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This post probably includes a lot of content you have already heard and already know, but I don't really know how else to address the question (if it even is a question and not just a lament).
I've relearned hotkeys for BW, super weird hotkeys for SC2 (the few months I played it) and multiple tunings for guitar... and other physical systems many times. I don't think it is nearly as hard as people say. You simply have to target specific physical motions at the point they are sub-optimal and practice executing them in an optimal way, until you are comfortable applying either your new movement or old one. It's easier to think of it as learning new skills, rather than eliminating old ones. Once the new skills become very comfortable, 'subbing' them in for old skills won't be very hard.
So for example if I wanted to get better at using F-keys for production (one possible example) I would practice the physical motion of macroing with F-keys in a UMS or no-opponent game until it felt like second nature. I would probably do this for ~10 minute sessions, several times over the course of a few days when I could sneak it into my otherwise busy schedule. If this new way of macroing was faster than my old way, I would probably naturally start defaulting to it here and there in actual play assuming I am pushing myself to play at a fast pace. If not, (and I was ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that the new habit was important) I would make a conscious effort to use it, even punishing myself if I catch myself not using it (ie. every time I macro without using appropriate hotkeys, I have to stand up, walk in a circle around my chair, and sit back down... even if it losses me the game).
For some this would not be a way they would want to improve. For me it is, but only because I have seen time and time again that it is incredibly effective and thus the "boring" activity of practice has been associated with the "fun" result of improving, much like how MMORPG's can condition players into associating the "boring" activity of grinding, with the "fun" result of leveling up. Thus my idea of "fun" has been influenced by the efficacy of the activity towards a particular desired end.
Better physical habits can be learned very fast if you target them, otherwise they will change slowly... maybe even taking years. It's up to you whether you want to put time & energy towards it, and considering SC is a recreational activity, I would say it is probably only worth putting in the effort if either the effort itself is fun (likely for the above stated reason), and/or may lead to the game itself becoming more fun for you. Otherwise I would just say F*** it and improve at a slow pace while enjoying the perks of playing a game with an MMR matchmaking system.
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Glad to see you picking the game back up for the fun of it  Since you seem to want the quickest/easiest way to make the game more efficient for yourself, I'd like to suggest a simple thing to remember in-game.
If you already don't have the habit of having rax/fac on hotkey, it might be rather simple (or mega hard, I don't know) to play a couple of games with an F key in mind and don't allow yourself to click to your base, just remember in your head
"F4 means troops"
...
"F4 means troops"
"F3 is where they go"
...
"F4 means troops"
"F3 is where they go"
...
At some point you can tie in the rhythm of troops and scvs, which is rather easy if you don't have to worry about production hotkeys, just your main cc and nat cc, generally. 5 and 6 for me, personally, so it would be:
5s6s F4 [make troops]
double tap 5, make scv mine
double tap 6, make scv mine
F3 for rally or double tap 1 for army
The rest of the game is already muscle memory, might as well build on top of what you don't already have habits for (such as double tapping a factory button to start a round of production.) Nice and simple, F4 makes troops, F3 is where they meet up.
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I'm trying to learn to use Camera hotkeys after 20+ years myself, I have never used them before. Best of luck to you!
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Braavos36402 Posts
i found i was doing the same thing and i think what you need to do is when you play, just focus on one thing and not on winning at all
ie just try to focus on not missing supply depots/pylons/overlords and never letting your nexus/cc go dark. literally fuck everything else, doesn't matter if you lose horribly. once you get that down, to the point of auto-piloting, then move on to doing other stuff.
you're gonna lose, a lot, but its really the only way to improve. you're not gonna get better at everything at once.
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There's no way around it; to learn a skill, you have to practise it and practising takes time. You have to force yourself to use location hotkeys, whether against AI, against a friendly opponent or in a ladder game.
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Puppykiller already hinted it, but i d like to reinforce: Practise specific things in a non stress environment!
like when i practised changed hotkeys in sc2, i would just open up a .txt , throw up a movie or something and just do sequences that i thought made sense. For example Select Raxes build 4 marines 1 mara. Then repeat and repeat and repeat.
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Both in sc2 and in other skills (music, sports) I usually try to make the "old" habit impossible/ineffective. For instance, when I F2'd too much, I just unbound F2 altogether. When I used screen scroll too much, I set it to a really low scroll speed. So every time I apply the "old" habit, I'm confronted with the fact that I should use the "new" habit. Then I play a few games vs AI for a few days, and that's usually enough for the new habit to stick.
(Extreme example: I learned to do left-hand layups in basketball by... breaking my right hand. That wasn't entirely voluntary, though)
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EPT
