Applying Art of War to SC2 - Lesson #0

"Without constant practice, the officers will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle, the general will be wavering and irresolute when crisis at hand."

In SC2 the officers are your micro and macro, the foot soldiers your mechanics and general your decision making. Or that is how I would like to see things :p

If the soldiers are unable to follow their officers, the commands can not be carried out. If your hands are too slow or sloppy, you will not be able to carry out your micro and macro. You can practice your mechanics with pretty much everything which involves using mice and keyboard?

If the officers are nervous and undecided, their commands can not be clear and distinct. In SC2 this would mean that you have to stop to think how you were supposed to move your units or what were you supposed to build next. In other words, you micro sucks and your build order seems undecided. You can practice your micro and macro against bots or in different trainers.

If the general is wavering and irresolute, he is unable to make the correct decisions snappy enough. If you are wavering and irresolute in you decision making you will feel anxious and unable to respond to your opponents moves. You can practice decision making by watching pro vods/replays, by studying your own replays and by playing against other humans.


[Neuroscience BONUS]
This all boils down to the observation that not actually everything is handled by your brain cortex but repeated processing will be handled before cortex, unconsciously. These unconscious nerve tracts are slower than true reflexes but are faster than conscious processing. With practice the things you are processing with cortex, will begun to be handled before it. Hooray for our lazy brains!

This is why I have the opinion that to start practicing new things, such as new micro or new build order, you should play against someone worse than you or a bot. This will give your cortex the time it needs to carry out your plan. However, to sink the new thing deep into your brain you will maybe need to play against someone better than you. Because playing against them will require you to be able to process the information fast enough.

Maybe due to the unconscious nature of the basics the Masters are unable to teach the Bronzes?

Applying Art of War to SC2 - Lesson #1

Tactical maneuvering is to
"be beforehand with the enemy in seizing favorable position"


Favorable positions in SC2 would be:

• arcs
• on top of ramps
• enemy in narrow passages
• place where enemy has not laid siege ?

If you are about to engage a battle and you observe that you are not in the favorable position - do not engage but retreat ?


How to practice:

1. Check all the engagements you had from replays
2. Were all of your units firing? What to change to obtain?
3. Were all of their units firing? What to change to avoid?
4. Were you in siege?
5. Were they in siege?
6. What are the places the enemy would like to position their army to? How to prevent?
7. What are the places you would like to position your army to? How to obtain?
8. Is the enemy army position favorable from all directions?
9. To be beforehand you would need to know how the enemy force is moving. 
10. Did you know where the enemy force was and where it was going to? How could you have known that? How should you have utilized that?
11. Did the enemy know you were coming and positioned themselves? How to not allow this!!? 

Game 1
When rushing with tanks to your base they do not have good positions. Try to run towards them? Poke, go back, poke go back?

When you know an attack is coming via ground take positions on top of ramps.

Do not allow them to pull you to their favored position.

Keep mommacore where they can not soot but where from you can.

The location of the enemy force was unknown. Had proxy. Should nearby locations always be scouted to see if proxy?



Game 2
Keep a nice arch to prevent their units from coming
while making your army stronger
and killing the 3rd with few units

Game 3
Keep an observer above their exit to see when the army moves out
Have spotters and keep your army in a nice welcoming arc with some ranged units high ground

Game 4
Make a nice concave when defending at ramp.
Put zealots first because they are melee. Do not let them bait zealots? So maybe on hold?
Then archons because they have shorted range.
Then stalkers because they have longest.

Do not allow any visibility for them. Destroy their observers from your base by circling around with your observer and stalkers.

Game 5
Ramped & mommacored <3

Could have had some additional visibility to see where their army is going. Pylon or observer as a spotter?

AAARRRGGH. I could have easily killed him if I did not back up. Backed up because was not aware of the army size. Try to always before and after engagements determine their army size.
--> Use observers or zealot to see how big is the army.


Spread that army!

Choose you fighting position based on your unit composition!

zealot & archons == melee/low range --> fight on open areas

voids, immortals, colossus, stalkers == ranged units --> fight on chokes

also

when sniping a base and the enemy attack via ramp - that is usually a nice spot to def.

Defend so that you can use your momma or choke their units. Unless you have a  huge load of melee.

PvZ - rather early 3 base - swarmhost speedling corruptor

Zerg build
14 hatch
16 pool
16 gass

3rd hatch (4:30) - eco starts to hit @ 8:30
lair

could have killed around 9 mins

--> scout more aggressively for 3rd, because this was lost due to miscalculation of bases

PvZ - 2 base roach to 3 base

Game 1
14 pool
16 hatch
6 lings to my base @ 4mins

gass
roach warren
lair

3rd base (10mins, eco seems to start hitting at 14mins)
ling speed
roach speed
only roaches
Burrow

Spire

Build
nexus + forge (16)
gate + cannon (would it be better to have cannon 1st?)
core

2nd gate + robo
5 more gates (7 total)
observer 1st from robo
then immortals if he is making roaches while teching to colossus
Keep making upgrades (+1 attack @ 11:30)

3rd base (12min, this will make you eco a slightly better than theirs)
3 more gates to wall
pushed @ 17minutes and killed
3 immos, 1 colo, load of sentries & stalkers

remember to make second pylon if you make 1st on low ground

gotta go attack before roach burrowed move or not?

PvP - 4gate

If a 4 gate is coming..hits at 6mins - mama should be at 4mins if done?

mama + 3gates + mad micro ?

PvZ - 2 base hydra to 3 base

do not forget to key nexus
2 cannons is good, ffs are good
make 7 gates when on 2 bases...

really sloppy game

PvP - early aggression

Why does 12gate classify other as aggressive?

Because they will have to cut workers to get the 12gate.
12gate enables them to have faster core and faster more units..
but they will need to deal more damage to you than they dealt to themselves by cutting probes.
If this damage doing is prevented a defender with normal eco will have stronger eco.

When against a 4gate should dt:s be obtained so that the tech level is still the same (no robo)?
If they add robo too soon they will lose the pressure because not enough units.
A good player will retreat and add robo? This allows them to preserve their units.
If they add robo too late the dt:s will get there. However, the amount of their units giving you pressure will be higher and might prohibit adding tech?

Btw, when they are shooting at your buildings, shoot at their units.

Do not expand if early aggro

Always make the 1st stalker and zealot and if they are late go kill!