EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/SilverskY/SCIIConceptBanner.jpg)
It's no question that the big battle micro in Starcraft 2 is just not the same. Given, it's not a straight out 1a ranged war like many like to complain, but there are some elements of anticipation, excitement, and grace that just aren't there. This article will attempt to examine this phenomenon, look at it under a microscope, if you will, and explain those little things that just don't play out quite right.
In the Beginning…
In the beginning, when the Marine first donned his helm and suit of armor, when the first Zerglings hatched and slowly crawled across the creep on wobbly legs, when the Zealots were still finding their voice, their anthem, and their battle cry, there were two fundamental pillars of solid play. The first involved the production of these little creatures. The second concerned their control – their fighting prowess. And we saw that the production was good, and separated it from control. And we called the production “macro” and the control we called “micro.”
![[image loading]](/staff/Saracen/UtM/UtM1.jpg)
The hands of God...
The Two Fundamental Pillars
Since the conception of RTS games, management and control have coexisted. While fraught with countless differences, they have long maintained a delicate balance and harmony. But these differences are the key to explaining the unparalleled success of our ancient yet beloved game, Starcraft: Brood War. First, micro is the performance while macro is the preparation. Micro is what the audience sees, the culmination of countless hours of hard work and rehearsal. It’s the flashy explosions that make Starcraft the spectator sport it is today. Macro is that hard work, that behind-the-scenes toil that escapes the casual spectator, but is appreciated by the experts. The casual spectator merely sees the end product, the massive army, perfectly composed, and watches it steamroll the pitiful opposition. But all of the perfectly timed production facilities, scouts, and cut workers are just beyond his grasp. Second, micro is a conversation while macro is talking to yourself. Micro is dynamic – it’s the interaction, the clash, the brawl between two opposing parties. Macro, on the other hand, is static. All you need are a stopwatch, a list of timings, and a computer. That said, much like no one watches you macro by yourself, no one watches you micro against a computer. And, in the end, you would prefer to micro against an opponent instead of a computer as well. It’s the tension, the sweat, and the fighting spirit that make big battles so fun to watch, and to play.
![[image loading]](/staff/Saracen/UtM/UtM2.jpg)
One is the king of micro. The other is the king of macro. And bananas.
A Dynamic Game
Brood War has always been about dynamics. The game has been growing and developing ever since its conception over a decade ago, and even today, the best of the best are taking the game to new and higher levels of perfection. But that doesn't mean that micro has just now hit its stride. Quite the contrary, the Golden Age of micro was at the very dawn of Brood War's long and glorious years.
A word from our wise old moderator Plexa:
+ Show Spoiler +
Micro in SC has always existed and it is not the tricks we exploit in 2010 that define micro in SC. In fact, it wasn't until fast expand builds were popularized that you got the macro style you see today. The point is, micro is not a new invention. It's been something we've discovered from the get-go, not something we learned to gradually exploit over time. Examples:
- Boxer's marine/medic control vs YellOw (and siva)
- Boxer's dropship control vs Protoss
- iloveoov's three-way split avoiding lurker spines
- intotherainbow's reaver usage (in 2001)
- intotherains spell use
- Reach's mudang storming
- Kingdom's probe control
- Julyzergs mutalisk micro (pre-larvae trick)
- Nada's vulture harass
- etc
- Boxer's marine/medic control vs YellOw (and siva)
- Boxer's dropship control vs Protoss
- iloveoov's three-way split avoiding lurker spines
- intotherainbow's reaver usage (in 2001)
- intotherains spell use
- Reach's mudang storming
- Kingdom's probe control
- Julyzergs mutalisk micro (pre-larvae trick)
- Nada's vulture harass
- etc
Indeed, micro is no recent development. But plunging straight into this vast ocean is a daunting task, so let’s shrink down to a smaller scale (or larger scale, if you’re a cartographer), and observe the complex interactions between units themselves. Each army has its own “fighting style.” A lurkerling army can set up a nice defensive position or can go in for the kill with a massive flank. A siege line slowly pushes towards its opponent’s base. And a Protoss ball of death just sort of attack-move rolls along. Similarly, the units and their abilities, themselves, are dynamic. As many people have mentioned before, they are game-changing as well, and, some would say, overpowered. Think about it: a spell that makes your burrowed attackers invincible; a thunderous area of effect spell that kills just about everything; an ability with three charges that can inflict massive damage, for just 75 minerals (plus a solid fighting and harassing unit to boot). As I like to put it, Brood War is a potpourri of imbalances, and the use or abuse of these creates not only the balance of the game, but the skill ceiling as well (think dark swarm versus irradiate). But, much more importantly, they are interactive. Which means they can be feasibly countered by the opponent. And thus, the fast-paced micro battle ensues, the battle the fans are dying to see; the brilliant storms or storm dodges; the timely dark swarms or irradiates; the epic scarabs or nullification of reaver harass. This player-to-player interaction of imbalances gives us the wonderful dynamic that exists in Brood War.
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Can I pull back my vessels before he scourges them before I can irradiate his defiler before he can cast a swarm before I can split my M&M around his lurker field? Good luck.
Dynamics. It’s what makes Brood War tick. Even though the number of viable units in each match up is relatively small (you likely would see the exact same units every game), the amount of outcomes is enormous. The way each unit interacts on the battlefield, the way each player must exploit these units to their fullest potential gives Brood War its immense depth and longevity. It’s not something just anyone can master. It requires smart thinking and quick and accurate hands, everything we admire in a progamer. But it takes the hands of a god to play this game to perfection, and a battle between gods is so damn beautiful to watch.
Riding the Wings of Liberty
Here we are, over a decade later. Our technology is faster, sleeker, more advanced. Likewise, Brood War has upgraded to accommodate the average gamer with respect to graphics and gameplay. You are now immersed in a beautiful, crisp world where units are unquestioningly obedient, their pathing smart and straightforward. “I’m in heaven,” you think as you take a long and refreshing look around.
...or are you?
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Looks so pretty!
Remember those two key components that made Brood War exciting and fun to watch? Unit potential and dynamics. Liquid`Drone's wonderful article "Power Overwhelming" covers what I have shamelessly dubbed “unit potential” quite nicely. Though units in SC2 are generally bigger, tougher, and attack faster and with more damage, there are a few things they have lost in the transition: game-changing spells and strong splash damage. And with this loss, the potential and dynamics of the game has deteriorated as well.
Back in Brood War, you had a nice counter interaction between clearly overpowered spells – irradiate and dark swarm, EMP, stasis field, and recall, psionic storm and, well, storm dodging and mutalisk sniping. Fast forward to SC2 and the emergence of autocasting, and the dynamics and unit potential are changed entirely. First, many spell interactions are no longer possible. Storm dodging is a thing of the past, as a pack of templar can deplete their energy in rapid succession faster than enemy units are physically able to move out of the damage radius. Spells like fungal growth suffer a similar fate. And then there are the new spells. Force field is a prime example of a spell that shuts down dynamics instead of promoting them, because, aside from a high-tech massive unit ramming into them, there is literally no way for an opponent to micro against force field. The success or failure of the battle, then (especially in the early and mid game), depends solely on a single player, and how well he places his force fields, while the other player can only sit back and watch. Compare this to even a terribly underused spell like disruption web, which forced more micro from the opponent, as well as created a positional advantage, and the difference between the two games is clear. And, with spells so much easier to handle, it’s blatantly obvious that a nerf is needed. But with the nerf to spells comes a terrible price – a single spell caster’s unit potential is decreased considerably. Again, look at high templar. No amount of SC2 high templar will ever be able to match the devastation and havoc Jangbi's few could wreak on a tank line. No amount of infestors will change the a game as much as GGplay's defilers did versus Iris. And with the dumbing-down of spell casters, we lose one more important thing: key timing windows. Remember in TvZ when all the Zerg had to do was hold out until a single ability finished before he could turn the entire game around? Remember how nail-bitingly exciting it was to watch those old Savior games where he would stall and stall until the very last second? Or the hydra bust that comes right before storm finishes? Or the siege mode and mines that come out just in time to stop the early Protoss aggression? Such hit-or-miss precision, such tense anticipation is no more.
A similar phenomenon exists with the reduction of splash damage. We have gone from the lurker to the baneling, from the corsair to the phoenix, from the reaver to the immortal and colossus, from the spider mine to the, well, nothing, and from the archon to the pitiful ball of a unit that goes by the same name. In Brood War, splash damage was a double edged sword. It forced micro from both you and your opponent (manually targeting to maximize damage versus splitting your army to minimize damage), but it also exponentially grew in power, such that a critical mass was with ranged splash units existed at surprisingly small numbers. The point? Splashing units in small numbers are great in that they encourage battle dynamics, but a large number of splashing units is hard to balance. So, with SC2, the units lose much of their splashing ability and effectiveness to compensate for easier control and smart AI. And even then, you can still see the tremendous power of splash units en masse. Just take a look at all the “Terran mech imba” threads that clutter the strategy forum. For balance’s sake, there’s no way you could argue against Blizzard’s decision of watering down splash damage. But with that decision, you will no longer bet on how many kills a reaver harass will net, or watch one of the most brilliant timing attacks in Starcraft history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUmb344E7ms
O nostalgia...
O nostalgia...
The sad and simple truth is, with a more sophisticated game engine, we’re getting less gameplay possibilities, not more. This explains why SC2 seems to emphasize army compositions, whereas Brood War emphasizes army control. SC2 is a beautifully designed game, and it’s wonderful to watch. But, in the end, I must echo the sentiments of those old nostalgic forum veterans who restlessly complain about the distant past. “It’s just not the same. The excitement is gone.”
A big thanks to Plexa, heyoka, and Liquid`Nazgul for their invaluable insight and support and to flamewheel and harem for the pictures.
