"Hell is a very big place. Big enough for me to send his entire army there."
-Heartcutter
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| How low tech units win the game! | | | Author: | | | IP: | XXXX | | Date: | 07/06/99 06:07 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | Starcraft(1) | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 1, Max: 8, Min: 8
Lifetime Rating for Jetal: 8.0000 |  |
This is my first battle report, so hopefully it’ll turn out at least good. I hope that map loads too (yes it’s just a map, not even a real game screenshot sorry!)
I was sitting in NoHunters, with yet another server-split, which meant that very few people were actually visible to me. It was also 2:45 AM where I was so I was pretty tired. –TOOL- came into the channel and asked if anybody would be interested in a FFA Team Melee,
[-HEAVYMETAL-] and I agreed since we figured it might be a fun change of pace. Since this was a FFA Team Melee, each player was allowed to choose two races. We even threw in a comp for fun!
The Contenders
Team 1 : -TOOL- Protoss, Zerg
Team 2 : [-HEAVYMETAL-] Protoss, Terran
Team 3 : Jetal Protoss, Zerg (me)
Team 4 : Computer Protoss
- A map of the battle grounds: Lost Temple
You can see the starting positions on the map above. -TOOL- warped in at the 12:00 position, [-HEAVYMETAL-] landed in the 9:00 spot, the computer came in at the 3:00 main, and my great army (of 2 probes and 2 drones) warped in at the 6:00 main.
In The Beginning
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I started the battle of by announcing that I was likely to get pounded on by the comp, I knew I was too tired to think and I’ve never really handled two races at the same time, as will be evident by my build order. I started my standard 7 pylon build. For some reason I placed the first pylon RIGHT next to my choke ramp (I think I was planning on using the pylon to power cannons there, I only ended up making one cannon with it). When I got enough minerals I placed a gateway right behind it so that the pylon was in between the gateway and the ramp. This is when I see a little orange SCV come wandering around my base, it gets a good look, then probably laughs at what I’m doing and continues on it’s scouting journey. I warp in a forge using the same pylon after it begins to leave.
I escort the SCV out with my first zealot and stop my slow fighter at the opening between my natural expansion and the middle of the map. I figure he won’t be sending another scout over anytime soon so I take the opportunity to start my zerg hatchery at the natural. At the same time I take a look at my base, right around the nexus. DAMN, I don’t have ANYTHING there, so taking a dutiful little probe I make a pylon right next to the nexus (again planning for cannons but instead used it to power a cybernetics core and a gateway, and sometime later one cannon).
As I’m placing another cannon at the ramp I see a message from
-TOOL- to the effect of "DAMNIT STOP ATTACKING ME!!!" Ok, more like "Stop attacking me, leave me alone." I figure that he and
[-HEAVYMETAL-] are duking it out or something. Right then I see orange transport ships flying there way over to the cliff by my expansion. Damnit, nothing to defend with.... ok just make the drones mine as much as possible and pull them out. With this done, the offensive cannons and tanks promptly tear apart most of my zerg base.
I STILL have no idea what the other 3 players are doing as I haven’t scouted lately, hell at that point I didn’t even know where the comp or
-TOOL- was, all I did for scouting was send a zergling out, and it was blown away at [-HEAVYMETAL-]’s expansion.
Somewhere in the Middle
To give you an idea of how far behind I was in EVERYTHING: for my zerg base, I had a sunken and a spawning pool. For my protoss base I had 2 gateways, maybe 6 cannons along the edges to watch for drops, a forge, a cybernetics core, and a citadel of adun. Meanwhile I heard talk of people being attacked MULTIPLE times whereas I only had like 6 zealots and 3 dragoons. -TOOL- had taken the top left island I think as well as his natural, and I believe [-HEAVYMETAL-] had started on the bottom right island and already had his natural defended. The comp no doubt had it’s natural, and as I found out was the one responsible for the multiple attacks on -TOOL-.
I quickly started another hatchery in my main so that I could at least start building zerglings again. I then began another zerg hatchery at the mineral only expansion in front of my base, luckily it was left alone by all players because I had absolutely no defense there.
I was starved for gas right now as [-HEAVYMETAL-] was correct to assume, he mentioned to me later that he figured I was pretty much out of the game after the destruction of my natural. What else could I do? Nothing, all I did was build more zealots and zerglings, a few dragoons.
It’s VERY quiet. Too quiet. I haven’t heard a single transmission or seen any enemy units lately. So being the brave soldier I am, I decide to come to the aid of -TOOL-. I announce that I’m off to attack the computer (in hopes that they will appreciate my attempt and not attack me with me being defenseless). I rally 5 groups of zerglings, 2 groups of zealots and 9 dragoons to the center along with 2 overlords for detection. I brought JUST enough units as I was only left with a few zerglings, 2 dragoons and a zealot or two after finishing off the computer.
On my way out of the base my units die rather quick deaths. Why? I didn’t see that [-HEAVYMETAL-] has cannoned that cliff expansion as well, and the cannons are picking off my guys as they walk out! ARG, oh well, no great loss, only minerals.
Seeing as how my mission was accomplished, I headed back to base to figure out how to take my expansion back, I NEEDED GAS!!! You would not believe how long it took me to save gas for the defilers and overlord transport. I mind controlled the tank sitting on the cliff to get rid of it (death by cannoning). I moved 2 overlords filled with zerglings (yes that’s all I had and felt I need to use) and unloaded them, out of range of the cannons, in the back of the cliff. I dark swarmed in front of the cannons (almost getting my defiler killed) and then began my assault. The zerglings tore down the cannons, losing only one to a few stray shots. I burrowed the rest on the cliff in case of another attempt to cannon me in.
I send another zergling to scout and see what’s happening between the two great powers. The zergling immediately sees a battlecruiser looming overhead right in front of [-HEAVYMETAL-]’s cliff. I’m VERY scared of mass battlecruisers at this time seeing as how I don’t have enough gas yet to get any kind of an effective air defense. (hell, I’m scared of mass anything, I probably wouldn’t be able to stop an full out drone rush <g>) I put up a spire planning for scourge.
After more upgrades (1-1, speed, adrenal glands), I send a lone zergling to see if he can watch more of the battle, centering over at
[-HEAVYMETAL-]’s natural expansion. It seems as if -TOOL- is pushing in for the kill. Mass dragoons, LOTS and LOTS of yellow dragoons (upgraded to 3-3-2), and all plodding towards the heavily defended expansion. I’ll tell you right now, I’ve had the mass dragoon strat used once too many times on me and I STILL don’t know how to stop it effectively, I figure I’m a goner once he’s through with
[-HEAVYMETAL-]’s base.
Nothing for me to do now but build up enough for a final measly retaliation. I train 4 templars, have 3 dark archons, and like 5 groups of zerglings again, and one group each of (2-1-0) zealots and dragoons.
A message of hope shoots through the air "If you want any hope of doing some damage, you’d better attack now". Gee...where’d that come from...heh, who cares, let’s go! I group my units in the middle again and then send them towards a base I recently saw warp in at the mineral only expansion in front of the 3:00 cliff.
I somehow forgot to bring my templars along for the ride, so no psi-storm backup, would’ve been nice to have though. My units raze almost everything BUT the nexus and his backup goons, and geez did he have a lot of dragoons, I’m surprised my attackers lasted as long as they did with so few upgrades. Meanwhile my dark archon has been standing there useless, so I explore some more of the map with it, find a tank at the 12:00 mineral only expansion, MC it (destroyed by a bunker right next to it), then feedback the templar right next to the tank, the dark archon is quickly dispatched, no shields or energy, oh well, 2 for 1 isn’t too bad.
[-HEAVYMETAL-] has now shared vision and allied (I think?) with us as his main has been destroyed, his base in the bottom right is his only base left and with no minerals he can’t do very much. Another commander down, only one guy with super dragoons left versus the other guy (yes, me...) with the lowest of low units to attack with, zerglings and zealots, left to go.
In the End -TOOL- brings his remaining dragoons (more like his spare army) towards my base to begin his final assault on me. I quickly rally my troops (more zerglings and zealots) in front of my mineral only expansion. Remember those templars that got left behind? They pretty much saved my butt here, I killed maybe half of the dragoons with them, and the z&z took care of the rest with units to spare.
I sound the order to attack, that annoying nexus goes down with no minerals left next to it. Another message comes through "OMG, jet you might actually have a chance of winning." "It’s a race for the last expansion, whoever gets it, wins." (I suppose it wasn’t really the last expansion since I still had plenty of minerals left in the bank AND at my natural, but they didn’t know that :)
I quickly look around the map, JUST at the edge of the vision of my burrowed zergling I see a nexus starting to warp in at the mineral only expansion for 9:00. I rush in my remaining groups of zerglings and zealots in to take out the defending dragoons and hopefully that nexus before he gets a chance to use it.
My zerglings get there in time to start the attack with a handful of zealots following closely behind...suddenly...#$%@%... REAVER!!!!!!!! His shuttle drops off one of his last remaining reavers in hopes of saving his nexus. Blood everywhere, thank god for the speed upgrade, the zerglings take it down, then proceed to destroy the nexus.
Game over? Not quite. I see [-HEAVYMETAL-]’s message "Full on ahead!" I’m sitting here scratching my head, wondering what the heck? A huge mass of probes and SCVs come towards the minerals, hoping to steal minerals from underneath my zergling’s noses. His last reaver runs interference for them, successfully for a short while, before my units take it down. Most of the probes die to the vicious attack of the zerglings.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a yellow blip on the mini-map. I check to see what it is, and it’s a flying CC! Hehheh, remember the spire? Well now that I’ve made so many mineral only units, I’ve got tons of gas. Scourge ordered up at all 3 hatches. Only 8 were made in time to intercept the flying CC, but it was enough to get it into the red. As it lands I send my zerglings to finish it off. [-HEAVYMETAL-] decides to lend a hand to -TOOL-, irradiating what he hoped was a leftover probe next to the landed CC, no go though. Instead zergling was hit, zergling died, other zerglings killed probe, then killed CC.
I start my own hatch at the expansion and mine away at the minerals. Then another group of probes and SCVs come in to harvest, this time D-Matrixed by a leftover SV from [-HEAVYMETAL-]. That had me laughing my head off, but I had to admit it was a very good idea. Course they still didn’t stand a chance to my patrolling zerglings.
A last attempt was made by -TOOL- and he tried to fly another CC in, but was unsuccessful again as 12 scourge came in and blew it up in the air. That was the end of it, GG were exchanged and I offered to ally as it was a very fun game (their battles must’ve been a lot better though), we then headed back to NoHunters.
As a note: [-HEAVYMETAL-] later explained to me that he had tried to go hard BCs, but the goons knocked them through the floor. They had many intense battles while I was mining away at my minerals. The decisive battle was when -TOOL- switched tactics IMMEDIATELY after one battle and went hard zealots, these zealots broke right through
[-HEAVYMETAL-]’s defenses and gave -TOOL- the edge he needed.
What I learned you ask?
- Make sure you have some kind of plan when building, I was trying to build too much at once and ended up with too few minerals, etc. to do what I wanted. I ended up in total disarray.
- USE your resources! [-HEAVYMETAL-] and -TOOL- survived through their battles because they were constantly building, I on the other hand only started building my units because I had nothing better to do while waiting for gas. At the end of the game before I finally got that last expansion I had like 1900 minerals and 3800 gas sitting in the bank, whereas they had approximately 47 and 53 minerals left I believe.
- Even the worst situations can be overcome, don’t give up!
- All out BCs will make you or break you (I think [-HEAVYMETAL-] mentioned that afterwards)
- Keep making units if you can, at the end I was constantly building zerglings and sending them up, if I didn’t do that -TOOL-‘s probes and SCVs could’ve easily killed the zerglings I had there and then walked away with their minerals.
- Cracklings rule, but upgraded cracklings are even better (couldn’t help it, didn’t have enough gas till late!)
- Sometimes all you need is a lot of luck :)
Hope you liked my first report! Comments welcome!
(in case that pic doesn't show up, here's the map)
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The Team Positions on Lost Temple
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