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Blogs > n.DieJokes
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n.DieJokes
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
United States3443 Posts
February 17 2009 22:42 GMT
#1
So I've been playing 1v1 for about 3 months, played maybe 75 games in that stretch. Why is my apm the same? My mechanics are much better (still shit though) as is my macro and micro (see mechanics), but my apm is still 130... Whats wrong with me? I never really thought about my apm but I've reached a point where theres enough happening in the game that I can't keep up. How have other people worked there apm up, I know there have been like a thousand threads on this but I'm looking more for success stories than anything. Is this like a willpower thing; I just have to force my self to hit keys?

***
MyLove + Your Love= Supa Love
arb
Profile Blog Joined April 2008
Noobville17921 Posts
February 17 2009 22:45 GMT
#2
You arent doing enough? You arent spamming enough?
Artillery spawned from the forges of Hell
PianoMan
Profile Blog Joined September 2008
Pakistan54 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-02-17 22:50:52
February 17 2009 22:48 GMT
#3
APM comes with time and experience. You can artificially increase it by just spamming hotkeys and clicks, but this will not truly improve your playing ability. 130 APM for 75 1v1s is actually extremely good. Personally, my average APM (over many games) gradually improves as I get better and more used to playing, for example after I took some time off.

If you truly care about APM then download an APM-live style program and just practice keeping your APM high (you will initially play worse since you're more focused on keeping your APM 200+ or whatever your target is). Over time you'll get more used to it and return more to your normal skill level. The question is whether you're truly better at that stage, or whether your APM is artificial APM which does not increase skill.

For me, I think it's better to just play the game, and as you improve your APM will increase as you learn to react to things with less time thinking. The game becomes more automatic--you see, you react without thinking and without delay, almost like a reflex. This will lead to your APM also increasing.

Some races/matchups also demand higher APM (such as, Protoss can typically be played more effectively at a lower APM than other races).

P i a n o M a n
Az the Donkey
ruXxar
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Norway5669 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-02-17 22:53:20
February 17 2009 22:50 GMT
#4
It's either :

Your thoughts are too slow : Start thinking faster.(Build order should be subconcious).

Your mouse precision is bad : Practice accuracy and fine-tune your mouse sensitivity.

EDIT : mechanics mechanics mechanics. or as Daniel Lee would say : MASTER THE BASICS!
"alright guys im claiming my role im actually politician I can manipulate a persons vote during the day phase, used it on clarity last phase and forced him to vote for HF. full role name donald trump, definitely town sided". - EBH
TrainReq
Profile Joined January 2009
Canada113 Posts
February 17 2009 22:51 GMT
#5
Well if you don't already, use all the unit keybinds, and make sure you are using an efficient ctrl group set up. For example, for zerg, I've been told that 1-4 as units and 5-0 as hatcheries is the most efficient in that it allows for easy access to your production facilities as well as having units on hand when needed.

Also, if you don't already, implement space bar into your play. That alone has made me catch things a LOT faster.
Don't put your fingers where you wouldn't put your dick.
PianoMan
Profile Blog Joined September 2008
Pakistan54 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-02-17 22:56:38
February 17 2009 22:55 GMT
#6
On February 18 2009 07:51 TrainReq wrote:
Well if you don't already, use all the unit keybinds, and make sure you are using an efficient ctrl group set up. For example, for zerg, I've been told that 1-4 as units and 5-0 as hatcheries is the most efficient in that it allows for easy access to your production facilities as well as having units on hand when needed.

Also, if you don't already, implement space bar into your play. That alone has made me catch things a LOT faster.


Spacebar does not get recorded in replay ==> it does not increase APM.
Although it is definitely helpful, it can be misleading in action-packed games due to something else happening that causes a minimap ping right before you hit spacebar, thus taking you somewhere else.
Ultimately, APM is simply a number--what matters much more is your effective APM (and I don't mean EAPM from BWChart of VAPM from bwRepInfo--just the abstract concept of how much you are doing). Many 300 APM players who are not great are simply mashing hotkeys, and you shouldn't aspire to be like them.

P i a n o M a n
Az the Donkey
Sanity.
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
United States704 Posts
February 17 2009 23:04 GMT
#7
dont worry about it it will go up. going up from like C- to C+ a few seasons ago my apm was always like 150-160ish, even when my rank dramatically changed. however, when i boosted up to B it went up to 200+ pretty much every game, it really came outa nowhere for me so just keep working on your mechanics and youll see a big change.
n.DieJokes
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
United States3443 Posts
February 17 2009 23:05 GMT
#8
>>RuXxar, I think I don't really think into the future, but how do I think faster?
>> What does the spacebar do? I've never heard anyone talk about the space bar...
I use hotkeys but only really for units, I mean if I'm gonna make 4 batchs of zerglings isn't it faster to flip back to the main nat and use the mouse
MyLove + Your Love= Supa Love
CTStalker
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
Canada9720 Posts
February 17 2009 23:12 GMT
#9
tapping the spacebar returns your screen to wherever your last notification came from.

e.g., "moooeeep" (from a probe), hit spacebar and it'll bring you to the nexus the probe just popped out of
By the way, my name is Funk. I am not of your world
ruXxar
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Norway5669 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-02-17 23:31:52
February 17 2009 23:16 GMT
#10
I might've articulated that badly. What I meant is that you should automate macro and build orders so that you do not need to consciously spend your thoughts on them as much.

When your mind is clear you can focus on strategies, and really have a much better awareness of the game, you can think out counters to your opponents build orders, have map awareness/control,
and basically not be stuck thinking damn, what should I build next.

There is no shortcuts here, to automate the build orders you need to practice them over and over and over...

That's why koreans are such macro monsters with their 10 hours of practice per day.

Don't forget to watch VODs from programers/Read strategies so you know by heart what you should do in every situation. How should I respond if my enemy went with this build as opposed to this build? What unit combination should my army consist of if my enemy has/will most probably build those units?

When you reach that deep understanding of the game, you try to optimize everything, so that it becomes streamlined nonstop actions, where your hands basically never rests, and you never pause to think of what to do next, your strategy should already be thought out beforehand, or changed on the fly based on what information you gather from your enemy, but you CANNOT afford to waste seconds thinking what to do next.

As you progress in skill you thoughts will switch from macro to strategy.

EDIT : Disclaimer: This is all theorycrafting. I have almost no experience with playing Starcraft competively, but this is what I imagine happens to programers.
"alright guys im claiming my role im actually politician I can manipulate a persons vote during the day phase, used it on clarity last phase and forced him to vote for HF. full role name donald trump, definitely town sided". - EBH
Racenilatr
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
United States2756 Posts
February 17 2009 23:19 GMT
#11
You want to be able to think "pylon here" and have a pylon built there with no extra though to it. Make your keyboard hand an extension of your brain
JWD
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
United States12607 Posts
February 17 2009 23:34 GMT
#12
✌
liger13
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States1060 Posts
February 17 2009 23:48 GMT
#13
definetely grab the apm live plugin, and force yourself to play faster and faster...
I feel like pwning noobs
ZZangDreamjOy
Profile Blog Joined June 2006
Canada959 Posts
February 18 2009 00:10 GMT
#14
Don't even worry about it.
My apm has always been low, but I've always been atleast decent.
Back in PGT, I reached B with only 120 apm.
Nowadays I play with 150-180 and am currently B rank iCCup, going for B+.

In other words, apm doesn't dictate how good you become.
Apm comes when you become good.
HitEmUp
3clipse
Profile Blog Joined September 2008
Canada2555 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-02-18 00:12:03
February 18 2009 00:11 GMT
#15
I've stopped worrying about my apm. It's still not very high (around 150), but it's not like I'm losing games because I don't have enough actions per minute. I work out why I lose each game (bad scouting, bad macro, bad micro) and once I improve the faulty aspect my apm increses slightly anyway. I've certianly gotten much, much better than I was a year ago and yet my apm isn't much higher. This doesn't really bother me. Some people get their apm almost soley through spam anyway.

I'd recommend just forcing yourself to use more hotkeys than you feel comfortable with (it'll become natural eventually and then you can push the evelope further) and repeat common build orders/stretegies/micro until your brain does them automatically. Now that I think about it, that's probably why my apm isn't very high- I have a very deep knowledge of the game but I don't play consistently enough to gain muscle memory of many common actions.
Divinek
Profile Blog Joined November 2006
Canada4045 Posts
February 18 2009 00:26 GMT
#16
omg you've been playing for 3 months and you don't have 300 apm1/!? Just like getting faster at anything it just takes time, but you do need to focus a conscious effort on getting faster.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Oh goodness me, FOX tv where do you get your sight? Can't you keep track, the puck is black. That's why the ice is white.
GHOSTCLAW
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States17042 Posts
February 18 2009 00:36 GMT
#17
On February 18 2009 09:10 ZZangDreamjOy wrote:
Don't even worry about it.
My apm has always been low, but I've always been atleast decent.
Back in PGT, I reached B with only 120 apm.
Nowadays I play with 150-180 and am currently B rank iCCup, going for B+.

In other words, apm doesn't dictate how good you become.
Apm comes when you become good.


wow, you and oystin both. I'm impressed.
PhotographerLiquipedia. Drop me a pm if you've got questions/need help.
3clipse
Profile Blog Joined September 2008
Canada2555 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-02-18 00:43:47
February 18 2009 00:43 GMT
#18
On February 18 2009 07:42 n.DieJokes wrote:
So I've been playing 1v1 for about 3 months, played maybe 75 games in that stretch.

And oh yeah.... you've hardly been playing for any time at all. 130 apm is quite fast for being so new. Don't even worry about it until you have 500 games under your belt.
FaCE_1
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
Canada6172 Posts
February 18 2009 00:48 GMT
#19
do ctrl + 1 on your base and then hold 1
your apm will go high
n_n
rredtooth
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
5459 Posts
February 18 2009 01:03 GMT
#20
Check out your EAPM. That would probably have gotten higher and produced tangible results. If you really want it higher, try this: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=56230. As others have said, APM isn't the key to winning (check out 80 apm KwarK) and 2 of the most successful SC players in history (oov and savior) both had "low" apm compared to their peers (heck I have ~250 apm and I'm barely squeeking by at D+).
[formerly sponsored by the artist formerly known as Gene]
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