Starcraft 2, (Relatively) Open beta access! Options

[Crushinator]

First and foremost for being better at sc2 is getting the macro/micro down. Learning and memorizing hotkeys to build units/structures is paramount. In addition to this, hotkeying your production centers so you can produce units while on the far side of the map without zooming back is another must. Having all your 'Rax assigned to say control group 4, lets you work on a battle, hit 4 a single time and begin queuing reinforcements. This also allows you to ensure you do not have an unnecessary stockpile of minerals. If you cannot burn minerals fast enough, you do not have enough Rax/hatch/gateways/etc. I have watched duration matches in unofficial tourneys where a player will have 8+ rax/gateways/etc. The obvious exception to this would be having 6 or so bases to the opponents 3. Stockpiling some is going to happen at this point.

I think this is the best brotip for me. I totally didnt' know you could hotkey your manufacturing places. So THATS how all the pro guys build shit while they are still micro-ing during a base attack. I think this is going to improve my game a shitload. Before i'd have to click back and forth between my main base and the battle if i needed to build reinforcements...

[Oddies da Nerfed]

A few additional notes.

You can mark positions on the map and return to em, currently the keys to return are f5-f8, difficult to use realistically.

Zerg cocoons can have their own rally point set if you need a single unit or two different from the hatchery default. Select the specific egg(s) and right click where you want them to go.

Multi building construction. Lets say you have 2 Rax selected and want some marines. You hit your marine key once, this queues a single marine in to the first Rax selected. Rax two has nothing building. Hitting the key a second time will start a marine in Rax 2 while not adding a second to the first Rax. A third key press will queue a second marine to Rax 1 while Rax 2 still only has a single marine. The function remains the same over multi buildings.



edit: Todays patch = sadface. Maybe I need to roll with terran as well.

[Oddies da Nerfed]

Terms/Definitions.



AA
Anti-Air. Units or attacks that specifically target air units. e.g. Spore Crawlers are anti-air defense structures.

All-In
An early rush that puts all of the players resources into one attack with the sole intent of ending the game quickly. If this attack fails then the player is usually considered so far behind, they stand no chance of winning. e.g. 6 pool and Reaper Rush.

AoE
Area of effect. e.g. Ghost's EMP shockwave.

APM
Actions per minute. The number of clicks and key presses performed in one minute.

Backstab
After the enemy moves out with a push, attack the enemy's lightly defended base.

Ball
A tight group of units that travels the map in a pack.

BM
Bad-Mannered. Used to describe a player lacking basic etiquette. E.g. calling "gg" before their opponent when they're likely to win.

BO
Build Order. The order of buildings and units created in the very early game to achieve a specific strategy.

Choke
From "chokepoint". A small area, usually a ramp, leading from a base into a wider area. It's generally advantageous to create wall-ins at chokes to reduce the possibility of early rushes.

Contain
A small army of units left outside of the opponents base to prevent expansions or to limit the player from map control. "Contain" is usually prefixed by the units used for the contain, such as MMM contain, Roach contain, or Stalker contain. This strategy asserts map dominance and allows the player performing the contain to expand while the enemy cannot leave his base.

Creep Bridge/Creep Highway
A term used to describe a trail of either Creep Tumors or Overlords/Overseers pouring creep leading across the map to either an expansion or to the enemy base as a "bridge" or "highway" for units to cross over.

Distance mining
A situation when a mineral line with no established base is mined for one reason or another.

Economy
The player's income and active mining units, most often relative to his or her position in the game or to their opponent.

FE
Fast expansion. Creating another Nexus/Command Center/Hatchery quickly in order to later gain a material advantage.

Food
Generic term for Terran Supply, Zerg Control and Protoss Psi.

Gas Steal
Denying the enemy gas in the early game by building a gas collecting structure on the enemy's vespene geysers. e.g. Protoss quickly building an Assimilator in their opponents main base while scouting.

Greedy
A player takes a massive risk for a large economic gain. For Zerg, a double fast expand before a Spawning Pool would be considered a very greedy move.

Harass
Units that enter and leave bases quickly to attack peons or essential structures. Typical harass units are Banshees and Mutalisks.

Hard Counter
A unit or strategy that overwhelmingly dominates another unit or strategy. e.g. "Playing Scissors is a hard counter to Paper"

Kiting
Using micro to take advantage of one unit having higher range than another. The unit with the higher range attacks the other unit, moves slightly away, attacks again, and so on until the other unit is destroyed.

Natural
Closest expansion to the starting base, usually right at the bottom/top of the ramp to the main base.

Macro
From "macromanagement". The economic side of SC2. Macro refers to the creation of units, buildings, upgrades and expansions. Contrast with "micro".

Map Control
The amount of freedom you have gathered to move or scout around the map.

MBS
Multiple Building Selection. Allows unit production at multiple buildings/larvae at once. e.g. with three Command Centers selected, producing three SCVs will make one at each Command Center.

Micro
From "micromanagement". The controlling of units. Contrast with "macro".

Peon
A worker unit of any given race (Drone, Probe, SCV).

Proxy
Creation of a unit-producing building anywhere that is not part of a player's base. This reduces travelling time from the unit-producing structure and the opponent's base leading to a strategical advantage. "Proxy" is usually followed by the building being built, such as Proxy Pylon or Proxy Barracks.

Push
While a rush tries to get units in the enemy base as fast as possible, the push is a bit slower. Collect units outside of your base then, once achieving a sufficient amount of units, move out to attack.

Rush
Optimizing production to reach a specific unit quickly, usually with the intent of early pressure on the enemy. A rush is not considered as do-or-die as an all-in. If a rush fails, it's still possible to recover.

Scout
Revealing remote areas of the map to gain information about your opponent. Done with unit line of sight, or Terran Scanner Sweep.

Sim-City
Refers to building placements in the game, usually in the player's main bases.

Soft Counter
A unit type or strategy that has some advantage over another, but not so overwhelming an advantage as to be a hard counter. See "hard counter" above.

Timing Attack
Maximizing the value of a push by attacking during a specific time window where the opponent is weak. For example, a Zerg player will typically cut army production while a Spire is being built to save larvae/resources for Mutalisks. Attacking while the Zerg is saving larvae/resources maximizes the effectiveness of the push.

Turtle
Spending most or all of the game defending, as opposed to attacking.

Wall-in
Buildings placed at choke points to reduce the effectiveness of early rushes. This is commonly done by Protoss and Terran.


Toss:

Core
Cybernetics Core

DT
Dark Templar

FF
Force Field

HT
High Templar

Lots
Zealots

Robo
Robotics Facility

Speedlots
Zealots with the Charge upgrade.


Terran:

BC
Battlecruiser

Bio
A unit combination that relies primarily on units from the Barracks (Marine/Marauder/Reaper/Ghost)

CC
Command Center

HSM
"Hunter" Seeker Missile

Mech
A unit combination that relies primarily on units from the Factory (Thor/Tank/Hellion)

MMM or M&M&M
Marines, Marauders and Medivacs

OC
Orbital Command

PF
Planetary Fortress

PDD
Point Defense Drone

Rax
Barracks


Zerg:

Blings
Banelings

Baneling Bust
Using banelings to break through wall-ins or defended chokes

Cracklings
Zerglings with the Adrenal Glands upgrade.

FG
Fungal Growth

Hatch
Hatchery

Hydras
Hydralisks

Lings
Zerglings

Mutas
Mutalisks

NP
Neural Parasite

Pool
Spawning Pool

Speedlings
Zerglings with the Metabolic Boost upgrade.

Ultras
Ultralisks

[Oddies da Nerfed]

Some useful stuff for SC2:

First, this allows sc2 to be played offline, with custom AI (far harder than current) custom maps, and even play offline without a beta key. A bit irritating to setup, but nice for those without keys to toy with, and to practice with harder ai. I have used this, works decently and the ai can be quirky but certainly worthwhile to toy with.
(double check for newer versions)

http://sc2.nibbits.com/assets/starcrack-ai/

A multitasking trainer for micro and macro at once. Basically you get a probe that gets attacked by lings that you have to keep alive. All the time you build a base and army to deal with a terran base nearby. Losing base or probe or too many workers too fast all cost you the mission. I have not tried it yet, but people seem to like it as a trainer.
(double check for newer versions)

http://www.sc2mapster.com/maps/multitaskin...rainer-v0-812b/

[Oddies da Nerfed]

Brutal Micro tutorial.

[Oddies da Nerfed]

http://osu.ppy.sh/



Yeah I caught an sc2 streamer playing this. Seems like an insanely effective way to improve apm and improve mouse control.

[Crushinator]

What just happened?

WAR WERE DECLARED.

[Crushinator]

HOLY SHIT!

[Crushinator]

Why isn't Blizzard making full length CG features again?

[Oddies da Nerfed]

Indeed. Between Blizz and Relics DoW CG they would both make godlike full lengths.

[Crushinator]

Hey, are we going to do another AT gameday for SC2? Seems like this is the next "big deal" game launch that pretty much everyone is interested in.

[Scan_Man]

Gamestop I reserved it at is having a midnight launch. Might not play much because I want to get some more FFXIV time. But maybe tomorrow evening for a couple hours I can get on. But a gameday would be nice.

[Crushinator]

I'm not doing the midnight thing, but I will pick up my preorder tuesday morning.

[Oddies da Nerfed]

I am going to be campaigning the hell out of it. Loved me some SC1/BW story, I am sure I will be all over this. Think they said something like 45 min of cinematics and what not.

[Crushinator]

Yeah, I installed it on some of the computers at work. The cutscenes are GODLY. Blizz really outdid themselves with the in-game graphics on the cutscenes.