Tuesday, August 31, 2010

QXC 258 Terran Replays

Check out Root-gaming.com as well great website and great team of SC2 players.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9VLE2WP3

Monday, August 30, 2010

Patch 1.1 and Beyond (from blizzard)

Maps

We're going to be adding destructible rocks to the Desert Oasis map to make natural expansions easier to protect. In addition, the center map watchtower area is being narrowed.

Protoss

We have two key changes in mind for the zealot: the build time is being increased from 33 to 38 seconds, and the warpgate cooldown is being increased from 23 to 28 seconds. Zealot rushes are currently too powerful at various skill levels, particularly those that rely on rapidly assaulting an enemy base from nearby "proxy" gateways. We feel the window players have to scout for and fend off this rush is too small. We also want to address the problem of protoss being able to dump minerals a bit too quickly with the combination of warpgates and Chrono Boost.

Terran

There are several changes in the works for terrans. Reapers against zerg are stronger than expected. Due to the zealot build time increase, reapers would be a bit problematic in combination with proxy barracks, bunkers, and/or marauders against protoss. Therefore, we have decided to increase the build time of reapers as well from 40 to 45 seconds. Fast reaper + bunker, or fast marine + bunker rushes are problematic against zerg. Although this rush would never outright destroy the zerg player, we feel zerg suffers too much of a disadvantage from either having to cancel the fast expansion, or getting trapped inside the main base for too long, so we are also increasing the bunker build time from 30 to 35 seconds.

Siege tanks in large numbers are performing too well in all matchups. In the mid- to late-game, siege tanks are too dominant against all ground units. We want a small set of light and unarmored ground units to perform better against siege tanks. With this in mind, we're changing the Siege Mode damage of the siege tank from 50 to 35, +15 vs. armored; to correspond with this, damage upgrades will be changed from +5 to +3, +2 vs. armored. This change reduces the base damage of the siege tank against light and unarmored units, as well as the splash damage.

Battlecruisers currently lack good counters from the ground and still perform very well against a wide array of unit types. We're aware that it is not easy to get battlecruisers out for the cost, but at the same time, it is possible in both 1v1s and team games to create stalemate situations to bring them out. Overall, we feel that battlecruisers are too strong for their cost, and the terran-forced stalemate situations are causing less interesting gameplay. We will be lowering their damage against ground units from 10 to 8.

Zerg

Ultralisk damage is being decreased from 15, +25 vs. armored to 15, +20 vs. armored. This reduction is comparable to the changes being made to the battlecruiser and siege tank. Like the battlecruiser, ultralisks are simply too powerful for the cost, even though they are difficult to muster. Also, in combination with other units, ultralisks are difficult to counter from the ground. The ultralisk building attack (Ram) is being removed because the damage rate is too similar to its normal attack, which will be used against buildings instead. When ultralisks target tightly packed smaller buildings such as supply depots, the Ram attack is actually outputting considerably less overall damage than its normal attack, as Ram only hits a single target.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Huk vs TLO

One of my favorite matches from the beta.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

MLG SC2 tournament going on

Check out Mlgpro.com great tournament going on

Friday, August 27, 2010

Terran Basic opening (focused against protoss)

From Drewbie of Root-gaming.com

10 depot

12 rax

13 gas

15 oc

1 marine

16 depot

tech lab

pump marauders + concussive shells asap

add 2nd + 3rd rax when you have enough money

3rd depot after 3rd rax

2nd gas

upgrade stim when you have enough gas

make 1 techlab + 1 reactor when your 2nd/3rd barracks finish

combat shields as soon as 2nd tech lab finishes

factory when you have enough money ~ around 35ish supply

when factory finishes add starport asap + reactor on factory

switch reactor onto starport and pump medivacs non-stop

this build is really safe vs any all-in protoss build, and if they are greedy and try to expand too fast, you can punish them with drop harass or just rolling them over. Basically, they have to sit in their base and defend for 10 minutes.

Make sure your scouting is good, go out in the map with your first marine + marauder and chase away any probes, the protoss won't be able to come out because of concussive shells. They also won't know if you are going 3rax or fast expoing. Try not to use any scans unless you have absolutely no idea what they are doing. I like to put 1scv or 1 marine behind the minerals at their expo, so I can see when the P expos. Also if your scouting scv got no information, build a reaper and sneak it into their base, it doesn't matter if you kill any probes or not, just use it to scout their tech path.

If you see 4 warp gate, just make 1-2 bunkers and wait for medivacs to come out, then you can drop in their main + roll out the front once medivacs are out.

If you see a robo, they are playing pretty safe + standard, and won't be able to move out, keep close tabs on what they are making, if they expand too fast you can kill them. If you the P is going immortal heavy, build lots of marines and try to harass / fake attack and kite his units. Just make sure not to get caught off guard by colossus, if you see a robo bay making, you should be able to drop in the back + attack the front and roll over the p before they get 2 colossus/ the range upgrade. If you don't scout it in time just expand and build a couple bunkers and make vikings. Vikings + bunkers are pretty invincible vs colossus/stalker/zealot. Also drop their main when they move out with colossus ^_^.

If you don't see 4warpgate or a robotics with your reaper scout, and your scv/marine at their expo doesn't see an expo, then the p will be going void ray or DT, so add an engineering bay ( start upgrading +1 attack asap) before your factory and build 1 turret at your ramp and 1 at your mineral line. It's a bit expensive to get the engineering bay + medvacs out and they will probably be going voidray, so pump almost all marines, and theres no way you can die to the p's timing attack. Once you stop their timing attack, the game is basically over, you can just wait for 2-4 medvacs and +1 attack and roll over the p. If you took some damage and don't have enough units to counter and win the game, then you can just expand and try drop harassing, and just try to deny the p an expo.

This build is really powerful in the early game, but I would suggest a transition into tanks or ghosts or banshees or something if the game goes long, mass bio is pretty useless once the P gets 3 base, but you should have an economic advantage and be able to make some stronger units if you use your units wisely.

Catching up on things

posting a lot of strats to transfer over to this blog

How to play Zerg

Zile's guide to Zerg

Before we get into that, lets go over some of the basic strengths and weaknesses of the Zerg race. Not to be a Debby-Downer, but we'll do weaknesses first.

1) WEAKNESSES:

-We have low HP! :(

-We sacrifice workers to build things :(

-We get harassed super-duper easily :(

-We has no cliff walk (resulting in above) :(



PHEW. I feel depressed. How about you? At least that's out of the way. Now to the good stuff!



2) STRENGTHS:

-We have high damage :)

-Our stuff is CHEAP :)

-We are ADAPTABLE :)

-We can harass SUPER DUPER EASILY :)

-We have obscene army mobility :)


As you can clearly see, we have one more strengths than weaknesses; so we're doing okay. Wouldn't you agree? I thought so.


Now the basics rules of Zerg:


1) Economy!:



ALWAYS ALWAYSSSSSSSSSS pay attention to your economy! We sacrifice drones to build stuff that kills things and in a given game you will sac something between 20-40 drones. That's TWO MINERAL LINES worth! So PAY ATTENTION. If your mineral line looks low, fill it up!


2) The Larvae is life!:


As the game progresses you are going to go through units like Paris Hilton goes through boyfriends. If you are actively expanding willy-nilly, larvae will be your major unit-creating bottleneck. I would suggest 2.5 hatcheries per harvesting mineral line AT THE LEAST. Also...


3) The Queen!:


These chicks ROCK. Do not be bereft of a queen. Not only will a queen pretty much give you an extra hatchery for half the price, she is an INVALUABLE (that means very valuable, for all you English newbs) defensive unit that can keep you swimming in larvae, creep and serve as a valuable asset for healing your more expensive units (i.e. mutas/broods/ultras should you get that far) should you have enough. I suggest about 1 per hatchery not to exceed 4 or 5.



4) MAKE CREEP.



Zerg are the ONLY race that shouldn't be saying "Hey I didn't see that coming." You know why? Creep gives you vision. ISN'T THAT NEAT? MAKE SOME. If you made queens like I told you, you can easily spawn larvae and then spawn creep tumors on your downtime. Tumors are neat little buggers. Each tumor can create another tumor, on and on into infinity. I've had games where I've literally covered the map in creep before killing my opponent. Not because I can, (I really can) but because it's just so EASY. and FUN. and USEFUL. Have you ever got caught by a surprise unit drop/warp in? NOW YOU WON'T. Neat, huh? It's like having Xel'Naga towers for free. All you have to do is remember where your active tumors are so you can spawn more tumors (each tumor can only spawn once)



IF YOU DECIDE TO GET REALLY CRAZY AND PUT OVERLORDS IN THE AIR SPACES WHERE YOU CANT SPAWN CREEP, YOU WILL PROBABLY ALWAYS KNOW WHAT YOUR OPPONENT IS DOING AT ALL TIMES.


5) Have a varied army.


I've read way too many posts on here about "oh noe my muta mass got killed by thor mass." Duh? If you didn't waste all your money on mutas and bought some hydras/infestors/lings/ whatever to go with that mess you'd be a-alright. Also consider the hydralisk. He's a high damage EXPENSIVE unit (by Zerg standards) that really needs a tank to be effective. If you're running with hydras you need about 3 to 4x as many zerglings/infested terrans/trash mobs/whatever to keep them happily shooting spines and also not dying.


6) Always advance your tech!


EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO USE IT. Always keep your options open. Advancing tech costs practically nothing in this game and if you see your opponent with something that requires broodlords to crack, well aren't you glad you planned ahead with that greater spire?

Dear Protoss Starcraft 2

I know we've had our differences. You know, us steam rolling the last stand of the protoss, the sacing of your homeworld of Aiur... but no need for glee filled memories. The Terran are our real problem now. We have heard their attack/move masses and smarter segie tank pilots are proving difficult for your forces to deal with. Not but 4 years ago i remember thier tanks would hap hazardly all shoot the same target... They are stronger now... more coordinated. However it is not just you, we too have found difficulty with thier new technologies speed. Our youngest most promissing track-lings are being outrun by mere criminals with jetpacks. Did you know they put a flame thrower on the top of a go kart just to mock us? Times are indeed dark for our two races.



However maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel. We have heard whispered rumors in the swarm of a possible zerg-protoss hybrid. At first we were digusted at the idea of even being in contact with a race who could not even manage to evolve a mouth... but then we saw the metal beast. Death flew from its hands. Those we called friends exploded right before our eyes. Our brothers in the skies struck down by more missles than all the eyes in the swarm could track. We have seen hell... and we want no more of it. We must come togeather to combat this new terror. It is only in merging that we may truely be saved. Our hybrid race may beable to wipe the fear from all the young zerg fresh out of their larva... and what ever version of child your race may hold dear. We are running out of time. We must act now.



- The Swarm



PS. Really, sorry about Aiur... our bad.