Okay, first of all, is it best to patrol a drone and try to block it? Once you see them trying to build bunkers, should I pull a couple more drones to help block?
Then if both bunkers actually go down, obviously you want to try to kill the scvs as they are building (maybe?) but chances are this won't work, so both bunkers go up. What then?
If I have already started a hatch at my natural, should I cancel it, or is there any chance to save it in time? Is it best to try and bust out with a spine crawlers, roaches, or banelings?
That sounds bad but should I have a mentality that it is easy to stop if I scout it in time? I feel like I get out I get out micro'ed once the marine shows up and then I either lose 2-3 drones while I'm waiting for zerglings or they get the bunkers up.
key is put your 2nd ovie between your nat and ramp, that way it can cover most areas on most maps around your nat, plus makes our ramp visible. scout early for 2 rax. if 2rax is coming set one to patrol your ramp. as soon as his first scv gets to your base chase it with a drone.
also if your still scared about a proy 2 rax (meaning you only see one) put your scouting drone somewhere between your bases till you have lings to replace it, this way youll see if more scvs are coming. dont be afraid to pull drones to kill workers making bunkers. and out of preference i always drop a spine against t the second my nat finishes. 2 if i see 2rax, because sometimes they will send the first rine and 2 scvs in a 2rax or they will wait till they have like 6 and send 4 scvs for a bit later of a push, but very scary if you have no spines up.
It's something I struggle with, but good scouting and an understanding of relative timing are hugely helpful in knowing if a wall-in like this is possible. If it's likely to occur, you correctly identify a sensible response: try to block your ramp so it can't occur at all, try to kill/chase off SCV's so they can't start building/ finish building, etc. It's important to understand that if your opponent successfully blocks you in, you are significantly behind, so take appropriate action.
As far as knowing if it can occur at all: to block you in, your opponent needs the minerals. If their timings are tight, you should have an idea of what they can afford when (at least in the early game). Just in general, if you know your opponent should be able to afford something (say, a second Barracks) and they don't put down a Barracks or anything else, it's a safe bet that they have other plans for those resources, and you should start to try to figure out what. If your opponent starts building a Command Center as soon as possible off of one Barracks, it's a safe bet they don't have something proxied to come and kill you.
They also need enough of a presence with units to be able to contend with whatever units you'll use to fend off the attempt: one lone SCV shouldn't be capable of doing much if you have vision of your ramp (and you should). If you see a few SCV's and a Marine pushing out right away, your opponent has more than enough to deal with one Drone patrolling, so don't just patrol one Drone and go away - they likely intend on doing something you can't stop with one Drone.
Again, in general, you want to try to know what your opponent is doing (which includes what they aren't doing). If you assume they are doing it for a good reason and prepare accordingly, you can only be pleasantly surprised to find out that your opponent is doing something weak.
If he puts up double bunkers you really cancel your hatch if you dont have lings outside of your base yet. Otherwise protect your ramp and try to avoid this situation all together. Usually the main targets should be the SCVs.
So do terrans not do it more often because it is easy to block with drones? It seems almost impossible for me to block but I must be underestimating drone micro.
You basically can't allow them to start 2 bunkers with 2 scvs. If you scout and see 2 scvs coming along bring 3 drones to deal with it. If they send 2 scvs and 1 marine or so at the start you need like 5-6 drones. You can't let them start and finish these buildings. You might as well throw all your drones to defend rather then let him finish these bunkers. So all in all, DONT let him start it.
On January 25 2011 03:39 Treemonkeys wrote: So do terrans not do it more often because it is easy to block with drones? It seems almost impossible for me to block but I must be underestimating drone micro.
It requires a significant investment for the Terran. They're putting themselves behind by the cost of the bunkers (at least temporarily), the mining time of any SCV's they send, and the resources of anything they lose. That means that anything else they do is going to be slowed down. If the bunker rush does no damage, even if they didn't actually lose anything themselves, they're still later on building whatever they were planning on building next, because they lost mining time on the SCV's and the resources from the bunkers were unavailable for a while.
As far as Drones holding it off, you're thinking about this the wrong way. The goal with your Drones isn't to hold off waves and waves of units until your opponent GG's, but to buy you enough time to get either some Zerglings (if you went for an early pool) or a Spinecrawler at your natural (if you went for an early expand).
On January 25 2011 03:39 Treemonkeys wrote: So do terrans not do it more often because it is easy to block with drones? It seems almost impossible for me to block but I must be underestimating drone micro.
It requires a significant investment for the Terran. They're putting themselves behind by the cost of the bunkers (at least temporarily), the mining time of any SCV's they send, and the resources of anything they lose. That means that anything else they do is going to be slowed down. If the bunker rush does no damage, even if they didn't actually lose anything themselves, they're still later on building whatever they were planning on building next, because they lost mining time on the SCV's and the resources from the bunkers were unavailable for a while.
As far as Drones holding it off, you're thinking about this the wrong way. The goal with your Drones isn't to hold off waves and waves of units until your opponent GG's, but to buy you enough time to get either some Zerglings (if you went for an early pool) or a Spinecrawler at your natural (if you went for an early expand).
I find it hard to understand how they are risking that much, though I guess I could see this on really far positions. Assuming it goes horribly wrong, they will lose two scvs and maybe a marine - the bunkers will have never been started, but this it at the price of zerg having to pull drones to also lose mining time, as well as possibly force extra lings which is also harmful, it seems like worst case for terran he will still be equal or just slightly behind. The price of the bunkers doesn't really factor in, because if he actually spends the minerals to build them, it's almost a guaranteed success, which people are confirming in this thread.
I do realize that I don't need to hold off waves and waves with drones, but my problem is I never seem to get a spine crawler or lings in time, so I am usually fighting two scvs + one marine with drones. Just going back and forth to block them, not going for the kill, but eventually the marine kills a drone or two. When I go 14 hatch I can't get a spine crawler up at the natural in time, the bunkers are there before the hatch even finishes. When I go 15 pool, the lings are not out in time either.
Now what I'm really curious about, and will start testing is - what is worse for the zerg economy? Go 12 or 13 pool, whenever is needed to have early lings and shut this down cold, or to go for a later 15 pool, but losing mining time to try and block this.
Assuming 15 hatch 14pool Chase his scv with a drone as soon as it enters your base, so he can't do it in some wierd hidden place where your ovie isnt at. Make sure your overlord is at your nat, gaining vision for any bunker play. If you see 2 scvs, he's definetley trying to bunker or even wall you, in which case I suggest bringing 4 drones to come kill them. Now assuming you are watching the chasing drone often, you will see if he tries to wall off your ramp, and as soon as you see him do so, patrol the drone on the oher 2x2 space to prevent the bunker being placed, then pull off 3 more drones to kill the scv If you place your crawler as soon as pool finishes, you can fend off early 1/2 marines with drones + lings.
Best move I have seen against this, is to cancel any hatch that is building, and go take the gold/very remote expo. I remeber one game on metal where fruitdealer was facing slayers boxer at blizzcon in which he did exactly that and won.
scout early, if terran didn't get the gas prepare to pull 6-7 dron to your ramp. onece you get contain by bunker, you will be behine and good terran will win in mid game.
the only way to come back is to take a risky third.
On January 25 2011 03:39 Treemonkeys wrote: So do terrans not do it more often because it is easy to block with drones? It seems almost impossible for me to block but I must be underestimating drone micro.
It requires a significant investment for the Terran. They're putting themselves behind by the cost of the bunkers (at least temporarily), the mining time of any SCV's they send, and the resources of anything they lose. That means that anything else they do is going to be slowed down. If the bunker rush does no damage, even if they didn't actually lose anything themselves, they're still later on building whatever they were planning on building next, because they lost mining time on the SCV's and the resources from the bunkers were unavailable for a while.
As far as Drones holding it off, you're thinking about this the wrong way. The goal with your Drones isn't to hold off waves and waves of units until your opponent GG's, but to buy you enough time to get either some Zerglings (if you went for an early pool) or a Spinecrawler at your natural (if you went for an early expand).
I find it hard to understand how they are risking that much, though I guess I could see this on really far positions. Assuming it goes horribly wrong, they will lose two scvs and maybe a marine - the bunkers will have never been started, but this it at the price of zerg having to pull drones to also lose mining time, as well as possibly force extra lings which is also harmful, it seems like worst case for terran he will still be equal or just slightly behind. The price of the bunkers doesn't really factor in, because if he actually spends the minerals to build them, it's almost a guaranteed success, which people are confirming in this thread.
I do realize that I don't need to hold off waves and waves with drones, but my problem is I never seem to get a spine crawler or lings in time, so I am usually fighting two scvs + one marine with drones. Just going back and forth to block them, not going for the kill, but eventually the marine kills a drone or two. When I go 14 hatch I can't get a spine crawler up at the natural in time, the bunkers are there before the hatch even finishes. When I go 15 pool, the lings are not out in time either.
Now what I'm really curious about, and will start testing is - what is worse for the zerg economy? Go 12 or 13 pool, whenever is needed to have early lings and shut this down cold, or to go for a later 15 pool, but losing mining time to try and block this.
First off, you are FEing, which is greedy and terran really needs to respond, either like this, allin, timing push or play greedy too. On short distances, it's by far easiest and most profitable to do this, but if it fails, the terran has both gotten behind on econ by FE punishment failing(aswell as possible losses) ontop of that your own stuff comes a bit later.
The risk part is really that, by FEing the zerg throws the ball in your hands to punish it. By bunkering and failing, you didn't FE and you didn't punish it. You can't really think of just one side "he didn't take any direct losses, bunkers be free mon!".
On drone micro, a-move and make sure to pull the drone getting targeted behind and possibly just keep sending them to the mineral line(depending on how much time till lings/spines).
On January 24 2011 23:53 Treemonkeys wrote: Okay, first of all, is it best to patrol a drone and try to block it? Once you see them trying to build bunkers, should I pull a couple more drones to help block?
Then if both bunkers actually go down, obviously you want to try to kill the scvs as they are building (maybe?) but chances are this won't work, so both bunkers go up. What then?
If I have already started a hatch at my natural, should I cancel it, or is there any chance to save it in time? Is it best to try and bust out with a spine crawlers, roaches, or banelings?
Alot of people just leave if the bunkers go down at all because you will be behind. ie idra at gsl, but you need to see if he is doing 2 rax and have an ovy watch your nat, if the bunkers go down then it is your error.