StarCraft by George Hernandez

Exploring the StarCraft computer game. I've been playing StarCraft since 1999. I am fairly good at the game but as of 2002, I do not have over 1000 wins likes some players have.

Quickies
Top 10 Basic Tips
Tips for All Races
Tips for Specific Races
Backstabbing
Move vs Attack Spelled Out
Links

Quickies

Know the unit stats intuitively. Here is a modified version of the infamous stats spreadsheet from SCLegacy.com .
Know your maps. Here are images of the two most popular maps:
- Hunters (aka Big Game Hunters or BGH). 8 players, lots of resources.
- Lost Temple . 4 players, limited resources.
"omgzergrush" (a.k.a. OZR). Oh My Gawd! it's a ZERG RUSH!

Top 10 Basic Tips

Continuously make workers (SCVs, Probes, or Drones) throughout the game. The only time you stop is when you've hit the population limit. In the early game, do not queue up workers; instead have one in production at a time because you need the surplus money to make things.
- Collecting Vespene Gas. If your town hall (Command Center, Hatchery, or Nexus) is close to the gas geyser, then 3-4 workers is the most you'll need per geyser.
- Collecting Minerals. You will know that you have enough workers collecting Minerals when every Mineral field always has a worker on it at all times. That is as soon as a worker is done another takes its place immediately. There are usually more than two workers per Mineral field.
Continuously make supply objects (Supply Depots, Pylons, and Overlords) throughout the game. For long games, make more than than the 200 limit in case some get destroyed.
Gather intelligence, ie do reconnaissance. Scout with your 5th or 6th worker: you should at least know the location of the original home base of each player. Have a few units patrolling large areas outside of your base: this is good for both recon and counter recon. Recon before attacks, esp. before major attacks. Recon counters: Tell one of your workers to attack an early scout because often times they are not keeping a close eye on the scout.
- Protoss: Place Pylons and Cannons in key locations especially since they have no Supply cost. Place Observers in key locations.
- Terran: Scan regularly (I usually have one or two ComSat Stations assigned to Group Number 0 and 9). Place Turrets (because they are cheap and fast to make) or other buildings in key locations especially since they have no Supply cost.
- Zerg: Burrow Zerglings in key locations, but in slightly less noticeable spots. Have Queens apply Parasite.
Spend your Minerals. Never have more than enough to rebuild your town hall, ie roughly 500 Minerals.
Rush attacks will only work in three cases:
1. You're playing against a computer who will do stupid things like send workers after your scout.
2. You're playing against a human who has not set up for rush defense. Basic rush defense involves setting up defensive structures almost in the midst of your crystals ASAP. (The alternate method is to plug up your doorway but it will take more time.) Counter attack with your workers but don't bother to chase them a great distance from your base.
  - Protoss: Make Pylon, make Forge, make Cannon.
  - Terran: Get Barracks, make Bunker, fill with at least 1 Marine.
  - Zerg: Get Spawning Pool, make Sunken Colony.
3. Players team up against a single player.
Avoid sprawl. Focus units and buildings in smaller territories or a limited number of key positions. It takes more resources to cover larger territories or many positions.
Make large numbers of unit producing structures. EG: With one Barracks, you can only make one Marine at a time, but with six Barracks, you can make six Marines at a time.
Attack in intervals. Small groups get killed much easier that larger groups. Keep attacking so you have the initiative and the tempo, ie control the opponent by making him/her react to you. Interval attacks keep your porch clear. Interval attacks buy you time to upgrade your units, gather intelligence, and develop strategies.
Drops are very effective.
- Offense. Drop either in the middle of the workers, in areas without anti-air units, or the enemy's outer perimeter. Small drops can be effective. Large drops can be as effective, if not more so, than a victory fleet. Use a large number of transport units (even if some of them are empty) especially if you expect some to get killed. If you use decoys, they should arrive slightly ahead.
  - Protoss: Don't forget to have Templars cast Hallucinate to make more decoys. Protoss can use either Shuttles or Arbiters to do drops. 4+ Reavers, a 4+ of Templars, and 1+ Arbiters make a great drop attack force.
  - Terran: A single Siege Tank dropped off on a ledge by a Dropship in the early game can be very effective. 4+ Siege Tanks, 16+ Marines, and 1+ Science Vessels make a great drop attack force.
  - Zerg: There must be a surplus number of Overlords used for drops because they are the slowest air transport units in the game and because they also serve as a supply object. On rare occasions you may "drop" by using Nydus Canals on the Creep of an unwary Zerg opponent. 4+ Ultralisks, 16+ Hydralisks, and 2+ Defilers mak a great drop attack force.
- Defense. Anti-air units on the edges and scattered throughout a base are essential but they will need support from units. Keep a mix of units through out depending on your opponent.
  - Protoss. Keep Templars scattered about to quickly wipe out dropped forces or air units.
  - Terran. Ghosts are great at Locking. Cloaked Wraiths are quick and fast. Science Vessel is handy to EMP attacking Protoss.
  - Zerg.

Holding doorways:

Do not block up a doorway. Usually you should leave a decent path for your units to pass through. In low maintenance areas you may want to truly block it up so that even your own troops can't get through without destroying the structures. Exceptions:
- Protoss: Small units like your Zealots and Templars can walk their way through a doorway filled with cannons. Reavers and Dragoons will have to use Arbiter Recall or Shuttles to get out.
- Terran: Terran can leave a path and block up by using a building that can lift or land to open or close the path (sort of like a drawbridge) as needed.
- Zerg: Small units like your Zerglings can walk their way through a door way filled with Sunken and Spore Colonies. The larger units will have to use Nydus Canall or Overlords to get out.

Do not set up in a doorway, instead set up near the doorway (whether in front of or behind it). (I prefer this method over the Terran drawbridge.) More units can be positioned near a doorway than in it. Setting up near a doorway also avoids blocking up the doorway.

Red Terran has incorrectly set up in the doorway. Only 2 Bunkers defend the doorway used. Troops can only come out in single file. Tanks can't get out at all. Enemy Dragoons can attack 11 abreast. Just outside the doorway would be bad as well.	White Terran has correctly set up near the doorway. 4 Bunkers defend the doorway. Troops can come out in 2 columns, each 3 abreast. Tanks can get out. Enemy Dragoons can attack only 5 abreast.

Tips for All Races

A "victory fleet" is a large collection of the best units of a race. Don't rely on victory fleets to win all games.
- Protoss: Usually a dozen or more Carriers followed by Arbiters and Observers.
- Terran: Usually a dozen or more Battlecruisers followed by Science Vessels and SCVs.
- Zerg: Usually a dozen or more Guardians accompanied by either 1-2 dozen Mutalisks or 1-2 dozen Hydralisks under the cover of Dark Swarm cast by a Defiler.
If possible, attack on multiple fronts. A single player can attack on multiple fronts but it is even better when multiple players attack on multiple fronts.
Build defense at expansion sites, then make a town hall at the expansion.
Micromanagement.
- When attacking with a group, move your most injured to the rear.
- When fighting with ranged units, keep them in range but no closer. The exception is when you are attacking Siege Tanks, in which case your units ranged units should try to come right up to the tanks.
- When fighting with melee units against ranged units, try to flank so all the attacks cannot be focused on your units singly.
Do not be afraid to make requests from your teammates. EGs:
- "Can you scan the NW?"
- "Can you make a Command Center in the middle so I can Infest it?"
Preventively sending single units to your teammates can make the difference in a game. EGs:
- Protoss
  - Send a Templar to your teammates' home bases in case a victory fleet attacks.
  - Post Observers at your teammates' porches and flanks.
- Terran
  - Send a Science Vessel to your teammates' home base.
- Zerg
  - Send a Guardian to hover over your teammates' doorways.
  - Send a Queen to your teammates' home base.
Building placement is key.
- Most units come out of the lower left of a building.
- Use your buildings to form fences or blockades. EG:
  - Fence in your resources from attack.
  - Fence in combat structures so attackers will have a hard time targeting it.
  - Block up choke points as needed.
- Air unit producing buildings do not need paths.
- Make sure your whole base is observable, otherwise you are begging for a drop or for an enemy to build a combat structure there.
If your opponent has played fairly, then please lose graciously and let them enjoy their win. If anything you should ally up and ask them how they did it or what you did wrong. Tell them it was a good game ("gg" for short). If you congratulate them and make them feel good about the win, then they may even choose to ally with you and share their win with you.
One nice early game strategy is to amass a decent force in the center and then send out scouts to your opponents bases. You may just find someone who is ripe for the taking.
Be aware of the lay of the land, ie of the geography.
- Home base.
- Expansion. An area with Minerals and/or Vespene Gas that is not a home base.
- Choke point.
- Doorway. A choke point leading to a home base or an expansion.
- Porch. The area just outside of your doorway. Try to keep your porch and doorway clear of opponents at all times.
- Isolated expansions. Expansions only accessible by air.
- Open bases or expansions. Bases or expansions lacking doorways.
- Higher ground. Higher ground provides a defensive advantage.
When playing online, it is possible to adjust the latency (the delay between action and response across a network). This should normally be set to low. Set it higher only if you get a message telling you to do so. That message means that some one has greater latency/lag than you do.
If you are fighting Protoss Reavers, do not send in a mass of units (Marines, Hydralisks, Dragoons, etc.) all at once. Instead send in one at a time. Then all the Reavers will fire to kill just one unit. Continue this until the Reavers are out of Scarabs, then send in your troops.

Tips for Specific Races

Protoss
- The key to Protoss is in the power of its units.
- The Psionic Storm of Templars is the most powerful non-nuclear attack in the game. One Templar can more quickly kill a dozen Battlecruisers than any other unit.
- The Reaver has the most powerful non-nuke, non-Infested Terran anti-ground attack in the game.
- The Probe has the least number of hit points of all workers in the game.
- Try using the Stasis Field of Arbiters on the opponent's workers.
- The Cannon is the best combat structure in the game. It can attack air or land. It can detect. It does not take up supply like bunkers do. It does not require creep like colonies do.
- When using a fleet of Carriers, have them followed by an Observer and an Arbiter. This keeps the Arbiter further back as it needs to be since it is often the only visible unit. Keep an Arbiter at home so you can quickly Recall in your Carrier fleet for home defense.
- If you have Observers covering posted in various spots, you may be able to spot a fleet about to make a drop on you. Carriers will be too slow. Scouts might deter the fleet but an Arbiter can more certainly stop the fleet by using Stasis.
- To use Arbiter's Recall for a drop:
  1. Arrange the units that will be recalled in into tight groups. Don't forget to stack air units above each group as well.
  2. Assign each Arbiter a control number.
  3. Have a Templar cast Hallucination to provide decoys.
  4. Send the Arbiters and decoys to the precise drop off point using the main view then immediately switch the main view to the units you want to Recall in.
  5. Watch the mini map so that when the Arbiters reach the drop off point you can use each control number to Recall in the troops you can see on the main view.
Terran
- The key to Terran is in its long range units.
- Keep at least one SCV near your Bunkers.
- The Siege Tank in Siege mode has the longest range in the game.
- The SCV has the greatest number of hit points of all the workers in the game.
- The ComSat Station is the most pervasive recon method in the game.
Zerg
- The key to Zerg is in its ability to make many units quickly.
- The Guardian has a longer range than any of the stationary ant-air structures (Cannons, Turrets, or Sunken Colonies).
- Burrow units on the edges of your creep. That way opponents will come to attack your structures and your units can pop up in the midst of your opponents, thus avoiding taking hits while they close in.

Backstabbing

I hate backstabbing, but in StarCraft it seems that there is no shortage of misfits who will backstab. Backstabbers must get some perverse pleasure in the immoral act of breaking a contract (aka a promise). The appeal cannot be the opportunity to artificially raise their win/loss stats, because there are easier, safer and more ethical ways to do that. The simplest way is to set up a 2 versus 1 computer game; even if the other player decides to backstab, the wary player will have prepared for it all along.

I am listing some backstabbing scenarios so they can be avoided.

Backstabbers will post a game as humans versus computer, however the actual intent is to kill the innocent player. After the computer is killed, the backstabbers attack the innocent.
Innocent players will post a game as humans versus computers. Everything seems fine, but after the computer is dead it is apparent that there is at least one backstabber that hasn't selected allied victory. It is impossible to determine who the backstabber, everyone gets antsy because the game just won't end, and eventually cannibalism ensues. This tactic doesn't guarantee the backstabber a victory, but it annoys everyone else.
n+ backstabbers will set up an n versus n game. Eventually the n + backstabbers ally up and the outnumbered innocent participants usually have no chance.
Two backstabbers (Tbs and Bbs) will post a 2 versus 2, Top versus Bottom game. They get on opposite sides and pretend to team up with two innocent players (T and B). Tbs will rush B while Bbs provides no assistance to B. Once B is dead, Tbs sends forces to T pretending to prepare a cooperative offense/defense. Then when Bbs attacks, Tbs and Bbs ally up and attack T.
Two back stabbers will post an 1v2 game. One of the backstabbers pretends to be the arrogant host (Hbs) who wants to take on two at a time. The other backstabber pretends to be an innocent challenger (Cbs) to the host, just like the real innocent challenger (C). Hbs and Cbs are sharing vision and will be able to everything that C is doing. Eventually Hbs and Cbs team up and ensure C's death.

Move vs Attack Spelled Out

You must know the nuances of the various "attack" commands intuitively in order to be effective:

The Move command tells your unit to move to a location and do not stop to attack enemy units encountered on the way to the destination.
- Selecting your unit, then issuing the Move command, then clicking the ground tells your unit to Move to that spot.
- Selecting your unit, then issuing the Move command, then right-clicking the ground cancels the command.
- Selecting your unit, then issuing the Move command, and then clicking the Mini Map tells your unit to Move to that spot.
- Selecting your unit, then issuing the Move command, and then right-clicking the Mini Map displays the spot right-clicked in the Mini Map on the Main Screen and keeps the Move command in queue.
- Selecting your unit and the clicking the ground tells your unit nothing.
- Selecting your unit and then right-clicking the ground tells your unit to Move to that spot.
- Selecting your unit and then right-clicking the Mini Map tells that unit to Move to that spot.
- Selecting your unit and then clicking the Mini Map displays the spot clicked in the Mini Map and tells your unit nothing.
The Attack command (commonly referred to as Attack-Move) tells your unit to move to a location and do stop to attack enemy units encountered on the way to the destination.
- Selecting your unit, then issuing the Attack command, and then clicking the ground tells that unit to Attack to that spot.
- Selecting your unit, then issuing the Attack command, and then right-clicking the ground cancels the command.
- Selecting your unit, then issuing the Attack command, and then clicking the Mini Map tells that unit to Attack to that spot.
- Selecting your unit, then issuing the Attack command, and then right-clicking the Mini Map displays the spot right-clicked in the Mini Map on the Main Screen and keeps the Move command in queue.
"Mixtures" of the Move and Attack commands:
- Selecting your unit, issuing the Attack command, and then clicking an enemy unit tells your unit to attack that specific enemy unit and do not stop to attack other enemy units encountered on the way to that spot. There is the danger that if their target become unavailable (dies or gets out of sight), then your unit is effectively told to stop.
- Selecting your unit and then right-clicking enemy units tells your unit to attack that specific enemy unit and do not stop to attack other enemy units encountered on the way to that spot. There is the danger that if their target become unavailable (dies or gets out of sight), then your unit is effectively told to stop.
- Selecting your unit, then issuing the Move command, and the clicking an enemy unit tells your unit to attack that specific enemy unit and do stop to attack other enemy units encountered on the way to that spot.
The Patrol command tells your unit to do repeated round trips between two points an do stop to attack enemy units encountered on the way. If the Patrol command is not part of a queue of commands, then the initial point is the current position. If the Patrol command is part of a queue of commands, the the initial point is where ever the preceding command left the unit.
The "Follow" command tells your unit to follow another of your own units and do not stop to attack enemy units encountered along the way. The "Follow" command is not available via the Command Buttons. It is only available by selecting your unit, and then right-clicking another of your units; the only exception is that Terran SCVs will default to Repair a fellow unit instead of "Follow" if the fellow unit is not a Marine, Firebat, Ghost, or Medic.

Links

2007-10-22 19:49:36Z