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[D/H] The end of Supply Depots? - Page 2

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
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dooge
Profile Joined September 2010
Germany31 Posts
December 02 2010 08:45 GMT
#21
'early' thor push with 8 repairing mules ....argl

ShadowIord
Profile Joined August 2010
Spain32 Posts
December 02 2010 08:46 GMT
#22
Well, actually i has a lot of sense, not the part of build 0 supply depots, but the part to buy lots of OC (like 4-8) to keep casting mules and some PF in strategic places could give u enough time to be a beast in mid-late game while harvesting half map. I have to try this.

P.D:



Thats to many mules, but if u can cast 10-15 of them should be enough
Rock n' roll
Lockindal
Profile Joined October 2010
United States73 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-02 09:13:59
December 02 2010 08:47 GMT
#23
dont forget that when you reach a critical mass in OCs you can have unlimited scans and you can makd supply depots that you DID have to make, twice as good xD

i have thought about this but timing attacks would totally rock you since it does cost the same; but you are delayed significantly
EDIT: i think this would work actually, but only for tvz and tvp ofc. just turtle like a champion with the ccs and by the time they have the tech to break the turtle you wont be turtling anymore and will be able to make mass destruction balls
CortoMontez
Profile Joined October 2010
Australia608 Posts
December 02 2010 08:48 GMT
#24
This reminds me of the BM mules used during the iCCup extravaganza on Asteroid Field, where a player used about 10-15 OCs to completely deplete an enemy expansion.
"Creator was doing a really good job trying to win without storm but it was like eating spaghetti with a screwdriver." -Severian
theherder2
Profile Joined September 2010
United States538 Posts
December 02 2010 08:54 GMT
#25
if this did work, it would be better to have a larger map with an untouchable expansion where you can float a OC and just mine it out. like islands on LT or behind the rocks on scrap station. could work on steppes but with a short rush ur bound to get attacked early.
30to1
Profile Joined November 2010
105 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-02 08:59:10
December 02 2010 08:55 GMT
#26
On December 02 2010 17:44 Roban wrote:
This is a really nice idea, but I'm wondering about 1 thing.
How long does it take for an Orbital Command to pay itself back, starting from when you start building the command center, and including the mining time lost by the SCV building it?
I think the 90 seconds you stated with the MULE is a bit misleading.

Still, it might be very worthwhile to start using Orbital commands to build walls. I'm definitely going to try this out when I play Terran some time.


You're right! It is a little misleading.

Total build time including orbital is 155 seconds and it will take 200 seconds to earn 608 minerals + 10 scvs (there is funny math with mule income and constant scv production cost / income). My math is rough, but thats about it.

So yes, there is certainly a strong weakness at around 5 minutes if you rush straight for mass orbital. After this - the returns start to kick in really fast.

EDIT: theoretically you should be a more vulnerable than a zerg FE - but your returns should kick in faster, and you get mules regardless of if you build army. Plus, you can salvage bunkers and PF is ridiculous...
deji
Profile Joined October 2010
Estonia46 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-02 09:04:08
December 02 2010 08:57 GMT
#27
On December 02 2010 17:43 30to1 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 02 2010 17:35 deji wrote:
Well done, sir.

I will have to test this build out on the ladder.

Also, I don't get why you would have to move them around in your base. Just plant them down in the corner with some Sim City placement, you don't actually have to float all of them anywhere, just float one over to an expansion and mule there.


This is still extreme theory. I would try various builds out first to figure out how to make it reasonably survivable first (obviously).

I will also post my best build when I get a little more time to try out more shit - again I think fitting in an engineering bay and PF early on might be a good way (PF is the most cost effective defense in game, especially since your scvs aren't really needed to continue income).


What I thought about, is early game, place two (or four?) CC's at your ramp so you form a tunnel to your base and put marines on the other side. Lings and roaches don't have the range to shoot the marines, but marines should have the range to shoot lings and roaches in the tunnel. Put a bunker at the end of the tunnel. There should be no way he can push in through there.

Then tech to tanks/pull SCVs to repair to stop him from killing the CC's from the ramp where you don't have the range to shoot with marines.

You don't have to expand from your base until it's mined out if you go for a unit mix light on gas and use 24SCVs+mules.
30to1
Profile Joined November 2010
105 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-02 09:03:21
December 02 2010 09:00 GMT
#28
On December 02 2010 17:57 deji wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 02 2010 17:43 30to1 wrote:
On December 02 2010 17:35 deji wrote:
Well done, sir.

I will have to test this build out on the ladder.

Also, I don't get why you would have to move them around in your base. Just plant them down in the corner with some Sim City placement, you don't actually have to float all of them anywhere, just float one over to an expansion and mule there.


This is still extreme theory. I would try various builds out first to figure out how to make it reasonably survivable first (obviously).

I will also post my best build when I get a little more time to try out more shit - again I think fitting in an engineering bay and PF early on might be a good way (PF is the most cost effective defense in game, especially since your scvs aren't really needed to continue income).


What I thought about, is early game, place two (or four?) CC's at your ramp so you form a tunnel to your base and put marines on the other side. Lings and roaches don't have the range to shoot the marines, but marines should have the range to shoot lings and roaches in the tunnel. Put a barracks at the end of the tunnel. There should be no way he can push in through there.

Then tech to tanks/pull SCVs to repair to stop him from killing the CC's from the ramp where you don't have the range to shoot with marines.

You don't have to expand from your base until it's mined out if you go for a unit mix light on gas and use 24SCVs+mules.


I think that you need to expand with the CC on 14, the extra SCV income matter. Further, I mined out my main in under 10 minutes in one build where I didn't expand. Seriously.

EDIT: I think the trick is just walling off the natural instead of main. CCs have a huge footprint, you can cut off a giant area with them and if the natural is threatened, you can just float it... you still build energy while floating so you won't lose mule income.
ledarsi
Profile Joined September 2010
United States475 Posts
December 02 2010 09:06 GMT
#29
This.... is a truly revolutionary idea......

My first reaction is OMG ITS BRILLIANT.

My immediate reaction after that is "but there is absolutely no way...."

Still brilliant, though... My thinking on the matter is it won't work because a command center takes 100 seconds to build, and then a further 35 seconds to morph into an orbital command. You had to bank 400 minerals to even begin this process. So it means your investment of 400 returns nothing for over TWO MINUTES of game time. By contrast, it takes 17 seconds to build an scv and it starts building immediately. So it seems you would need to start the game playing standard in order to be at all competitive. So you get a couple depots to get 30ish workers on 2 bases and then start massing command centers since you have the income to build them in parallel. Very economically focused build, you would need heavy bunkering to not die to a timing push, if it's possible at all.

This style needs a name. Seriously. Orbital style? Eh. Whatever. I'm going to go try this right now.
"First decide who you would be, then do what you must do."
FuRong
Profile Joined April 2010
New Zealand3089 Posts
December 02 2010 09:08 GMT
#30
This is an interesting analysis, but a few problems immediately come to mind:

1) Gas is the scarce resource in SC2, not minerals. Unless you want a 200/200 Marine army, trying to max your mineral income will just leave you with lots of excess minerals stockpiling while you wait for the next 100 gas to come in

2) It takes a long time to build a CC, so you can't possibly keep up with the rate at which you need to add supply. You are going to get supply blocked.

3) Periodically spending 400 minerals on supply is going to mess with your macro. Instead of maintaining constant production while adding depots, there will be long (5-10 second) periods where you are not producing anything while you save up 400 minerals.

I'm interested to see where this line of thinking will end up though. Props to the OP for thinking outside the box, this is the kind of thing we need to see more of in this game imo~
Don't hate the player, hate the game
Caphe
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
Vietnam10817 Posts
December 02 2010 09:17 GMT
#31
Nice analysis, but this will stay on paper and theorycraft only. This will not work in real game.
FuRong sort out some of the reasons.
One more thing to notice though: Beside mineral and gas. Time is also an resource in SC/SC2. Your analysis completely ignore that. You can build CC instead of supply but as you say, the CC will only pay for itself after ~4 mins, and you need to build several CCs. Waste all that time is gonna be brutal.

Terran
deji
Profile Joined October 2010
Estonia46 Posts
December 02 2010 09:19 GMT
#32
1) Gas is the scarce resource in SC2, not minerals.


Not if you mine out every single base on the map in 25 minutes :D

24SCVs + 10 mules should mine around what, 2500 minerals per minute? That would mine out an expansion in like 4-5 minutes.. plus this stuff works exponentially, the more minerals you get, the more you can make CCs, the faster you can mine everything out.
Falaras
Profile Joined October 2010
United States6 Posts
December 02 2010 09:20 GMT
#33
Doesn't sound too viable building a command center for supply considering how long they take to make. This kind of stuff is pretty cool late game though, I've seen games where Drewbie sacs all of his SCVs but a few to gain more supply and builds more orbitals so he can continue mining constantly.
Tossup
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
United States208 Posts
December 02 2010 09:23 GMT
#34
why are you all thinking in terms of early game? Why not play normally early to mid, then after you're going to take a third (presumably gold) start saccing scv's with your main army. This could have enormous potential late game as mules > any normal worker. Also, it frees up supply for your main army. After every engagement, your army can come back just a little bit stronger until you overrun the enemy with 200/200 food of pure army.
Conrose
Profile Joined October 2010
437 Posts
December 02 2010 09:24 GMT
#35
Additionally, your Mules can be dropped to assist your mechanical units on the offense.
junemermaid
Profile Joined September 2006
United States981 Posts
December 02 2010 09:24 GMT
#36
On December 02 2010 17:39 30to1 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 02 2010 17:31 Shikyo wrote:
This sound like an awesome strategy if you center it around a gigantic ~20 worker, 180 supply army 200/200 attack off 2 bases when maxed. So you basically skip workers for almost everything but gas and spam mules and get an insanely powerful max and then attack, and while attacking you can triple expand or something.

So basically a great idea, I'd love to try this.

On December 02 2010 17:30 theherder2 wrote:
I think that you're ignoring one of the essential timings to this, which is the time it takes to build a command center, especially your first one or two. Yes, the mules will pay for them later but you're leaving yourself a lot of timings in the early game when you are investing heavily in command centers to 1. get mules/workers 2. get supply. all those minerals could have gone to more barracks or more marines or both, so if a competent player sees this type of build, he can just rush you to death.

this is if you're cutting out all supply depots as said, so you're trying to build your first CC at 14 supply ish. Still this is me theorycrafting... so good luck with it!

Meh, you can just do 1rax cc normally and build one extra depot.


I think the advantage would max at around 12 minutes if its possible to get a ~3k income at 10 without getting killed. My first not shitty build had mined a total of 10,700 minerals at exactly 10 minutes, stopping CC production here and just spamming army/mule would mean around 16,000 minerals worth of crap at 12 minutes. That should honestly just be more than any other race can possibly handle.




12 minutes is a really really long time without seeing your opponent.
the UMP says YER OUT
Xanatoss
Profile Joined May 2010
Germany539 Posts
December 02 2010 09:25 GMT
#37
Independent of it is usable ingame or not I really appreciate the Theorycraft. I am up to incorperate the decreasing opportunity costs of Nexi-Psy (in Combination with a gain in Chronoboost) into my own builds, but this stuff is far more abusive. OC's are just _so_ versatile its not even fun :[
The chair slowly turns around. You see his face, but it can't be. He's not supposed to be here. Not him. Not a Protoss. Not THAT Protoss. MC says, "Hi Greg, long time no see." You back slowly out of the booth. But you can't. It's already forcefielded.
NikonTC
Profile Joined September 2010
United Kingdom418 Posts
December 02 2010 09:27 GMT
#38
Nice theory crafting, though I suspect that this tactic will never work in anything higher than bronze league id be interested to see a replay that proves me wrong however.
"IdrA crushes the marine push, absolutely demolishes this 2 rax play. Would not be suprised to see a GG from IdrA at any moment" Day[9]
Azn_Christian
Profile Joined September 2010
United States153 Posts
December 02 2010 09:31 GMT
#39
my mechball is like a mini version of this lol. mules and like 14 scvs and the rest sac to repair. keep up w/ mule timing and u won't need that many scvs to mine mine.
Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs." - Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
Conrose
Profile Joined October 2010
437 Posts
December 02 2010 09:32 GMT
#40
Oh, also, since you aren't using your OCs for gathering themselves or unit production, it is possible to use them as a sort of "Mobile Wall-Off" depending on the situation.
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