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Active: 2086 users

knowing what to do but can't do it [eapm, macro, ]

Blogs > buickskylark
Post a Reply
buickskylark
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
Canada664 Posts
March 05 2010 21:02 GMT
#1
Ughh..This is the story of my life. I know exactly what the to do in a game, but I can't concentrate enough to do it. For a long time I've been trying to figure out why progamers have such amazing macro abilities, and only recently did I figure out the hows and the whys.

Currently my APM is around 230 and my EAPM is around 125. I know for a fact that I can raise my EAPM to around 150 or 160, but during a game I can't bring myself to do it. It's like I am too lazy, forget, or just don't care.

All I have to do is take every probe that comes out of a nexus and send them to a mineral patch the moment they come out, create another probe immediately, and do this for every nexus that I have. Then I have to create ONE unit every gateway/starport at a time.

Then I have to make sure that I start an upgrade ASAP when the first upgrade is done. I believe I have the APM to do all this but for some reason all this "knowing" goes out the window the moment I put my second nexus down.

In all, there there really aren't that many actions, like 50 actions or something. Even if I'm attacking or something while I'm doing this it all shouldn't come out to more than 150 actions, and yet I cannot be efficient enough. FRIGG. So frustrating to know what to do but just not able to do it.

ruXxar
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Norway5669 Posts
March 05 2010 21:15 GMT
#2
Knowledge is good for things that you have time to think over.
When you are in the heat of battle you can't afford to waste time to think of this.
That's why you need muscle memory.
Practice until it's in your fingers.
"alright guys im claiming my role im actually politician I can manipulate a persons vote during the day phase, used it on clarity last phase and forced him to vote for HF. full role name donald trump, definitely town sided". - EBH
Azrael1111
Profile Joined July 2008
United States550 Posts
March 05 2010 23:01 GMT
#3
Sounds like you built some speed but never built multitasking
Nytefish
Profile Blog Joined December 2007
United Kingdom4282 Posts
March 05 2010 23:36 GMT
#4
It could be lots of little things. When I watch some people playing, I notice that when they want to move a unit somewhere, say an SCV to build a depot, they will select it and mass right click until it reaches the spot, then make the depot. It's recorded as 20 actions in 3 seconds, but most of them were completely useless.

Unless you're bunching mutas, please just click once, go do something else while in the 1-2 seconds it takes the SCV to move there and come back to make the depot, for example. (Or you can build straight from the mineral line but that runs the risk of not having resources at the right time or worker getting stuck stupidly - never mind it was an example anyway).

That's usually what people mean when they talk about multi-tasking.

I remember recording an FPVOD of myself once, it was amazing how slow I was and I noticed all these little moments where I spent way too long doing something small like placing cannons when I should have been starting the next production round.
No I'm never serious.
arb
Profile Blog Joined April 2008
Noobville17921 Posts
March 05 2010 23:51 GMT
#5
On March 06 2010 08:01 Azrael1111 wrote:
Sounds like you built some speed but never built multitasking

Artillery spawned from the forges of Hell
Chef
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
10810 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-03-06 00:13:35
March 06 2010 00:09 GMT
#6
Personally, I don't try very hard in games either. Unless people I know are watching, or there's something important to me on the line I just don't care enough to do my best.

Especially playing strangers on a ladder, I have literally no motivation to do well.

Back when I had someone I played all the time... that is, the same person... I improved a lot all the time because we were always trying to get a leg up on each other, so you know that every little thing you do could win you the game. But again, it's hard to get into that mind set if you will never see the player again, and you don't even really have a clue how good they are.

In other words, necessity is the mother of invention. You won't bother thinking of new ways to improve if you don't have a good reason to.

I also think you're mistaken when you say you know what to do. You know you're supposed to produce units perfectly, and micro perfectly, and never make a mistake, sure, but you don't know how to organize your actions so that you can do it all properly.
LEGEND!! LEGEND!!
Initial_H.C.
Profile Blog Joined September 2008
Canada560 Posts
March 06 2010 01:16 GMT
#7
Erghh I have this kind of a problem too. I always find myself staring at the battles when I should be making more units. I never spam right click to move a unit though, maybe at most twice or three times at the same spot, but other than that my APM is pretty much my EAPM lol.I'm a sad Terran with 120-140apm with 160 peaks T_T.
Cloud
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
Sexico5880 Posts
March 06 2010 01:23 GMT
#8
Hmm yeah, probably focus on learning what you are able to do, like if you can't look at your nexus every 10 seconds, then look every 30-50 seconds and just send those 3-5 probes to mine. I mean, you sound like a relatively low rank player. Having 3 idle probes at a time is not gonna lose you games; however, having every gateway idle and too few bases because you're trying to have 0 idle probes will lose you games.
BlueLaguna on West, msg for game.
StayFrosty
Profile Joined February 2010
Canada743 Posts
March 06 2010 08:02 GMT
#9
I'm in the same boat. All I can say is practice BO's/macro against computer opponents until its innate or find a training partner. Speaking of which, I'm actually looking for someone to play against constantly to try out new things. Hit me up here or on Iccup (StayFr0sty)

good luck
Divinek
Profile Blog Joined November 2006
Canada4045 Posts
March 06 2010 08:35 GMT
#10
On March 06 2010 08:36 Nytefish wrote:
It could be lots of little things. When I watch some people playing, I notice that when they want to move a unit somewhere, say an SCV to build a depot, they will select it and mass right click until it reaches the spot, then make the depot. It's recorded as 20 actions in 3 seconds, but most of them were completely useless.

Unless you're bunching mutas, please just click once, go do something else while in the 1-2 seconds it takes the SCV to move there and come back to make the depot, for example. (Or you can build straight from the mineral line but that runs the risk of not having resources at the right time or worker getting stuck stupidly - never mind it was an example anyway).

That's usually what people mean when they talk about multi-tasking.

I remember recording an FPVOD of myself once, it was amazing how slow I was and I noticed all these little moments where I spent way too long doing something small like placing cannons when I should have been starting the next production round.


this is probably more than accurate for alot of people. There is so much wasted time people don't notice when they could be doing other things. You should rarely be watching something when you're not issuing a command

That and it does indeed take practice to build multi tasking just like those super high apms.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Oh goodness me, FOX tv where do you get your sight? Can't you keep track, the puck is black. That's why the ice is white.
leejas
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
United States440 Posts
March 06 2010 09:20 GMT
#11
Hotkey your upgrade buildings and check that constantly. It helps a lot!
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