Starcraft 2 Strategies

I almost hate to tell you this, but I'm not really very good at PvP games. At least, i wasn't until I drew on a lesson I had learned much earlier in life in an entirely different game. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even a computer game at all. For a while I thought I wasn't all that good at RTSG's like starcraft because I'm getting over the hill. You know, old guys just get whipped by young studs right? That should be hogwash in a strategy game. It's not all about how fast you can push buttons in weird combinations and it certainly has nothing to do with how much I can bench press. It does have a lot to do with how fast you can think, and I should have an advantage there - older and wiser you know? And that's how I really improved my starcraft strategies, by relying on an old rule and a different kind of natural talent.

The old rule I mentioned? The best way to get better is by playing against those who are much better than you. Way back in the day I was pretty good at table tennis. Or so I thought. Then this little guy from the Philippines showed up and was beating me like 21 to 3 every single game. and he had this shot that you couldn't return - I mean it was basically un-hittable. But I didn't get mad, I just played him about 500 games. And it forced me to improve. By the end of a semester I was able to make the matches respectable, and even win a decent percentage of the time. I never did get as good as he was, but I got a lot better myself.

And that became a sort of rule for me from then on. Any time I wanted to get better at something, I just went and put myself around the folks who were the very best at it and constantly compared myself and my performance to theirs. I figured out what they were doing that made them so good and then emulated their every move until I was good enough to add some flavor of my own to the process. And it works, every single time - and starcraft strategies are no different.

If you really want to get good - the answer is to get your butt handed to you about 500 times. Honestly - play against really good competition and just grow a thick skin. They are going to laugh at you, kick dirt in your face, and all the other crap bullies do, but every time you get blown up you'll know one more mistake you can't make. eliminate a mistake here and one over there. Get a little faster at this and something else. Know how to work against a 4 gate push and a 6 pool - before you know it you'll be a LOT better than you ever were.

Starcraft 2 Gameplay part 2

Now we know what macro is when it comes to starcraft 2 gameplay, so it's time to put that preliminary knowledge to good use. We'll go with an example here. Perhaps the strongest build currently for protoss is the 4 gate push. If you can get good at a 4 gate push it's very hard to stop. Players in the very highest competition ladders use the 4gp with devastating results. Combined with good macro it's a build that is a winner.

The first thing you need to do is figure out exactly what it takes to execute a 4 gate push. We cover the basics in another article, but a little searching around will find you other good resources that will give you a great overview and even in depth analysis of the build. And that's the second part of good macro. You already know that when playing as a protoss that you need to use a good build and then learn to macro that build well. Now you know that a build called the 4 gate push is a great build. next, you need to have an understanding of why it's a good build and what all the parts of the build mean.

Once you've gained the first two things - knowing what to do, understanding why to do it, you're ready for the last bit - and that's practice. The best way to begin practicing macro is in single player mode. Just run the build over and over in real time against the computer. Use the stats analysis in the game to figure out what you're doing well compared to the pros (you can look at replays of the build along with stats) and just keep practicing that one build until you can do it without even thinking about it. This will free up your mind in matches to worry about micro without dropping the ball on your macro.

Practice will get the build into your subconscious and train you to hit all the right hot-keys every few seconds. It will ensure maximum worker uptime and resource collection as well as precision when it comes to getting the proper units and buildings into play the instant the materials are available. Once you can do all of the build at just the right times - you're ready for practice under pressure in matches. And that's where the rubber really meets the road. Get good at the build in solo play, but perfect it under pressure during matches.

Playing one build over and over until it becomes second nature is the very fastest way to improve your starcraft 2 gameplay. All you need ot do is know what to do by finding the best builds, study those builds so that you understand them, and then practice the build in solo and match play until you can do it basically with your eyes closed. While that may sound like it will take a ton of time, it's really not that bad. And since it will improve your gameplay more than anything else you can do per unit of time - why not give it a shot?

Starcraft II Gameplay

In the next two articles we're going to cover something you may have heard of before, but might not be sure exactly what it is, or how to get better at it. starcraft ii gameplay is highly dependent on three things: macro, micro and multitasking. And the first of these, macro, is absolutely essential if you are going to raise your skill level from just pretty good to really great. Without great macro ability you'll be stuck in the lower ladders and never be able to rise to the more competitive divisions.

What is macro anyway? Macro is all of the "big picture" things you have to do in every match - whether single player or match play. It means building units, watching your economy and building structures. Everything else is micro. Scouting your enemy positions, sending units in to harass, countering and attacking with your main force - that's all micro. Without good macro you will never be able to be in the right place at the right time with the right units to do any micro effectively. In other words, if you don't macro well you've lost already to a good player.

The nice thing about macro is that it's the easiest part of your gameplay in starcraft ii to fix. All you have to do is start with a few simple rules and you'll be well on your way to the next ladder before you know it. All it takes is knowing exactly what to do and then practicing it until you don't even have to think about it any more. That's all there is to it really. It's not that complex, there is no reinventing of the wheel, you just ahve to know what works and then practice it until it becomes second nature to you in match play.

Let's start with an example from the game. Just in case you don't know what a build is - it's macro. A build is what to build, in what order, in order to set you up for everything else you're going to do. Each race has several "go to" builds that work for even the best players. As a matter of fact, the best players are the ones who develop these builds. That means you don't have to go and figure out what works, you just copy what the very best players are doing point by point. We've published several of the best builds before, but you can find them pretty easily. And that's where good macro starts; with a little research into the primary builds. Once you know what you're supposed to do and when, that only leaves understanding and practice. We'll cover those in more detail in part 2.