Post by hossinaut on Jan 26, 2012 20:27:06 GMT -6
Hey! <3 
Armon is somewhat of a nascent expert on this with me, and while I can't claim much knowledge myself, I believe I have a few significant answers.
1. Introduction
2. Safety in the Early Game
3. Terran early game overview
4. Thinking correctly
5. Importance of Scouting
6. Openings (a few common, safe, standard ones <3)
1. Introduction
Terran v Terran is one of the most exciting and dynamic match ups as well as one of the most dull and foolish ones, sharing this status with the other mirrors, Protoss v Protoss and Zerg v Zerg, both of which are coin flips. Terran v Terran is no coin flip, to be clear. Its a sheer test of skill and shows one's ability to multitask, critical thinking, and damage control.
2. Safety in the Early Game
Safety in the early game in general is a goal that any good build and any good player will have. You need to survive to the mid and late game. If you cannot get to the mid or late game, you don't actually deserve getting there. Zerg has spines/spores and queens to efficiently hold early game aggression. Protoss has zealots and sentries to hold your ramp indefinitely (or cannons if you choose to FFE). Terran has marines, a wall, and bunkers. Bunkers are not OP. Marines are not OP. Walls are not OP. Getting that out of the way, Terran is similarly able to hold significant aggression from other Terrans and Zergs, while having some difficulty with early Protoss aggression, unless you scout it and specifically defend.
3. Terran Early Game Overview
A Terran can hold a 7 Roach Rush with a bunker and 4 marines. Straight up. 2 Bunkers can hold a 4gate. A bunker can hold any Barracks aggression. This, while important to know, is not as important as a concept more simple. You can't get away without a wall unless its TvT. You can't wall in TvT unless you want your production to get sieged or to lose some depots. In TvP and TvZ however, you need to ensure you have a wall in some form. Making sure units don't get into your base and kill SCVs or just scout you is very important. (TvT, the scouting, this isn't an issue as marines are low HP, high DPS for cost, they can kill scouts very quickly.)
4. Thinking Correctly
You have to think properly when you play TvT. In the early game you need to not only understand timings, but you need to understand what people can have and when they can have it. As you are both playing the same race, this is easier than with the other races, and its critical when you're doing damage control. You need to know if their aggro can be followed up with more due to competent macro or if they're boned in terms of macro because of their aggro. Scale your response accordingly.
5. Importance of Scouting
This was alluded to when I was speaking on the Terran Early Game Overview. Terrans can hold monstrous aggression relatively easily in the early game off of an opening like a 1Rax FE. You need a bunker though, and bunkers not only take 40 seconds to build, but also need to be placed correctly so that its actually effective. You have to be scouting as much as possible to know if said aggression is coming out the gate. Should it be, you need to be able to identify it, and you cant do this effectively or efficiently without scouting. Having an SCV on the map to walk into their base and then occupy the Xel'Naga Watchtower or a more direct attack path is critical. Knowing something is coming and being able to hold it off puts you ahead by a LOT economically unless you were rushing as well, which you shouldn't save when you're pressuring to do indirect damage and when you're lucky, direct damage.
6.Openings <3
This is what we've been looking forward to! <3 haha. I am assuming that should you have made it this far you're either really nice by reading it or you are interested in TvT and how to play safe and standard. Therefore, given standard is dictated by tried and true play at the highest level, you too can become great <3
All of these will follow the basic OC opening shown below, unless otherwise noted
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OC Opening
10 depot
12 rax
13 refinery
15 OC
16 marine
16 depot
Notes
-Scan with 3rd 50 energy. This is vital, as it tells you what they are doing explicitly and can help make sure you will be safe and have time to prepare. This should come as cloak is ~ started to ~50% done, depending on whether cloak or banshees were prioritized.
Banshee Openings
OC opening -> constant marine/scv/depot production
@100 gas factory
@factory 2nd refinery
@100% factory starport, tech lab on factory (can move fact to better location, but may delay banshees if too far away)
@100% port, move onto the tech lab the factory made
-prioritize cloak, then banshee
@100% tech lab, reactor on fact near rax to switch them out
Notes <3
-Take control of Xel'Naga watch tower or other zones in the flight path of your banshee to his base
-remember to rally port to location near opponent's mineral line, but by air and not ground
-Drop expo asap following 2 banshees+cloak
-dont be afraid to abandon the attempt should they scan or should they deny the first banshee- having them for later on is a really great asset.
Banshee Proof Openings
Same as banshee until @port transfer
@ port transfer build raven, then viking
expand/reactor on fact -> rax (stylistic choice and dependent on whether they are rushing or no)
Notes
-this should only really be used if you scan and see that they are going banshee. If you're going 1rax FE, you need an engineering bay and a turret or two. You can do this and spend those 325 mins because you have the economic lead. Don't worry, you'll be fine.
1Rax FE
10 depot
12 rax
15 OC
@400 mins CC
Bunkers as necessary
Notes
-transitions wont be covered, but may be at a later date
-have to aggressively scout to make sure you're safe. This build requires excellent mechanics should you want to not die straight up <3
14/15 CC
10 depot
@ 14/15 workers wait for 400 mins
@400 mins CC
@150 mins rax + depot
Hellion Opening
OC opening
@100 gas, fact
@fact +50 gas reactor on rax
@ fact/reactor complete + 400 mins expo (with units producing)
Notes
-this is to gain map control, don't suicide your hellions, but don't be afraid to poke up the ramp to see what they are doing. Remember, they are to scout and gain map control, don't try to kill shit with them
If you made it through that wall of text, let me conclude by saying thank you for reading this, I hope its a good jumping off point for your Terran escapades.
I love me my banshees <3 :DDD
GLHFGG; Good Hunting- steal all them nerds' ladder points <3
Armon is somewhat of a nascent expert on this with me, and while I can't claim much knowledge myself, I believe I have a few significant answers.
1. Introduction
2. Safety in the Early Game
3. Terran early game overview
4. Thinking correctly
5. Importance of Scouting
6. Openings (a few common, safe, standard ones <3)
1. Introduction
Terran v Terran is one of the most exciting and dynamic match ups as well as one of the most dull and foolish ones, sharing this status with the other mirrors, Protoss v Protoss and Zerg v Zerg, both of which are coin flips. Terran v Terran is no coin flip, to be clear. Its a sheer test of skill and shows one's ability to multitask, critical thinking, and damage control.
2. Safety in the Early Game
Safety in the early game in general is a goal that any good build and any good player will have. You need to survive to the mid and late game. If you cannot get to the mid or late game, you don't actually deserve getting there. Zerg has spines/spores and queens to efficiently hold early game aggression. Protoss has zealots and sentries to hold your ramp indefinitely (or cannons if you choose to FFE). Terran has marines, a wall, and bunkers. Bunkers are not OP. Marines are not OP. Walls are not OP. Getting that out of the way, Terran is similarly able to hold significant aggression from other Terrans and Zergs, while having some difficulty with early Protoss aggression, unless you scout it and specifically defend.
3. Terran Early Game Overview
A Terran can hold a 7 Roach Rush with a bunker and 4 marines. Straight up. 2 Bunkers can hold a 4gate. A bunker can hold any Barracks aggression. This, while important to know, is not as important as a concept more simple. You can't get away without a wall unless its TvT. You can't wall in TvT unless you want your production to get sieged or to lose some depots. In TvP and TvZ however, you need to ensure you have a wall in some form. Making sure units don't get into your base and kill SCVs or just scout you is very important. (TvT, the scouting, this isn't an issue as marines are low HP, high DPS for cost, they can kill scouts very quickly.)
4. Thinking Correctly
You have to think properly when you play TvT. In the early game you need to not only understand timings, but you need to understand what people can have and when they can have it. As you are both playing the same race, this is easier than with the other races, and its critical when you're doing damage control. You need to know if their aggro can be followed up with more due to competent macro or if they're boned in terms of macro because of their aggro. Scale your response accordingly.
5. Importance of Scouting
This was alluded to when I was speaking on the Terran Early Game Overview. Terrans can hold monstrous aggression relatively easily in the early game off of an opening like a 1Rax FE. You need a bunker though, and bunkers not only take 40 seconds to build, but also need to be placed correctly so that its actually effective. You have to be scouting as much as possible to know if said aggression is coming out the gate. Should it be, you need to be able to identify it, and you cant do this effectively or efficiently without scouting. Having an SCV on the map to walk into their base and then occupy the Xel'Naga Watchtower or a more direct attack path is critical. Knowing something is coming and being able to hold it off puts you ahead by a LOT economically unless you were rushing as well, which you shouldn't save when you're pressuring to do indirect damage and when you're lucky, direct damage.
6.Openings <3
This is what we've been looking forward to! <3 haha. I am assuming that should you have made it this far you're either really nice by reading it or you are interested in TvT and how to play safe and standard. Therefore, given standard is dictated by tried and true play at the highest level, you too can become great <3
All of these will follow the basic OC opening shown below, unless otherwise noted
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OC Opening
10 depot
12 rax
13 refinery
15 OC
16 marine
16 depot
Notes
-Scan with 3rd 50 energy. This is vital, as it tells you what they are doing explicitly and can help make sure you will be safe and have time to prepare. This should come as cloak is ~ started to ~50% done, depending on whether cloak or banshees were prioritized.
Banshee Openings
OC opening -> constant marine/scv/depot production
@100 gas factory
@factory 2nd refinery
@100% factory starport, tech lab on factory (can move fact to better location, but may delay banshees if too far away)
@100% port, move onto the tech lab the factory made
-prioritize cloak, then banshee
@100% tech lab, reactor on fact near rax to switch them out
Notes <3
-Take control of Xel'Naga watch tower or other zones in the flight path of your banshee to his base
-remember to rally port to location near opponent's mineral line, but by air and not ground
-Drop expo asap following 2 banshees+cloak
-dont be afraid to abandon the attempt should they scan or should they deny the first banshee- having them for later on is a really great asset.
Banshee Proof Openings
Same as banshee until @port transfer
@ port transfer build raven, then viking
expand/reactor on fact -> rax (stylistic choice and dependent on whether they are rushing or no)
Notes
-this should only really be used if you scan and see that they are going banshee. If you're going 1rax FE, you need an engineering bay and a turret or two. You can do this and spend those 325 mins because you have the economic lead. Don't worry, you'll be fine.
1Rax FE
10 depot
12 rax
15 OC
@400 mins CC
Bunkers as necessary
Notes
-transitions wont be covered, but may be at a later date
-have to aggressively scout to make sure you're safe. This build requires excellent mechanics should you want to not die straight up <3
14/15 CC
10 depot
@ 14/15 workers wait for 400 mins
@400 mins CC
@150 mins rax + depot
Hellion Opening
OC opening
@100 gas, fact
@fact +50 gas reactor on rax
@ fact/reactor complete + 400 mins expo (with units producing)
Notes
-this is to gain map control, don't suicide your hellions, but don't be afraid to poke up the ramp to see what they are doing. Remember, they are to scout and gain map control, don't try to kill shit with them
If you made it through that wall of text, let me conclude by saying thank you for reading this, I hope its a good jumping off point for your Terran escapades.
I love me my banshees <3 :DDD
GLHFGG; Good Hunting- steal all them nerds' ladder points <3