"Captain Chobo"
-WilliamWC3
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| The Art Of War, PvT on Lost Temple | | | Author: | | | IP: | CPE00045XXXX | | Date: | 08/13/03 09:08 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 2, Max: 5, Min: 4
Lifetime Rating for Ith_bOw: 4.5000 |   | The Art Of War
Terran Vs. Protoss on The Lost Temple
This report will, unfortunately be image-empty, and word-heavy. I was too intent on the game, and trying to stay alive, while copying with all of the drops and stuff (read on), to even think about taking some screeners. So here we go…
Intro
So here I was, sitting comfortably in my chair, when a thought struck me, and I decided to play some StarCraft, Brood War. I wanted to test out a brand new strategy that I saw being executed in a very amazing replay versus a Zerg, which includes reavers, zealots, and well placed high-templar drops. The Zerg army was devastated, and the blood banks in the local area became a lot richer. With that happy thought in mind, I joined Battle.Net, and made a 1on1 game.
After waiting for a minute or so, a guy under the nickname of Ready[eV] joins. To my dismay, he picked terran, and demanded for me to start the game. Well I was appalled at his lack of manners, but nobody else joined, so I decided to play a PvT game.
Now, my PvT is perhaps one of the worst ever, just because dragoons stun me every game with their stupidity (they’d rather attack turrets which just spin around playfully, then tanks which rain heavy mortar shells, ruining the good soil on Aiur).
Early Game
Anyway, letting the evil man pick terran, we started the game. I ended up on a nicely comfortable 3, while Ready[eV], got 9, not a very comfortable place for a terran, but a nice ramp position for tank support. So I send my probes to do what probes do best… steal local minerals and smuggle them to my Nexus.
Deciding that I would do the standard fast goon build this game, my 7th probe went scouting after it built a pylon. Deciding to check 12 out first, my probe started gliding joyfully up north. It turned out Ready[eV] was not there, so the probe went west, to 9.
When the probe went past 9’s first natural, it spotted an scv tumbling down the ramp, and out to scout 12 (it was going up). After exchanging evil glances, and threatening to take me apart piece by piece, the scv couldn’t deny his orders, and went past me, to 12.
When I got up his ramp, I saw a barracks about ½ done. Cackling evilly, my probe decided to kill the scv that was building the barracks, and slow down his production. However, it couldn’t reach it, and instead turned its frustration on the nearby supply depot. After brining it down to about 350 hit points, an scv was forced to repair it, the barracks were complete, and I saw a marine being trained. Not wanting to lose my probe, I went back down the ramp, to my main.
About halfway back home, I noticed an scv in my base. I was extremely worried, thinking that it might report my mineral smuggling activities to the local authorities, so I started to warp in a dragoon (my cyber being done right about now), and send a probe after the scv to chase it away. The scv did run away, but only to attack my pylon… the probe took the scv down to 5 hit points before it ran away again, this time, down the ramp and out my base. Not worrying about it anymore, I told my new-built goon to attack his home, hoping to kill the depot and run in with supporting dragoons.
When I came to his main however, I was met by 3 angry marines, who didn’t want their buildings dead. The barracks were lifted, and the dragoon died.
Meanwhile, the 5 hp scv that ran away from my base built a remote factory and an e-bay just outside my natural, but below a temple wall, so I couldn’t see. My reinforced goons got chased away by a brand-new tank just fresh out of his factory at home.
Very confused, I withdrew, thinking he was going to drop me. My observatory almost warped in, and I decided to recon his base with an observer before going in.
When my observer was built, I sent it heroically across the map, while using 6 dragoons to kill his supply and run in. Run in I did, and I thought the game might be won by now. After all, all he had were 2 tanks versus 6 dragoons… how wrong I was...
I also decided to expand at 12’s main, since I was scared of the big cliff that hangs below my 1st natural.
His remote factory (of which I knew nothing about) built 4 vultures, and ran into my main, only to encounter a weak 3 zealot, and 1 goon force. Planting mines at my home was very hard for me to stop, seeing as I only built 1 observer, which was resting peacefully after its long journey at 9’s main.
Nevertheless, I lost 2 zealots, but I killed a vulture, all the while kicking at his main. He was sending scvs to kill my dragoons, while using his vultures to kill my probes.
Meanwhile at his home, I managed to kill his add-on just before the siege mode research was complete, and with all of my 5 goons I repelled his scv attack. However, the vultures in my base made a quick job of around 15 probes before I noticed and pulled them away… yet where to pull them? He had horrible economy, I had none, seeing as I pulled about 10 remaining probes away from the mineral line. Luckily enough, my expo at 12’s main was done, so I sent my probes there.
A tank came up at his main, and killed my goons along with the scv support, so I thought all was lost… I killed the vults in my base with 3 goons, so now it was a matter of who can get their economy up faster. He had 400 minerals, I had 70, and so he did have the upper hand at this point.
Mid-Game
Desperate, I sent my goons up to 12, to protect my only source of income, though I was rebuilding the 3’s mineral line workers.
Using his remote factory, he attacks my main (at 3) with a task force of about 6 vults and a tank.
My 4 goons made short work of his vults, even though I lost 3 in the process. The force that was guarding 12 came back, and I killed all of his units at my choke.
This could have been the ending point of the game for Ready[eV] for he did not build anything at home, and I had about 10 goons and 1 lonely zealot, seeing as I can produced quite quickly from 5 gateways. If only I would’ve gone straight for his main… but I spotted a barracks flying to 12, and I knew he couldn’t discover my expo there, so I hung back and killed it.
Getting the zealot speed upgrade now, I wanted to attack his main, but my dragoons got scared of a single mortar from a siege tank that was up on his cliff. Thinking that I should drop him, I started to warp in a robotics support bay.
Deciding to see what he has in his main, I sent an observer in, which almost died to 2 turrets, but emerged heroically with 1 hp.
He attacked my expo at 12 with 4 vults at this point, and I wondered… where does he build them… I held him under siege at his 2nd natural… how did he get out? (I still knew nothing about the remote factory). Recalling my force back, an unlucky mine caught me when I was going up the ramp, killing about 5-6 probes that were running away, along with a zealot. I made quick work of the vults, which, unfortunately spotted my templar archives ( I intended to do a dt drop with the reavers).
He tried to attack me now, with a small force of tanks and vultures, but my force from 12 was sufficient to repel it, while my force from 3 cleaned up the remaining mess.
At this point, my 2 reaver drop that was going for his main spotted his remote factory (finally!) and I killed it… unfortunately, his factory spotted my shuttle, so he was prepared for the drop, which failed abysmally killing nothing but a turret and a tank. He also dropped me at my 12 with 2 tanks, and I was forced to retrieve my probes. Nevertheless, I kept a healthy 120 unit count, intending to attack him soon, and finish the game. He saved his drop from the zealots and dragoons (that weren’t at all happy about him breaking the Protoss Air Space Agreement), and dropped my main at 3, then my new expo which was still warping in at 12’s natural, and finally flew back to 9’s main.
Him, long since out of his minerals at his main base, expanded to his natural some time ago, and was taking his 2nd natural as well. I, wanting to always be rich, (like the greedy Protoss always do), got my 12’s natural working up very quickly, and I decided to take the Southeast island. Trying to maintain a healthy 1000 min/1000gas at all times, (in case I needed to pump from my 7 gateways at once) I built up more probes, and slowly, dragoons with zealots as well.
At about this point in the game, I had a nice, fat, 140 unit count, and I got a bit greedy with minerals, I admit. I expanded to 6’s main.
So, a recap on the bases at this point is in order, I believe. I have 3’s main, 12’s main, 12’s 1st natural running smoothly, and getting the Southeast island, and 6’s main up and running. Ready[eV] has 9’s main, 9’s 1st and 2nd naturals.
He did a 4 vult run in to my base at 12’s main, and killed a bit of probes, but didn’t cause any real damage. Getting tired from all the run-ins, I start to warp in a forge at 12’s main (can you believe I didn’t have a forge before now?), and started to research the ground weapon upgrade.
He attacked my main at 3 now, with a nice force of 12 tanks. My shuttle, which was hovering right in the middle of the map, witnessed everything, so I sent my force at 12 to deal with it. Somehow, he managed to flatten all of it, with 3 tanks remaining, but my backup at 3 dealt with them exceedingly fast.
Trying to get my 6’s main and island expos up working , I pumped probes… and I also spotted a barracks flying gently over my 6 expo … hoo-boy. He was sure to go for it, and my 12, which I had gotten early in the game was running out, and I never took 3’s natural. That left me with only 12’s natural, and the island… not enough for me, the greediest Protoss alive.
Late Game
Sure enough, he sent 12 vultures to deal with the expo, but I sent 12 zealots, and since he forgot to mine the ramp, I emerged victorious with 3 zealots (he had some good micro). I also spotted him expanding at 6’s 2nd natural. His nerve!! I was sure to kill that very soon, but I decided to let him get some scvs there, to feel safe.. then POW, the ole’ goon/z flattening. Still, I sent a task force of about 8 zealots and 8 dragoons to 6’s main, so I can protect it from future attacks.
Now this is where the amazing Protoss flanking (which I’m so proud of) comes in. I have a big force at 12, a big force at 3, and the task force at 6. He attacks my 3 … or I think he tried to, but he got flanked from 12, 6, and 3 at once. Using very smart zealot booms, and goon micro, I went in with 150 UC, came out with, 149, while his was reduced to a measly 96. Having control of the map now, I decided to attack him, and finish the game. He did a co-coordinated attack at my 6’s main expo, and my 12’s natural… those vultures should have helped him live at home, not damage my economy.
I flattened his 2nd natural, with the help of dropping 8 zealots at his tanks that were up on the cliff, and killed the vulture threat, that nevertheless killed my probes at 12’s and 6’s bases, and killed the nexus at 6 too. Getting greedy once again, I took the other island, at the northwest. His 2nd natural was reduced to shreds, and his 1st had no minerals left, so he had no income whatsoever, except… wait for it… 6’s main!!
At this point I am at a sickly 100 UC, but he’s at a…. 40!!! Yeah.. of course I didn’t know that at the time… but the game is mine by all standards at this point.
He drops 12’s main, which is of little value, since it’s long since dry. He also tried to take back 9’s 2nd natural, and he finally got some scvs at 6’s 2nd natural (I think he felt safe when he got the main as well) … of course my observer was still there, and I was going to kill the natural right now. I forced him to lift off his CC, and I pushed back his 2nd natural at 9, so his only income was 6’s main, and it was thoroughly unprotected.
He attacks 12’s natural (he thought it was my only source of income, but I had the southeast island, and was getting the northwest island up as well) with about 12 vults, which killed some probes, but died quickly from my main force.
I attack his main now with a healthy force of about 20 dragoons. He spots my islands, and decides its GG because even if he killed my attack (which he didn’t, about 5 goons still lived), he knew I could rebuild instantly, and so he quit… me never knowing about 6’s main…except when I watched the replay.
Lessons:
-A single dropship with 2 tanks inside can cause some serious damage, even thought it doesn’t look like a lot of force
-Always get a force early on, and protect your expoes with more than gateways and pylons… always get a couple of cannons there to prevent run-in’s, drops, and other annoying stuff.
-Always have an observer or something over every base, so you can find out about expoes and kill them before they become functional, and reap profit. If I’d seen his 6’s main, I would’ve killed it, and the game would be over a lot earlier… then again if he’d seen my 12 at the beginning of the game, I’d probably lose much earlier.
-Ith_bOw
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