• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 17:52
CEST 23:52
KST 06:52
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
TL.net Map Contest #21: Voting3[ASL20] Ro4 Preview: Descent6Team TLMC #5: Winners Announced!3[ASL20] Ro8 Preview Pt2: Holding On9Maestros of the Game: Live Finals Preview (RO4)5
Community News
Weekly Cups (Oct 6-12): Four star herO65.0.15 Patch Balance Hotfix (2025-10-8)71Weekly Cups (Sept 29-Oct 5): MaxPax triples up3PartinG joins SteamerZone, returns to SC2 competition325.0.15 Balance Patch Notes (Live version)119
StarCraft 2
General
Ladder Impersonation (only maybe) 5.0.15 Patch Balance Hotfix (2025-10-8) The New Patch Killed Mech! TL.net Map Contest #21: Voting Weekly Cups (Oct 6-12): Four star herO
Tourneys
Master Swan Open (Global Bronze-Master 2) Tenacious Turtle Tussle WardiTV Mondays SC2's Safe House 2 - October 18 & 19 Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament
Strategy
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation # 495 Rest In Peace Mutation # 494 Unstable Environment Mutation # 493 Quick Killers Mutation # 492 Get Out More
Brood War
General
BSL Season 21 BW caster Sayle ASL20 General Discussion BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Brood War web app to calculate unit interactions
Tourneys
[ASL20] Semifinal B [ASL20] Semifinal A [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [ASL20] Ro8 Day 4
Strategy
Current Meta BW - ajfirecracker Strategy & Training Siegecraft - a new perspective TvZ Theorycraft - Improving on State of the Art
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Nintendo Switch Thread ZeroSpace Megathread Dawn of War IV Path of Exile
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion LiquidDota to reintegrate into TL.net
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
SPIRED by.ASL Mafia {211640} TL Mafia Community Thread
Community
General
Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Men's Fashion Thread Sex and weight loss
Fan Clubs
The herO Fan Club! The Happy Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread [Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion!
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion MLB/Baseball 2023 NBA General Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
SC2 Client Relocalization [Change SC2 Language] Linksys AE2500 USB WIFI keeps disconnecting Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List Recent Gifted Posts
Blogs
Inbreeding: Why Do We Do It…
Peanutsc
From Tilt to Ragequit:The Ps…
TrAiDoS
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 2193 users

[G]Worker Splitting & Improving Mining efficiency - Page 2

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
Post a Reply
Prev 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 Next All
LambtrOn
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
United States671 Posts
April 12 2011 20:54 GMT
#21
I wonder how much of a difference this makes. Maybe someone with some time on their hands could test it? Either way, I will be doing this. I'm always looking for little ways to get ahead. Thanks for the nice guide.
indigoawareness
Profile Joined October 2010
Slovakia273 Posts
April 12 2011 20:56 GMT
#22
These actually make little difference but it's something to do. You should also mention mining harrasment ie worker displacement. This is when you mine their minerals to send their probe to a different patch and waste time by moving. You can actually queue commands, mine, stop, mine diff patch, stop, mine etc and push thier workers around.
To sleep, perchance to dream.
Gao Xi
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Hong Kong5178 Posts
April 12 2011 21:00 GMT
#23
I just use Shift right click, it seems a lot easier that way.
龔智禮 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ CJ NATION
Moonling
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States987 Posts
April 12 2011 21:01 GMT
#24
Like the OP said it is a really only realistic for high masters/pro's but this is something everyone should be practicing as it is a good habit and it works on you unit selection precision its just good practice. I also do this every game every small advantage adds up (especially as zerg trying to get a fast hatch)
1% of koreans control 99% of starcraft winnings. #occupykorea.
tehemperorer
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States2183 Posts
April 12 2011 21:02 GMT
#25
Just watch high level streams, you will see them moving probes to closer mineral patches and doubling up. First rule of manual mining: Don't waste mining time!
Knowing is half the battle... the other half is lasers.
genius_man16
Profile Joined February 2011
United States749 Posts
April 12 2011 21:06 GMT
#26
I'm surprised no one has made a guide for this yet. Very well done though

I've been doing this for awhile, but I never really thought it mattered that much, I just did it cuz the pro's did. Haha.

It would be interesting for someone to test and see if there really is that much gained from doing this.

One thing I've wondered is if it's better to queue the worker before sending the 6 to mine or after?
Dyrus | Vooby | Balls | Meteos | WildTurtle | Bjergsen | Cop | sexPeke | Xpecial | Aphromoo | Scarra |
tehemperorer
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States2183 Posts
April 12 2011 21:07 GMT
#27
On April 13 2011 06:06 genius_man16 wrote:
I'm surprised no one has made a guide for this yet. Very well done though

I've been doing this for awhile, but I never really thought it mattered that much, I just did it cuz the pro's did. Haha.

It would be interesting for someone to test and see if there really is that much gained from doing this.

One thing I've wondered is if it's better to queue the worker before sending the 6 to mine or after?

Queue first, split 2nd
Knowing is half the battle... the other half is lasers.
PowerDes
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
United States520 Posts
April 12 2011 21:07 GMT
#28
I think its worker syncing.
twitch.tv/PowerDes
FryBender
Profile Joined January 2011
United States290 Posts
April 12 2011 21:16 GMT
#29
I do this but sometimes even after the workers have been doubled up after about two or three trips back and forth they'll move over to the farther patch again. Any idea why that happens. Is there something that I'm doing wrong?
Lasbike
Profile Joined January 2011
France2888 Posts
April 12 2011 21:26 GMT
#30
Thank you. Great guide, great screens.

I'm high diamond and it's thanks to guys like you and little tips here and there that i'll eventually become a better player
.kv
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States2332 Posts
April 12 2011 21:31 GMT
#31
ugh you shouldn't click the mineral patch you posted in your image but actually the third mineral patch IMO...it's closer
gavinashun
Profile Joined October 2010
101 Posts
April 12 2011 21:35 GMT
#32
Do you use the control-F1 thing to select all workers?

So the sequence is:

- Nexus/CC - worker queue
- Select all workers (maybe with F1?)
- Send all to key patch 1
- Box 3 and send to key patch 2

Is that right

Thanks!
Jermstuddog
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States2231 Posts
April 12 2011 21:37 GMT
#33
On April 13 2011 06:16 FryBender wrote:
I do this but sometimes even after the workers have been doubled up after about two or three trips back and forth they'll move over to the farther patch again. Any idea why that happens. Is there something that I'm doing wrong?


Some mineral patches are so close that 2 workers is actually over saturation.

If this is the case, your workers will slowly get to the point where one worker gets to the mineral patch early enough that the AI decides it would be faster for it to move to an un-mined patch.

Learning to recognize these patches and properly manage them is also very critical to proper mineral stacking.
As it turns out, marines don't actually cost any money -Jinro
Alejandrisha
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States6565 Posts
April 12 2011 21:45 GMT
#34
The thirty-forty mineral difference can help you smooth our builds, I've found. Especially on certain maps where a lot of the mineral patches are not very efficient like Tel Darim you can get a decent lead over your opponents with good syncing. It can shave a few seconds off a 4gate, for instance, and in a PvP where you get your core a few seconds sooner and your additional gateways a few seconds sooner can easily decide a game.
get rich or die mining
TL+ Member
freetgy
Profile Joined November 2010
1720 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-12 21:48:26
April 12 2011 21:47 GMT
#35
well i don't know if it is still worth it if the scouting worker block those close patches and forces the mining workers to go to other patches. whole effort seems wasted, though the idea behind is obviously to gain a slight minerallead to get faster and better timings.
asd125172
Profile Joined December 2010
United States52 Posts
April 12 2011 21:48 GMT
#36
On April 13 2011 06:31 .kv wrote:
ugh you shouldn't click the mineral patch you posted in your image but actually the third mineral patch IMO...it's closer


Determining which mineral patch to click entirely depends on how the workers are desynchronized, not how "closer" the mineral patch is.

I simply chose to take that mineral patch first because it would boost my mining efficiency without losing too much mining time.
Kambing
Profile Joined May 2010
United States1176 Posts
April 12 2011 21:48 GMT
#37
On April 13 2011 05:37 TheAwesomeAll wrote:
sometimes when I stack mine, the probe decides to wander off regardless, a bit later. Anyone else has this or am i doing something wrong?


The way the worker AI functions from what I can tell is that there is a "estimated wait" threshold that dictates whether the worker decides to wait at a patch or go off and find a better patch. If you send a worker to mine a patch and it gets there and discovers that the probe mining the patch will take longer than the threshold time, it will go off and ruin your day.

In the case of where there are open mineral patches, the threshold is very low, so you have to spam a bit. Furthermore as the op hints it, if the travel time of the spammed probe is a bit longer to the base than the original probe (e.g., because the spamming shifted the probe a little off center), then on its second mining trip, it may decide to go find a new home because of the delay.

Because of this, it is much less error-prone to mineral stack after you have one probe at each patch because the threshold time is bigger. However, you lose a bit of the benefit of stacking since probes 7 and 8 will be mining far patches instead of near ones.
Cow
Profile Joined May 2010
Canada1104 Posts
April 12 2011 21:49 GMT
#38
Great guide, this is how I split my workers too!
Only downside to this was the first time I played on Tal'Darim Altar I was so thrown off by the mineral layout that I fucked up my split >_>;;

Personally, I prefer to start stacking my workers starting on the 9th worker, to avoid frustration with workers re-desyncing after lining them up properly.
As of late, I've also been trying to perfect the habit of only taking far mineral patch workers when putting them into gas. It can be troublesome at times though I must admit.

On April 13 2011 05:47 CecilSunkure wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 13 2011 05:44 sgtjimmy wrote:
It does have an affect, if you build your worker before splitting. In my expeirence if you do your split correctly you will be able to que, another worker before the first one even finishes. This is pretty good for zerg because they can have more then one worker building at a time

I'm able to get 10 minerals leftover when I order my second probe.

Same here, it's a fantastic feeling LOL

R.I.P. Nujabes ♫
Badfatpanda
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States9719 Posts
April 12 2011 22:04 GMT
#39
On April 13 2011 05:42 tehemperorer wrote:
It really only matters in PvP in my opinion, and even then, it factors in to about .01% of the whole game. It has been discussed to death, however. Here's an example of my split that I believe is the best way to do it, but isn't optimal on ST, TDAltar, or SPlateau because of the mineral patch locations:

http://www.justin.tv/tehemperorer/b/282593761 jump to 40 seconds, split is at 45

My opinion is that it is better to occupy all mineral patches before doubling up, since if you make a mistake you have drifting probes which equal no mining at all. I prefer in this case to play it safe and not lose mining time from the beginning of the game.


I find that it is equally useful in Terran MUs because of the need for workers to be away from mining to build, it gives a bit of an edge when you can squeeze a bit more out of your early game.
Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. -Beethoven | Mech isn't a build, it's a way of life. -MajOr | Charlie.Sheen: "What is sarcastic, kids who have no courage to fight?" | #TerranPride #yolo #swag -Naama after 2-0'ing MC at HSC VI
Rhyme
Profile Joined May 2010
United States1069 Posts
April 12 2011 22:09 GMT
#40
On April 13 2011 07:04 Badfatpanda wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 13 2011 05:42 tehemperorer wrote:
It really only matters in PvP in my opinion, and even then, it factors in to about .01% of the whole game. It has been discussed to death, however. Here's an example of my split that I believe is the best way to do it, but isn't optimal on ST, TDAltar, or SPlateau because of the mineral patch locations:

http://www.justin.tv/tehemperorer/b/282593761 jump to 40 seconds, split is at 45

My opinion is that it is better to occupy all mineral patches before doubling up, since if you make a mistake you have drifting probes which equal no mining at all. I prefer in this case to play it safe and not lose mining time from the beginning of the game.


I find that it is equally useful in Terran MUs because of the need for workers to be away from mining to build, it gives a bit of an edge when you can squeeze a bit more out of your early game.



it's not just PvP; for Zerg (as someone mentioned) the faster you can hit 50 minerals in the early game, the faster you can make drones. with proper stacking i can make 2 drones at the same time after my 9 ovie spawns, with too much bouncing i have to wait a second or two between the drones. it's not a big deal, but as cecile mentioned, it's best to practice good habits!
dont ever say that
Prev 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
OSC
18:30
Mid Season Playoffs
Ryung vs MojaLIVE!
Nice vs NightPhoenix
Cham vs TBD
MaNa vs TriGGeR
SteadfastSC266
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
SteadfastSC 266
ZombieGrub199
ForJumy 23
StarCraft: Brood War
Calm 2600
Larva 500
Mini 402
Dota 2
Pyrionflax235
Counter-Strike
Stewie2K622
allub161
Heroes of the Storm
Liquid`Hasu532
Other Games
Grubby3825
FrodaN1859
Skadoodle271
C9.Mang0140
Sick123
Maynarde24
fpsfer 0
Organizations
Other Games
BasetradeTV35
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 19 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• poizon28 70
• StrangeGG 63
• Hupsaiya 40
• musti20045 28
• davetesta19
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• sooper7s
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• HerbMon 25
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• WagamamaTV707
Other Games
• imaqtpie1604
• Shiphtur270
Upcoming Events
PiGosaur Monday
2h 9m
OSC
1d 1h
The PondCast
1d 12h
OSC
1d 14h
Wardi Open
2 days
CranKy Ducklings
3 days
Safe House 2
3 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
4 days
Safe House 2
4 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Acropolis #4 - TS2
WardiTV TLMC #15
HCC Europe

Ongoing

BSL 21 Points
ASL Season 20
CSL 2025 AUTUMN (S18)
C-Race Season 1
IPSL Winter 2025-26
EC S1
CS Asia Championships 2025
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025

Upcoming

SC4ALL: Brood War
BSL Season 21
BSL 21 Team A
RSL Offline Finals
RSL Revival: Season 3
Stellar Fest
SC4ALL: StarCraft II
eXTREMESLAND 2025
ESL Impact League Season 8
SL Budapest Major 2025
BLAST Rivals Fall 2025
IEM Chengdu 2025
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025
Thunderpick World Champ.
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.