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Improving by playing campaign on brutal mode

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
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1 2 Next All
Clazziquai10
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Singapore1949 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-03-13 16:40:34
March 13 2012 16:39 GMT
#1
Now, since I meddled with campaign in normal mode while I was way back in silver, I have not touched it ever since, until now, because of my sudden obsession with that Kerrigan portrait. Of course, I've come a long way since, and I've managed to accomplish that without too much trouble, but what I noticed is that you actually need a decent level of multitasking and macro to stay on top of things when playing the campaign in brutal mode, especially so in the later missions, so much so that I really do not believe anyone below gold/plat can possibly have enough macro/multitasking to keep up the attacks and stuff.

So if anyone wants to find alternative/new ways to improve your general skill (at least for terran players, could apply to other races as well if you just want to improve in general), and you're like bronze or silver, or possibly gold, I feel like playing brutal mode campaign and focusing on SCV production, not getting supply blocked, constant unit production and keeping your $$$ low could be a good way to do so. The best part is, you can save whenever you want, so like, just before a big fight, if you feel like your macro is slipping, you can practice that fight over and over again until you can macro well during fights.

What do you guys think?
Leimus
Profile Joined October 2011
72 Posts
March 13 2012 16:49 GMT
#2
I went about to clear brutal mode when I was still in silver. It's true that the final missions were rather hard, but lot of them can be cleared with with turtle tactics that really do not translate well to the multiplayer side of the game. Most of it involves defensive lines, and massing units behind that without paying attention to the enemy. Early pressure makes no sense at all, since the objectives are mostly static.

But for a complete beginner that got into sc2, and played the campaign on normal, i guess it wouldn't hurt to try to clear it on brutal bit later to see how it is.
zatic
Profile Blog Joined September 2007
Zurich15365 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-03-13 17:28:18
March 13 2012 17:15 GMT
#3
Campaign is an absolute waste of time regarding your 1v1 skill. Not only will you not learn anything, more likely you'll develop bad habits and actually lower your skill.

Where do you think the tens of thousands of Kerrigan portraits in Bronze come from?

If anything, play 1v1 against the AI, which is actually good for practicing build timings, worker production, supply, etc. Or just man up and hit that Find Match button.
ModeratorI know Teamliquid is known as a massive building
Proof.
Profile Joined August 2011
535 Posts
March 13 2012 17:25 GMT
#4
I feel like the campaign is all over the place to be a good practice environment. Some missions have you just microing units while some just hands you bases and units so you can get right into the fun part. It really isn't good practice. If you're talking specifically about "All In" or the final protoss mission...even those have its problems. They hand you units and/or free bases so there's nothing you have to worry about except spending your money. I guess this is fine "practice", but a ladder 1v1 achieves the same thing and more.
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how
yoona2012
Profile Joined February 2012
Denmark196 Posts
March 13 2012 17:25 GMT
#5
I´d rather think of it the other way around.
Playing campaign on any difficulty won´t improve your 1v1 play by much - if any.
Playing 1v1 will however improve the ease of which you can run through the campaign.

When I first started playing, I played on a friends account to try it out and I finished brutal campaign with sheer stubburness and video tutorials, some of the mission did give me a hard time since I had never touched an RTS game previously.
Since then I bought my own game and laddered alot. I thought of finished the campaign once again on my own account but honestly it has now become so easy that the challenge bores me a bit and I only finished the first 6-7 missions.
Geo.Rion
Profile Blog Joined October 2008
7377 Posts
March 13 2012 17:30 GMT
#6
It's definitely counter-productive as far as 1v1 skill goes, Zatic nailed it so i wont echo it more
"Protoss is a joke" Liquid`Jinro Okt.1. 2011
unix04
Profile Joined November 2011
United States89 Posts
March 13 2012 17:31 GMT
#7
I think you'll learn much faster just playing 1v1 or even team games than playing campaign brutal. Thing with campaign is that the flow/pace of the game has been set for you. There are no timings. Your unit compositions are predetermined. Your macro is limited by the limited resources that are provided you in campaign (most campaign missions will allow you 2 bases max).
i am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul
TBone-
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
United States2309 Posts
March 13 2012 17:34 GMT
#8
You may improve some playing single player, but you will improve more so by reading this thread http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=319876
Eve online FC, lover of all competition
Hairy
Profile Joined February 2011
United Kingdom1169 Posts
March 13 2012 17:34 GMT
#9
It depends how you approach it. Virtually every brutal level can be beaten by doing the following:

- Making sure you don't get supply blocked
- Expanding at appropriate times
- Constantly making SCVs
- Constantly making units
- Keeping your money low

If you approach the brutal campaign in this way then it could be beneficial for a low level layer as a way of practising mechanics (as a zerg player, my terran play got noticeably better as I went through the brutal campaign). But it won't be long before 1v1 games vs the AI in multiplayer games will provide a better practice environment.

Will playing brutal improve your terran mechanics? If your mechanics are bad at the moment, and you approach each level in the aforementioned way, yes. But there are better ways to practice if the goal is just to get better and you don't care for the kerrigan portrait.
Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits
yoona2012
Profile Joined February 2012
Denmark196 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-03-13 17:45:23
March 13 2012 17:45 GMT
#10
On March 14 2012 02:34 Hairy wrote:
It depends how you approach it. Virtually every brutal level can be beaten by doing the following:

- Making sure you don't get supply blocked
- Expanding at appropriate times
- Constantly making SCVs
- Constantly making units
- Keeping your money low


Alot of missions come with odd number of scvs to start with, have no or only a few expansions, the units and upgrades are different and even the number of free supply to start with varies greatly. It bears little resemblance to real games and you´d be much much better off just laddering or even playing customs or vs ai games.
enigmaticcam
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States280 Posts
March 13 2012 18:01 GMT
#11
I found that after having spent a lot of time on the ladder and improving there, playing single-player on brutal was significantly easier after the fact. But definitely not the reverse.
Jarree
Profile Joined January 2012
Finland1004 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-03-13 18:18:12
March 13 2012 18:17 GMT
#12
I found single player more like abusing certain strats (like in the final protoss mission wall-in with DT ja sniping incoming overseers), siege tanks are OP and so on . Still fun i guess it doesn't hurt if you play micro intensive units.
kalteras
Profile Joined March 2011
United States72 Posts
March 13 2012 18:32 GMT
#13
I'm a diamond toss and I can't beat the brutal campaign, so according to my ego campaign is a waste of time and makes you a bad person.
Look at the damn minimap - Day[9]
serum321
Profile Joined January 2012
United States606 Posts
March 13 2012 18:42 GMT
#14
On March 14 2012 02:15 zatic wrote:
Campaign is an absolute waste of time regarding your 1v1 skill. Not only will you not learn anything, more likely you'll develop bad habits and actually lower your skill.

Where do you think the tens of thousands of Kerrigan portraits in Bronze come from?

If anything, play 1v1 against the AI, which is actually good for practicing build timings, worker production, supply, etc. Or just man up and hit that Find Match button.


Instant call down supply depots...
Demnogonis
Profile Joined December 2011
Finland80 Posts
March 13 2012 18:54 GMT
#15
Definitely no, the single-player campaign is a waste of time with a bunch of "build this new unit, asshole" missions. Just play on ladder. It's better to play under a little pressure than quicksave-quickload, that's what teaches you to get better at the game.
This, I command!
Xxazn4lyfe51xX
Profile Joined October 2010
United States976 Posts
March 13 2012 19:01 GMT
#16
The campaign is a good way to learn the basics of the game if you're completely new, but I would highly advise against using it as a representation in any way for a 1v1 game. The basics of pretty much any mission in the campaign, even in brutal pretty much go like this:

Build scvs. Build supply depots. Build marines. A move to victory.

Not really helpful for any realistic situation.
Hairy
Profile Joined February 2011
United Kingdom1169 Posts
March 13 2012 19:12 GMT
#17
On March 14 2012 04:01 Xxazn4lyfe51xX wrote:
Build scvs. Build supply depots. Build marines. A move to victory.

Not really helpful for any realistic situation.

*cough* marine SCV allin *cough* :D
Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits
Tal0n
Profile Joined April 2010
United States175 Posts
March 13 2012 19:12 GMT
#18
sure, playing starcraft will get you better at it. whether it's the most efficient way to do it, i don't know.
yoona2012
Profile Joined February 2012
Denmark196 Posts
March 13 2012 19:20 GMT
#19
On March 14 2012 04:12 Hairy wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 14 2012 04:01 Xxazn4lyfe51xX wrote:
Build scvs. Build supply depots. Build marines. A move to victory.

Not really helpful for any realistic situation.

*cough* marine SCV allin *cough* :D


Xxazn4lyfe51xX was being sarcastic, can´t you smell the zerg imba-marine QQ xD
Vestrel
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
Canada271 Posts
March 13 2012 19:22 GMT
#20
I didn't know there are many Bronze leaguers with Kerrigan portraits ._o
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