• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 12:18
CET 17:18
KST 01:18
  • 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
ByuL: The Forgotten Master of ZvT30Behind the Blue - Team Liquid History Book19Clem wins HomeStory Cup 289HomeStory Cup 28 - Info & Preview13Rongyi Cup S3 - Preview & Info8
Community News
2026 KongFu Cup Announcement3BGE Stara Zagora 2026 cancelled11Blizzard Classic Cup - Tastosis announced as captains14Weekly Cups (March 2-8): ByuN overcomes PvT block4GSL CK - New online series18
StarCraft 2
General
Blizzard Classic Cup - Tastosis announced as captains BGE Stara Zagora 2026 cancelled BGE Stara Zagora 2026 announced ByuL: The Forgotten Master of ZvT Terran AddOns placement
Tourneys
RSL Season 4 announced for March-April 2026 KongFu Cup Announcement [GSL CK] Team Maru vs. Team herO StarCraft Evolution League (SC Evo Biweekly) WardiTV Team League Season 10
Strategy
Custom Maps
Publishing has been re-enabled! [Feb 24th 2026] Map Editor closed ?
External Content
The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 516 Specter of Death Mutation # 515 Together Forever Mutation # 514 Ulnar New Year
Brood War
General
BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Are you ready for ASL 21? Hype VIDEO ASL21 General Discussion Gypsy to Korea BW General Discussion
Tourneys
[Megathread] Daily Proleagues [BSL22] Open Qualifiers & Ladder Tours IPSL Spring 2026 is here! ASL Season 21 Qualifiers March 7-8
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Soma's 9 hatch build from ASL Game 2 Fighting Spirit mining rates Zealot bombing is no longer popular?
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Path of Exile Nintendo Switch Thread PC Games Sales Thread No Man's Sky (PS4 and PC)
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion The Story of Wings Gaming
League of Legends
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
Five o'clock TL Mafia Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas Vanilla Mini Mafia TL Mafia Community Thread
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Mexico's Drug War Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread NASA and the Private Sector
Fan Clubs
The IdrA Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion! [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books
Sports
Formula 1 Discussion 2024 - 2026 Football Thread General nutrition recommendations Cricket [SPORT] TL MMA Pick'em Pool 2013
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Laptop capable of using Photoshop Lightroom?
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Money Laundering In Video Ga…
TrAiDoS
Iranian anarchists: organize…
XenOsky
FS++
Kraekkling
Shocked by a laser…
Spydermine0240
Unintentional protectionism…
Uldridge
ASL S21 English Commentary…
namkraft
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1826 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
Netherlands5234 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 Ireland26355 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
PSISTORM Gaming Misc
15:55
FSL Playoffs ST vs PTB
Freeedom14
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft: Brood War
Sea 42836
Jaedong 1225
EffOrt 583
BeSt 418
Nal_rA 171
Dewaltoss 149
Mind 87
[sc1f]eonzerg 51
Backho 37
scan(afreeca) 36
[ Show more ]
Rock 36
ToSsGirL 30
IntoTheRainbow 24
zelot 9
Dota 2
Gorgc5637
qojqva1613
syndereN176
febbydoto14
League of Legends
Rex23
Counter-Strike
fl0m3281
kRYSTAL_21
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor653
Liquid`Hasu360
Trikslyr79
Other Games
singsing2054
B2W.Neo1047
Grubby667
Beastyqt243
crisheroes204
KnowMe140
Fuzer 128
BananaSlamJamma94
Organizations
Dota 2
PGL Dota 2 - Main Stream18337
Other Games
gamesdonequick1178
ComeBackTV 261
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 20 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• StrangeGG 74
• EnkiAlexander 47
• poizon28 45
• Sammyuel 18
• Hinosc 16
• LUISG 14
• IndyKCrew
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• sooper7s
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• Michael_bg 4
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
League of Legends
• Nemesis7284
• Stunt685
• Shiphtur123
Upcoming Events
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
43m
BSL
3h 43m
Sparkling Tuna Cup
17h 43m
RSL Revival
17h 43m
ByuN vs SHIN
Maru vs Krystianer
WardiTV Team League
19h 43m
Patches Events
1d
BSL
1d 3h
Replay Cast
1d 7h
Replay Cast
1d 16h
Wardi Open
1d 19h
[ Show More ]
Monday Night Weeklies
2 days
OSC
2 days
WardiTV Team League
2 days
GSL
3 days
The PondCast
4 days
KCM Race Survival
4 days
WardiTV Team League
4 days
Replay Cast
5 days
KCM Race Survival
5 days
WardiTV Team League
5 days
Korean StarCraft League
6 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2026-03-13
WardiTV Winter 2026
Underdog Cup #3

Ongoing

KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 1
Jeongseon Sooper Cup
BSL Season 22
RSL Revival: Season 4
Nations Cup 2026
ESL Pro League S23 Finals
ESL Pro League S23 Stage 1&2
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
IEM Kraków 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter Qual

Upcoming

CSL Elite League 2026
ASL Season 21
Acropolis #4 - TS6
2026 Changsha Offline CUP
Acropolis #4
IPSL Spring 2026
CSLAN 4
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
HSC XXIX
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
NationLESS Cup
Stake Ranked Episode 2
CS Asia Championships 2026
IEM Atlanta 2026
Asian Champions League 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
CCT Season 3 Global Finals
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 1
BLAST Open 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.