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Worker mining micro

Forum Index > Brood War Strategy
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skyglow1
Profile Blog Joined April 2005
New Zealand3962 Posts
October 27 2006 07:04 GMT
#1
I read some time ago about pro gamers who micro their workers so the 4 closest patches are always mined. I remember the example of Nal_ra doing it (mentioned by someone, I can't remember) and I was really interested in this concept because it allows you to get yourself an edge in the opening few minutse. Is there a VOD or FPVOD of an example of this? I couldn't find anything using search (I'm pretty noob at using it so yeah maybe thats why). Many thx for any help
gg_hertzz
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
2152 Posts
Last Edited: 2006-10-27 07:11:04
October 27 2006 07:10 GMT
#2
if you've watched any vods lately, not a single progamer does that. They send a miner to a diff. mineral patch not the 4 closest. Therefore, there are no advantages.
SchOOl_VicTIm
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
Greece2394 Posts
October 27 2006 07:15 GMT
#3
there is defenitely a slight advantage of having the closest mineral patch always mined, and the more you keep doing it the more it will show, but yeah... it's not really gonna give you a big edge, just a couple of seconds maybe tops.
gg_hertzz
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
2152 Posts
October 27 2006 07:18 GMT
#4
On October 27 2006 16:15 SchOOl_VicTIm wrote:
there is defenitely a slight advantage of having the closest mineral patch always mined, and the more you keep doing it the more it will show, but yeah... it's not really gonna give you a big edge, just a couple of seconds maybe tops.


okay okay. It will give you 2 seconds of advantage. Make it count.
Artanis[Xp]
Profile Blog Joined December 2005
Netherlands12968 Posts
October 27 2006 07:28 GMT
#5
Even though personally I'd expect otherwise, I'll have to agree with hertzz. If it differed much, progamers would use it all the time. It's their duty to look over details like this to get an edge.
haduken
Profile Blog Joined April 2003
Australia8267 Posts
October 27 2006 07:31 GMT
#6
its not worth it once the shits starts flying.
Rillanon.au
Knickknack
Profile Joined February 2004
United States1187 Posts
October 27 2006 07:40 GMT
#7
think there was something about that in here but im too lazy too look myself.
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=42690
| www.ArtofProtoss.vze.com |
Haemonculus
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
United States6980 Posts
October 27 2006 07:41 GMT
#8
I see them occasionally "correct" a worker when it starts heading to a crowded area or something, but really in the beginning the only worker micro I see them doing is sending each new scv to an un-used mineral.
I admire your commitment to being *very* oily
skyglow1
Profile Blog Joined April 2005
New Zealand3962 Posts
Last Edited: 2006-10-27 07:44:04
October 27 2006 07:41 GMT
#9
Well is there a single example of it then? The guy I mentioned in my first post said he was showed a vod of Nal_ra controlling his probes...If someone could get the link of that VOD that would be nice.

I don't want to really argue about whether or not its effective/worth it I just want to see it in action. Maybe the picture I have in my head is different to what the guy was tlaking about in that VOD of Nal_Ra.

Knickknack I've read that thread and the file in the original post but its not what I'm looking for T_T
Ketama)Djin(
Profile Joined November 2005
Germany2590 Posts
October 27 2006 07:47 GMT
#10
i saw in the last superfight of boxer vs savior that he himself didnt clone his first 4 scvs but move all of them to one mineralpatch and send the other 3 scvs one by one to other minspatches without using the shift-thingy...
RaiZ
Profile Blog Joined April 2003
2813 Posts
October 27 2006 07:48 GMT
#11
On October 27 2006 16:28 Artanis[Xp] wrote:
Even though personally I'd expect otherwise, I'll have to agree with hertzz. If it differed much, progamers would use it all the time. It's their duty to look over details like this to get an edge.

Don't overestimate too much the progamers either...
If you managed to control your peons perfectly you'd have a pretty good advantage especially in mirror mu with the same bos.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the news pro playing like if it doesn't bother them but the old schools do it.
It'd be more important for z especially because every 50 minerals gained you can directly have a drone. Therefore in the long run it's not negligeable.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. Oscar Wilde
SchOOl_VicTIm
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
Greece2394 Posts
October 27 2006 07:49 GMT
#12
On October 27 2006 16:18 gg_hertzz wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 27 2006 16:15 SchOOl_VicTIm wrote:
there is defenitely a slight advantage of having the closest mineral patch always mined, and the more you keep doing it the more it will show, but yeah... it's not really gonna give you a big edge, just a couple of seconds maybe tops.


okay okay. It will give you 2 seconds of advantage. Make it count.


you must have never seen shit happen for 1 milsec then.. well, i have some. as I said it's not gonna give you big advantage or everything, but it DOES make some slight difference which u can choose to have or not. just don't expect to win you the game or anything of course...
Myrmidon
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
United States9452 Posts
October 27 2006 07:50 GMT
#13
Nah, I'd think this is one of the places where the pros might not be right. Unit micro, macro, strategy, build orders, and maps are all much much more important than slight mining efficiency early in the game. Because the pros can't actually have all the aspects of the game perfect (flawless micro always with perfect timing, etc.), they aren't on a level where a split-second difference is significant.

It should be clear enough that microing the workers to closer patches gives you a slight advantage. Shorter distances means faster minerals. I don't think anyone would argue that Androide CC placement makes no difference at all, and it's the same thing--you have workers taking a longer distance to a mineral patch. But I doubt you could watch the mineral counter at the beginning of a game (and not watch the units on the screen) and tell whether or not a player began using the closest four mineral patches or not,

Anyway, positional mining imbalances make more difference in the long run. Pros play on positionally imbalanced maps. Zergs used to all go extractor trick. Pros did that too, and now they don't really. These are just small issues in the game.
skyglow1
Profile Blog Joined April 2005
New Zealand3962 Posts
Last Edited: 2006-10-27 07:57:32
October 27 2006 07:51 GMT
#14
Yay found the post I was looking for:

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=43722&currentpage=5#83

On September 09 2006 23:16 Manifesto7 wrote:
I remember the first time I ever understood probe micro. I was with Teroru, and we had just smoked a huge amount of pot and beat the original bubble bobble. I had my laptop over and we watched a rA FPVOD. I couldn't believe what I was seeing at the beginning of the game, where he microed every probe to the closest possible mineral patch. It went on for ages, and was just ridiculous to watch. In my mind, he will always be the smartest player ever.


On September 09 2006 23:16 Manifesto7 wrote:
lol. No, I mean when he was mining, he would change the path of each probe so the closest one was ALWAYS being mined. Most people split their workers to the four closest mineral patches and just leave them to mine the same one. He was constantly changing their paths to optimize efficiency.


If I could get a vod like this (or that one) then that would be cool I don't want to discuss whether its effective or not or worth it please...I just want to see this because I'm interested.
TheFoReveRwaR
Profile Blog Joined May 2006
United States10657 Posts
October 27 2006 07:55 GMT
#15
Well it doesn't make a significant difference. I do it because I play bw like I have ocd. I'm a perfectionist. That's pretty much what it comes down to.
Being healthy, it has been said, really consists of having the same disease as everybody else.
ShabZzoY!
Profile Joined July 2004
Great Britain760 Posts
October 27 2006 07:56 GMT
#16
often when I have one more probe than there are mineral patches i often micro that probe to gain maximum efficiency(you must repeatedly swap its mining target). Also if one of my first 4 probes goes to a retarded mineral block such as those on the left on luna i will send it to a better block on the second cycle. Its just about perfectionism, i dont think and significant advantage can be gained from such behaviour.

If this post makes no sense its because ive had some drinks. Maybe ill edit in the morning if i see it
ShabZzoY!
Profile Joined July 2004
Great Britain760 Posts
October 27 2006 07:58 GMT
#17
also, due to the complexities of mining in bw the closest mineral patches dont always mine faster
gg_hertzz
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
2152 Posts
October 27 2006 07:58 GMT
#18
On October 27 2006 16:49 SchOOl_VicTIm wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 27 2006 16:18 gg_hertzz wrote:
On October 27 2006 16:15 SchOOl_VicTIm wrote:
there is defenitely a slight advantage of having the closest mineral patch always mined, and the more you keep doing it the more it will show, but yeah... it's not really gonna give you a big edge, just a couple of seconds maybe tops.


okay okay. It will give you 2 seconds of advantage. Make it count.


you must have never seen shit happen for 1 milsec then.. well, i have some. as I said it's not gonna give you big advantage or everything, but it DOES make some slight difference which u can choose to have or not. just don't expect to win you the game or anything of course...


only in context does that happen. But in the opening minutes, when it's the only likely time that you would even try to micro your workers for that world shattering crucial 2 seconds, it doesn't amount to much. You can try it all you want, but anyone who credits their victory to the first 10 seconds in a normal game is a few rocks shy of national park. Or whatever the metaphor is.
skyglow1
Profile Blog Joined April 2005
New Zealand3962 Posts
October 27 2006 08:06 GMT
#19
I guess we just gonna discuss whether it makes any difference? Maybe Teroru can upload the vod or something T_T
gg_hertzz
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
2152 Posts
October 27 2006 08:08 GMT
#20
guys, it's not that important. The majority of progamers do not do it, and more importantly, the majority of progamers who've won titles don't do it. Therefore, it doesn't matter.
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