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Musings of a Silver Leaguer

Blogs > VisceraEyes
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VisceraEyes
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States21170 Posts
April 14 2012 11:15 GMT
#1
Improving: A Casual Perspective


My name is Ed. I'm what you would probably call a "casual gamer". I love playing video games, even though I suck at them. I'm 30 years old, I'm married and I have a kid - as you can probably imagine I don't have as much time to play video games as I'd like. But, like most anyone who might read this blog, when I do play, I prefer Starcraft 2. I played Starcraft 1 when it was new, and it was about the best thing ever. Now, I was never into the whole competitive scene - in fact, I never played multi-player Starcraft outside of LAN functions I set up with friends. Mostly I played the single-player campaign over and over because I loved the story. But Starcraft has been one of my favorite games for as long as I can remember.

When I got my copy of Starcraft 2 installed, obviously the first thing I did was play the single player Campaign. After finally figuring out how to beat Kerrigan on the All In mission, I decided I'd try my hand at some multi-player. After my first couple of placement matches I soon realized that I was not going to be instantly awesome at the game. I placed into the Bronze League and immediately started to work on what I thought was "improving".

What I was really doing was just playing a lot of games. I won about half of them thanks to Blizzard's matchmaking system, but I could never really feel myself getting better. I was getting better, but not at a tangible rate. Finally I decided to ask Google about it. Google led me to some Youtube videos with some replays, introduced me for the first time to Day[9] and led me here, TeamLiquid. It was in that moment, after I typed "How do I beat a cannon rush?" in Google, that I realized just how clueless I really was.

Finally, with some resources and a community to draw on, I was able to claw my way from the bowels of the Bronze League. But that's pretty much where the improvement stopped. Why? Because I reached my goal! When I earnestly set out to improve, my goal was to get out of Bronze League. When I reached my goal, I stopped caring so much about improving - I quit watching my replays, I didn't play as much, etc. I got into forum Mafia here on Team Liquid and it kidnapped a lot of time that would have otherwise been spent playing Starcraft. Generally speaking, I just stopped wanting to play. But this got me thinking: why? I still love the game. I watch streams of some of my favorite players, I follow NASL and GSL, I recently attended the MLG Winter Championship in Columbus. If I still love the game, why am I no longer as interested in actually playing it?

So I've decided to play again. I've decided to try and improve and set a new goal - By the end of Summer, I want to be out of Silver League. I decided to start this blog and kinda chronicle my journey - because not many casual gamers actually care about improving, and it might be an interesting perspective - and to give me incentive to actually do it. Mostly I intend to use the blog to bitch about games I lost and summarize what I learned playing (I'll probably write one of these whenever I actually sit down and try and play for any kind of stretch.)

When I booted up the game today, I didn't HAVE a league. Season 7 has apparently started, so I had to play a placement match.

It was against a Zerg, my worst match-up by far. When I scouted him, he had no pool down so I went for a Fast Expand build. I'm not sure what happened after that - a couple of times I thought I should maybe scout again - see what's happening, you know. But I never did. I just kept massing zealots and building probes.

By the time I started thinking about a second expansion, the lings poured in. I fought them off handily and immediately started throwing down a third. Now, generally you'd move your army somewhere between your second and third, right? Nah, I tucked it away behind the wall formed by my expansion (I play Toss ) and the instant my third nexus had completed, a swarm of zerglings surrounded it and destroyed it just before my army could reach it.

Great, so I guess I gotta go build that again, right? So I send probie to go build the shit and I start figuring out where I want to go tech-wise. Keep in mind that I still haven't scouted my opponent's base and I still hadn't seen anything but a mess of zerglings. So my answer was, obviously, a Stargate. So I plop down a Stargate or two and get some phoenixes in production when I hear "Minerals Depleted". Man, it's a good thing I just expanded again, right? But when I go to where my third is, my probe had never built the nexus! I wasn't paying attention to him and there were like 3 lings burrowed!

So yeah, scramble for detection and by now my Phoenixes are popping so it's time to go have a look at what's going on.

I regretted it immediately.

It seemed that while I was dicking around with my second expansion, my opponent had taken a third and a fourth! And to make matters worse, he had a MASSIVE ARMY already - had to be maxed out. All Roaches/Hydras. They just melted all of my dudes. But don't worry - he was bombing his record to get demoted, and quit the game just before his obscene army obliterated the last of my buildings.

I was defeated, but this game taught me a very valuable lesson: if you think your opponent might be too quiet, then he probably is. Go find out what he's doing, or attack him or something. Don't just sit in your base. That's not improvement.

Yeah, I was placed back into Silver League. We've got a lot of work ahead of us.

***
if I had to describe his playstyle, it'd be a coked up rabbit with the attention of a goldfish injecting caffeine into himself directly through an IV drip. it's like a reel of random animated shorts where things just blow up randomly
Lysenko
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Iceland2128 Posts
April 14 2012 11:41 GMT
#2
Hey, don't be discouraged! Just figure out one thing that you could do better at a time, and work on that thing, then unravel all the consequences. My projects right now are: making workers as needed after the 10 minute mark, and keeping upgrades going. Unless it's habit or one of those two things, it doesn't get my attention. Progress may be slow, but it's still real.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism
VisceraEyes
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States21170 Posts
April 14 2012 11:49 GMT
#3
Yeah, I've mainly been trying to focus on building workers and keeping my production facilities always going. I lose it somewhere between expansion 2 and 3 - if it goes to late game chances are I'm toast. I have a problem multi-tasking and micromanaging...but yeah, it goes ever forward. Not discouraged, was just hoping to have some motivation to keep improving.

Thx bro!
if I had to describe his playstyle, it'd be a coked up rabbit with the attention of a goldfish injecting caffeine into himself directly through an IV drip. it's like a reel of random animated shorts where things just blow up randomly
Blazinghand *
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States25551 Posts
April 14 2012 11:51 GMT
#4
Dude, manly. Keep up the good work. Add me blazinghand.736
When you stare into the iCCup, the iCCup stares back.
TL+ Member
VisceraEyes
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States21170 Posts
April 14 2012 11:52 GMT
#5
Will do, thx sir.
if I had to describe his playstyle, it'd be a coked up rabbit with the attention of a goldfish injecting caffeine into himself directly through an IV drip. it's like a reel of random animated shorts where things just blow up randomly
ladyumbra
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Canada1699 Posts
April 14 2012 11:53 GMT
#6
I totally get you on that whole " I'm gonna go scout in a minute" thing, nothing kills me more often than thinking about scouting but then not doing it.

I look forward to reading your blog in the future be it actual progress reports or just bitching. Best of luck on your journey ^-^.
felisconcolori
Profile Blog Joined October 2011
United States6168 Posts
April 14 2012 13:01 GMT
#7
Keep at it. I played my first matches for this season yesterday - and I had a dismal start to the season. I started wondering about demotion... (well, that's one way to get out of silver). I went about 1-6 I think, and I quit for the day after I had my win. Mostly protoss killing me (I'm terran; it's not imbalance it's that they were better) and I won my TvT I think because my opponent wasn't being serious. I had some good expands, scouted via scan and tried a two pronged marine bumrush his natural while dropping marauders and tanks in his main. He was massing banshees. -_- But I won because that's all he was doing... massing banshees. Not much else, and he ran his bio forces into my siege tanks. I prepared for banshees, and he kept feeding them to my marines, turrets, and ravens.

ANYWAYS - having a goal is a great motivator, and I understand the lack of time thing. But if you can learn during the time you play, there's always room for improvement. Just keep looking for it!
Yes, I email sponsors... to thank them. Don't post drunk, kids. My king, what has become of you?
virpi
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
Germany3598 Posts
April 14 2012 13:05 GMT
#8
I like your handle - Mars Volta fan?
good luck!
first we make expand, then we defense it.
Dirkzor
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
Denmark1944 Posts
April 14 2012 13:15 GMT
#9
lolollolololol VE is only Silver! =)

You make up for it by being a badass mafia player!

GL with your project VE
"HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU ON TOP AGAIN???? HOW DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS????" -Julmust (also, thats what she said)
SigmaFiE
Profile Blog Joined October 2011
United States333 Posts
April 14 2012 13:46 GMT
#10
I have had a similar experience in terms of my playing, and just yesterday made up my mind to similarly get out of silver by end of summer. If you want a practice partner, hit me up! Odysseus 884 on NA
https://johnemerson.artstation.com/
ziggurat
Profile Joined October 2010
Canada847 Posts
April 14 2012 14:20 GMT
#11
I'm in my 30s, married with a kid as well, so I feel your pain. I've been mostly in platinum although I've made it to diamond twice only to get demoted. I hope someday to be masters but currently I just want to get back to diamond.

Anyway I play zerg so I know how easy zerg is to beat. PM me if you want to play some practice games. And good luck with your goal!
Mementoss
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
Canada2595 Posts
April 14 2012 15:40 GMT
#12
I'll be following this I don't play a lot any more but rank 1 diamond I think I could help you get into gold

Memento.133
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu96xMwFVXw
VisceraEyes
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States21170 Posts
April 14 2012 15:45 GMT
#13
I welcome any and all input. Further blog posts will likely have screenshots or replay links or something. This was just something I came up with after being toyed with in my placement match, so that's why it's lacking in that kind of stuff now.
if I had to describe his playstyle, it'd be a coked up rabbit with the attention of a goldfish injecting caffeine into himself directly through an IV drip. it's like a reel of random animated shorts where things just blow up randomly
VisceraEyes
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States21170 Posts
April 14 2012 15:47 GMT
#14
And ya, Mars Volta rocks. Their new album is kinda weakish, but they're badass ^^
if I had to describe his playstyle, it'd be a coked up rabbit with the attention of a goldfish injecting caffeine into himself directly through an IV drip. it's like a reel of random animated shorts where things just blow up randomly
MistaBlue
Profile Blog Joined February 2012
37 Posts
April 14 2012 15:52 GMT
#15
I feel you're pain, VisceraEyes...I am working, interning and commuting to school SC2 just hasn't been able to fit into the schedule. But you make time to improve when you can and remember: ENJOY yourself! Having fun while exercising your analytical skills is my favorite part about this game.
Boner Amanda
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