EPTA 1 fac 1 port build is where you make 1 factory, and right after the factory is done, a starport with a add on so you can produce drop ships fast.
The goal of this build is to drop fast and harras the protoss, possibly while he still doesn't have any observers and is not present in his base
with his units at the time. There are a few variations of the build, but here i will explain the one i use the most, the 1 fac 1 port fake FD.
Build basics
Now this, like most others, works better on some maps than others, i believe this build should primarily be used on maps with cliffs above their expansions
like Othello and tau cross, or maps with easy access to the protoss expansion like blue storm or destination. It wont be as effective on maps like python where
the Protoss natural expansion cant be dropped as easily.
I will try to explain how to use this build on maps with and without cliffs, i will start with Blue Storm. Blue Storm is a good choice for this build because of several factors, the first is that the rush distances between the players are rather big, this is because of the path finding and the zigzag route the player have to take to get to the enemy base. You should try to wall every time if you can because a zealot rush or a probe running around your base will make this build fail. After you have walled off your entrance with a baracks and a supply depot make a factory, and right after that a starport.
Make marines whenever you can so that by the time your tank comes out, you have 5 of them. As soon as the factory is done build the machine shop ad don, when it is done make one tank and start researching mines. At this point take your force ( 5 marines 1 tank 1 vulture) out of your base, and show them to your enemy, he will usualy have a probe or some goons in front
of your base, make sure he sees your army because that will make him think its a normal FD build. While you are moving out keep making vultures until you have 4 of them, and right after mines start researching vulture speed, your starport should also be done and a control tower should be building, you should try to time everything so the drop ship comes out when you have about 3 vultures
and speed is almost done. Its very important that you dont lose your first army, so be carefull.
On Blue Storm i find it wise to try to move out to the middle of the map, then use a vulture to place 3 mines in the narrow path that runs down the middle of the map, i do this because this way if the protoss has too many goons, and i have to run back to my base, i will have mines to guard my back and slow him down, also 3 mines there can show you if dark templars are coming, and usually even kill one of them, so placing mines here is not only good for defending your first push, but also for crucial scouting, try not to clump them too close together, you want them to be spread out so you can see if the protoss crosses over to your
side of the map. Probe around with your first army as much as you can, but don't lose them, and if you suspect some sort of fast tech, retreat to your base.
![[image loading]](http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/55/scscrnshot072009150333.jpg)
first mines placed in the middle
The drop
Now that you have the drop ship load 4 vultures into it and move to the protoss base, try moving at the edges of the map, and approach the protoss base from the side that is most open.
![[image loading]](http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7889/scscrnshot072009150835.jpg)
move along this path to their base, and shift+click your dropship back home on the same path after the drop.
By the time you get to his base vulture speed will be researched. On Blue Storm, i find it good to drop 3 vultures at the large abandoned part of the base where the chances of their detection during drop will be minimal (take note a good protoss will usually have a pylon here, so just move fast). You drop 3 vultures at that part, and send them to the main probe line to do as much damage as possible (note that if the army from your first push is still in front of his base, it is good to use them and lure the dragoons out of the protoss base, that way your vultures will have a much easier time, and you can place mines next to his gateways).
![[image loading]](http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/1628/scscrnshot072009150015.jpg)
Drop 3 vultures here
![[image loading]](http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/5113/scscrnshot072009150021.jpg)
Mining up the gateways, and the base entrance to prevent goons from returning to base, also sometimes a goon will run into mines at the same time that some probes are passing on their way to the nat, this will ensue great fun
Now that you are in his mineral line, the protoss will run all his probes to his natural expansion, now that 1 vulture that has been left behind in the drop ship comes into play, drop him behind the natural mineral line, this way you will prevent the protoss from mining at both bases (note that if you manage to keep the protoss busy enough in his main base, he sometimes wont notice that one vulture killing probes at his expansion and you can kill a lot of probes).
![[image loading]](http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/3931/scscrnshot072009150023.jpg)
Last vulture goes here.
Home and the second drop.
Back at your home base, you generally expand after you have pushed out with your first push force, your expansion is delayed by the starport and vultures, but will still come reasonably fast. After vulture speed has been researched in your
factory, start researching siege mode, and making another tank (note that keeping your first tank alive will make your second drop much faster). After your drop ship has dropped all of your vultures, send him back to your base (note that you should use shift keys to set it moving on a path along the edge of the map to avoid detection, use shift because that way he will get back to your base safe, and you wont have to control him manually while you are controlling your vultures)
By the time your drop ship comes back home, you should have 2 tanks in your base, the one from the first push, and the one you made, with siege mode almost done, load those two tanks into your dropship and proceed once again to the protoss expansion.
By now most protosses will have killed all of your vultures, but sometimes if their build has later observers, you can place mines and some vultures will survive. At this point its good if at least 1 vulture has survived, because that will keep the protoss busy in his main base, and his goons will be there trying to mop up the last vulture, that is good because those dragoons wont be at the expansion where you will be doing your second drop. Once again drop at the same spot where you dropped your vultures (note that if the protoss indeed put a pylon there, it might be better to drop directly behind his minerals). You are dropping here because you can siege up behind the natural wall, and then send your drop ship (empty) to scout his expansion, you do this because without the drop ship
your tanks wont have vision of the probes they are planing to shoot, this also works to your advantage, because your tanks wont start shooting as soon as they siege up, and once the drop ship approaches, they will start shooting at once, killing a bunch of probes before they can run
(note that you should target the largest clusters of probes for most damage with splash). After you have killed as much probes as possible, un siege and load your tanks back in the drop ship and run back home.
![[image loading]](http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/3769/scscrnshot072009151503.jpg)
Try to drop them a little closer to the cliff than this though
![[image loading]](http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/5881/scscrnshot072009150100.jpg)
You can also drop here
Special note
After you have saved the 2 droped tanks, you can use them to continue flying around the map and harrasing expansions, for instance, if you spot the protoss taking a quick 3rd at his mineral only, you can drop behind the wall there and in the same fashion like when you dropped his natural, use the drop ship to scout and shoot probes, but be careful, dont lose the drop ship for nothing, and if you spot the p moving towards your base you should send those 2 tanks back home, because you wont have too many defenses.
Also, use your first pushing force (1 tanks 5 marines) as much as you can without losing them, if they stay alive you can use them to do even more damage, for instance while you drop him the first time with vultures, you can send your tank to that small passage from his natural to the middle, and siege him there with the marines and cause the protoss even more trouble.
![[image loading]](http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/8236/scscrnshot072009150044.jpg)
Like this, but try to use a marine or a scv to scout inside.
Usually during the time you are dropping and harrasing, you will see if he is going dt's or reavers and can build a ebay/accademy on time, of course you will have to adapt to the protoss, for instance if he went a goon heavy observer build with a later expansion, you wont go and drop the 2nd time, because you will need those tanks for defense at home, with this build you will have almost no defenses early on, because you have to keep to protoss in his own base dealing with your harras. In a normal Blue Storm game, during the harras, i expand again to my mineral only and send about 4 scv to the middle to make a turret line, and i send all my tanks to my middle high ground so i control the center, this is usually done with only 2 factories making only tanks, the reasoning is that by the time the protoss can get you out of his base, and get his economy back on track
you will already have a strong economy and middle control.
Action time line (to clear up possible confusion)
1) push out with tank and marines, use first vulture to mine up narrow path to your base.
2) if you can, stay in front of his base, if too much goons, run back.
3) drop him with vultures, if tank is still in front of base use him to lure goons out.
4) if tank is still alive, use him to siege p nat from that small entrance.
5) tank drop.
6) run tanks away and use them to harras around the map.
during all of this you expand once more and turtle up in the middle of the map with 2 facs.
Some things to keep in mind
Always, and i mean ALWAYS scout that large portion of your base where protosses like to proxy gate
If they proxy reaver, the reaver will come to your base at about the same time you are vult droping, then its up to micro, also you have a port, so make a wraith.
proxy dt will more or less smash this build, unless you can scout or predict it and mine up heavily.
On maps like othello and tau cross it works more or less the same but don't try to expand again from 2 facs, make more, wall off if you can, on tau cross be careful for fast 2 gate range goon builds that can kill you before you even drop.
When you tank drop just drop them on the cliff, also i sometimes, drop just 1 tank on the cliff, then fly into their base and drop the second behind their main mineral line, but that depends on where their units are and how much damage my vultures did. On othello be careful of 4 gate zealot builds that will catch you with your pants down since you wont have enough facts, and you dropped most of your forces.
On destination do it more or less like you would on blue storm, just drop your 2 tanks behind his expansion, behind that cliff that is.
Replays
Here are a few reps of me doing this build with varying degrees of success.
http://www.repdepot.net/replay.php?id=11127
http://www.repdepot.net/replay.php?id=17251
http://www.repdepot.net/replay.php?id=17252
That's more or less it, i hope this guide helps somebody, its not really precise because i don't usually count my scv in this build, like on 15 fac 18 port and stuff like that (maybe i should try
)Keep in mind this is just how i do things, use it if you want, i'm sure better players than me could find a ton of holes in it.
Also, this isn#t my build, its something i have picked up over the years and added my own small touches, i believe this build was first shown to me by my friend Game. Sorry about the watermarks on the screen shots, it was the only program i had for converting pcx to jpg
also, tl net is awesome, i love you all <3
Otherwise, nice guide and I like the details a lot. It seems to be a heavy multi task strategy, so I better try not do it, cuz I am too slow... =O
I'm gonna give it a go.
