Posted May 16, 2010
I've now played about a week of Starcraft II Beta, and thought I'd start a discussion thread on these forums to talk about game mechanics. I know there's plenty of GoG users in the beta, and I have a suspicion these forums might give a more leveled discussion due to the relative lack of blurbing morons and elitist dickwads who think that only PLATINUM PLAYARS like themselves should be allowed into discussion about game mechanics on these forums compared to the official ones.
So, here we go.
I've played about a week now and have a win-loss ration of 29-36, in the copper league, which isn't too bad for my first week ever of starcraft multiplayer. I specialize as Terran, and have developed a couple of strategies that work surprisingly well.
If I'm playing vs Terran, it's usually pretty easy to win - I win about 75% of games vs. terran now at this level. I simply start with getting two reapers out as quickly as possible and send them into the oppositions economy chain. If they are killed, they're quickly followed by two more reapers. This usually brings the opponents economy to it's knees unless the charge is countered by marauders. At any rate, if that doesn't win me the game outright, which it usually does, I get a starport up and produce 4-8 vikings. That almost always wins me the game, or at least very nearly so that a second wave of vikings will finish off whatever forces are remaining. This is a really simple and cheap tactic that works just .. amazingly well. I've never met with the same tactic and found my own supply line butchered, which I find weird even at copper level.
Vs. Zerg, it's the same basic tactic with a twist: I send three reapers in the first wave so I can hold my own for longer against any zerglings, and, as I've found to be very crucial, I block off the ramps to my own base either with depots or the barracks to prevent an early zergling rush. Usually I can get into his supply chain and cause enough ruckus so that he'll never catch up even with the insane build speed of some zerg units. All in all, I win about the same amount of matches vs. zerg as terran.
Vs. Protoss, I've almost given up hope. I've only won a very select few matches vs. protoss and never vs. a favored opponent. My rush tactic never really works vs. protoss due to the speed at which they can produce zealots, and anyway one needs to start the game more defensively focused to try and beat back that early zealot rush. If I do, I usually don't have enough forces to rush his base (more zealots are up by now), so I get a starport up and go with vikings again. The problem now quickly becomes Void Rays. If he can muster a big enough force of them, it's game over right there. The only times I've won in these scenarios is when I've managed to keep bugging the other player with coordinated reaper raids in his supply chain and vikings against small numbers of rays to hinder him from building up while I produce a large enough force to raid his base. If Protoss gets 10+ rays going, you might as well surrender right there.
All in all, protoss feels slightly overpowered to me right now. The standard zealot rush is by far the best rush in the game, and very deadly vs. Terran since not even Marauders are extremely good vs. multiple zealots. The versatility of Void Rays is insane, since they can attack both ground and air targets, meaning a strong ground force is as useless vs. rays as a strong air force. Medevacs + upgraded marines can work, but if it's late game the protoss player usually has a mothership, carriers, or both in support which quickly deal with any attempts to counter the rays. In addition, void rays are relatively cheap to produce and fast to summon. The mothership is also pretty easy to get up, and the other races don't really have anything like it.
I lose 8 out of 10 matches vs. protoss.
Also, zerg are a joke to be honest. A very very skilled player can make them work, but they just don't have much going for them unless you know most of the tricks. Zergling rush is good, but useless if the base is blocked (which it should be). Hydralisks are my biggest disappointment so far, they just feel gimped compared to the force they were in the original starcraft. Ultralisks are a complete waste of space and inferior to all other lategame units. Infestors are great if you get opportunities to use then properly but .. in most games you don't. Air however is very good with zerg, I have to admit that. Mutalisks harassing supply chains are a surefire way to gain map control and win games with zerg, the problem is though that it takes a skilled player to get that far before being overrun by the superior forces of the other two races, given that you didn't win the game with an early zergling rush.
All in all, I'm glad it's still a beta, because I think there's a good deal of balancing to go still before the game manages to be fair in most situations.
So, here we go.
I've played about a week now and have a win-loss ration of 29-36, in the copper league, which isn't too bad for my first week ever of starcraft multiplayer. I specialize as Terran, and have developed a couple of strategies that work surprisingly well.
If I'm playing vs Terran, it's usually pretty easy to win - I win about 75% of games vs. terran now at this level. I simply start with getting two reapers out as quickly as possible and send them into the oppositions economy chain. If they are killed, they're quickly followed by two more reapers. This usually brings the opponents economy to it's knees unless the charge is countered by marauders. At any rate, if that doesn't win me the game outright, which it usually does, I get a starport up and produce 4-8 vikings. That almost always wins me the game, or at least very nearly so that a second wave of vikings will finish off whatever forces are remaining. This is a really simple and cheap tactic that works just .. amazingly well. I've never met with the same tactic and found my own supply line butchered, which I find weird even at copper level.
Vs. Zerg, it's the same basic tactic with a twist: I send three reapers in the first wave so I can hold my own for longer against any zerglings, and, as I've found to be very crucial, I block off the ramps to my own base either with depots or the barracks to prevent an early zergling rush. Usually I can get into his supply chain and cause enough ruckus so that he'll never catch up even with the insane build speed of some zerg units. All in all, I win about the same amount of matches vs. zerg as terran.
Vs. Protoss, I've almost given up hope. I've only won a very select few matches vs. protoss and never vs. a favored opponent. My rush tactic never really works vs. protoss due to the speed at which they can produce zealots, and anyway one needs to start the game more defensively focused to try and beat back that early zealot rush. If I do, I usually don't have enough forces to rush his base (more zealots are up by now), so I get a starport up and go with vikings again. The problem now quickly becomes Void Rays. If he can muster a big enough force of them, it's game over right there. The only times I've won in these scenarios is when I've managed to keep bugging the other player with coordinated reaper raids in his supply chain and vikings against small numbers of rays to hinder him from building up while I produce a large enough force to raid his base. If Protoss gets 10+ rays going, you might as well surrender right there.
All in all, protoss feels slightly overpowered to me right now. The standard zealot rush is by far the best rush in the game, and very deadly vs. Terran since not even Marauders are extremely good vs. multiple zealots. The versatility of Void Rays is insane, since they can attack both ground and air targets, meaning a strong ground force is as useless vs. rays as a strong air force. Medevacs + upgraded marines can work, but if it's late game the protoss player usually has a mothership, carriers, or both in support which quickly deal with any attempts to counter the rays. In addition, void rays are relatively cheap to produce and fast to summon. The mothership is also pretty easy to get up, and the other races don't really have anything like it.
I lose 8 out of 10 matches vs. protoss.
Also, zerg are a joke to be honest. A very very skilled player can make them work, but they just don't have much going for them unless you know most of the tricks. Zergling rush is good, but useless if the base is blocked (which it should be). Hydralisks are my biggest disappointment so far, they just feel gimped compared to the force they were in the original starcraft. Ultralisks are a complete waste of space and inferior to all other lategame units. Infestors are great if you get opportunities to use then properly but .. in most games you don't. Air however is very good with zerg, I have to admit that. Mutalisks harassing supply chains are a surefire way to gain map control and win games with zerg, the problem is though that it takes a skilled player to get that far before being overrun by the superior forces of the other two races, given that you didn't win the game with an early zergling rush.
All in all, I'm glad it's still a beta, because I think there's a good deal of balancing to go still before the game manages to be fair in most situations.
Post edited May 16, 2010 by stonebro
