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[Q] How does zerg actually defend against timings?

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
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1 2 Next All
VisiO789
Profile Joined January 2012
United States7 Posts
February 15 2012 07:39 GMT
#1
Hi im a mid diamond zerg and this whole week ive been getting crushed by these early timing attacks for example. The 6gate starport from toss or a 10 min marine,hellion, tank push. I just don't understand how i would defend against these types of metagames.... My question is... does zerg just react to timings and how do they efficiently and cost effectively deal with this type of metagame? Help a swarm brother out !!!

http://drop.sc/112473

http://drop.sc/112472

http://drop.sc/112474
The successful people in life always give 100 percent all the time!
Khainer
Profile Joined May 2011
Netherlands54 Posts
February 15 2012 08:40 GMT
#2
Knowledge is power, if you see it coming you can prepare. If you get caught by suprise you're fucked.
Those timing hit hard so saving up enough larvae to create an army when he start pushing out is probably to late.

vs Terran you need to catch him, preferable, before he stand outside your base but somewhere along his traveling. Flanking comes to mind.

vs Protoss you need to have a big army and fight near your spines. Attempt to make it impossible for the Protoss to shutdown your reinforcements (FF on ramp) so the more forward you can place those spines the better. This is where creep spread is important too, the further away his pylon is the better.
"Move or be moved" -Spawn
Lionhermit
Profile Joined August 2011
United States10 Posts
February 15 2012 08:58 GMT
#3
Just from watching the replays I would have guessed you're at a gold/platinum level.

Your core mechanics need work. Injects are sloppy, you don't scout often enough to know what the terran is capable of, and what you should be preparing for. You're constantly behind in workers because you don't KNOW when you're safe to drone. You mine gas that you don't use, and generally seem to do things very haphazardly. Everything you do in the game should have a reason. It's all about doing things in the most efficient way possible. Also, don't cry about hellions being the most bullshit unit in the game when YOU lost the game on your own. The fact that your opponent used hellions is irrelevant when ANY decent pressure build would have killed you. Focus on what you can do better, when you're at the highest levels of play, THEN you can worry about balance.

In your first game against terran, you play scared and make a million lings to defend against hellions. Hint: lings aren't too good against hellions unless you can get a full surround. You shouldn't really rely on them as hellion defense unless you've got decent micro. You continue to get kited by them until you eventually lose everything. GG. Why not get another queen or two and/or spines, which are much more cost effective defense? Simcity with evo chambers/roach warren if you're that worried about runbys. You spent hundreds of minerals on lings that did nothing for you, when that money could have been reinvested in your economy.

In the second game, you try to make roaches, lings, and spines as defense VERY early in the game. Making roaches and lings would have been fine if you had done something with the units, maybe a tang-style roach/ling pressure build would have been able to do some damage to your opponent. However, you sacrifice your economy for virtually no reason. It all goes back to doing things efficiently: you need to COMMIT to something. Either defend as efficiently as possible, or gear up for early pressure to take map control back if that's what you want to do. You were also behind in workers for the entire early game. Learn when to drone and when to make an army. Zerg basics.

Study up! Hope you can take a few things from this, try to keep on improving!
WickedSkies
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Netherlands81 Posts
February 15 2012 09:12 GMT
#4
On February 15 2012 17:40 Khainer wrote:
Knowledge is power, if you see it coming you can prepare. If you get caught by suprise you're fucked.
Those timing hit hard so saving up enough larvae to create an army when he start pushing out is probably to late.

vs Terran you need to catch him, preferable, before he stand outside your base but somewhere along his traveling. Flanking comes to mind.

vs Protoss you need to have a big army and fight near your spines. Attempt to make it impossible for the Protoss to shutdown your reinforcements (FF on ramp) so the more forward you can place those spines the better. This is where creep spread is important too, the further away his pylon is the better.

Or why not just make units all the time like the other races and not only when you see his giant army coming for you?
Drone chasing probe, Tasteless quietly watching (Artosis)
Clarity_nl
Profile Joined November 2011
Netherlands6826 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-02-15 09:52:59
February 15 2012 09:47 GMT
#5
On February 15 2012 18:12 WickedSkies wrote:
Or why not just make units all the time like the other races and not only when you see his giant army coming for you?


Because if we make units, we can't make drones as well. We have to choose.
Since people's skill is very varied at lower levels, we don't know when we're actually supposed to make some units for defense.
It's better to overdrone and lose than to die 10 min later because you never had enough drones.

To answer the OP. Scouting is important BUT the timings that hit you could've been stronger too.
Focus on perfect injects, spread your creep some more (helps if you try to use banes), have minimap awareness to make units the moment he moves out (should have a ling or something in front of his base).
FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT AGAINST STUPIDITY CLARITY, I BELIEVE IN YOU! - Palmar
totalpigeon
Profile Joined September 2010
United Kingdom162 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-02-15 09:53:23
February 15 2012 09:48 GMT
#6
Mainly because if you do that, even if you hold the pressure off you generally won't be at any advantage because you don't have a bigger economy. So the alternative, of getting a huge economy first and then, when you see his army ready to move out making a bigger army to hold off the pressure, is generally going to be preferable because if you do hold off the pressure you're in a better position.

Admittedly knowing when to drone and when to make units takes some learning, but it's no more difficult than learning some timings for getting your tech and making units based off what you scout. However, there will always be a minimum time at which the enemy can effectively push based on their opening (what you scout with your drone) which you can safely drone until. Learning when this is is part of playing zerg, as is learning how much longer you can keep going based on what you scout later (with overlords and ling pokes).
DarKcS
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Australia1237 Posts
February 15 2012 09:51 GMT
#7
Pretty easy actually. See Forge expand, know you're safe for 8 minutes so you just drone up and then power units unless you scout something else (eg voidrays) - but like the others said, all of that relies on your ACTUAL scouting, and void rays. Know timings is only half of it, and you never know 100% unless you scout 100%.
Die tomorrow - Live today
Roblin
Profile Joined April 2010
Sweden948 Posts
February 15 2012 10:06 GMT
#8
On February 15 2012 18:12 WickedSkies wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 15 2012 17:40 Khainer wrote:
Knowledge is power, if you see it coming you can prepare. If you get caught by suprise you're fucked.
Those timing hit hard so saving up enough larvae to create an army when he start pushing out is probably to late.

vs Terran you need to catch him, preferable, before he stand outside your base but somewhere along his traveling. Flanking comes to mind.

vs Protoss you need to have a big army and fight near your spines. Attempt to make it impossible for the Protoss to shutdown your reinforcements (FF on ramp) so the more forward you can place those spines the better. This is where creep spread is important too, the further away his pylon is the better.

Or why not just make units all the time like the other races and not only when you see his giant army coming for you?

because zerg doesn't have enough larvae to produce both army and drones.

personally, I scout very actively, first, second and third scout (drone, zergling, overlord in that order) to try to figure out what he is doing, which leave these big cathegories:

cheese or pressure play:
do the appropriate response.

expanding behind pressure:
since he is expanding, the pressure should not be that harsh, thus you can mostly defend with a combination of spines and zerglings, at time you need roaches.
continue as "some expand strategy" below

some expand strategy:
hold all xelnaga towers of possible, make sure to have good coverage of whether he moves out or not, if he moves out earlier than you start building units, emergency units + reinforcements should handle it somewhat well, send out scouting units to his logical third location(s) when you feel an enemy third might be a threat.
saturate 2 bases and get some drones on your third, but not very many, just 5-8, dont take any gas on third unless you go for a very gas-intensive build.
now the decisionmaking splits up into two possibilities:

a) he has taken a third by now
great, so its not a 2-base timing attack (alternatively it can be a 2base-timing attack which he expands behind, if it is, you should see an enemy army moving out shortly), instead you have to prepare for a deathball coming at you.
then you can do pretty much whatever you want, drone or go units, but I recommend getting units before droning too much more, since the opponent can just randomly move out at any point in time and kill you if you don't have any defense.

b) he has not taken a third by now
get units, a lot of them. there will be some heavy pressure coming at you very soon.
I'm better today than I was yesterday!
Kotreb
Profile Joined June 2011
Croatia1392 Posts
February 15 2012 10:27 GMT
#9
maybe THIS will help you...
If you don't sin Jesus died for nothing.
psychotics
Profile Joined July 2011
United States184 Posts
February 15 2012 10:30 GMT
#10
heres my answer to your problems if u have trouble with timing attacks read this forum http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=241199 incerible post, now that u know when these timing will hit and what to scout for. defending timeings is all about knowing A) what timing they are doing B) how much stuff are they going to have, and C) what is my response. figure those out and u will know when to cut drones when to make units. also one of the most important things is macro and injects before and during the attack missing an inject during the fight can actually lose u the game sometimes
VisiO789
Profile Joined January 2012
United States7 Posts
February 15 2012 15:01 GMT
#11
ok thanks everyone... I guess its back to practicing the basics for me -__- and thanks for all your support and input it really helps...
The successful people in life always give 100 percent all the time!
654321
Profile Joined December 2011
Belize100 Posts
February 15 2012 15:33 GMT
#12
Say a terran open with reactor hellion.
...Ovie scout terran's main when 4x hellions is at zerg natural. If a Command center is built, meaning terran just want to pressure and expand. Will likely be a very late timing. This timing is likely to be when you get your 3rd.
...If no CC, Heavy all-in. Rdy for it. cut drone. Will likely be very soon.
WickedSkies
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Netherlands81 Posts
February 15 2012 16:56 GMT
#13
On February 15 2012 18:47 Clarity_nl wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 15 2012 18:12 WickedSkies wrote:
Or why not just make units all the time like the other races and not only when you see his giant army coming for you?


Because if we make units, we can't make drones as well.

Yes, you can. Instead of holding the d button and going for a coffee break, make some drones and some units, kinda like Stephano does. Of course, it requires you to think, which is too much to expect from most zergs...
Drone chasing probe, Tasteless quietly watching (Artosis)
Clarity_nl
Profile Joined November 2011
Netherlands6826 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-02-15 17:07:30
February 15 2012 17:05 GMT
#14
On February 16 2012 01:56 WickedSkies wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 15 2012 18:47 Clarity_nl wrote:
On February 15 2012 18:12 WickedSkies wrote:
Or why not just make units all the time like the other races and not only when you see his giant army coming for you?


Because if we make units, we can't make drones as well.

Yes, you can. Instead of holding the d button and going for a coffee break, make some drones and some units, kinda like Stephano does. Of course, it requires you to think, which is too much to expect from most zergs...


Randomly agressive post towards me but okay.

Yes, we can make SOME units and SOME drones, the end result being very safe play, but weaker later on unless you're being really agressive like Stephano.
That's a stylistic change, not really advice I would give to anyone but high masters+ to toy around with, as much of Stephano's style is still unexplored, and I speculate once T and P figure out Z can make a medium amounts of units rather than either going all in or playing super greedy, they'll adjust.

Choosing to make units is also choosing to NOT make drones. This is how larvae work, but maybe this is beyond the comprehension of someone who calls "zerg players in general" people who are unable to think.
FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT AGAINST STUPIDITY CLARITY, I BELIEVE IN YOU! - Palmar
ODKStevez
Profile Joined February 2011
Ireland1225 Posts
February 15 2012 17:35 GMT
#15
Watched all 3 and all 3 have the same problem, you're macro and scouting are so poor. Practice your macro in general and you will learn timings after. Once you have macro nailed and are comfortable with scouting and knowing when you can drone, you will usually always be able to defend these attacks providing that you droned correctly and scouted them coming.
Luppa <3
biz87
Profile Joined October 2009
Germany95 Posts
February 15 2012 17:36 GMT
#16
On February 16 2012 01:56 WickedSkies wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 15 2012 18:47 Clarity_nl wrote:
On February 15 2012 18:12 WickedSkies wrote:
Or why not just make units all the time like the other races and not only when you see his giant army coming for you?


Because if we make units, we can't make drones as well.

Yes, you can. Instead of holding the d button and going for a coffee break, make some drones and some units, kinda like Stephano does. Of course, it requires you to think, which is too much to expect from most zergs...


oh boy. do you even understand zerg when you're watching stephano's stream?
he is maxing at 12minutes mark with roaches against a protoss forge FE. it's definitely not because he is making units and drones at the same time..
ODKStevez
Profile Joined February 2011
Ireland1225 Posts
February 15 2012 17:41 GMT
#17
On February 15 2012 18:12 WickedSkies wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 15 2012 17:40 Khainer wrote:
Knowledge is power, if you see it coming you can prepare. If you get caught by suprise you're fucked.
Those timing hit hard so saving up enough larvae to create an army when he start pushing out is probably to late.

vs Terran you need to catch him, preferable, before he stand outside your base but somewhere along his traveling. Flanking comes to mind.

vs Protoss you need to have a big army and fight near your spines. Attempt to make it impossible for the Protoss to shutdown your reinforcements (FF on ramp) so the more forward you can place those spines the better. This is where creep spread is important too, the further away his pylon is the better.

Or why not just make units all the time like the other races and not only when you see his giant army coming for you?


Do you even understand how Zerg works? You have to make waves of either drones or units to stay ahead. If you make half drones and half units, you end up behind in workers.
Luppa <3
Igaryu85
Profile Joined November 2010
Germany195 Posts
February 15 2012 17:42 GMT
#18
On February 16 2012 01:56 WickedSkies wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 15 2012 18:47 Clarity_nl wrote:
On February 15 2012 18:12 WickedSkies wrote:
Or why not just make units all the time like the other races and not only when you see his giant army coming for you?


Because if we make units, we can't make drones as well.

Yes, you can. Instead of holding the d button and going for a coffee break, make some drones and some units, kinda like Stephano does. Of course, it requires you to think, which is too much to expect from most zergs...


Congratulations you fully understood the zerg race.
You probably also allready figured out that zerg is the easy race right?

Anyone able to do simple math would realize that the more drones one gets as early as possible the bigger the bonus to that.
Allthough if one knows an attack is coming it can be beneficial to have more units than the absolute minimum to have a decent amount of units left to savely drone behind/possibly pressure.

In the recommended strategy threads there is a saturation guide by sheth which might be helpfull to you (OP).

For the swarm!
WickedSkies
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Netherlands81 Posts
February 15 2012 17:56 GMT
#19
On February 16 2012 02:42 Igaryu85 wrote:
Anyone able to do simple math would realize that the more drones one gets as early as possible the bigger the bonus to that.
For the swarm!

Hello, Idra fanboy.
1-st. Anyone able to do simple math would realize if things were that simple terran would just make 6 orbitals without making units and start making units out of its 30 rax at the moment he sees you coming. I don't see that happening in practice.
2-nd. Zerg players usually play outright stupidly. The whole notion that a race should be able to go expo first and barely scouting comes to show you that zerg is the race played by people who have trouble, in your words, to 'do the simple math'. (Cause you probably did not get what I mean by now, I will clarify: I imply that most zerg players are stupid)
3-rd. Playing a couple of games as zerg on ladder, I got utterly disgusted how easy the race is. What I don't get is why zergs think they are entitled to feel skilful beating a terran, for example, cause in order to lose with zerg vs terran, the zerg has to have one arm, one eye (basically, a pirate), a parrot biting his ear and some mental retardation (something I am sure most zerg players do have).

User was banned for this post.
Drone chasing probe, Tasteless quietly watching (Artosis)
654321
Profile Joined December 2011
Belize100 Posts
February 15 2012 18:09 GMT
#20
---Don't listen to people who recommend you to make lings/drone at the same time. Making drone is more important. You only make ling when you want to all -in and kill the terran by hiding majority of lings in your main. It's very important to drone and get 3rd as soon as possible with least defend units. Once you are in mid to late game, you'll have fun with terran .
---Your goal is to be as greedy as possible with the least amount of defend if you want macro game.
-----When lings made, You have to make extra ling hiding in your main to go for all in.
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