You played one, you played em all.

Yes, I FINALLY got the game, with expansion pack, as an early Xmas present. Currently on Zerg mission one, having finally beaten the obnoxious Ghost-spamming AI on Terran mission ten. I used the horribly inefficient but psychologically satisfying technique of waiting for the AI to bankrupt itself with its regular ineffectual attacks, then building a Yamato Death Fleet and systematically erasing them from the map. And going after the Covert Ops first. As it turns out, the AI has a hard time locking down eight Battlecruisers at once, especially when they're supported with sensor sweeps! Haha, BURN, you little nuke-happy invisible bas--ahem.
I can finally see why so many lunatics in South Korea accidentally starve to death while playing this game. I'm trying to learn the ropes by going through the missions in order; I'm very bad at strategy, as attacks tend to fluster me and I have a bad habit of becoming complacent. Plus I hate relentless micromanagement, which is why I've already decided that the Terrans are more fun for me than the Zerg. Constantly rebuilding expendable vermin forces doesn't seem too fun, nor does the constant replenishing of drones. I imagine I'm going to love the Protoss.
Anyway, any advice you guys can give me as I learn to play this game? My previous RTS experience was with Age of Empires II, which has a lot more hotkey shortcuts. There's no "zoom to next idle worker" command here, for example. The F2-F4 wireables aren't too useful (I have the minimap if I want to center the screen in a hurry), and the reputed ability to wire to the number keys doesn't seem to be working. I've been nuked so many times just because I can't order a comsat sweep in time...
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You played one, you played em all.

youre way ahead of me, I got this about a year ago, but put it aside before finishing the Terran missions, to play EU2 instead.
"A person cannot approach the divine by reaching beyond the human. To become human, is what this individual person, has been created for.” Martin Buber
as you get more and more into the game, the more micro is involved.
I had some fun yesterday, orchastrated a massive probe drop on a friend, took out his command center, a factory, a ton of miners, and so on.

If only the game had a pause mode which still allowed you to give orders, I would still play this game.![]()
well you can slow down the flow of time greatly.

You can?Hmm, perhaps I should check out the game again.
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StarCraft is a great game.
Frankly, you gotta learn to micromanage some. Observe each species' weaknesses and strengths and adjust according. This game like other RTS are basically paper-scissors-rock games.

I can't remember the last time I played, it must have been soon after the Brood Wars addon, but I sure like it.
I am almost glad they did not come out with a sequel, I have played so little RTS, I would be lost.

Yes, I think you use the + and - keys to regulate the speed of events.Originally posted by Maniac
You can?Hmm, perhaps I should check out the game again.
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I'm enjoying the Zerg more now that I've discovered the fun of building a dozen Zerglings at a time. All those hopping little vermin attacking in swarms...The Hydralisks too.
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I tried it out again, and I'm immediately hooked again.Originally posted by Whoha
well you can slow down the flow of time greatly.![]()
Even on the slowest speed though, it quickly becomes an uncontrollable splashfest whenever a bunch of mariners and zerglings or hydralisks strike.On the lowest campaign levels this doesn't really matter much - one mariner more or less won't make that much of a difference, but I do remember I found it annoying when the enemy used infested terrans or *GASP* Ghosts.
Whenever I heard the sound of impending nuke attack, I kinda panicked. I've never been really good at clickfests, so I'm rarely able to see where the attack is happening, click to that part of the map, click on some unit(s) to find and destroy the ghost in the few seconds that are available to prevent a nuke attack.
Guess why I like turnbased games.
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Well I'm deaf and cannot even hear those warning sounds of an incoming nuke attack so if I can do it you can do it.
IIRC when a nuke is coming or something on the map there will be a signal of some kind such as flashing.
To prevent myself from getting overrun I build defenses. Terrans are so easy to do for this. Build towers where their aircrafts tend to fly over. As for main entry points I usually build two bunkers - one on each side. Each bunker get a tower behind or next to. Of course those bunkers are stuffed full of marines (not firebots I hate those but I've heard they are fabulous against Zergs). Later on when I get seige tanks, I'd park one next to each of those bunkers. Keep one or two mechanics nearby to keep those repaired. The rate of fire is so fierce that nothing can even come near especially enemy Terrans and Zergs - complete bloodbath.
I also like to build wyverns when I can so if I'm attacked I use those to help out and pull those out once their cloaking goes down.
Same principles apply to Zergs and Protoss (adapt to them of course).
Know that early mission where you have to defend agains Zergs until the rebel group come in and evacuate you? First time I tried it I lost. Second time I barely made it - my last structure exploded into flames the same second the rebels showed up.
Once you've completed the game go back to that mission - you will find it's so easy. I often wind up destroying Zerg's base and overlords before rebels show up.
Last edited by Barinthus; December 24, 2005 at 10:23.
in multiplayer though you can't change the speed, you are stuck at what level you pick originally, and anything slower then fast is too slow. generally all the games I play are at fastest. even so you do have time to do things, you just have to not panick.
I play Zerg, and hope I strike first
JM
Jon Miller-
I AM.CANADIAN
GENERATION 35: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.

The micromanaging type I hate most is the combat managing. There are no formations, and the AI always makes the troops attack on a long column and the units block each others paths since they start attacking immediately when they get to attacking range![]()
This works? I thought that the AI gets nice chunks of resources every x minutes on SP campaigns (IIRC you can check it out from scenario editor... I don't have the game anymore, so I can't take a look) ?I used the horribly inefficient but psychologically satisfying technique of waiting for the AI to bankrupt itself with its regular ineffectual attacks, then building a Yamato Death Fleet and systematically erasing them from the map.

My computer doesn't have sound, so no worries. The nukes aren't really a long-term threat the way the computer's used them so far. More of an annoyance. Computer destroys area, I rebuild it, computer destroys same area, I rebuild it. It sounds horribly expensive, but really, typically the computer decides to use a nuke (200 minerals, 200 gas) on a bunker at the very edge of my base. As a result, I lose the bunker (100m), one missile turret (100m) and sustain relatively minor damage to a few structures, which can be fixed cheaply. The Marines in the bunker survive.
So it actually costs the enemy almost as much to mount each strike as it costs me...possibly more, if you consider that it tied up eight supply and may have lost the Ghost as well. Sending in fighters to stop the attack has a low success rate (usually they kill the Ghost right after the point of no return) and gets expensive Wraiths destroyed. So, oddly enough, my reaction to "Nuclear launch detected" is usually to sigh, hit spacebar, move all my SCVs away from the little red dot, and prepare to rebuild. You'd think a nuclear bomb would be more intimidating.
The AI doesn't even have a strike force ready to take advantage of the chaos. It just periodically destroys a little bit and then goes away for a while. I can only hope that Blizzard did that intentionally to make mission ten easier. Just like it somehow told them not to take advantage of the bonanza of resources in the middle of the map, but to jealously attack me for trying.
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Huh. I was wondering how they were stretching their reserves so far. Well, whatever they were getting (if they were getting anything), it wasn't enough. Their combat ability tapered off drastically towards the end, that's for sure. Maybe the AI just kept trying to build troops as needed instead of planning ahead and amassing reserve forces sensibly.Originally posted by VJ
This works? I thought that the AI gets nice chunks of resources every x minutes on SP campaigns (IIRC you can check it out from scenario editor... I don't have the game anymore, so I can't take a look) ?
I did notice regular intervals of ineffectual reinforcements as I destroyed them...every thirty seconds or so, one Marine and one Goliath marched bravely forward to challenge the mob of seven Battlecruisers. Then another after that, and another. I especially liked how they kept building single Marines to "protect" the barracks currently under attack. Fifty minerals in exchange for the six or so points of damage it causes to one battlecruiser before getting wiped off the map. Assuming it got a chance to shoot at all in its brief second of life. A moment of silence, please, for the cruelties of fate to an electronic soldier!
The one unit it did use effectively was the Ghost, although as I said it wasted nukes. I really hate getting locked down by invisible enemies. I would say it uses Siege Tanks well too, but the way it kept bringing them to hot spots I threatened with air units was pitiful.
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in skirmish they definately run out of resources.Originally posted by VJ
The micromanaging type I hate most is the combat managing. There are no formations, and the AI always makes the troops attack on a long column and the units block each others paths since they start attacking immediately when they get to attacking range![]()
This works? I thought that the AI gets nice chunks of resources every x minutes on SP campaigns (IIRC you can check it out from scenario editor... I don't have the game anymore, so I can't take a look) ?
terran turrets are 75 minerals with the latest patch, connect to bnet to get it.

It is quite possible to kill ghosts before they set in motion the launching of a nuke.
IIRC there is a mission in Brood War where the AI does take advantage of this - after nuking your base few times enemy troops show up at your front door. That particular mission was challenging at the first.Originally posted by Elok
The AI doesn't even have a strike force ready to take advantage of the chaos. It just periodically destroys a little bit and then goes away for a while. I can only hope that Blizzard did that intentionally to make mission ten easier. Just like it somehow told them not to take advantage of the bonanza of resources in the middle of the map, but to jealously attack me for trying.
Welcome to a classic.![]()

Last night I checked out Wikipedia for the fun of it and they had the entire plotline written in-depth so it was a nice read before bedtime![]()

Funny. I did exactly the same thing.![]()
The manual that comes with the game,i must say, is a lite book on its own.![]()
if you want to stop terrorism; stop participating in it
''Oh,Commissar,if we could put the potatoes in one pile,they would reach the foot of God''.But,replied the commissar,''This is the Soviet Union.There is no God''.''Thats all right'' said the worker,''There are no potatoes''

Great minds think alike
One of my fave starcraft clips is the introduction clip of brood wars
Spoiler:

Interesting... I fired up Brood War last night for a quick skirmish map after getting the itch after a long time away...and now I find this thread!
While there might be a physics engine that applies to the jugs, I doubt that an entire engine was written specifically for the funbags. - Cyclotron - debating the pressing issue of boobies in games.

Heh, I've gotten to Terran campaign level 10 now where the AI uses nukes, and I can't understand now why I was so panicky about them. A missile turret to act as nuke target, a siege tank next to it and one comsat sweep are enough to deter a nuclear strike...Originally posted by Barinthus
Well I'm deaf and cannot even hear those warning sounds of an incoming nuke attack so if I can do it you can do it.
IIRC when a nuke is coming or something on the map there will be a signal of some kind such as flashing.
To prevent myself from getting overrun I build defenses. Terrans are so easy to do for this. Build towers where their aircrafts tend to fly over. As for main entry points I usually build two bunkers - one on each side. Each bunker get a tower behind or next to. Of course those bunkers are stuffed full of marines (not firebots I hate those but I've heard they are fabulous against Zergs). Later on when I get seige tanks, I'd park one next to each of those bunkers. Keep one or two mechanics nearby to keep those repaired. The rate of fire is so fierce that nothing can even come near especially enemy Terrans and Zergs - complete bloodbath.![]()

The Starcraft campaigns are easy, play broodwar for a challenge.
"
Not only that, I've seen a series of Starcraft books in the sci-fi section of bookstores before.Originally posted by Kataphraktoi
The manual that comes with the game,i must say, is a lite book on its own.![]()
Visit First Cultural Industries
There are reasons why I believe mankind should live in cities and let nature reclaim all the villages with the exception of a few we keep on display as horrific reminders of rural life.-Starchild
Meat eating and the dominance and force projected over animals that is acompanies it is a gateway or parallel to other prejudiced beliefs such as classism, misogyny, and even racism. -General Ludd

I'm getting to that.Originally posted by EPW
The Starcraft campaigns are easy, play broodwar for a challenge.I'm just playing them all in the right order.
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