The StarCraft II thread

[ReaperCharlie]

Ah. My memory fails me.

Were they playing in the main auditorium, I can't seem to recall seeing it on any of the screens.

Either way, I wasn't a huge SC fan in 2004, so it wasn't really my focal point of interest either.

[BrutalAztecs]

You guys should all come out to MLG events whenever they are in your area. I'll be at the vast majority this year (for Reach) and can show you guys around a bit. More the merrier at events

[ReaperCharlie]

When is the next time that will be? I can't find any upcoming MLG dates online.

[AGar]

2011, they'll announce their circuit's schedule in January.

I'm going to try and go to several for coverage, for SC2 obv.

And RC - yeah, most likely. SC has always been one of the cornerstones of WCG.

[BrutalAztecs]

Good chance that Meadowlands, NJ and Dallas, TX will be in there since they are every season. Pretty good chance for Columbus, OH to happen again since it has been successful the past 2 years.

But MLG also has said they are going to change things around quite a bit for this coming season, so we'll need to see what happens.

[AGar]

Meadowlands was absent this past year, unfortunately.

[VasudeVa]

I don't really play, (My broke-ass can't afford a real copy.) but I love watching replays over youtube back then(HuskyStarcraft and HDstarcraft XD).

I haven't watched in a while though. Any awesome games recently that was pod-casted over anywhere?

[AGar]

HD and Husky should burn in the fiery pits of hell. ASAP.

[VasudeVa]

I don't see anything wrong with them, tbqh.

[Papa Zito]

HD and Husky should burn in the fiery pits of hell. ASAP.

?

[Flameaxe]

HD and Husky should burn in the fiery pits of hell. ASAP.

Although, the video of Husky teaching Shaycarl how to play starcraft, followed by Day[9] yelling at shaycarl vs. Husky was quite amusing.

Other than that, yes. Burn.

[Shanba]

Best ro64 match is probably leenock vs clide.

who called it? Shanba called it!

[Nuwen]

Best ro64 match is probably leenock vs clide.

who called it? Shanba called it!

First time I've ever gotten stressed out

watching

a match. I yelled at my computer quite a bit during game 3 (or 4, if you count the DC).

[TheButtonmen]

Best ro64 match is probably leenock vs clide.

who called it? Shanba called it!

GuineaPig vs. Junwi was my favourite R64 for the lolwtf is happening factor even though it wasn't as good a match.

[Shanba]

Nuwen suggested we upload and share replays. Here's some practice games I played against a silver toss.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1GDNOBTJ

And since we're in replay mood, here's my ladder matches today that frankly went badly
http://uploading.com/files/e76ce25b/Lad ... %2B29.zip/

Also whaddya think of this assessment:
Top Koreans > Top foreigners = mid level koreans > Mid level foreigners = mediocre koreans > mediocre foreigners

[tanstalas]

Nuwen suggested we upload and share replays. Here's some practice games I played against a silver toss.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1GDNOBTJ

And since we're in replay mood, here's my ladder matches today that frankly went badly
http://uploading.com/files/e76ce25b/Lad ... %2B29.zip/

Also whaddya think of this assessment:
Top Koreans > Top foreigners = mid level koreans > Mid level foreigners = mediocre koreans > mediocre foreigners

= newly born korean

[AGar]

Also whaddya think of this assessment:
Top Koreans > Top foreigners = mid level koreans > Mid level foreigners = mediocre koreans > mediocre foreigners

Are we talking about current represented skill or potential?

[Shanba]

Current.

Spoiler: GSL

REEEEEET :( ;_; qq

Those were sick abusive builds the terran did that last set though. Vikings, medivacs, Hellion, Marauders and all that frigging early? The queens were fighting elsewhere and then they were dead and thus the viking went pretty much unchecked. The amount of pressure on ret's larva - needing units, lacking queens, needing overlords - must have been a bitch to deal with.

Also, why the hell are there so many anti-zerg maps in the map pool generally? DQ, JB, SoW, LT - and even the "good" zerg maps have some awkwardness, especially metalopolis which is a coinflip which way it's imba.

[ortolan]

HD is leet, just thought I'd add

[Nuwen]

This was a feel good tournament match between myself and some random bronze player.

http://www.z33k.com/starcraft2/tourname ... tches/4635

r64, serious business. My APM is obviously low and we're chatting merrily away. I just sat back and contained and econ'd to mutas, but once I was on my second base the game was pretty over. Notice how I don't get my first queen until almost 20 supply and my visionlords are just clumped together at the top of my main. Whoops.

[Flameaxe]

This is probably a good place to put this:

No funday monday today.

[AGar]

HD is leet, just thought I'd add

Yeah, that absolute lack of game knowledge that he spews is totally wicked.

-_-

Shanba, based on current performances, yes. The top koreans are better than the top foreigners who are then on par with mid-level koreans, and so on and so forth.

But in terms of potential, I'd say there are a lot of foreign players who, if in the right environment, have the ability to do greater things than most Koreans. The problem is two-fold:

1) The Korean culture is very xenophobic, thus leading to isolation often when foreign players travel to Korea, where the true tests are. Read about IdrA's or ret's experiences with eSTRO when they were Brood War progamers. The TL-oGs house recently is more of a success, and results are showing, obviously, with the performances of Liquid players. However, in the past, it has been very difficult for a foreign player to adapt into a scenario where he could be successful due to the social barriers.

2) Koreans look at SC as a potential job if they're good. An escape from poverty or a chance at a better life. Kind of how a kid in America looks at baseball or basketball or football. Foreigners for the most part always pick it up because it's a game. And it's fun. And hey, it'd be a cool way to make a living. But most of your guys traveling over there have a way to survive and live probably comfortably if they don't succeed. They're smart kids, they're young, and they have other opportunities outside of what they're doing.

[Shanba]

More laddering!

The initial plan was to work on making production facilities to keep my money lower. I can't work out what to do in tvt though and I went completely on tilt after losing one utterly ridiculous game where I must have been 50 food ahead but still contrived to find a way to lose. It just felt like every time some bastard would come along with ridiculous cheesy shit and there my game would fall apart and I just couldn't get my head right afterwards to get my macro going again.

Spoiler: My thoughts through the games

Game 1: I got killed by some zealots. eh. Shit happens

Game 2: All right! This is going ok, keeping my money lowish, outmacroing him hardcore! Crushed his push, built up an army and just killed him with more shit.

Game 3: TvT? I hate tvt... oh well let's see what I can do. Reapers? WTF. He took the gold, go kill it. Deny him any expo. Overrun him with more stuff. God banshees are annoying. HOLY FUCK MY ENTIRE FUCKING ARMY. HOLY FUCK MY BASE. WHAT THE FUCK. HOW IN GODS NAAAAAME no FUCKING WAY. I FRIGGING SCAAAANNED THAT GHOST where the hell did my raven go anyway and ffs I ordered a second raved like hours ago but now I have no minerals and jesus fucking christ what a douchebag.

Game 4: More tvt? FUCK. FUCK THIS SHIT. He's building a bunch of rax, it's a cheeeese, dont bother with the banshees then, let's defend ourselves instead, ok good, got my expo up, crushed his attack, I should be golden, even won a fight in the middle, let's push out, take map control can I push up his choke no too much stuff left maybe I'll attack the backdoor

oh fuck a drop. I have some guys who I haven't rallied left. A-click siege up the tank... a click! DAMNATION. Welp. Fuck this shit.

Game 5: DIE ZERG SCREW MACRO JUST FRIGGING DIIEEEE. Grr spread against banelings grr sacrifice marine to eat more banelings grr expo grrr mass bio grr wait what I did not mean to build a starport I mean to build a supply depot. Oh well. Medivacs are good I guess? This isn't working. Focus Shanba focus! More rax! So much spare cash, turn it into units and shit. Raah I got a ball attack rah attack oh right those rax weren't rallied right I have a huge army gg.

Game 6: Ok. That got some of the anger out of my system, but more tvt qq. Techlab on his rax? ehhh. Dunno what he's doing. I'll just keep going banshees as usual - damn I'm macroing badly. OH SHIT MARAUDERS I should have enough marines to just kill it oh fuck I don't well ok fuck better pull scvs god damn I hope that banshee finishes whew cleaned it up. I'm so far behind now... I saw those four fuckers creeping in better bring the banshee back ok that's even further behind. No point moving my cc yet better to just use it to regain saturation but heaven on earth I must be so far behind. At least he hasnt expoed yet. I don't think he has siege mode, maybe I can kill him with what I have. Holy crap. It worked. What the hell was he doing?

Game 7: Ok ok I won a frigging tvt awesome and now my favourite matchup should be golden. Uh that wasn't quite the plan meant to two rax fe with bunkers but nvm. Three rax will do too. Macroing ok got my expo down I SAW THAT PYLON - DIIIIEEEE. Must be a fourgate then since he's still on one base. I wonder if I can just kill him. Hrm I can ta-SHIIIIIIIT.

I've never won a game in which the toss has built a voidray. ;_;

Second Session

Spoiler: Sesh 2 thoughts

Again the plan was to work on production facilities - to constantly keep an eye on my money and build more buildings when the numbers were increasing. This time it went a lot better, and honestly I think I could have won all four games.

Game 1: MACROOLLLLED

Game 2: Oh man. So heartbreaking. I'm sure I could have smashed this guy if we'd gone toe to toe in the midgame, but instead he had a massive lead on me in terms of workers after his zealot thing. But I told myself NO. I AM NOT FUCKING LOSING TO THIS SHIT. And I fought so god damn hard. I took the frigging lead! And then those storms ;_; QQ BWAAAAH. I just never got those ghosts I needed I guess.

Game 3: MACROOOOLLED. Who's the noob, mofo? As a sidenote, jesus christ my scv production was bad. Especially given how many I was losing.

Game 4: Yeah I still am not sure how to beat this kind of thing. Just have more stuff I guess? My macro deffo was not as good this game. I scouted the no gas and knew what was coming, but though I held the first wave the second wave just smashed me.

[Nuwen]

I was recently promoted to gold and I think it's time to start looking at my replays with a more critical eye.

http://www.nnuwen.czwief.com/SC2/goldgames.zip

Most of these are ladder, but one or two are from amateur tournaments. Trends I've noticed:

1)ZvZ builds need to be tightened up - overdroning on autopilot is costing me games to timing attacks. I need to be very, very aware of how many drones I'm making between lair tech and roach speed finishing.

2)ZvT - jesus christ macro. There were two ZvT games where I just lost to being outmacro'd among other smaller problems. If you check out the most recent game, you'll see that I scouted an armory very early on beforer a successful bust. I should have been able to macro enough cracklings to deal with that heavy of an investment + take the entire map while his slow fleet of thors stayed home and waited for mutalisks.

3) ZvZ close air positions/FE friendly map.

Queens need to block ramp. always. all the time. forever until roaches pop out.

[Cyberbob]

SC2 is pretty cool. I've played like two multiplayer games other than the five qualifying matches; most of the fun is in watching better people play.

used to be a huge gomtv follower, trying to work up the effort to get back into it. I like watching HD and Psy (Husky just gets tiresome) on youtube though