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Active: 1590 users

[D] Saving workers from hellions and banelings

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
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zerat00l
Profile Joined April 2010
United States100 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-10-27 11:14:19
October 27 2010 10:02 GMT
#1
I had a thought while watching a GSL match a couple days ago where tasteless make a remark about losing workers to hellions (which applies to banelings as well) that really made me think (it was something along the lines of "imagine how silly we'll feel in the future when everyone micros their workers in different directions instead of just right clicking on a mineral patch to evacuate," though I'm paraphrasing and cannot recall the exact verbiage) This isn't a [G] thread because I don't feel like I have the perfect solution and don't think that I'm in a position to say "thou shalt do this," but I feel like I might have hit on a good idea which if thought about and discussed by the greater minds of teamliquid, might actually go somewhere, you never know.

Well enough with the preamble, here's the meat of my idea, largely inspired by the F1 split:
1. select the workers that are in danger of dying to splash damage and set them to a hotkey.
2. press the s key. this stops mining and makes them all considered idle
3. spam the F1 key as you right click on the minimap around your base. Avoid sending workers to regions only on one side of your nexus/cc/hatch and regions only reachable by going down a ramp, as both of these actions will send several workers along the same path. I think I do at least a fair job of demonstrating this in the attached replay
4. after the harassing units are dealt with, use the hotkey you put the threatened workers on to quickly re-select them and send them back to work.

I'm curious if anyone has tried anything like this, and perhaps has a better way of doing it etc.

For more clarification, here is a replay of me doing it on an empty map.
http://screplays.com/replays/zerat00l/12413

I'm by no means a great player, but I'm hoping this thread might spark some ideas. I'm tired of seeing people zergling-baneling all-in in ZvZ or doing things like right clicking a bunch of workers to a different expo and having them all lit up by a single hellion shot. There has to be a better way. Thoughts on this matter?
ToastieNL
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Netherlands845 Posts
October 27 2010 10:09 GMT
#2
WOW, great idea!!! I completely understand what you ment! Remember, you can also do ctrl + F1 to select all Idle workers, if you mess your hotkey up for instance !
Zerg lategame is imbalanced as shit. Also: "Protoss is really strong recently. Perhaps, it's time for there to be some changes for Terran." -MMA. Even MMA asks for buffs. Srsly Blizzard. Srsly.
zerat00l
Profile Joined April 2010
United States100 Posts
October 27 2010 10:10 GMT
#3
I did not even know about control+F1! even better I guess.
Snowfield
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
1289 Posts
October 27 2010 10:16 GMT
#4
SOunds like a very good way to avoid alot of AoE damage nice trick man
Patriot.dlk
Profile Blog Joined October 2004
Sweden5462 Posts
October 27 2010 10:18 GMT
#5
I like it
lazyo
Profile Joined May 2010
Germany90 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-10-27 10:43:11
October 27 2010 10:42 GMT
#6
I've been experimenting with a much less apm-intensive technique.
The basic idea is to split your workers through their pathfinding. The basic form of that is to select your workers and move them somewhere on the red line (image might not be exact, but you get the idea).
[image loading]
Now half of your workers will move around the left side of your hatch and the other half around the right side. But they will still do so in a kind of line-ish fashion, but at least they started running.
Then, do some cloning or just box-selects of some drones each and send them to different locations each. Right after that you press "return cargo" which will cause half of them to run back to the mineral line.

It's by far not the best way to split, but it's a very learnable technique
johanngrunt
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Hong Kong1555 Posts
October 27 2010 10:46 GMT
#7
Very nice. I've been waiting too long for something like this.

Maybe unrelated, but for banshee harass in mineral line, is it worth it to run probes while sending stalkers to attack the banshee? or just let probes continue mining.
ChickenLips
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
2912 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-10-27 13:03:40
October 27 2010 12:53 GMT
#8
Doing the good old self-quote

ChickenLips September 27 2010 08:30. Posts 582 PM Profile Quote Edit #
I have 'invented' this nifty trick where if you see hellions in your mineral line, you quickly select all of them, hit stop, and then f1+spam click all around your base. This leads to every single harvester going to a seperate spot, giving the hellions pretty much zero clumping up to work with.
Last edit: 2010-09-27 08:30:45


But yeah ... i think its best to relocate half of your workers and then split them up even further because the ass hole hellion dropper will be forced with a situation he has never faced before (based on what your base layour looks like, the amount of drone saturation you have, how many you move away from mining, etc.) basically making it as hard as possible for the prick to maximize the economy damage.
❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ✿
Thunderfist
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
Poland159 Posts
October 27 2010 12:59 GMT
#9
Make attack move on Nexus/HAtchery/CC it makes them surround the building and hard to kill.
...has arrived.
RyanRushia
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States2748 Posts
October 27 2010 12:59 GMT
#10
this is actually a genius idea... i dont come to the strategy forums much because of all the bronze/silver players arguing over 7gate zealot rushes etc... but this sounds legit

i was just debating with some players yseterday how when people get harrassed by hellions they just group them up and ship them off... putting them all into a clump which makes it even more easy for hellions/banes to destroy them

either way im going to be putting this to use immediately... well done zerat00l
I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. | coL.Ryan | www.twitter.com/coL_RyanR
Randomaccount#77123
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States5003 Posts
October 27 2010 13:17 GMT
#11
--- Nuked ---
blitzkrieger
Profile Joined September 2010
United States512 Posts
October 27 2010 14:16 GMT
#12
Getting a good surround on hellions helps tvh. I don't know if this works on everyone and you do risk making a line for them to shoot but probe surround is really great if you can do it. It also gives you time to escape with your other probes and makes sure only 1 probe gets attacked at once. If they go for your mineral line they risk surround. If they run they won't get many probes.

Of course avoid making a line and bring your units to help.

I am not sure about banelings... I would think you could jsut run all your workers and maybe have 2-3 attack since banelings aren't too fast. Might give you time you need to stop them.
Noxie
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States2227 Posts
October 27 2010 15:34 GMT
#13
I dont think its fast enough for banelings... maybe helions.. but if you have a decent amount say 24 on your main. You're saying.. stop your drones. Then f1 and click for each individual drones. So roughly 48 clicks just to spread out your workers to all different areas. and keep in mind.. if you are doing this fast. The exit path around you're hatch, cc, nex may still be in a line to the left or right out of from behind the main.

Its interesting.. but i think splitting packs of groups saves you more times then not.
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