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Something really interesting happened a few weeks ago when i played on korean ladder for the first time. For so long, my games had been defined by a BO and trying to extend that into late game by a random spamming of drones and units. The choices i made where hasty and sometimes really stupid because they were in the heat of the moment and i wasn't thinking clearly.
However, when i played my first few games on the korean ladder my mindset completely shifted. From game 1 of my placement matches i was going under the assumption that i would get destroyed in every game. I was alert and best of all, i was being smart. During these games my thought process would go something like this....1. what tech am i headed towards right now? 2. what is he doing? 3. if i don't know what he's doing how am i setting up to find out? 4. can i drone right now? 5. do i have an advantage?
I think that if i allow myself to play under the impression that i might get destroyed at any moment i will always play in this manner. The mind is a fickle thing.....
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Im zerg so...
Scene 1:
- Is he being too greedy? If so, right now, do i have the tech, larvae and money to punish him? If yes then go for it, else, be even greedier myself.
Scene 2:
- Is he about to push already? Can i drone some more? Should i make some more lings RIGHT NOW to survive or can i wait another 40 seconds so i have a lot more mutas?
Scene 3: Ok, we are exchanging punches. Can i spare some cash to reach drop/brood/ultra tech?
Scene 4: As i'm about to attack, select a group of i.e. 24 lings and send groups of ~8 with right click to different mineral lines or the main (for the tech buildings) to cause some caos . Also works with hydra drops pretty well as he cant just warp 3 zealots and be done with it. And hydras destroy stuff so quick :O.
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Hows my macro? What' my opponent doing? What's my next move?
I usually zone out too, and almost always i over think what i will be doing before the game, then during the game i just play to have fun (still in diamond ^^)
Generally i just try to get the big picture and trust that my mechanics are suffiecient.
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"I need to check the minimap. Okey I better get more drones. Shit 7 minutes better get my lair and gas. Okey gases down I need to poke his ramp. More drones. Inject. Ohh shit upgrades forgot. Lair done. Okey infestation pit. I need to expand. Inject. Drones. Ohh damn hes pushing make units. I better attack him now. Inject. Infestor upgrades. Transfer drones to my expansion, I better get infestors. Does he have enough sentries or maybe DTs? Inject. Units. Upgrades. I better drop him. I better check his third. Oh hes expanding Ill deny it with my lings. Okey I got that expansion Ill expand myself okey make drones. Transfer drones. Attack fungal fungal fungal, better surrond, burrow roach thats wounded win."
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I ask myself what would Rainbow do...
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All I have going on in my head is "meow meow meow meow meow meow meow" or something of the sorts until the end of the game because I'm most likely wasted. 
anyways, in all seriousness; most of what everyone else has said is also what I think about too As a zerg player: 1. Drones/Expand? 2. Inject/Spread Creep? 3. Look at Minimap/Food/Resources? 4. What is my opponent is doing or probably going to do? (ie. scout) 5. What am I going to do next in response? (ie.plan ahead) 6. Repeat until steps 1-5 until someone ggs.
These steps are pretty general for most zerg players though.
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Most of the time : " I hope i didn't drone too much " Follow by " i gonna make more anyway ".
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I feel my metal aspect is my worst I tend to think about mostly metagame things, responding to drops, moving army, even engaging is all automatic. I go into every non-zvz thinking I've already lost the game, and never concider winning being a possibility (even though my winrate is ofc around 50%)
My thoughts usually go like this throughout the game: start - first scout arriving: "Dont think about last game, f**k *insert race*, overpowered bla bla bla bla, you stupid mistake-making moron, you had that game bla bla bla! And now another game on stupid horrible *insert name of map*, most certainly close positions AGAIN! why do I even play?"
then it alternates between autopilot (if I dont see anything unexpected, I dont react at all) and: "Ok wtf is he doing? NOOOO why is my overlord all the way over there, need to scout the bastard. wtf is he doing..." and then as soon as Im fairly certain, I go back to autopilot.
Then as things start to happen, engagements and whatnot, if a lot of things are happening, my mind goes blank and I just respond. If not, I think one of 2 things: "Hmm you're ahead right? he's fucked? but... how the hell do I finish him???" or "God fuck this game, Im so screwed, this is pointless, damn overpowered *insert race*. Please make a mistake, please make a mistake!"
And then when I lose or win, I get mad at the opponents race and conclude how much he sucks and how much I suck (usually pretty evenly hard on both of us)...
For the record, in a calm state when not playing, I believe the game to be very balanced... but when playing, I'm not the happiest of people and whine at pretty much anything I litteraly get offended when winning, completely believing that he lost the game from being horrible, not that I played well...
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drone drone drone drone inject drone drone drone drone inject creep sread drone drone drone drone inject creep spread creep spread drone drone drone drone drone drone expo inject inject creep spread drone drone drone drone Expo Am I still alive? If yes, Roach Roach Roach Infestor Roach Roach Roach Infestor Roach Roach Roach Infestor Roach Roach Roach Infestor Inject Inject Inject Expo CreepCreep Win?
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"Gotta check if he's up to something sneaky"
and when a good song is on "beast mode"
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(as toss) Should i tech ? Should i expo before him ? damn di.fm is cool (repeat)*
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Lol, everyone has the same reply of "make workers, scout, expand, etc." I do:
What map am I going into? What aspect of the map can I abuse? What race is that guy? How can THEY abuse the map? What are my goals in this game? How can I safely or greedily get there? What is that guy doing? What can you assume he's going to do? Does he have a good enough wall off? If not, go obliterate him with lings Make drones whenever it's safe Make sure to scout his army Don't skimp out on a couple units worth of larva just cause you feel that it's 75% safe Post overlords throughout the map, you don't want to let a ninja dropship in Is my creep spreading decently? Make sure the queen poops out her intestines so that I get enough creep Are my upgrades going? Am I saturated? Can I expand? Can I attack? Make a macro hatch once I get to three bases Do I know what that guy's doing? Can I sneak in an expansion? Is my gas getting too high? Don't be scared to make lings if need be Am I at Hive tech? Crush him
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1) I think about my build that i have preset for the race and the map 2) looking at my minerals and minimap 3) *if something isn't happening (uhhh....check for proxy) 4) adapt to situation 5) *if i feel no attack (enemy teching to harrass) 6) MAP AWARENESS (*this goes for any game)
for ex. #6 - got to have obs in the general area. watching key areas for air harrass/pressure push
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1. How much vision do I have? 2. Do I have enough info to estimate what is coming? 3. When was the last time I checked his base? 4. Am I droning enough? Am I safe to do so? 5. Am I injecting often enough? 6. Drone saturation 7. Did I forget upgrades/tech? 8. What is my advantage and what is his? Can I abuse this advantage now?
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F*** I didn't make an overlord, s*** I need to scout, holy **** injects!!!, **** why don't I have a third up already **** ****. What the **** is he doing right now. He doesn't have an expo yet? He is dead unless he.... ***** ***** *****. Oh well better luck next time.
That is about my average game I'd say.
When I'm not freaking out due to my bad play I have all this stuff in my mind:
1. Do I have the economic advantage or do I have to do damage? 2. Can I do damage (army advantage, tech advantage or mobility/position advantage)? 3. Is my opponent teching and how can I make sure I'm safe against his tech? 4. Is my opponent going "all in" and do I have to invest in extra defense? 5. Can I safely take another expansion/invest in economy? 6. Is my opponent taking an expansion and am I in a position to deny it? 7. Is there a weakness in my opponent which I can exploit? 8. Can I trade units and is this favorable for me 9. Is my unit composition cost effective against my opponent and how can I adapt? 10. Is my opponent more mobile and can I defend all important locations?
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I JUST got a new computer that allows me to play the game on all settings maxed out. so my mind set has been pretty much this:
-OMG everything is shiny! -Is my creep pulsing? -holy cow look at that TREE! -forget the tree look at THAT FLOWER! *zooms in and pans left and right* -what is this strange contraption in the middle of the map? -my god... his units GLOW! (Toss) --or-- -my god, his units BLOW UP! after they die. (Terran) --or-- -my god, that's a huge pile of blood and gore on the ground (Zerg; usually mine) -hey! I can see my unit's reflection on the water! It even reflects the blood after it dies! -WOW flowers puff up in a cloud of purple smoke when creep touches them! and Trees become purple! -Golly gee! what used to look like low-poly models are now high-poly masterpieces! *inspects each and every unit that I've created and pan around them, even my opponents*
Oh, my shitty silver macro is on auto pilot. not like its being used or anything anyways...
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You really shouldn't have to think a whole lot after you've played a bunch of games. Playing a bunch of games and getting a basic understanding of what can happen based on what you see should take the thinking out of the game. But obviously you can't have everything down pat so you never have to think at all.
For me, the things that I still need to think about in game:
Does he have a ninja expo? Is my saturation even? How long until I need to prepare for Broods? Is it time to add DT or colossus (when I open twilight)
Eventually I hope to not have to think of anything, just know all the reactions and what I need to do. When you have to think about something in the moment instead of already having thought about it between games or in previous games, you play slower and less efficiently.
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1. Mmm yeah Kerrigan ur so hawt. 2. Not enough minerals you say? Don't worry I'll get you some more  3. Not enough overlords? how about you gimme some of ur ovies kerriggannn yeeee. 4. aw fuck marines
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When I'm playing (read losing) the thought running through my head is everything OP but me.
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Probes, Pylons, Probes, Pylons, Probes, Pylons, Probes, Pylons, GATEWAY, Probes, Pylons.
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