i've noticed many gosu's on VOD's no matter match up place there supply where the SCV spawns, is there a reason for that? does it like make the SCV jump forewards, so like less time to travel to minerals? t.t

BlackStar

Netherlands3029 Posts

January 04 2008 20:54 GMT

It's close by and a marine can pass in between but a zealot can't?

Chill

Calgary25981 Posts

January 04 2008 21:04 GMT

I'd imagine they would place it there to fix workers' cargo routes. Jumping your SCV forward a few pixels is not worth anything.

XuoriG

Canada165 Posts

January 04 2008 21:19 GMT

or just because its the fastest way ? so you got 100min and not 116min when you build your supply ?

XCetron

5226 Posts

January 04 2008 21:22 GMT

habits? I place my buildings certain ways too.

zobz

Canada2175 Posts

January 04 2008 21:35 GMT

I don't see how it makes sense to say it's pointless to make your scv pop out "a few pixels" closer to the minerals but pointful to correct the mining route of one or two scvs by probably a fairly slight incriment. I think depending on which side of your cc the minerals are on the supply makes your scv pop out like in the middle of the cc rather than at the opposite side of the minerals, which is fairly significant when it effects every scv you make after 9. Alot of their scvs probably won't get sent to mine right away anyway but at their level i think alot of them are.

ShaLLoW[baY]

Canada12499 Posts

January 04 2008 21:39 GMT

It's probably just a habit like XCetron said

Jonoman92

United States9104 Posts

January 04 2008 21:42 GMT

If they aren't going to wall they want to lose the minimum amount of mining time possible so the scv can get back to mining after it is finished or go on to build the barracks. Therefore, they might as well make the depot as close as possible It might also push the scv's spawning point forward a little, and possibly change mining path although in the picture you posted I don't' think it would.

ii.blitzkrieg

Canada1122 Posts

January 04 2008 21:43 GMT

Often placing it there when the minerals are on the right of the cc makes your scv pop out closer to the minerals and corrects mining routes from the bottom minerals at the same time. Placing it in the position of the op's pic corrects mining time but doesn't make the scv pop any closer. Depends on map/position on how well it works obviously.

Chill

Calgary25981 Posts

January 04 2008 22:09 GMT

#10

On January 05 2008 06:35 zobz wrote:
I don't see how it makes sense to say it's pointless to make your scv pop out "a few pixels" closer to the minerals but pointful to correct the mining route of one or two scvs by probably a fairly slight incriment. I think depending on which side of your cc the minerals are on the supply makes your scv pop out like in the middle of the cc rather than at the opposite side of the minerals, which is fairly significant when it effects every scv you make after 9. Alot of their scvs probably won't get sent to mine right away anyway but at their level i think alot of them are.

Because mining is passive and continuous throughout the entire game, so it can add up to a difference. Getting your workers to the first mineral patch 3 pixels quicker when they are saturated anyways makes no difference.

Do you see now?

chrusher97

Canada811 Posts

January 04 2008 22:50 GMT

#11

its just because its close and you dont have to wait for the scv to walk over to the building spot far away. Also, if you get zergling or zealot rushed and have to keep your marines in your scv line, your much more likely to lose the depot if its built farther from your CC.

skyglow1

New Zealand3962 Posts

January 04 2008 23:12 GMT

#12

I'm 90% sure it's so the scv can pop out closer to the minerals, which when coupled with manual control of your workers to the correct mineral patches, can speed up your build order by a few seconds (which can be critical).

Hypnosis

United States2061 Posts

January 04 2008 23:14 GMT

#13

for that depot think of a barracks right below it, it would stop a zealot rush in its tracks because a marine can fit but a zealot cant. it also makes the scvs return faster to mine once done building the depot. it is a number of pro things, small as they are, that make these people better than YOU.

Chill

Calgary25981 Posts

January 04 2008 23:15 GMT

#14

On January 05 2008 08:12 skyglow1 wrote:
I'm 90% sure it's so the scv can pop out closer to the minerals, which when coupled with manual control of your workers to the correct mineral patches, can speed up your build order by a few seconds (which can be critical).

If it was about SCV popping, it would be a matrix left.

homeless_guy

United States321 Posts

January 04 2008 23:19 GMT

#15

i have never quite understood how it corrects the mining path. can someone plz explain this to me?

skyglow1

New Zealand3962 Posts

January 04 2008 23:27 GMT

#16

On January 05 2008 08:15 Chill wrote:

Show nested quote +

If it was about SCV popping, it would be a matrix left.

Hmm you sure it wouldn't pop up on the right side of the supply if you put it 1 matrix to the left?

On January 05 2008 08:19 homeless_guy wrote:
i have never quite understood how it corrects the mining path. can someone plz explain this to me?

Sometimes the workers that are mining from the lower patches will not return their minerals to the closest point on the CC. Instead, they'll travel more to the right before returning their minerals, so the point at which they return their minerals is something like bottom center of the CC. If you put the supply there, the scvs are forced to return their minerals at the bottom left corner of the CC, which reduces the distance the scv travel when mining.

LosingID8

CA10828 Posts

January 04 2008 23:28 GMT

#17

when the mineral patch is on the right side it's advantageous to have your first supply below the command center on the left side, so that way the scv's pop out on the right side immediately.

Chill

Calgary25981 Posts

January 04 2008 23:39 GMT

#18

On January 05 2008 08:27 skyglow1 wrote:

Show nested quote +

Hmm you sure it wouldn't pop up on the right side of the supply if you put it 1 matrix to the left?

My understanding is that StarCraft has a point it wants to create a unit (I think it's typically bottom left but I could be wrong) and if that's blocked it rotates around counter-clockwise until there's an opening and places the unit there. I don't think there's a "buffer zone" where it checks if there is an opening closer to the clockwise side than counter-clockwise. So I don't think it's possible to force units to be created farther left unless you block off everything else.

This can be seen in UMS maps where Terran has no building time - the first SCV pops out bottom left, and then they continue around to the right. At no point does one suddenly come out at the left.

Of course I could be wrong, I'm not at home to test this out.

Zherak

Norway256 Posts

January 04 2008 23:54 GMT

#19

It normally pops bottom left, the left edge of the CC and SCV lining up. If blocked, it will pop in first available spot, searching counterclockwise. This popping system is the same for all units, and its very practical to know when trapping about-to-pop Vultures when Zealot rushing.

With minerals on the right hand side of your CC, lining up the left edges of a building and the CC will make the SCV spawn closer to the minerals. The benefit is not quite as insignificant as it might seem, because workers path really weird. Acceleration seems a lot better, and it is a bit easier to time it so the worker reaches its patch just as it becomes available.

With minerals on the left hand side, it is not really possible to make the SCVs spawn any closer without walling all the way around the CC.
EDIT: It is possible to fix spawning with minerals over the CC, but difficult and hardly worth it.

This can also be done with Protoss, most easily with the CCore. This doesn't make sense for Zerg, obviously.

Somebody would have to run test games to measure the actual significance.

NOTE: The SS in the OP: That supply depot will not affect SCV spawning. Actually, if an SCV is returning minerals just as a new SCV is spawning, it forces the new SCV to spawn on the right side of the CC, above the SD. If this SD was moved t the left, SCVs would always spawn on the right hand side of the CC.