Post by hossinaut on Jan 31, 2012 15:27:59 GMT -6
Hello!
Something that has come up recently in relation to SC2 is the importance of mechanics. Mechanics, with relation to SC2 is the way one interacts with the UI. Mechanics are what separates bronze level players from top Grandmaster level players. Strategy is increasingly important once you've managed to get to top Diamond, playing masters players, but until you're at this level, strategy is largely a gimmick. If you don't have the mechanics to back up your cool strat, good players with solid foundations will walk all over you.
This is the importance of working on your mechanics and developing your self in SC2 with the view to improving and not simply winning.
Step 1: Ladder/Winning
Understand that ladder and winning as a wider concept means nothing. I as a top 25 diamond Zerg have beaten Masters Zergs and Masters Terrans. This means nothing. Its fun to say, sure. Its fun to be able to say, sure. But it means nothing. There is not consistent measure of performance outside of yourself and the feedback that the game itself gives you. I now reference how often you get supply blocked, how many resources are idle at any given time, your income, etc. Programs or Applications (depending on your OS) like SC2 Gears can tell you these things more specifically than the screen at the end of a game, but the replay itself can show this to you the best out of all of these mediums.
Step 2: Macro, and it's relationship to mechanics
Understand that macro will win games at all levels of play. IMMvP is the best player in the world. He has the most GSL titles under his belt. He has the highest win rates. His Elo is slightly below MMA's, however, but this is because MMA is a TvT and TvZ sniper, with significant weaknesses in TvP. MVP is the most consistent player in the world. He achieves this consistency by being able to macro and micro and multitask better than everyone in the world, by simply doing everything better than everyone around him. At lower levels, this doesn't mean much, so I'll make it easier for you. If you can look at any location that is not your base and still constantly produce units, and you are able to do this consistently and in the heat of battle, you have good mechanics. There are race specific macro mechanics as well, but those will not be covered. If you have good mechanics, your macro will be solid and you'll simply have more units than your opponent.
Step 3: How to Improve your Mechanics
This is the fun part, because it requires playing the game to get better at it. Playing Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty is an amazing experience in and of itself, and this may be something that you, reader, should remember when you play. The game itself is beautiful and is so mechanically challenging that it rewards superior players and it punishes lesser ones. It not only requires a lot from you, but gives you a lot in it's ability to reward you. Micro is a fantastic experience, and winning games because of superior macro is a sheer joy. This is how to do this
I will not assume that you, dear reader, have watched the Dailies on mechanics.
Here are links.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUohpQKVf_A
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKPDKtK4IMo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6nG0AaBl1A
If you don't want to watch these, or you want a way to improve faster, continue reading. If you don't, then... well... don't Those are an incredible resource that can be added to only minimally.
1. Building your mechanics does not come overnight
2. You have to practice a LOT to get good mechanics, but to improve your mechanics a measurable amount takes very little effort.
3. Hotkeys required, I will be assuming you can use hotkeys.
The best way to practice is by just loading up a map against an AI or on an empty map and just making units and keeping your money low all the time. Do this a lot, and remember to never get supply blocked, expand a lot, and keep your money low. Boom I did it. Now you're a better SC2 player.
But wait! What happens when you face an opponent with more capacity to play than the AI or than a non-existent enemy (empty map scenario)
Hold your horses.
If you were to watch this Day[9] Daily: bit.ly/AwUiso and the TL thread: bit.ly/Amg8b9 , you'll start to understand that basic macro can do just as much as a fancy strategy. You don't need to worry about being harassed if you just set yourself up so that its not in your opponent's interest to attack you.
-Getting that out of the way, because very rarely will you actually be in a position to just chillax and macro and win, we get to the fun part. This takes the most effort on your part. You have to play a lot and you have to be focusing a lot on improving in this specific area to get better. Without this, you wont improve, you won't realize the potential you have with SC2, nor will you be able to play much ladder and continue to win at higher leagues.
-Here, in your games now, you are playing against either harder AI opponents or against people. You have to be pressured in order for you to improve with this. Having a practice buddy is very nice, but this luxury may be difficult to come by. Therefore, there is ladder. Ladder is not scary. You are working on something specific and your ladder rank doesn't matter. Remember that your skill level is not determined by your ladder rank. It doesn't matter if you lose spectacularly if you worked on what you were trying to.
-This is what you will be doing. Look at your base as little as possible, only to build infrastructure and defend. Keep a worker or a fast unit on the map so that you can constantly be aggressively scouting. While you are doing this, choose 1 or 2 to work on: watch minimap constantly, never get supply blocked, keep resources low. When I tell you that focusing on never getting supply blocked has not only won me games that I wouldn't have otherwise won as well as getting me promoted to Diamond from Platinum, I am not lying. When I tell you that I used to be hyper vulnerable to drops, and when I worked on watching the minimap more, I started taking next to no damage from drops, I am not lying. This is also where "the tap" comes in.
--- Whenever you're doing something in SC2, cycle through your unit producing structures to make sure that you are producing or can be if you aren't at present. If you're constantly building, you'll have a larger army and keep your money lower, and if you're doing the tap, and constantly checking on the progression of your units' production, you'll be constantly producing.
All of what I suggested here will take a lot of time in-game to work out. Knowing this, if you fix one or two problems (spending money, getting supply blocked, watching minimap, constantly producing units, expanding) you will almost jump a league pretty quickly. It takes about 5-10 games (for me anyway) to fix a problem if you're focusing on one of them. After this, you'll still have to think about it, its not yet muscle memory or anything, but you can perfect it pretty quickly while working on something else.
GLGL HFHF GG <3
Go forth and win!
Something that has come up recently in relation to SC2 is the importance of mechanics. Mechanics, with relation to SC2 is the way one interacts with the UI. Mechanics are what separates bronze level players from top Grandmaster level players. Strategy is increasingly important once you've managed to get to top Diamond, playing masters players, but until you're at this level, strategy is largely a gimmick. If you don't have the mechanics to back up your cool strat, good players with solid foundations will walk all over you.
This is the importance of working on your mechanics and developing your self in SC2 with the view to improving and not simply winning.
Step 1: Ladder/Winning
Understand that ladder and winning as a wider concept means nothing. I as a top 25 diamond Zerg have beaten Masters Zergs and Masters Terrans. This means nothing. Its fun to say, sure. Its fun to be able to say, sure. But it means nothing. There is not consistent measure of performance outside of yourself and the feedback that the game itself gives you. I now reference how often you get supply blocked, how many resources are idle at any given time, your income, etc. Programs or Applications (depending on your OS) like SC2 Gears can tell you these things more specifically than the screen at the end of a game, but the replay itself can show this to you the best out of all of these mediums.
Step 2: Macro, and it's relationship to mechanics
Understand that macro will win games at all levels of play. IMMvP is the best player in the world. He has the most GSL titles under his belt. He has the highest win rates. His Elo is slightly below MMA's, however, but this is because MMA is a TvT and TvZ sniper, with significant weaknesses in TvP. MVP is the most consistent player in the world. He achieves this consistency by being able to macro and micro and multitask better than everyone in the world, by simply doing everything better than everyone around him. At lower levels, this doesn't mean much, so I'll make it easier for you. If you can look at any location that is not your base and still constantly produce units, and you are able to do this consistently and in the heat of battle, you have good mechanics. There are race specific macro mechanics as well, but those will not be covered. If you have good mechanics, your macro will be solid and you'll simply have more units than your opponent.
Step 3: How to Improve your Mechanics
This is the fun part, because it requires playing the game to get better at it. Playing Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty is an amazing experience in and of itself, and this may be something that you, reader, should remember when you play. The game itself is beautiful and is so mechanically challenging that it rewards superior players and it punishes lesser ones. It not only requires a lot from you, but gives you a lot in it's ability to reward you. Micro is a fantastic experience, and winning games because of superior macro is a sheer joy. This is how to do this
I will not assume that you, dear reader, have watched the Dailies on mechanics.
Here are links.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUohpQKVf_A
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKPDKtK4IMo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6nG0AaBl1A
If you don't want to watch these, or you want a way to improve faster, continue reading. If you don't, then... well... don't
Those are an incredible resource that can be added to only minimally.1. Building your mechanics does not come overnight
2. You have to practice a LOT to get good mechanics, but to improve your mechanics a measurable amount takes very little effort.
3. Hotkeys required, I will be assuming you can use hotkeys.
The best way to practice is by just loading up a map against an AI or on an empty map and just making units and keeping your money low all the time. Do this a lot, and remember to never get supply blocked, expand a lot, and keep your money low. Boom I did it. Now you're a better SC2 player.
But wait! What happens when you face an opponent with more capacity to play than the AI or than a non-existent enemy (empty map scenario)
Hold your horses.If you were to watch this Day[9] Daily: bit.ly/AwUiso and the TL thread: bit.ly/Amg8b9 , you'll start to understand that basic macro can do just as much as a fancy strategy. You don't need to worry about being harassed if you just set yourself up so that its not in your opponent's interest to attack you.
-Getting that out of the way, because very rarely will you actually be in a position to just chillax and macro and win, we get to the fun part. This takes the most effort on your part. You have to play a lot and you have to be focusing a lot on improving in this specific area to get better. Without this, you wont improve, you won't realize the potential you have with SC2, nor will you be able to play much ladder and continue to win at higher leagues.
-Here, in your games now, you are playing against either harder AI opponents or against people. You have to be pressured in order for you to improve with this. Having a practice buddy is very nice, but this luxury may be difficult to come by. Therefore, there is ladder. Ladder is not scary. You are working on something specific and your ladder rank doesn't matter. Remember that your skill level is not determined by your ladder rank. It doesn't matter if you lose spectacularly if you worked on what you were trying to.
-This is what you will be doing. Look at your base as little as possible, only to build infrastructure and defend. Keep a worker or a fast unit on the map so that you can constantly be aggressively scouting. While you are doing this, choose 1 or 2 to work on: watch minimap constantly, never get supply blocked, keep resources low. When I tell you that focusing on never getting supply blocked has not only won me games that I wouldn't have otherwise won as well as getting me promoted to Diamond from Platinum, I am not lying. When I tell you that I used to be hyper vulnerable to drops, and when I worked on watching the minimap more, I started taking next to no damage from drops, I am not lying. This is also where "the tap" comes in.
--- Whenever you're doing something in SC2, cycle through your unit producing structures to make sure that you are producing or can be if you aren't at present. If you're constantly building, you'll have a larger army and keep your money lower, and if you're doing the tap, and constantly checking on the progression of your units' production, you'll be constantly producing.
All of what I suggested here will take a lot of time in-game to work out. Knowing this, if you fix one or two problems (spending money, getting supply blocked, watching minimap, constantly producing units, expanding) you will almost jump a league pretty quickly. It takes about 5-10 games (for me anyway) to fix a problem if you're focusing on one of them. After this, you'll still have to think about it, its not yet muscle memory or anything, but you can perfect it pretty quickly while working on something else.
GLGL HFHF GG <3
Go forth and win!