Broken Video Card

So the other day my SO was using the computer, when something broke. It didn’t take me long to figure out it was the video card. Not corrupted driver broken. But broken, broken. I ordered a new card. And despite getting one that seemed to surpass the system requirements, my new card sucks. I bought a cheap card, and as a result, I can only play with a decent frame rate on the lowest graphics settings.

Technically this shouldn’t have a big impact on me. But it does. For some reason, having to play SC2 in a situation where it looks like WoW level graphics really takes a lot of the fun out of it. I find myself not playing as much. Same when it comes to simply watching StarCraft. I feel like the game has grown a bit stagnant. I’m not particularly looking forward to LotV.

Sorry if I don’t post as much. But I feel the wonderful ride that was StarCraft 2 is slowly coming to an end ...

BlizzCon

Sorry to not have written much about StarCraft lately. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the game has gone a bit stale. I still play almost every day. But the game clearly doesn’t mean as much to me as it used to. At the moment, my video card is broken, so I can’t play anyway.

But I did managed to see BlizzCon. After hearing what the devs had to say about the future of StarCraft, I’m not too excited. You’ll remember that I’m a hardcore 1v1 player. Almost everything they talked about had to do with other aspects of the game. Spawning, the arcade, updates to the UI. The fact that the game is now within 1% of being balanced.

To be honest, the only thing that matters to me are the patches and what new units they play to add in LotV. No much to say about that.

I can add that I’m happy with the widow mine nerf. I’ve had a few games where I lose a disgusting number of banelings due to widow mines. I feel like mines have the potential to do a stupid amount of damage. Especially to ling bling. Which also happens to be the only real counter to marines that zerg have.

Launcher Beta

I finally got into the next StarCraft 2 Beta. This one, for the new launcher. What can I say? I like to beta test. It’s in my blood. So I’d been wanting to try this one for a quite a while.

Usually I’d like on a SC2 desktop icon to launch the game. Which would open the launcher. At which point I’d have to click the Start button. Then wait for the loading on the full screen game. Then click connect. Then enter a password and press Return. And then, after more loading, I’d finally be in the game.

I complained about what a mission it was to simply playing a fucking game of StarCraft in a previous post. 4 gate WaitCraft, I believe was the name.

Well the new launcher changes all of that. Now the launcher just sits around in my task bar. When I want to play, I right click on that, and then click on StarCraft. Which brings up a new launcher. Where I click play. Here’s the good part. I don’t have to click another button or enter my password. I just click play on the launcher, wait, and when it’s done I’m in the game. (where I can click on multiplayer and play to join the que to play)

I have to say, this is an improvement. I don’t have to enter my password anymore. So yay for Blizzard. But still, I wish they would have given an option to join the ladder que at the launcher level. I mean, most people who play StarCraft keep doing the same thing. Every day 1v1 ladder, in my case. Wouldn’t it have been nice to go directly into the que from there?

Anyway, since it shortens the process of actually playing a game of StarCraft, and reduces redundancy in password typing, I’m all for it. Yay Blizzard, thumbs up from me.

Terran, the harass race?

I admit that I’m no expert on how to play Terran. But I’ve been practicing. And the better I harass, the better I seem to get.

One of the hardest things about playing Terran is that they seem to so easily get creamed in the late game. Allow a protoss to two base without harassment, or allow a Zerg to three base, and soon enough, you’ll be swarmed. Sure, professionals seem to be able to trade armies in TvP Colossus fights. But whenever I try, I wind up with a bunch of burning, dead marines.

Specifically in the TvP matchup, I’ve been using a 3xSiege tank timing attack, and it’s been working quite well. Supposedly, the attack hits when the Protoss player can have, at most, only a single colossus. With good positioning, and depending on the map, you can both take on a Protoss army that isn’t quite full strength, and deny mining.

In a recent game, I did just this. I managed to destroy the Nexus at his natural. But I wasn’t able to crack into the main base. It didn’t matter much, because I came back with a drop to his main that destroyed both his templar archives and his dark shrine (before it warped in).

Perhaps that is one of the ways in which Terran play is fundamentally different from Protoss and Zerg play. Terran has to work for their advantage. They have to fight, tooth and nail, to keep their opponent’s production down, just to keep pace. Where, when I play Toss or Zerg, I’m more hoping to weather early attacks in order to build an invincible army/swarm.

The one glaring weakness in my Terran play is that I don’t use Ghosts. I’ve had a few free practice games, specifically trying to go Ghosts. Maybe it’s just me, but Ghosts seem to require the most micromanagement out of any unit in the game. Clocking, when to activate it, whether to snipe, emp, or go for a nuclear launch. It’s a lot to learn, and there are many decisions one has to get correct in order to win the game.

Ideally, I’d like to use Ghosts for early game harass. But so far, every time my opponent has had detection, and I’ve failed to do any meaningful damage.

Do you have a good Ghost build? If so, I’d love to hear it.

Kicking Ass with 8 Gate

Ever since I got my ass kicked with an 8 gate, I thought I’d write about it here. It’s a protoss build, obviously. But I’ve found it can work in both PvT and PvZ matchups.

One of the best parts about the build is how flexible it is. Ideally, you’d like to throw down a nexus on 16. But you can just as well go Gateway nexus. Or even Gateway, Core, Nexus, depending on the map size and opponent’s aggression.

Even if you’re playing in the PvT matchup, you’re going to want an early forge. Sure, an early forge for a double nexus opening is standard in PvZ. But I find that even in PvT, I like to go ahead and throw up a cannon anyway. But you’re really getting the forge for the upgrades. I normally use two gasses off the main, but none off the expo. This should give you a surplus of gas. So once you get your WarpGate going, and your MSC, you want to also start on +1 weapons. When that finishes, go ahead and upgrade armor. Or shields. I’m not sure which is better, but with a little practice, your attack can hit with both upgrades.

You should be able to make probes until you’ve got 16 at each nexus. Plus the 6 on gas. That’s where you can cut drones and make a few supply pylons. I didn’t specifically say to make the gates, but you’ll want 8 of them. In case of early attacks, I like to make them two or three at a time. Scouting before all 8 gates are online is crucial, since this is your most vulnerable time.

Then, have a blast playing this ‘4 gate on steroids’. I always start with a round of sentries, so they can build energy. Then Stalkers. Then finish with zealots. It’s a very powerful build, with all the force fields you’ll need to block ramps and stop repairing SCVs. I don’t think I’ve lost a game yet, once the attack commences. The only real way to beat it, I’ve found, is to rush even earlier than it hits.

One of the best things about the 8 gate is that even if you get counter attacked, you have 8 gates. Meaning you can warp in units to defend at your base, and units to attack at your forward pylon.

One finishing touch that I must recommend. Keep a probe with your army. Setup forward pylons every time you advance your position. If you can get inside his base and have that probe make a pylon, your opponent will almost always gg. I’m not sure why, but something about seeing a pylon next to his production, or at the edge of his creep, always seems to convince people that they’ve lost.

Back to Gold

So I went away on vacation for a while. Did you miss me?

It was already a new season when I got back. I must say, I was a little disappointed to se ethat I got placed into Gold. Sure, I thought. Typical Blizzard. Making me fight my way back into the Diamodn league, where I belong.

But the fight back into Diamond hasn’t been going too easy. Every match I play on ladder, I have to remind myself that all the other Diamonds also got thrown into gold. I quickly made my way to the top of the Gold league. But I haven’t moved much since.

Then I read an article on reddit, saying that Blizzard changed their league distributions. Now, it’s harder to get into Plat and Diamond, and all the other high level leagues.

http://www.reddit.com/r/starcraft/comments/hl4uq/playing_games_after_being_demoted_because_playing/

Great. I’m no longer a Diamond. Well, it was good while it lasted.

I checked my play stats, and it turns out I’m doing good with all races and matchups. Except my TvP, which was only 20%!

So I’ve been trying to beef up my one, weakest matchup. I checked for strats on Team Liquid. A three siege tank timing attack that they have on their site seems like the right strategy for me. Except that its so old, it has you researching siege mode! Still the essence of the strat is there, and it’s worked for me in at least one game.

Does anyone have a good Terran strategy for me? Especially one that counters a four gate, and accomplishes some kind of good early attack. If so, please let me know @maulakai on twitter.

Thanks!

Training Grounds in Orlando

I just got home from this Red Bull event. I can't believe I almost missed it. If it wasn't for Twitch.tv, I never would have known that there was a SC2 tournament going on this weekend in Orlando.

But I went, and I saw my first live pro game of SC. Thank you, Blizzard, and thank you Red Bull. I always wanted to live vicariously and see someone come to an event, play some video games, and have the crowd cheer him after he won. Let's do it again?

And I met a favorite pro gamer: http://i.imgur.com/NOR1B5N.jpg

Beat a Master with Game Theory

I will always remember yesterday as the day I beat a Master.

Remember I’m playing as a Diamond ranked Random player. My opponent, a Master ranked Zerg.

The Map comes up, and its a two player.

Without even thinking, my gut told me to 7 pool. However, if you do think about it, it makes perfect sense.

When playing as ZvR, you’re probably going to want to 15 hatch. 15 hatch would be good against T and P. So 66% of the time, it would be the correct thing to do. Only 33% of the time would you fight a zerg. And even then, 15 hatch is often the best opening. It’s only a fraction of the 33% of the time that you would get 7 pooled. So I could reasonably expect my opponent to 15 hatch.

And I 7 pooled. By this point, I’ve had some practice at it. In my earlier days, I did a simple 7 pool.

At 7 supply, spawning pool.

One more drone to bring supply back to 7.

Overload.

@ 100% pool, 3xsets of lings.

That was the old way. Now I have a better build

AT 7 supply, spawning pool.

Two more drones to bring supply to 8.

Overlord.

@ 100% pool, 3xsets of lings.

Continue to make lings until 14 supply

@ 14 supply Queen

Overload

Continue to make lings until you win or call off the attack

The difference between these two builds is subtle. But you can squeeze out an extra drone, while not delaying the attack by more than a couple of seconds. So I had the build down perfect. But I still had to micro a win against a Master.

The first and most important rule to a six pool is, don’t lose your lings. It will be very tempting to simply engage his drones, or allow them to be surrounded. Don’t let this happen. Think of it this way. If his drones ignore you, you can kill them, ftw. If the drones stop mining to attack/surround you, he isn’t making money, while you still are. This is better. The farther you can lure his drones away from the mineral line, the more ahead you’ll get.

But if his micro is perfect, and he never takes his drones far from the mineral patch, you must go for the spawning pool. The point is to destroy the pool, without losing your lings. Since you’ll have a steady stream of lings coming from across the map, you can always retreat, and make another wave once the undamaged lings arrive. Fresh lings should always be at the front lines!

Never try to dps down the natural hatchery. The exception is possibly leaving one or two lings to damage it. But as a rule, it is to be ignored.

The master I beat played perfectly. He never went far from his mineral line. He chased me away from his pool each time I tried to DPS it down. But I finally got his pool, and ran away until the broodlings died. When I returned with a fresh wave of lings, he resigned.

Game Theory and 7 Pool FTW.

UI Woes

Is it just me? Am I going crazy? Or is the UI for my favorite video game in the world … having an identity problem?

Usually, when I lose a game, I click on the menu button. Then I press N. For surreNder.

But every once in a while, I swear, N doesn’t work. I have to click Q, for Quit. What’s up with that?

Want to hear something even stranger? The other day, I played a game. But the graphics settings were different. The creep looked like it was a lower resolution than usual. Usually, creep is slightly reflective, almost like a mirror. And the edges are random and undefined. But in this game, the creep was a much simpler, non-reflective color. And the edges of the creep were *incredibly* defined. They had a thick line, so you could tell exactly where a building could and could not be placed.

I think what caused this way, I tried to play a game with a ton of other programs going in the background. I’m not sure how I feel about this, but I kind of like it. Has anyone else experienced either of these small changes?

I also wanted to make an internet meme for Douchebag Blizzard. But I’m too lazy to actually make it.

You see, one of my big time problems with the UI is that sometimes, I’ll log in for a game, and not be able to select 1v1 as the game mode.

I just found out why this happens. When you first log in, your character portrait in the lower left hand corner of the screen has no boarder. Click on the game match button *before* the border appears (showing your league) and you won’t be able to play 1v1.

So here’s to you, Douchebag Blizzard, for creating a real time strategy game where fractions of a second matter. Then making it so if you click the button to play a game too quickly, you won’t be able to.

Terran HMMM Build

As a random player whose weakest race is Terran, I’m happy to say that I’ve finally found a build that I’m comfortable with. A build that has given me wins. A build that launches a fast, one base attack (to take advantage of the fact that my opponent didn’t know my race at the start of the game) but that easily expands to two base if necessary.

This build works in TvP and TvZ. However, it usually won’t work in TvT, simply due to the dynamic nature of that mirror matchup.

You start with the standard Depot. I like to wait until 13 supply to make a Refinery first, and then a Barracks. I typically won’t sent out a scouting SCV, but instead, make a reaper first for harass and scouting.

This build gives you early gas. After the reaper, the next 150 minerals will go to a second barracks. The next 100 gas will go to a factory. While the factory is building, start the second refinery.

The two barracks should get a reactor and tech lab in that order. When the factory is done, make one widow mine, then start a reactor on it. The next 100 gas goes to a Starport. I usually squeeze out a bunker during the process.

From here, you can pump Marines, Maraders, Hellbats, and Medivacs. Which is why I call it the HMMM build. Move out once you have four hellbats. Rally a stream of units to reinforce your attacks.

This unit composition works excellent for several reasons. In TvZ, the four hellbats will erase any number of lings your opponent happens to have. The timing will hit before mutas in almost all circumstances. The single widow mine at your entrance will do wonders for defense. And the medivacs sets you up to elevator an attack, if his entrance is well defended. This build also counters any early baneling bust, which is probably the best attack for a zerg to make against a terran.

In TvP, the hellbats will counter the zealots nicely. The unit composition will counter anything the protoss has at that point in the game, except mass voidrays (in which case, I’d make more marines and vikings).

StarBlog 17June2013

So, the new season of StarCraft is upon us. As usual, Blizzard placed me into Platinum League. I wasn’t surprised this time around, nor was I disappointed. It’s to be expected by this point.

It makes more sense to me, nowadays, that Blizzard would place us low, and have us fight our way up. Consider the Grandmaster’s league. It doesn’t exist at the beginning of the season. All of the top players on the ladder, every one of them, gets dropped down a league, and has to fight their way into the upper echelon of StarCraft play. Is it such a bad thing if the same logic applies to Diamond and Platinum league?

I had fun, beating up on those Platinum leaguers. And hey, some of them showed me what’s what. But all too soon, I was promoted, and back in the land of my equals.

The first thing I did? Switch to unranked mode, and play a few practice games as Terran. Terran, the only race where I have a less than fifty percent win rate.

On that note, it’s probably worth mentioning that the 2-rax build I recently wrote about hasn’t been doing too well for me. For some reason, it’s worked in many free games, but never in a ranked game. Go figure.

Terran 2 Rax Build HotS

I’ve been rejoicing here in StarCraft land. Because I’ve found a build that finally fits like a missing puzzle piece.

The terran build I’ve been looking for. An equivalent of a toss 5 gate or my much typed about Zerg 2 base ling bling attack.

It’s so simple, it’s a two rax attack.

Normally, when I play terran it goes pretty standard. 14 Rax and Gas. After rax, another Depot. After depot, CC. Building a reaper immediately once the barracks finishes.

This build, you go 14 rax and gas, but you follow it up with another rax once you have the minerals. The first rax gets a reactor. The second gets a tech lab, which immediately researches Concussive Shells.

From there on out, you pump a stream of marines and marauders. I typically move out when the second marauder finishes.

Remember that timing is key to this build. It works, because it hits before your opponent is expecting combat. I’ve found it to be effect in TvZ and TvP. Zergs will often being droning up when you first attack. Protoss, as well, is often caught with only that first handful of gateway units.

Once, when a zerg got a full scout of the attack, I still managed to hit his base before he could finish a single spine crawler.

Sure, the counter to this build is to properly scout and react to it. But from my experience in StarCraft, most players below Diamond level simply pick a build and cross their fingers. This build will destroy them.

On two player maps, this is now my standard. But the real key to making it work is to macro up behind it. Is to gain an economic lead on your opponent while getting some of his probes in the process.

I’ve found it to be the least effective in TvT, because a bunker tends to shut it down pretty hard.

HotS Bug: No 1v1 for you!

I hate to sound like a broken record. A record? What’s that? I mean, I hate to sound like a scratched CD. A CD? What’s that? I mean, I hate to sound like a bad techno song on repeat, but I’m still getting a bug in StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm. HotS

It’s an old bug. One that definitely carries back to WoL. I sign into StarCraft this morning. I think I’ve got a few minutes to play before going to work. But when I go to play a game, the 1v1 option is selectable. 2v2 is selected instead, and I can play any game mode option, except the one I want to play. The only game mode that I ever play. 1v1.

Why is this bug still in the game? I’ve read about other players with the bug, and its really annoying. Most of the time, I just restart the game software, and everything is fine. But today, after doing just that (and let’s not underplay what a process it is, logging into StarCraft -- way too many clicks involved there) I still couldn’t select the 1v1 game mode.

So this morning, I had to go to work without squeezing in another game of StarCraft. First World Problems, ftl.

8-8-8 The Terran 6-pool

8-8-8 The Terran 6-pool

Eureka! I’ve found it. The build that allows terran to make a genuine rush. A build that is effective against Zerg players who are increasingly greedy. I can’t take credit for this one -- I read about it at some random website I can’t find again.

But it’s called the 8-8-8. At 8 supply, you make a depot. Then you send out a worker to build a proxy barracks. Finally you make a refinery. All on 8 supply.

From there, you pump out non-stop reapers. There are several variations, but I like to halt SCV production once the barracks finishes. I use the first extra 150 minerals on a my Orbital Command. The next on a second barracks at the front of my base. The next 100 on a supply depot to finish the wall off.

As always, it is essential to keep all of your reapers alive, no matter how tempting that extra kill might look. The goal is also to macro and tech up in the background, eventually finishing your opponent off in a tech switch.

When practicing this build, I find it extremely useful to look at the resources graph at the end of the game. That graph will show if you were able to do enough damage to catch up to the macroing player. It will show if you didn’t do enough damage, or if the attack allowed you to take the lead.

This build is best on the smaller, two player maps. But it also works against all races, in varying degrees.

Best Zerg Opening Game Theory

So I took a look at my statistics today. One of my best matchups, ZvZ, is now only just over 50%. What happened?

Well I can tell you that I stopped doing my usual thing. After getting six pooled a couple of times on two player maps, I thought that perhaps a small adjustment was in order. It would now appear as though I was wrong.

I started ten pooling on two player maps. Instead of the usual 15 Hatch into early ling bling attack. Sure, it’s the correct thing to do if you’re getting six pooled. But if the other guy goes 15 hatch, it’s going to put you behind.

After thinking about it for a while, I had to reason. When you play on ladder, you have to play for statistics. Whether or not it’s better to ten pool or fifteen hatch, depends entirely on how often people six pool you. How often do people six pool me? I don’t know for sure, but I have a vague idea, and in this case, that’s probably enough.

If I get six pooled on two player maps more than half the time, it’s better to ten pool. But I don’t feel like I get six pooled half the time. I feel like it’s probably closer to 10% of the time. Therefore, its better to 15 hatch, just suck up the build order loss of a six pool.

Game theory, ftw. If I’m right, I’ll be writing back in a week or two about how I got my ZvZ up so high.

Terran v Protoss

Terran v Protoss

Well after reviewing my statistics, it’s clear that I have a problem. My worst matchup, by far, is Terran v Protoss.

Now if you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I’m a fan of early attacks. I’d prefer to win in the first few minutes then later on in the game. This of course, capitalizes on the fact that I’m random, and so I can make use of the early advantage of my opponent not knowing my race. But in this matchup, it’s a little more complicated.

We would all agree that Skytoss, or even simply late game Protoss, is the most powerful army in the game. They’re nearly invincible. Blizzard seems determined not to change the dynamic of the game so that Zerg and Terran can have comparable armies. Which means that the only real way to stop Skytoss is to stop them from getting there in the first place. Hence an early attack.

But as Terran, I don’t like any of the options. As a matter of fact, when I reach into my Terran bag of tricks, I don’t see any real rush strategies. I admit, I need some more tools in my terran tool box. That being said, my earliest attacks as terran come from a 1-1-1, or a quick siege tank or two. Cloaked banshees or a hellbat drop. For me, terran rushes simply don’t come any earlier.

After rushing a drop on the protoss, I find I can make it work. I can kill probes. I can do damage. But not enough to hold the counter push which comes after that.

One of my biggest fears is the two immortal attack that many Toss players are fond of nowadays. Even if I know it’s coming, I really don’t know how to defend against it. Just two immortals and a well placed forcefield can ruin my day. And if all my minerals were spent on tech to send a medivac to his base, I definitely won’t be able to defend it.

Please, let me know of any good openers you have for the Terran v Protoss matchup. Until then, I’ll do my best to find one.

16 May 2013

So now that I’m in Diamond league, my average win rate is much, much closer to 50%. It’s kind of a shame. A sad sorrow. I’ll miss beating up on Platinum league players. I even took screenshots of my win percentages after my promotion. I’ll always love you, 75% v Terran.

This season, my worst matchup is anything Terran. But specifically, Terran v Protoss. I can’t seem to make it work, for the life of me. I’m trying to incorporate more widow mines into my play. Since they do extra damage v shields and all.

On the other hand, I feel like almost no terran is safe when its the other way around. When I play as a toss, I feel pretty confident pulling off a good old fashioned five gate. Even better is to add on a Robo and pump out two Immortals before you attack. Follow that up with an Observer. With the Immortals, you'll be able to pop open any bunkers with ease. With your MSC you can spot the high ground if necessary. And when the observer finally gets its lazy ass to the fight, you can pick off the widow mines. As a terran, I still don’t know how to stop these kinds of pushes.

My best matchups and ZvT and ZvZ. Which doesn’t surprise me at all, because I use the same opening build for each of these. My classic 2 base bane bust. It beats every greedy terran opening out there. It forces a terran to play honest, and use his initial resources to defend. Same can be said for ZvZ play. And while many complain that this build is cheese, I see it as simple game theory. There’s no reason to kill your opponent at the 20 minute mark, if you can kill him at the 7.

Chargelot / Voidray

Well now that I’ve had a few days to play, I’m happy to say I’m back in the Diamond league. While technically, nothing much has changed on my end, I can’t help but feel that now I can blog again. As a platinum player, what’s this blog really worth? But as a Diamond! Now I can give some great advice on how to play.

The topic is Protoss play. Unit composition. Chargelot/Voidray. Great Unit comp, or greatest unit comp?

What I love about this composition is how well it works in every matchup.

PvP Is where this composition really shines. It works so well because voidrays can’t be hit by ground units, like zealots, immortals, or colossus. But they also do extra damage against stalkers and nearly every other protoss unit. I could, with confidence, go chargelot/voidray in any PvP.

PvZ The composition works. An early voidray to clear overlords nearly always pays for itsself. If you continue to pump out voidrays, you’ll have enough to counter mutes, should your opponent make them. If your opponent goes for roaches, you’ll be able to eat those up, too.

PvT is perhaps the weakest matchup to use chargelot/voidray. But I can say that it works right up until about Diamond league. In a recent game, I was narrowly bested by a Terran player who had fantastic micro. The truth is, it’s hard to micro marines against chargelots while also dealing with voidrays. But it is doable. For that reason, at higher levels of play, this is the one matchup where I might not reccomend it. But chargelot/voidray is still good, because it forces your opponent to studder step mico, while all you have to do is A-move.

If you lose all of your archons, simply retreat the voidrays and make another wave of attack after warping in more zealots. Adding in a few colossus, or templar, or tempests, can really make this unit composition unbreakable.