long-Ranged artillery units or structures] in your factions to attack targets without needing a direct line-of-sight & that too while ignoring terrains or obstacles. Sometimes even beyond their OWN visual or sensor-range with the help of some kind of 'spotter-units'.

• AREA-DENIAL:

Hindering enemy-movements in a specific area by using a variety of methods like using indirect-fire [AKA Artillery-Barrages or Naval-Bombardment or Air-Support] or using map-control techniques like utilizing traps [Like mines] or even physical-barriers [Like walls or destroying bridges]. This tactic is very effective when used in a CHOKE-POINT.

Here the player's units attack their opponent's units while constantly moving at a safe-distance so that they do not get targetted & take damage. So basically out-maneuvering your opponent's units typically via using units with longer range, higer movement-speed & low attack-cooldowns. Of course the units also MUST HAVE the capability to 'attack-while-moving' [Sometimes called 'Stutter-Stepping']. This can be countered by units with the capabiltiy to 'snare' or 'lock-onto' the enemy units [In other words the capacity 'to restrict movement' & use 'attacks that track the enemies'] in order to neutralize their evasiveness.

• CHOKE-POINTS:

Narrow terrain or corridor which limits the quantity of units moving though that area. Basically this acts as a funnel through which only a limited quantity of units can defend effectively against attacks. This can be turned into an advantage, since large armies are essentially concentrated or corralled into a cramped area which makes them ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE to 'A.O.E-attacks' [Here; AOE = Area-Of-Effect, in other words attacks whose damage or affects are applied over an area, like in case of radiation or artillery] like indirect-fire or area-denial weaponry as an example, you can use it for surveillance as well, like stealth-detection.

• RALLY-POINTS:

It is a designated-location where newly-produced units travel to automatically after being produced. Now this is a convenient functionality that a player can use to regroup & deploy battle-groups more cohesively; such as to reinforce or fortify an area or to push the frontlines of the fight further & further towards the enemy [Or any other advanced tactics].

Apparently, this tactic is considered un-sportsman-like or cheap in an RTS match since it doesn't allow players to express their skills or whatever [On a personal note; I am not fond of this either], but I will tell you anyways :-)
This is a tactic that allows a 'less-skilled players' to defeat 'stronger & skilled players' by surprising the opponent via an immediate 'all-or-nothing attack' [Usually amassing a large number of units of a single-type, but do not take my word on it, since there are OTHER WAYS]. This tactic is considered 'high-risk & high-reward', since the player sacrifices long-term economic management to score an easy & decisive victory. This usually relies on the criteria that the opponent has not properly scouted the map. So the most obvious counter-measure would be proper scouting, surveilance & honestly some robust turtling; but I am sure that you will have even more effective strategies.