I’ve been having a bit of trouble playing as Terran lately, and I think I just realized a major part of the problem: I don’t build enough production facilities. I’ll be doing fine off one base, but then after I expand, I tend to forget to build extra buildings, especially barracks. Sure, I’ll add a barracks and, depending on the matchup, another factory or two, but obviously that’s not enough to keep using my resources efficiently. I don’t really know why I have this problem, because it’s obvious that you need a lot more production facilities as you expand playing as Terran, but I just tend to forget it, perhaps because I’m so focused on positioning my tanks and securing my expansions with turrets and bunkers, etc.
This match is a prime example of that. I go marine/tank against a Zerg who only occasionally produces banelings, and I even keep constant production running and get a good spread with my tanks. I keep up with my expansions pretty well, too. However, every time we engage, he’s able to quite easily overrun my forces with just speedlings. The reason: I simply don’t have enough units to hold him off. Since my minerals at times got up to 800, I think the reason why is obvious: I got so caught up in positioning my forces that I didn’t create enough buildings to make use of my resources. As a result, I get stomped.
I know this is a pretty dumb thing to have trouble with, especially beyond bronze and silver leagues. I don’t know exactly, but I think my playstyle, or my mindset in general, gravitates more toward unit production than building production. That may be why the race I feel the most comfortable with is Zerg. With Zerg, every new expansion is a new production facility. The other buildings (spawning pools, hydra dens, etc.) are effectually just tech. Protoss is kind of in the middle — you do need more production facilities to keep up with the extra resources from your expansions, but the Protoss units are so costly that you still don’t need as many buildings as a Terran would need at any given point in the game. Obviously I need to try to get into “build buildings” mode when I’m playing as Terran.
Check out the replay with commentary:
Lessons learned:
1. After expanding, build more production facilities! Naturally, doubling the current production facility count seems like a good place to start, but I still have to find the magic number. Needless to say, it's always necessary to have more than 4 barracks off two bases (unless you're doing some mech-heavy build).
I got stuck for a while doing that as Terran. Im a decent diamond now and the trick is to get something to remind you to add more production everytime you expand. I was having trouble then looking back it was clearly not adding enough production. Thats the only problem terran really have as they have no other difficulties likie protoss getting the precise unit composition to deal with you or zerg having to handle larva usage.
I find that doubling is too much, until you have enough SCVs at both bases (i.e nearly saturated, and by that time you might be considering a third, by which time you make even more production.
On May 25 2011 00:14 Cheerio wrote: 800 minerals is no big deal. I have often 1000+ minerals and I was masters in season1. The trick is outplaying your opponent, not outmacroing him.
Wouldn't outmacroing him be the same thing as outplaying him? Also, just because you could get to masters and bank a ton of minerals doesn't mean it's a good thing; it just shows how much of a farce leagues can be sometimes.
On May 25 2011 00:14 Cheerio wrote: 800 minerals is no big deal. I have often 1000+ minerals and I was masters in season1. The trick is outplaying your opponent, not outmacroing him.
outmacroing opponent lets you outplay your opponent more easily. if you don't macro well, you can improve, regardless of league.
On May 24 2011 23:25 Mackin wrote: I got stuck for a while doing that as Terran. Im a decent diamond now and the trick is to get something to remind you to add more production everytime you expand. I was having trouble then looking back it was clearly not adding enough production. Thats the only problem terran really have as they have no other difficulties likie protoss getting the precise unit composition to deal with you or zerg having to handle larva usage.
I find that doubling is too much, until you have enough SCVs at both bases (i.e nearly saturated, and by that time you might be considering a third, by which time you make even more production.
Cool. Glad to hear I'm not the only one that has had this problem. I probably need to think to myself that if I don't know what to do at any certain time, I may need to add prod facilities. I say this because when I play as Terran, after I secure my expansion, I often tend to go into "what now?" mode and don't do much more then get tanks positioned around my base. Of course in the meantime my opponent is free to macro up as much as he likes.
Usually when I'm working on a new build I start at 2 bases first. I start off by picking 1 mineral sink (either marines or hellions) and then complement it with 2 gas units. But I make sure to limit myself to just 2 tech trees in order to make my upgrades more powerful and affordable. So my 2 base build always fits into one of the these categories: MegaRax, MegaFactory, Rax/Factory, or Rax/Starport.
Then I look at my 2 base build and ask myself "okay, what is the quickest and safest way to get from 1 base to here?" The answer becomes my 1 base build.
Then I go back to my 2 base build and ask myself "okay, what is this build's greatest weakness?" Then I add one additional gas unit to shore up that weakness. The result becomes my 3 base build.
Usually when I'm working on a new build I start at 2 bases first. I start off by picking 1 mineral sink (either marines or hellions) and then complement it with 2 gas units. But I make sure to limit myself to just 2 tech trees in order to make my upgrades more powerful and affordable. So my 2 base build always fits into one of the these categories: MegaRax, MegaFactory, Rax/Factory, or Rax/Starport.
Then I look at my 2 base build and ask myself "okay, what is the quickest and safest way to get from 1 base to here?" The answer becomes my 1 base build.
Then I go back to my 2 base build and ask myself "okay, what is this build's greatest weakness?" Then I add one additional gas unit to shore up that weakness. The result becomes my 3 base build.
EPT
