The real Starcraft thread

The Core Video Games Forum
1

If you have spare time and feel like writing a technical article piece on a specific Starcraft strategy, post it here. I’ll probably put it on my subsite, since it has <i>nothing</i> in the strategy section because I’m really lazy. Screenshots would be nice too if you’re very dedicated.

I’m going to require the following subsections as mandatory; you can add your own if you think it’s important.

Purpose
Build order
Advantages
Disadvantages
Possible counter strategies
Any experiences using this strategy

The last one is pretty important. You have to have at least <i>seen</i> it work. If you think it would be cool to mass Overlords but don’t have any experience using it then don’t bother posting it.

Map-specific strategies like cannon rushing at 9 on BGH or tank ledging at 6, 2, etc. on BGH are also acceptable, but they should be BGH or Lost Temple only (unless it’s a popular non-money map that I didn’t think of)

2

Would this include Fastest Possible Map ever?

3

Basic Protoss build order for the first few minutes:

7 pylon
8 gateway -> 11 zealot -> 16 zealot
9 gateway -> 13 zealot -> 18 zealot
10 pylon
19 pylon

This gets zealots out early for defense or harassment. From here it is easy to branch out to any tech, while having a useful capacity for producing ground units. This build is vulnerable to being out rushed by zerg.

Build order for mass zealot rush
7 pylon
8 gateway -> 11 zealot -> 16 zealot
9 gateway -> 13 zealot -> 18 zealot
10 pylon
14 pylon
~16 gateway -> zealots
~20 pylon
~24 gateway

This provides production necessary to produce large quantities of zealots rapidly. From here it is easy to then build an assimilator or 2 and a cybernetics core to start working towards higher units. It is relatively easy to keep up harassment while teching due to strong production already in place. Zerg can build a faster rush, but this rush packs a powerful early punch, especially on small maps or when your opponent starts near you.

4

Non-money.

Edit: I guess I will do a sample one that most people know about just to show what I mean

<b>Big Game Hunters 12 Cannon Rush</b>

<u>Purpose</u>
Take opponent (preferably not Zerg) out in the first 3 minutes or so

<u>Build order</u>
7 Pylon
10 Forge
13 Pylon*
Some cannons at your base

*follow-up with double cannon; more detailed explanation below

<u>Advantages</u>

At the 12 o’clock position in BGH there is a spot behind the mineral patch with an extrance <i>exactly</i> two matrix square wide, with the edge of the screen and the mineral patch wedging it in perfectly. If you start off near this place (say, near the 10 or 2 positions) and manage to get a probe inside this nook and seal the entrance with a Pylon, your opponent will find it tough to kill the 600-HP structure as your cannons finish and start decimating workers and the main building.

<u>Disadvantages/Counters</u>

If an experienced Zerg player is handling the defender, your chances of success are nil unless they are going for an early double Hatchery. Sunken colonies can be set up faster with multiple drones and have more HP.

If you are playing a Terran the Terran may well give up on the base, float the CC away, and send all units to attack your base, which would be completely open. That is, you are extremely prone to a counter worker rush that would get you killed. You should probably set up a cannon or two at the same time as you’re performing the offensive cannon building.

Protoss players are by far the easiest to perform this on. Unless they are very fast, they will find it hard to kill off the Pylon in time.

<u>Experiences</u>

I’ve never actually died to this particular strategy, but I’ve seen it work very effectively on several Protoss and a Terran once. There have been two instances where people tried to use it on me: both by the same guy (and trust me, he’s good); once while I was Terran and once while I was Zerg (unfortunately for him)

As the Zerg i set up two sunken colonies and they killed the cannons before they had time to even finish. Needless to say he died quickly to a zergling counter after that.

As the Terran I tried to kill the Pylon, but that didn’t work so well. I brought it down to 200HP before the cannons finished, so I had to float my Command Center. However, I had several marines by this time and I just attacked him with about 15 SCVs and 3 Marines and got his Nexus.

5

Terran Base Strategy (Defensive)

Simple enough. You take advantage of a choke point into your base and defend it. Effective for the first part of a game. Highly useful in multiplayer and in maps with one or two points into your base. Also can be used when your base is on high ground at a ramp.

Build up to 10 SCVs, get a Depot and a Barracks. Build 4-8 Marines and Bunkers as appropriate. If you know your opponent is Zerg or Protoss, blocking the way with Depots is useful. Get up to 15 SCVs for minerals and 3 for gas and get an Academy. Upgrade Range for your Marines. Get an Engineering Bay and upgrade Weapons. Build a Turret behind/in the middle of the Bunkers. Get about 10 more SCVs for minerals. Build a Factory, attach a Machine Shop to it, get Siege and three to four tanks. Siege behind/on the side of the Bunkers. Repair defenses as necessary. Add Tanks if one wishes. Should keep ground at bay for the first half of the game.

Advantages: Quick to set up, generally effective even without Tanks early on, can be repaired

Disadvantages: Needs a choke point, can be resource intensive if waves of attacks come

Counters: Your own Tanks or Reavers, a group of Lurkers/DTs (if they’ve no detectors), air to go around the defense, dropping units by going around

Experiences: Highly useful in some maps (yes, I know you don’t like $$$, but this is a prime example of a one way in where choke is obviously applicable). With two or three SCVs in place, I’ve managed to hold off Zerg until they got to Guardians, but by then, Wraiths were already in place to deal with them. It’s been broken a few times by concentrated efforts, as well as one time by a really, really large group of Zerglings with upped speed (this was pre-Tanks).

6

I would like to request the optimal startup for each race, telling me exactly what units and buildings I should build and in what order. I’m reffering to in general and not to the fastest greens maps.

7

Just keep your cash flow as high as possible and your cash stockpile as low as possible and you shouldn’t have much trouble. Success in Starcraft, on it’s most basic level, relies on the principle of getting money and converting into shit you can use faster than your opponent can get money and convert it into shit they can use. Just keep that mind, and you’ll usually be in a good position. There’s also the element of using your shit better than they use their shit, but it’s not primary.

There is no one build that fits every situation.