"A SC player craves not these things."
-Weremuppet
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| Sudden Death--last one standing wins. | | | Author: | | | IP: | XXXX | | Date: | 11/23/99 08:11 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 1, Max: 7, Min: 7
Lifetime Rating for AnderKryst: 6.2000 |  | Warning: This battle report contains some profane language. If such offends you, stop reading. Said language is used in quotes from players, but said language is not overused. You probably have heard these words before anyway.
This is a game I played a while back (before my other reports), but I remember it, and had written some notes with the intention of writing a battle report. Also, Maelstrom7 did write a report for the league, so I am also borrowing from his report (what I remember of it).
CSL League Play
Version: Brood War (1.05)
Map: Theatre of War (8-player map, Jungle tileset)
Map can be viewed at Blizzard's website
Settings: Sudden Death
Participants: AnderKryst (random terran, 1:00 start)
Munk1 (random protoss, 7:00 start)
MechaLunaR (random protoss, 3:00 start)
BriLLo (zerg, 10:00 start)
Uber_Slayer (random terran, 9:00 start)
StarWarrior (random terran, 12:00 start)
Observer: Maelstrom7
Backround: The CSL was an honorable player league, and has since ceased to be. I was in the channel on this particular day, when someone decided to get a Free For All going. The above participants chimed in. In addition, because I knew I would lose, I suggested making it an 'odd' FFA, meaning something other than the normal. I suggested this because in the CSL, you had a rating similar to the Blizzard Ladder, and you got extra points added (or subtracted) when you diversified your game playing.
FFAs: I still maintain that FFAs are crapshoots. However, I've learned a few things:
1) He who attacks first, probably loses.
2) They consist of massive turtling, followed by huge unit wars.
This would probably be no different.
FFA types/Other settings: For the uninitiated:
FFA (standard): If you don't know what one is by now, you are hopeless. :)
Slaughter: Whoever has the most kills (buildings + units that aren't your own) at the end of time, wins. Playable in 15 minute incriments up to 60 minutes. Kill totals are provided in the upper left so you know who is winning at all times. A countdown timer is provided as well.
Greed: First one to amass a specified amount of both gas and minerals wins. Amount goes up to 10000 in increments of 2500. Resource totals are shown at all times. Capable of being played as allies. Really nasty, because you know when someone has expanded. :)
Capture the Flag (CTF): Lose your flag, lose the game; you need to bring your enemies flag back to your flag. 10 minute grace period at the start. You have one opportunity to move your flag, than it is set. Only workers can carry the flag.
Sudden Death: Probably the nastiest of them all. Lose any Town Hall (CC/Nexus/Hatchery), and you are done. I believe, since Maelstrom observed, this game could be played as allies. This is the setting the participants agreed upon.
And now the game…
Pre-game
Nothing new goes on here. The pre-game is filled with insults and such, in attempt to bring one self up. Probably the best player in the game is StarWarrior, while the rest are basement dwellers of the CSL. Maelstrom7 (observing) alone probably has a rating equal to everyone else's combined.
I reflect back, and have some thoughts to add before I present the game. In FFAs, you usually have to strike a balance between offense and defense. Generally, I've seen more victories by protoss than by zerg or terran, but by no mean is any race best suited for an FFA. If you are good, you are going to get doubled and so forth. You have to make due with what you have, and just pray after defending an attack nothing else hits you.
Sudden Death is particularly nasty. I feel early on, terrans have a huge advantage, because simply they can relocate. A terran who does this most likely will not win the game, but won't be first out. However, a terran can replenish a CCs hitpoints at a much quicker rate than protoss shields or zerg regeneration of a hatchery. However, in the later game, zerg may have the advantage IF they have all their hatcheries at Hive stage; 2000 hit points is 2000 hit points.
Early game
I knew the map a little, so I structured my build around taking my natural. It is very close by, and would not hamper anything if I had my buildings out a little. FFAs are where you can get away with expanding early, even on a tight map as this one, but if someone has the balls to attack early in hopes of eliminating someone, quite simply put, hope that you aren't going to be the one subject to that abuse.
It was at the 8 worker stage StarWarrior got disconnected (Battle.net's fault), the result leaving the game with only 5 participants. I was quite happy. SW was good, and having him out was a relief. I sent my 9th worker to scout the land, and see the ways I would die. I sent my worker counter-clockwise, and discovered MechaLunaR right below me. I would next find Munk1, where my worker would meet his fate.
While I was scouting, I decided to do the standard 2-rax opening. I also decided to do a turbo wall-in surrounding my natural's minerals. I put up enough depots to wall myself in, and erected three bunkers. At my main, I had gas production going, so I built an Academy for Comsat, and an engineering bay for turrets. When both were completed, I built a factory. To increase resources, once my wall-in of depots was finished, I began to build a command center.
Now, my logic behind this was to prevent any ground force from hurting me. A lot of SC/BW units in the high end tend to be air units, and this may seem like a stupid idea. However, with protoss opponents, having tanks would help me, and the token bunkers and turrets would provide targets for the carriers. It would all be a question though of how quick I could get my air force though.
Mid-game
I had completed my factory, when I heard the telltale sign of trouble. 'Crap' said Uber_Slayer. I had yet to scout him, so I assume Munk1 was turning up the heat. I could guess that BriLLo was contributing as well, though I wasn't sure.
Back at home, with my factory completed, I felt I didn't require one of my barracks anymore. I lifted it up, and moved it to the right of my base, down to the lower level. I had a feeling all expansion attempts would reside down there, and an infantry force down on the lower level might prove to be a good thing. Also, back at the home base, I had built the necessary add-on for my factory, and was researching siege mode. Again, this was to discourage the ground assault, but to encourage the inevitable air attack. Two armories were built, and starport building commenced. My wall-in was reinforced with three tanks, and an extra turret or two for good luck.
My infantry totaled about 7 marines, and I decided to go scouting on the lower level. Like my earlier SCV scouting, I went in a counter-clockwise fashion. It wasn't until my marines reached the lower left area that I found that Uber really wasn't dead…he had burning buildings all over the place. My marines opened fire on them. I didn't want any come-from-behind antics from Uber, but 7 marines taking down terran buildings may not be enough. However, I got aid from Munk, and as soon as I saw his dragoons, I hightailed it out of there. No sense in tipping my hand. :) Uber was then shortly eliminated.
By now, my expansion was operating, and my main was starting to run dry. My starport was finished, and I had begun construction on another starport and a science facility. I also began to build two dropships. I sent my marines back down to the lower left area…and because I was busy at home, they died to a now operating expansion courtesy of Munk. I never did like protoss cannons.
I shuttled some SCVs over to my barracks, and began to build an expansion CC in the resource node on that lower level. I also began to erect bunkers and turrets as well. They may not save my expansion from a full-scale attack, but since my base was nearby, I could bring my air force over to save my CC. Time will tell if my decision would be wise. At home, token wraiths were queued up from 2 ports, a BC from a just finished third starport, and my science facility with physics lab add-on started research the dreaded yamato gun, while the main building itself researched irradiate.
Mid-game/Late-game Transition
If there is one thing that you just cannot avoid, it is a double team in an FFA. CSL rules state that all communication has to be public, so I know this wasn't intentional. However, I still had to deal with Brillo's zerg forces and Mecha's protoss armies intentions of removing me from the game, at my expansion no less (which was the most defended). My first reaction was the natural one…
'Not another fucking double team.'
I was hoping to get the sympathy vote, but it didn't work initially. I surveyed the problem. I had 4 wraiths, a BC, turrets, 3 bunkers full of marines, tanks, and 2 goliaths with upgraded range. My dilemma consisted of numerous guardians, hydras, and overlord support attacking in the northwest corner of my expansion, while the protoss forces had carriers, dragoons, and templar. The zerg came first, and therefore, my solution was logical. The guardians posed the biggest threat to my defeat, so I lifted up my CC. Two tanks took on the hydras, the zerg pests couldn't do much because of the wall-in, and my wraiths attacked the guardians. My goliaths targeted carriers, and the one tank in the southern area of the defense beat down protoss land forces. I noticed I had a science vessel not doing anything. I order it to remove the zerg problem, and an irradiate did just that, but it wasn't enough.
With the ease of a 18-wheeler trying to take a 90-degree corner at speed of 50 mph, I turned my attention to the protoss problem. I was still in full panic mode, but I was still coherent enough to force my air force to ignore the 6 guardians destroying my expansion, which was remained of the zerg attack force, and attack the protoss threat. For reasons I cannot fathom, although I could probably guess a skirmish with Munk, Mecha pulled off. With my forces free, I easily ended the zerg attack.
Late Game
With the scare over, I began to rebuild my expansion town, if only to rebuild my confidence. BriLLo impaled the remaining forces that he had against my semi-rebuilt expansion defenses, which did nothing other than increase my kill total.
I was growing impatient. By now, my BC special upgrades were completed and I had cloaking for wraiths (for all it would do against protoss). My infantry was 1/1, my vehicles 1/1, and my air was 2/2. I was now at the phase of the game where I had to do something, otherwise it would be the feared protoss against protoss conflict. I needed to do something that would make my enemies cringe.
I took an empty dropship, and flew it over Mecha's base to gain valuable recon. One can argue that comsat would have worked better, but I had something better in mind. The recon I gained from my dropship was invaluable. The path my dropship had taken showed a few cannons for defense, but nothing to stop a full-scale attack. At this point, my capital ship force numbered eleven, with three more being built. I had a few token wraiths to absorb fire/get free hits while cloaked. I grouped nine BCs together, and began to plod on over to Mecha's base. I entered the airspace above his main town, ignoring cannon fire. Six battlecruisers began to charge their yamato cannons. The other three began to do some structural remodeling on the nexus at Mecha's main.
In order to appreciate what happened next, one had to be observing the game. As Maelstrom said, 'one quarter of the map was completely wiped out.' Translation: I got one nexus of Mecha's, thus eliminating him from the game. I think really, destruction of that quality can only be appreciated by a terran who plays with nukes a lot.
Now, I had shown my hand. Even though Munk had no idea what I had done, the sudden 'MechaLunaR was eliminated.' message on the screen followed by the customary 'Shit' from Mecha forced Munk out of his shell, and into attack mode. For precautionary measures, I lifted all my CCs, and relocated them in the northeast. If he was going to get me, he was going to have a long journey. :)
To paraphrase Maelstrom: The race was on. Instead of having an epic battle between carriers and battlecruisers, Munk and Ander's air forces missed each other in transit by about a screen's worth.
I was the first to reach an expansion of Munk's in the southwest (where I had previously engaged a running Uber). There were not many cannons defending this nexus either. I charged what BC's cannons could be charged, and those that couldn't attacked the nexus with their regular lasers. As Munk's carriers reached my lands, my BCs finished off his nexus. Protoss warriors committed mass suicide, and buildings disappeared from the land, as Munk was defeated. All that was left was to mop up the zerg. I chose the path of most points, destroying all enemy buildings that I could before attacking any zerg hatchery.
With my enemies defeated, I let out my trademark battlecry:
'AWOOGA! ™® (©1999 DHL Inc.)'
Final Thoughts
--In FFAs, skill has some stake in the outcome, but I tend to think luck plays an important role. However, like any 1v1 or 2v2s, the good players tend to win more than the less-skilled players do.
--Terrans have a slight advantage in Sudden Death, with being able to move their targets out of harm's way.
--Don't be afraid to whine. :) Sometimes sympathy can save you from an attack. Most of the time though, it doesn't. ;)
--To understand the AWOOGA bit, you probably had to be a member of the CSL. Sorry if you don't understand it, but I doubt most people will. :)
Comments are welcomed as always.
AnderKryst
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