StarCraft II

[Ironwood]

PROPER SPINE CRAWLER USEAGE.

[K9]

Is there some secret way to trigger an ability from one hotkeyed group and have it apply to things in another hotkey group? I'm boggling at how people manage to spend all their chronoboost once they're past, oh, fifty supply or so. Hell, mine starts to build up around 30 unless I really keep on top of it.

But it would be great to just go 6 (nexii), C, 5 (warpgates), <some apply key here>, repeat 2-4 times really fast.

If you have all your Nexi in a single control group select it and then hold shift+C you'll be able to click on as many buildings as all your Nexi have energy to chronoboost.

[Ironwood]

And if you don't have them grouped, then what the fuck are you doing ?

[Megrim]

Could use a some help here



Lost to a cannon rush.  I never moved the roaches out because it seems like cannons just eat them alive.

Build a spawning pool after your first lord comes out. Scout with only one drone and an ovie, not two. You don't need to stick a drone on his scout to have it run around all over, just make sure you chase the drone around inside your base and in the near proximity.

Once the pool is built (after 11/12), make sure you have 150 for a Queen (inject immediately) and spare control for some lings. Two/four should do initially, then your next ovie should pop, freeing up control for the seven larvae that come out afterwards. Go from there.

The most important thing to do with early pressure is not to panic. Your opponent can't actually do any damage to you until he warps in cannons, and even then, depending on the placement of the cannons he might only be able to hit your hatchery/one side of drone line. Six or so lings plus a queen will crush any single cannons that warp in, and he won't be able to really threaten you unless he gets three+.

After you deal with it, mass lings for one cycle (possibly getting ling speed at some point earlier) and take a peek at his main. If he turtles up with cannons, expand, build lings and roaches, and run him over as soon as he tries to move out. Then run over his main. Just make sure you keep building units.

 * Addendum: if he actually starts warping cannons in, pull some drones (no more than five) to start hitting the cannon. You just need to wear it down to about 50% so that the lings can finish it easy once they come out.

[Yoru]

Is there some secret way to trigger an ability from one hotkeyed group and have it apply to things in another hotkey group? I'm boggling at how people manage to spend all their chronoboost once they're past, oh, fifty supply or so. Hell, mine starts to build up around 30 unless I really keep on top of it.

But it would be great to just go 6 (nexii), C, 5 (warpgates), <some apply key here>, repeat 2-4 times really fast.

If you have all your Nexi in a single control group select it and then hold shift+C you'll be able to click on as many buildings as all your Nexi have energy to chronoboost.

This is awesome. I'll have to just start remembering to boost shit a lot more. Thanks. And yes, they're always in a single control group so I can select them every 30 seconds or so and slam the E (or S, or S&D) key for MOAR WORKERS.

[K9]

The same logic works for warp-gates by the way, hold shift, then the hotkey for the unit you want (e.g. Zealot is Z, High Templar is T) and then click around inside a powerfield to spawn units speedily. Also for terran command centres and muls/scans.

[K9]

Could use a some help here



Lost to a cannon rush.  I never moved the roaches out because it seems like cannons just eat them alive.

You played well all things considered, your main problem was being over-cautious and not capitalising on some of the momentum you had. Your drone management was generally very good and you handled the cannon rush really well I thought. There are a few other things you could have done to tip the game in your favour.

 - After you took out the upper cannons in your main with your roaches I would have used those roaches to hit the pylons and cannons at the bottom of your ramp from the top of the cliff. The structures at the bottom wouldn't be able to shoot up without vision, so they would have been easy pickings. You could have also repositioned your spine crawlers to the top of the ramp to help.
 - Not making an overseer by default as soon as you can after getting hive (which you got late, but that was totally understandable due to the rush) was a small oversight, but you managed the DTs pretty well. Had you cleared the bottom of your ramp with your roaches you would have been able to scout and deny him that tech, since he really had fuck all going for him.
 - I would have gone for Nydus worm over Ventral sacks, it just gives you a lot more manoeuvrability in the long run, and you would have been better served by overlord speed for scouting. Not venturing outside your base, even to test the waters or scout, was your biggest problem. Had you scouted a bit more you would have seen how little your opponent had.
 - Drone management was good, but there was one point (around 11mins in) where you made seven drones at once, when you probably would have been better off making more roaches and pushing down to clear the bottom of your ramp. Overall though you were doing much better getting saturated and managing drones for resource collection and building construction than in the last replay.

TL:DR version, good job defending the rush, needed to be more aggressive though once the cannons stopped coming.

PROPER SPINE CRAWLER USEAGE.

[slog]

Dammit I didn't even think of the Nydus Worm. 

Thanks for the other feedback as well.  Zerg is tough when it comes to deciding when to make Drones or Units.   Also, I didn't know Roaches can shoot down and the Cannons can't see up.

[Malakili]

TL:DR version, good job defending the rush, needed to be more aggressive though once the cannons stopped coming.

This is key.  Its something I know I personally need to work on as well.  That is, knowing when you can be aggressive.  Its especially bad when you were on the back foot early in the game.  You can get into this mode where you just want to sit back and be nice and safe to offset how unsafe you were earlier.  Day9 often says just attack, what the hell.  You might lose outright, but you'll at the very least learn to understand the different game states a lot better, and you'll get a much better feeling in the long term for when you can and can't get away with being aggressive.

That does take the ability to be ok with the possibility of throwing a game away though, which I, again, often have trouble with.  I need to stop caring about my latter record.

[slog]

Ya I know.  for whatever reason, playing Zerg seems to have taught me that I won't have any luck getting passed their walled off Ramp.

[Malakili]

Ya I know.  for whatever reason, playing Zerg seems to have taught me that I won't have any luck getting passed their walled off Ramp.

Just don't fight them if their army is inside a walled off base.  Zerg needs to surround and flank to be especially effective.  If his army is in his base, just take the entire map and then just wait til hes out of resources and win.

[Ironwood]

Yeah.  Burrow some really fucking nasty surprises at their expansions.  That's always funny.  I saw one guy put four or five Banelings at the mineral line and this sadistic fuck WAITED until the drone population was huge.

Then.

Boom.

[Segoris]

Yeah.  Burrow some really fucking nasty surprises at their expansions.  That's always funny.  I saw one guy put four or five Banelings at the mineral line and this sadistic fuck WAITED until the drone population was huge.

Then.

Boom.

I've never thought about that with banelings, pure awesome

[K9]

Also, I didn't know Roaches can shoot down and the Cannons can't see up.

Yes, roaches are ranged so they can shoot down from cliffs (they just can't attack air). They are also very durable for their cost and against a fixed pylon cluster, especially one like your opponent's which isn't very dense, you can do hit and runs to snipe single buildings at a time and then let them regenerate health on creep. Especially if your opponent isn't actually pressuring you with mobile units.

Yeah.  Burrow some really fucking nasty surprises at their expansions.  That's always funny.  I saw one guy put four or five Banelings at the mineral line and this sadistic fuck WAITED until the drone population was huge.

Then.

Boom.

Oh sweet, I'll have to try this.

[Fordel]

Burrow in general is underutilized really, I'm always concerned about DT drops or Banshees, but I rarely think "what if the zerg burrows stuff".


Those super burrow regen roaches and a few infestors is a enormous pain in the ass until you get a mobile detector out. You can also use Banelings a lot like vulture mines, you can auto-cast the unburrow so they'll popup and explode on their own.

[birdsguts]

Burrow trapping is my favorite "mini-game" in SC2.
You can make a Terran really paranoid and force them to blow scans in potential "trap" areas if you get enough burrow flank surprise attacks off in a match.
When they go ravens you probably will already have mutas out controlling the air so.... Yeah... fun stuff.

[Fordel]

This replay is  . I love Ravens and I love how the Terran should have GG'd out like 20 minutes earlier but went "fuck it, lets see how far I can get with 4 marauders and 5 SCVs!"

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NAszqrp3aw
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHa-sQKUcgM
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwQ-t9CgCRI


Is there are particular reason it always seems like if a Zerg player decides to get Broodlords, he sends ONLY  Broodlords ahead? I don't understand that decision in this game. Like, I get the Broodlords, but why nothing with them to support?

[Malakili]

This replay is  . I love Ravens and I love how the Terran should have GG'd out like 20 minutes earlier but went "fuck it, lets see how far I can get with 4 marauders and 5 SCVs!"

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NAszqrp3aw
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHa-sQKUcgM
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwQ-t9CgCRI


Is there are particular reason it always seems like if a Zerg player decides to get Broodlords, he sends ONLY  Broodlords ahead? I don't understand that decision in this game. Like, I get the Broodlords, but why nothing with them to support?

Broodlords are like a battering ram.  Bust down the front door (metaphorically if they aren't walled in), and then pour in with your units.   Especially because they shoot broodlings  that end up taking a lot of the hits, they are pretty survivable too, especially when they play terrain tricks.

[K9]

Fuck random 2v2 and 3v3, getting stone league team-mates who build less than a dozen units and then sit there while you get stomped by a coordinated bunch of platinum-level players is no fun.

I keep getting people who are gold for 2v2/3v3 but bronze for 1v1 and I'm not pleased.

[slog]

Fuck random 2v2 and 3v3, getting stone league team-mates who build less than a dozen units and then sit there while you get stomped by a coordinated bunch of platinum-level players is no fun.

I keep getting people who are gold for 2v2/3v3 but bronze for 1v1 and I'm not pleased.

I was wondering about that.  I've been stomping on these folks that are gold 2v2 but Bronze 1v1.  How are these folks winning?

[Malakili]

Fuck random 2v2 and 3v3, getting stone league team-mates who build less than a dozen units and then sit there while you get stomped by a coordinated bunch of platinum-level players is no fun.

I keep getting people who are gold for 2v2/3v3 but bronze for 1v1 and I'm not pleased.

I was wondering about that.  I've been stomping on these folks that are gold 2v2 but Bronze 1v1.  How are these folks winning?

The 2v2 and 1v1 meta games are pretty different.  I mean, being good period will help either way, but you can get a lot of 2v2 wins using really goofy strategies that get you nowhere in one v one.

[bhodi]

Not to mention that 2v2 strats boil down to 3 that make you auto-win at the pre-diamond level:

1. Sharing control
2. Setting a shared rally point
3. Building a mass of t1 units and letting the person with the best micro do a timing push with both your units

[K9]

I had one teammate who in 12 minutes built two banshees, two fucking banshees, that was it.

The problem with 2v2 and 3v3 is that once in a blue moon you get a sweet game where your teammates aren't clownshoes and both sides hold off the initial rushes and you end up settling down for a long epic game. Unfortunately 99% of the time its you getting double six-pooled while your teammate(s) sit there doing fuck all.

[Malakili]

I had one teammate who in 12 minutes built two banshees, two fucking banshees, that was it.

The problem with 2v2 and 3v3 is that once in a blue moon you get a sweet game where your teammates aren't clownshoes and both sides hold off the initial rushes and you end up settling down for a long epic game. Unfortunately 99% of the time its you getting double six-pooled while your teammate(s) sit there doing fuck all.

The real question is why play randoms?  I know some people like team games more than 1v1 for a variety of reasons, but I'd really try hard to find consistent partners if I was going to make that a consistent gameplay type.  Regardless of skill level, it'll at least give you a bit of consistency to work with

[K9]

I'm just not consistent enough in my playtimes to play extensively with partners; you are right though, and I know I'd have a better time of it with a regular partner.

Also, I'm at the low-point of my gaming addiction and willingness to schedule my life around gaming. So I wouldn't have the inclination to be online for stuff at the right times. It's also why I haven't played WoW or raided in about 2 months, it's just my current mood.

Random isn't all bad, it would be a lot better if random teams and pre-made teams were in separate divisions, but oh well....

[K9]

I just got promoted to 3v3 plat 

[slog]

Fake or Real Patch notes?

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=153362&currentpage=All

[Wolf]

oh
my
god
"- Chronoboost cooldown increased from 0 to 20 seconds."
Forgot to chronoboost. Let's just boost these bazillion gateways. NO.
"- Calldown MULE cooldown increased from 0 to 40 seconds."
Oh, forgot to mule for a bit, 'cause I was busy microing. NP, call 5 mules to gold base. NO.
- Overlord base speed increased to from 0.469 to 0.938.
- Overlord upgraded speed increase from 1.875 to 2.344.
- Overlords can now use Excrete Creep while moving.
- Spawn Larvae energy cost reduced to 20 from 25.

I hope these are real, looks very good and super reasonable :)

[bhodi]

They are fake as hell. The solution to fix spawn larvae is not to nerf the other two down to current unfun levels :)

Doubling the speed of the overlord? That would make them incredibly overpowered. Letting them glorph while moving? come on now.

[slog]

"- Chronoboost cooldown increased from 0 to 20 seconds."
Forgot to chronoboost. Let's just boost these bazillion gateways. NO.
"- Calldown MULE cooldown increased from 0 to 40 seconds."
Oh, forgot to mule for a bit, 'cause I was busy microing. NP, call 5 mules to gold base. NO.

I hope these are real, looks very good and super reasonable :)

It would be just like playing Zerg

[Malakili]

"- Chronoboost cooldown increased from 0 to 20 seconds."
Forgot to chronoboost. Let's just boost these bazillion gateways. NO.
"- Calldown MULE cooldown increased from 0 to 40 seconds."
Oh, forgot to mule for a bit, 'cause I was busy microing. NP, call 5 mules to gold base. NO.

I hope these are real, looks very good and super reasonable :)

It would be just like playing Zerg

Thats the point.   Frankly though, until I see real patch notes I just consider everything to be fake.   

[Strazos]

I think I'm actually getting worse. The new trend of Protoss rushing to DT just feels insulting, especially since detection is such shit.

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replays/82682-1v1-terran-protoss-scrap-station#rd:units

[Strazos]

I could do this all night, if I was a masochist. Not really sure what I could have done; was building some reapers to harass, and boom.

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replays/82686-1v1-terran-zerg-desert-oasis

[Muffled]

DTs - if you're going to build turrets, there are two really critical places to put them: your front door and your mineral line.  One in either place probably would have saved you, because even a dozen dark templar die VERY fast once you can see them.  Apart from that, just being aggressive can stop that sort of nonsense.  DTs take a long time and a lot of gas to get, a marauder/marine push shuts it down hard.

Roach attack - you had quite a bit of money sitting around for a long time that game, those 1000 minerals could have been two more barracks and 14 marines, or something similar.  Apart from that, there's really no reason to wait for five or six reapers before moving out with them, two or three can do a lot of damage, and the earlier you get in his base the better chance you have to see and react to something like a bunch of roaches.

Big thing from both games: never saw you do any real scouting.  If you don't feel like you can get an SCV into their base to see what's up, don't be afraid to burn a scan.  The 250 minerals in 30 seconds (or however much the mule nets) is frequently not as valuable as seeing a dark shrine/stargate/spire/whatever right now.

Even suiciding a unit up their ramp, just to see what's guarding it, can be useful.  Just pick a time to move a unit to their front, like 40 food or something.  Doing it at the wrong time is still better than not poking up to their base at all.  Same logic applies to attacking, particularly if you're going for infantry since stim makes retreating pretty safe.

[K9]

Zealot-Phoenix in 2v2 can be a lot of fun if your teammate is happy to turtle a little and shield the two of you. Leave the zealots at your base to help shield (on most 2v2 maps you can block in your main+natural easily). Phoenixes then go and harass the worker line non-stop.

I have been having fun with this.

On the other hand, going into a 3v3 to be greeted with "I AM GOIN TO MASS HELLIONS" makes me sad.