StarCraft II

[RUiN 427]

I just recently got into watching streams. Been on twitch mostly.

[Malakili]

I just recently got into watching streams. Been on twitch mostly.

Who have you been watching?

[RUiN 427]

I just recently got into watching streams. Been on twitch mostly.

Who have you been watching?

watching the IGN Pro League today but havn't really settled on any others... still new

[Soulflame]

I was watching Husky for a long time, but then I sort of fell out of the habit of watching.

[RUiN 427]

as for casters I watch Day9 and husky
for pros I would say idra, huk, and sheth

[Fordel]

White-Ra and SlayerS_Dragon are the two best to watch for entertainment.

Random Korean Pro is the best to watch to get better at the game.



In case anyone somehow doesn't know, all your SC2 news/streams/info is at http://www.teamliquid.net/ .

[Malakili]

I tend to like to watch things day9 related, but I do feel like his dailies have dropped off in quality...though he gets more viewers than ever so maybe its me.  When I started watching last summer (summer 2010) when the beta was still on, I really enjoyed the fact that he did really in depth analysis like every day.  It seems like he keeps piling on more gimmicks (and to be fair it gets him more viewers), but I just don't really watch the show live anymore and will occasionally watch VODs when he does analysis of a matchup I am particularly interested in.

The main problem with SC2 content right now is that there is just so much of it.  Just keeping up with the scene time consuming so much so that I just plain had to stop trying. 

[Fordel]

People's love of Day9 declines the more knowledgeable you get about the game itself. Then it's just about the funny stuff like Funday Monday. The quality of his analysis hasn't actually changed much in either direction, but once you know how to see the stuff he points out for yourself, you tend to get this "but I know that already!". It's also been proven that if you were to just listen to Day9's play by play during a game without seeing the game itself, you would have no idea of what was actually happening. For as entertaining as he can be, his actual play by play is pretty bad 


If you are strapped for time, the things to watch are basically the MLG's/Dreamhacks, State of the Game and Funday Monday. Then you can watch whatever stream you prefer on the background, or cycle through Husky/TB/HD casts on youtube.


NASL is a pile of fail, IPL has been having issues with their games being months out of date and the EG cups are just wankery for the most part. The actual GSL (the big league in Korea) is also totally fucking boring 90% of the time, if there is a good game to watch, they'll yell about it on SotG or have it on TL.net .


All of the super long tourneys are mediocre I find, it's rare that they produce good games simply because opponents have so much time to prepare for each other and are always well rested and calm. The marathon that MLG puts on for that weekend is what causes the great games to spill out, people can't prepare the perfect counter timing and it's about endurance as much as anything.

It's like the difference between the regular season and the playoffs, MLG is just all playoffs.

[RUiN 427]

any suggestions for a good US terran streamer? other than select or blicky?

[Ironwood]

I stopped watching this stuff, mostly because as skill approaches the top, gameplay differences don't.

It got boring with the same builds and the same nonsense.  It was rare that someone played out of the box though when they did they usually won.  That tells you something.

[Eldron]

any suggestions for a good US terran streamer? other than select or blicky?

Really like http://da.twitch.tv/demuslim.
He just started streaming recently i think. Some of the games he commentate, but not all.

He might not be American, but he does live in the EG house in the US so it's the right timezone atleast.

[Fordel]

I stopped watching this stuff, mostly because as skill approaches the top, gameplay differences don't.

It got boring with the same builds and the same nonsense.  It was rare that someone played out of the box though when they did they usually won.  That tells you something.

That's what the short tourneys like MLG bring out, people doing crazy shit because they don't have their perfect counter build practiced because they have no idea who their opponents might be till the next round.

[Malakili]

I stopped watching this stuff, mostly because as skill approaches the top, gameplay differences don't.

It got boring with the same builds and the same nonsense.  It was rare that someone played out of the box though when they did they usually won.  That tells you something.

That's what the short tourneys like MLG bring out, people doing crazy shit because they don't have their perfect counter build practiced because they have no idea who their opponents might be till the next round.

Yeah, that blue flame MLG was good times (at least for me as a spectator).  But its also easy to say "Oh if more people did creative stuff like that it would be more interesting" I think Ironwood is kind of wrong when he implies that more people would win with that stuff.  The Slayers team pulled in to that tournament with some absolutely brutal timing pushes with a unit comp that no one had seen.  It was very refined and not a known part of the meta game, so it was very effective.  But that doesn't mean simply "being creative" is going to yield great results all the time.  Its a fine line to tread I think.


Also, I would second DeMuslim's steam.

[Ironwood]

All I'm saying is that when High-Level chaps (not 'more people') try to do more strategy variations, it usually (about 7 times outta ten that I've seen) works due to the other guy not expecting it.

Yes, I'll allow that if it were commonplace, it would lose the tactical element it has, but it really is fun watching someone get owned by Nydus simply because most top level players dismiss it as easy to repulse.  See also, Baneling burrows.  See also some DT strats.  Overseer blobs.  Queen Rushes.  Ghost placements.  etc.etc.etc.

It's also very easy to say.  You're right.  I've said it a couple of times.  Out Loud.  In my Living room.  It was damn easy.  So, you know, thanks for that.

[Malakili]

No need to get snarky.  The point was that if something if consistently good enough it becomes part of standard play.  Which in turn means relying on surprise can work in indivual games but its a pretty risky way to play all the time because people learn the timings and counters.  A solid build can win even when the opponent knows exactly what is coming.

[Ironwood]

No need to get snarky. 

Have we met ?

[Malakili]

People's love of Day9 declines the more knowledgeable you get about the game itself.

This is definitely true.  But it does seem like his old Brood War dailies were significantly more fine grained.  Granted, he was better at BW than he is at SC2, and Brood War was are more sophisticated in terms of its development and meta game in ways that SC2 is only beginning to explore, so this might account for some of it as well.  For instance, he used to talk a lot about the specific map and spend lots of time on how the map called for specific deviations in builds and such, but you see less of that now and it might be that the play itself just isn't quite at that level yet. 

[RUiN 427]

Yeah i'm not watching these to learn step by step builds, but more to saturate my brain with possibilities. In hopes of maximizing my enjoyment in game.

[Fordel]

All I'm saying is that when High-Level chaps (not 'more people') try to do more strategy variations, it usually (about 7 times outta ten that I've seen) works due to the other guy not expecting it.

Yes, I'll allow that if it were commonplace, it would lose the tactical element it has, but it really is fun watching someone get owned by Nydus simply because most top level players dismiss it as easy to repulse.  See also, Baneling burrows.  See also some DT strats.  Overseer blobs.  Queen Rushes.  Ghost placements.  etc.etc.etc.

Yea, you want the MLG style tourney's then, it generates those kind of plays all the time.

[Ironwood]

Throw links at me.

HARD.

[FieryBalrog]

I play a lot more than I stream, but mostly 2v2 and 3v3 on skype. 2v2 is not the "purest" form of the game by far and 1v1 is deeper and more sophisticated at top levels. But with voice chat and a partner you know well, it is 100x more fun.

Still enjoy 1v1 but I liked it more in BW. The main difference is I'm older and slower.

[Malakili]

Throw links at me.

HARD.

I think to watch the MLG VODs you need to have their HD pass or some such.  The next MLG event is MLG Orlando Oct. 14-16 which you can watch for free live.  www.mlgpro.com

[slog]

I started Playing Zerg on the ladder again about 2 weeks ago.  I'm doing much better than I did last time.  I don't think people should play Zerg though, as it's really not  a good race until you become a high level player.

I'm disappointed that all the cool units for Zerg in HOTS will be single player only.

[Rasix]

idra's stream is pretty hilarious. Guy is a complete dick, but at least there's commentary instead of just bad kpop.

[RUiN 427]

I've been watching coldrewbie and demuslim for terran streams. Demuslim tends to talk through his strats more

http://www.twitch.tv/demuslim

[Malakili]

The Team EG steams tend to be pretty good.  Sheth is good to when he streams.

[Fordel]

Throw links at me.

HARD.

I think to watch the MLG VODs you need to have their HD pass or some such.  The next MLG event is MLG Orlando Oct. 14-16 which you can watch for free live.  www.mlgpro.com

http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/ or specifically http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/events/1-raleigh-2011

The tourneys might be a pita for Ironwood to watch live, I don't know how the timezones line up, but each day they have the live stream, then the re-stream of the entire night right after and they are now putting the vods up and giving the replays to all the community casters for games they don't have on either stream.


Just watch http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/videos?produced_by=mlg&q=boxer%2C+anaheim&sort_by=popularity boxer's games imo  

Specifically: http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/videos/72872-winners-semis-boxer-vs-rain-g1 Mass viking/BC/tank vs Mass viking/BC/raven/thor, totally standard TvT.

Straight to the good part :



-edit- yea the MLG site is kinda  to navigate at times. When the tourney's are actually live, you can just go to http://www.teamliquid.net/mlg/ as once again teamliquid is your source of all things starcraft.

[Malakili]

You know your website is bad when Team Liquid is the more intuitive.

[Malakili]

Shoutcraft Invitational today and tomorrow.  Live now @ www.twitch.tv/totalbiscuit

[trias_e]

Doing some streaming for shits and giggles at twitch.tv/trias_e

[Rasix]

Man.. this music..

[trias_e]

Caffeine wore off.  Time to stop ; )

[RUiN 427]

I added trias, Rasix, and Malakill since you guys seem to be pretty active. Your diamond league status is humbling. I keep trying to Terran cheese my way out of bronze (poop league) but keep throwing myself up against a wall of stalkers. usually I can transition out of a cheesy opening rush into a drop or two and then finish with BC or vikings.

I have a lot to learn.

[Fordel]

What do you mean by cheese? You trying to proxy rax each game or something?

[Polysorbate80]

I keep trying to Terran cheese my way out of bronze (poop league)

Cheese will get you to at least silver, where I'm stuck due to my horribly unstable DSL--I randomly disconnect on a far-too-frequent basis.  

So, I *always* rush, since I can't count on having the time to finish a real game.  Usually I just build a barracks, 2-3 depots and crank out as many marines and SCVs as I can while I scout for the opponent.  Typically I have 3-5 marines and a big SCV ball by then; I put the SCVs on auto-repair, mix in the marines so they're hard to pick out visually, then attack move them into the opponent's base, making sure they don't spread out too much.  While they're moving, I redirect new marine production into the enemy's base as well.  I also keep the marines hotkeyed to a separate group to focus fire the opponent, but try to keep them in with the worker ball so they don't get slaughtered.

I win a little more than half the time with this, and the raging from the other side (whether I win or lose) is also entertaining.  This is countered by the fact that I lose at least a third of all games outright due to disconnecting  

Edit for clarification:  works out to about 35% win, 35% disconnect, 30% loss.