• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 16:07
CEST 22:07
KST 05:07
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
Team Liquid Map Contest #22 - The Finalists12[ASL21] Ro16 Preview Pt1: Fresh Flow9[ASL21] Ro24 Preview Pt2: News Flash10[ASL21] Ro24 Preview Pt1: New Chaos0Team Liquid Map Contest #22 - Presented by Monster Energy21
Community News
2026 GSL Season 1 Qualifiers11Maestros of the Game 2 announced32026 GSL Tour plans announced10Weekly Cups (April 6-12): herO doubles, "Villains" prevail1MaNa leaves Team Liquid20
StarCraft 2
General
Weekly Cups (April 6-12): herO doubles, "Villains" prevail MaNa leaves Team Liquid Oliveira Would Have Returned If EWC Continued Team Liquid Map Contest #22 - The Finalists 2026 GSL Tour plans announced
Tourneys
2026 GSL Season 1 Qualifiers Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament Master Swan Open (Global Bronze-Master 2) SEL Doubles (SC Evo Bimonthly) $5,000 WardiTV TLMC tournament - Presented by Monster Energy
Strategy
Custom Maps
[D]RTS in all its shapes and glory <3 [A] Nemrods 1/4 players [M] (2) Frigid Storage
External Content
Mutation # 521 Memorable Boss The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 520 Moving Fees Mutation # 519 Inner Power
Brood War
General
Pros React To: Tulbo in Ro.16 Group A ASL21 General Discussion [BSL22] RO32 Group Stage mca64Launcher - New Version with StarCraft: Remast BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/
Tourneys
Korean KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 2 [ASL21] Ro16 Group B [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [ASL21] Ro16 Group A
Strategy
What's the deal with APM & what's its true value Any training maps people recommend? Fighting Spirit mining rates Muta micro map competition
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread General RTS Discussion Thread Battle Aces/David Kim RTS Megathread Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Starcraft Tabletop Miniature Game
Dota 2
The Story of Wings Gaming Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
G2 just beat GenG in First stand
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Vanilla Mini Mafia Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas TL Mafia Community Thread Five o'clock TL Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine YouTube Thread Canadian Politics Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
The IdrA Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books [Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion!
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread McBoner: A hockey love story Formula 1 Discussion Cricket [SPORT]
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
[G] How to Block Livestream Ads
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Reappraising The Situation T…
TrAiDoS
lurker extra damage testi…
StaticNine
Broowar part 2
qwaykee
Funny Nicknames
LUCKY_NOOB
Iranian anarchists: organize…
XenOsky
ASL S21 English Commentary…
namkraft
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 2011 users

Build Order Notation

Blogs > Navane
Post a Reply
Navane
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Netherlands2751 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-05-04 16:18:43
May 04 2024 16:16 GMT
#1
[image loading]


+ Show Spoiler +

vp- bunker FE vs standard
9 depo
11 rax
12 gas
13 scout (N search)
15 depo(with rax scv)
@88 gas -2 scv
17 factory
22 CC (low ground)+ add on + 1 gas (2 on gas)
23 bunker+1 gas (total 3)
24 depo
27 aca
32 armory @2nd tank
2nd gas @ 2 tanks
38 2x scan asap
2nd factory
+1 when armory done
siege mode after +1 is researching
scan @ first goliath
- 3 gate=not reaver
- 2 gate=cannot rule out reaver
3rd cc
starport @ 50% +1+ebay (~72)
After 4 goliaths->vultures
3rd fact as you start vultures
science facility @ 100% starport+ 2nd armory
Vulture speed after 3rd
save up gas for 9 factories as soon as gas allows
~~ begin building depo 3 at a time, produce 8 vulture, 1 tank constantly)
After 9 factory built->add on+vessel
After vessel->mine upgrade


In the past I have played broodwar with a midi keyboard, the parallels between playing piano and playing broodwar never eluded me. I found a TvP build order, and the regular notation always seemed so clunky, compared to the beauty that is sheet music.

Transcribing build orders into sheet music might only be appreciated by broodwar musicians, not many I suspect. I reuse a lot of concepts form music, as sheet music is also a recipe for actions in time. It concerns with orders of things, simultaneous, sequential. I'm still in the early phase of bending this notation to broodwar, but these are the ideas so far:
  • cc, depot and scv are lower, middle and upper c
  • buildings on the lower staff, a descending triad following the tech tree
    • barracks: a
    • factory: f
    • starport: d
  • units on the upper staff, following their buildings
    • marine (baracks): a
    • vulture (factory): f,
      • tank: e (i thought of making it f-flatto follow the addon?)
      • goliath: g (similarly, f-sharp?)
    • dropship (starport): d
  • addons are flat: b
    • acadamy: b barracks
    • fac addon: b factory
    • port addon: b port
  • upgraders are sharp: #
    • engineering bay: # barracks
    • armory: # factory
    • science facility: # port
  • upgrades are staccato: . (dot)
    • siege (factory addon upgrade): b f-dot
    • +1 attack (factory upgrader (armory) upgrade): # f-dot
  • expression:
    • prerequisites: when "b" is done immediately upon completion of "a", they are connected with slurs: a~~~~b
    • timings are noted where applicable: supply, mineral and gas timings. When timings are let go, they are denoted with a fermata, the little umbrella.
    • domino cascade: things happening almost at the same time, depending on each other, are noted with an arpeggio: the squiggly vertical line.
    • unit timings are a bit off, as it is not prescribed in the original build order.

All these concepts are explained in the partiture the first time they are encountered. Later releases with build orders for professionals will omit these explainers, resulting in a cleaner sheet. Multiple openers can be printed on a single sheet, and the concept can be expanded to all matchups and races.

+ Show Spoiler +

% lilypond code to generate the sheet above
upper = \relative c'' {
\clef treble
\key c \major
\time 4/4
\partial 2 c8^scv c c c |
c c c c c c c c |
c-> c c ces^88 <ces a>-marine ces <ces a> ces |
<c a> c <c! a>^100 c <c e,>-tank( c c c |
<c e,> c c c) c c c c |
c c c c <c g>-goliath c <c g> c |
<c g> c <c g> c <c f,>-"vulture"\arpeggio <c f,> <c f,> <c f,>\fermata \bar "||"
<e, f> f f f f f f f
}

lower = \relative c {
\clef bass
\key c \major
\time 4/4
\partial 2 c2-cc |
r^5 c'4^9-depot a8^11-rax( bes^12-gas |
r4^13 c4^15) f,2^17-fac |
r8 c16^22 fes-"addon" b8^23-bunker c^24 r4 aes^27-"academy"( |
r4 r8 <fis bes>^32-"armory" r2 |
r8 cis16-"scanner"^38) cis f4\fermata \slurHalfSolid fis8-.-"+1"( fes-.-"siege" r4 |
c4 d8-"port")\( ais'-ebay f4\arpeggio dis8-"scifa"\) fis16 fes16-.-"speed"
\tuplet 3/2 {f4^4 f^5 f^6}
\tuplet 3/2 {f4^7 f^8 f^9}
}
\score {
%\remove "Bar_number_engraver"
\new PianoStaff \with { instrumentName = "TvP" }
<<
\set PianoStaff.connectArpeggios = ##t
\new Staff = "upper" \upper
\new Staff = "lower" \lower
>>
\layout { }
\midi { }
}


Let me know what you think. Keep in mind that this is not a serious effort, but it's also a very serious effort.

*****
MegaBuster
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
167 Posts
May 04 2024 17:17 GMT
#2
awesome!

played mezzo-formaggio

I can see an orchestra score for a team game, with a more drum-styled notation for the carrier players of course.
sharkeyanti
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
United States1273 Posts
May 05 2024 18:32 GMT
#3
This is pretty cool! You might want to use tremolo notation over the high C for SCVs to save a bit of visual clutter.

I love the idea of the slurs, which can make it super clear about the function of the build order.

Could add a symbol for scouting maybe?
Hi Mom
Navane
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Netherlands2751 Posts
May 05 2024 21:40 GMT
#4
You get it sharkeyanti, thanks! The 13th scv is the scout; it has an accent. Another thing is taking the SCVs off gas (flat on 88g) and putting them back on (the natural on 100).

I actually like the "visual noise" of the scv building, as it shows you a base rythm to hang the rest of the build on. I was even thinking of going into 16th notes once the second CC is built, and triplets once the third is built. Maybe once the BO leaves the hard supplies, the tremelo can denote "just keep making this".

I have to clean up the supply though, I forgot to count the army in the unit supply, so the BO is quite off in the example above. But the idea still stands of course.

And MegaBuster, it took me a couple of seconds, but I take it you consider this a cheeze opening?
Peeano
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
Netherlands5406 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-05-07 21:27:37
May 07 2024 21:26 GMT
#5
Reading music notation is already hard enough as it is, regardless of that this idea is very cool!
FBH #1!
Navane
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Netherlands2751 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-05-09 20:56:28
May 09 2024 17:17 GMT
#6
[image loading]


I added Flash's goliath builds for TvZ.

The supply should match this time. I used the build orders from LUCKY_NOOB's thread, which include pretty detailed unit production.

+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]


I choose to keep the timing constant, so when you have two command centres, the scv production goes from 8th to 16th notes, and when the third factory kicks in, the goliaths production goes from 2/4 to 3/4. This way the sheet shows where it gets busier, both for building and the unit production.

The accents (>) are the scout timing for scv, or the move out timing for the three vultures.

One little musical trick to ease the sheet on your eyes, is the turrets. Those are actualy 4 64th notes; the extra two flags mean: play this note 4 times in the given time (one flag means, do it twice; two flags means do it twice twice, so four times).

It ends in supply acadamy (into scanners), with tanks, goliaths and scvs.
_fool
Profile Joined February 2011
Netherlands682 Posts
May 12 2024 07:54 GMT
#7
It's stuff like this that puts SC in a league of their own. Absolutely brilliant!
"News is to the mind what sugar is to the body"
sharkeyanti
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
United States1273 Posts
May 14 2024 19:24 GMT
#8
Love the updates, Navane. Very creative!
Hi Mom
AhGaeza
Profile Joined April 2024
1 Post
May 17 2024 18:13 GMT
#9
--- Nuked ---
WombaT
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Northern Ireland26603 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-05-21 17:44:09
May 21 2024 17:43 GMT
#10
This is such a cool idea, I was actually thinking of this particular problem the other day, there’s seemingly no standard universal way of noting BOs.

This is a much more elegant answer than I could come up with! Unfortunately I’m rather rusty on my musical notation, in that ‘I can’t fluently read it but I understand it’ kind of level.

Anyone tried pumping this ‘piece’ into music software to hear what it sounds like yet haha?

'You'll always be the cuddly marsupial of my heart, despite the inherent flaws of your ancestry' - Squat
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 3h 53m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
mouzHeroMarine 585
UpATreeSC 125
ProTech109
elazer 104
CosmosSc2 18
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 19469
Calm 2976
ggaemo 182
Dewaltoss 179
firebathero 121
Soulkey 113
SilentControl 8
Dota 2
ODPixel200
canceldota132
febbydoto17
League of Legends
Reynor35
Counter-Strike
pashabiceps2770
byalli315
Super Smash Bros
PPMD42
Heroes of the Storm
Liquid`Hasu378
Other Games
summit1g7977
tarik_tv4574
FrodaN886
B2W.Neo502
Trikslyr153
C9.Mang0139
mouzStarbuck116
ArmadaUGS89
RotterdaM78
QueenE45
Mew2King34
ZombieGrub19
Organizations
Other Games
BasetradeTV388
Counter-Strike
PGL110
StarCraft 2
angryscii 20
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 23 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• davetesta21
• Reevou 19
• Adnapsc2 12
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• sooper7s
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Migwel
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
StarCraft: Brood War
• blackmanpl 26
• RayReign 24
• HerbMon 22
• Azhi_Dahaki7
• FirePhoenix7
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• WagamamaTV865
League of Legends
• TFBlade1985
Other Games
• imaqtpie856
• Scarra695
• Shiphtur198
Upcoming Events
Replay Cast
3h 53m
Escore
13h 53m
WardiTV Map Contest Tou…
14h 53m
OSC
18h 53m
Big Brain Bouts
19h 53m
MaNa vs goblin
Scarlett vs Spirit
Serral vs herO
Korean StarCraft League
1d 6h
CranKy Ducklings
1d 13h
WardiTV Map Contest Tou…
1d 14h
IPSL
1d 19h
WolFix vs nOmaD
dxtr13 vs Razz
BSL
1d 22h
UltrA vs KwarK
Gosudark vs cavapoo
dxtr13 vs HBO
Doodle vs Razz
[ Show More ]
CranKy Ducklings
2 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
2 days
WardiTV Map Contest Tou…
2 days
Ladder Legends
2 days
BSL
2 days
StRyKeR vs rasowy
Artosis vs Aether
JDConan vs OyAji
Hawk vs izu
IPSL
2 days
JDConan vs TBD
Aegong vs rasowy
Replay Cast
3 days
Wardi Open
3 days
Afreeca Starleague
3 days
Bisu vs Ample
Jaedong vs Flash
Monday Night Weeklies
3 days
RSL Revival
4 days
Afreeca Starleague
4 days
Barracks vs Leta
Royal vs Light
WardiTV Map Contest Tou…
4 days
RSL Revival
5 days
Replay Cast
6 days
The PondCast
6 days
WardiTV Map Contest Tou…
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2026-04-15
RSL Revival: Season 4
NationLESS Cup

Ongoing

BSL Season 22
ASL Season 21
CSL 2026 SPRING (S20)
IPSL Spring 2026
KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 2
StarCraft2 Community Team League 2026 Spring
WardiTV TLMC #16
Nations Cup 2026
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 1
BLAST Open Spring 2026
ESL Pro League S23 Finals
ESL Pro League S23 Stage 1&2
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
IEM Kraków 2026

Upcoming

Escore Tournament S2: W3
Escore Tournament S2: W4
Acropolis #4
BSL 22 Non-Korean Championship
CSLAN 4
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
HSC XXIX
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
2026 GSL S2
RSL Revival: Season 5
2026 GSL S1
XSE Pro League 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 2
CS Asia Championships 2026
IEM Atlanta 2026
Asian Champions League 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.