EPTIntroduction: I watch a lot of games, I read a ton of guides. I love this game and that's why I wanted to do this. I'm a masters level player on NA, nothing special but I play an extremely strong macro style. When I look around at all the newbie guides available, when I look at the help me threads or the battle.net forums all I see are people asking very specific questions and getting answers, but I don't see anything that really hits the root of the problem for people. There's some fantastic guides out there on youtube, and of course there's the Day9 daily. I felt something was missing though, everybody talks about making workers but nobody nobody has put together something detailed and concrete on the matter. There's tons of great players talking over a build order or talking while they play but there's almost nothing out there that has a huge amount of preplanning and effort put into it, and I want to change that. (day9 being the exception, I gained tons of respect for how much he much put into each daily.)
I've wanted to do this guide for a very long time, but I finally decided to go ahead and do it. I remember Day9 saying on a regular basis to just go do it if you wanted to do anything. I've created several videos on the core portions of the game to try and help people grow. The videos detail taking your game from the very start of making workers, to being able to make huge armies with stellar upgrades at masters level. I do this slowly, layering in new elements of play until you're ready to macro like a master (or better).
The goal with this, is that by the time you finish this guide and can execute it in your sleep you won't simply be following a build order... you'll have a much deeper understanding of the game. The goal is that when you're finished with the first 9 videos you'll be able to watch a pro play a game and be able to jump into an ai game and figure out his build on your own. No matter your skill level, measure yourself up to the benchmarks I set and you'll see improvement in your game. I will provide teaching episodes, and gameplay ones where I emulate the lessons against that leagues opponents.
Start at the beginning, if you're good you'll rip through the first few episodes... but if you're not able to hit the standards set early, you won't hit the ones late. The idea here is to layer in new parts of your gameplay, if you try to do everything at once it will feel very overwhelming. As you start to perfect concepts though, you can shift your concentration over to the new pieces. The videos are the most important part of this guide, I spent a lot of time recording the audio and editing them. However I try to explain what is in the video, and explain each concept as well in this thread.
Episodes 1+2: The Basics, Bronze League Demonstrations
+ Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SES1IAGlwDU
This is the first episode, it's a bit of an introduction to the series. This really video stresses the importance of macro to build the very core basic of making workers, and taking your natural. I setup some benchmarks for worker production @ 10 minutes off a blind 1 barracks fast expand. This episode is not very complicated, and a great way to introduce people to the concepts I want to show off.
You can easily apply this concept to other races and different build orders. Just play a game against the very easy cpu and use your normal build. Never miss a probe, scv or inject and see how it turns out @ 10 minutes (earlier for zerg if you're counting drones). Use this as your measurement going forward and compare it against replays of games you've played. This way when you go to analyze a replay you can simply skip to a certain time and see if your core wasn't strong, thus costing you the game.
Benchmarks:
3:45 Natural
50 Scv's @ 10 minutes.
This is the first episode, it's a bit of an introduction to the series. This really video stresses the importance of macro to build the very core basic of making workers, and taking your natural. I setup some benchmarks for worker production @ 10 minutes off a blind 1 barracks fast expand. This episode is not very complicated, and a great way to introduce people to the concepts I want to show off.
You can easily apply this concept to other races and different build orders. Just play a game against the very easy cpu and use your normal build. Never miss a probe, scv or inject and see how it turns out @ 10 minutes (earlier for zerg if you're counting drones). Use this as your measurement going forward and compare it against replays of games you've played. This way when you go to analyze a replay you can simply skip to a certain time and see if your core wasn't strong, thus costing you the game.
Benchmarks:
3:45 Natural
50 Scv's @ 10 minutes.
Episodes 3+4: Building Groups, Silver League Demonstrations
+ Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQunDbsElg
This episode is where things get different from build orders, and "make more stuff". I try to teach out the idea of building groups in this video, and using your resources to dictate what you make. The idea of making two barracks, then the addons when you have the gas and finally a factory when you get the gas for that too is much more simple than build 2 barracks @25 food, 2 reactors and a tech lab @ 32 food and a factory at 39 food.
Allowing your resources to dictate your build also makes it very simple to modify things on the fly with no impact, and to apply your skills to different builds much, much easier. One example of this is getting a tech lab on your factory for tanks and using the starport naked instead of getting the reactor for the starport on the factory and getting medivacs for pure bio. Both can be accomplished off the same gas, and the same buildings but both would have vastly different "Food" build orders by the time you got later into the game.
Building groups also provide one more thing that is absolutely vital to playing well. They let you deal with crisis extremely well. If something happens and your build order gets totally thrown out, like losing a bunch of scv's to dt's you know how to stabilize. With a build order you'll be totally lost, but when you use your resources to dictate your buildings you'll be in great shape. It's also awesome to know exactly what to get after you stabilize.
Benchmarks:
50 Scv's @ 10 minutes
3:45 Natural Started
6:50 Factory Started -> Take Third Gas
7:55 Starport Started -> Reactor Started on Fact (or techlab for tanks/naked starport vacs)
10 Minute Push Out With 100 Food of Units
This episode is where things get different from build orders, and "make more stuff". I try to teach out the idea of building groups in this video, and using your resources to dictate what you make. The idea of making two barracks, then the addons when you have the gas and finally a factory when you get the gas for that too is much more simple than build 2 barracks @25 food, 2 reactors and a tech lab @ 32 food and a factory at 39 food.
Allowing your resources to dictate your build also makes it very simple to modify things on the fly with no impact, and to apply your skills to different builds much, much easier. One example of this is getting a tech lab on your factory for tanks and using the starport naked instead of getting the reactor for the starport on the factory and getting medivacs for pure bio. Both can be accomplished off the same gas, and the same buildings but both would have vastly different "Food" build orders by the time you got later into the game.
Building groups also provide one more thing that is absolutely vital to playing well. They let you deal with crisis extremely well. If something happens and your build order gets totally thrown out, like losing a bunch of scv's to dt's you know how to stabilize. With a build order you'll be totally lost, but when you use your resources to dictate your buildings you'll be in great shape. It's also awesome to know exactly what to get after you stabilize.
Benchmarks:
50 Scv's @ 10 minutes
3:45 Natural Started
6:50 Factory Started -> Take Third Gas
7:55 Starport Started -> Reactor Started on Fact (or techlab for tanks/naked starport vacs)
10 Minute Push Out With 100 Food of Units
Episodes 5+6: Tech and Timing, Gold League Demonstrations
+ Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3YQGubGR_4
WarningThis episode will be brutal if you can't hit the benchmarks from the previous episodes. This episode will be difficult, even for higher level players to accomplish. I teach out tech, and timing attacks in this video. Timing attacks are straight forward and I teach a fairly basic one here. This is where things start to become more about practice, but the lessons are helpful.
Tons and tons of players watch pro's tech extremely fast. This is problematic for most people though, because they simply try to tech way too fast. Some pros will take big risks to tech, they understand that but for the average joe our control simply isn't good enough to handle those risks. Fast tech is also deceiving, it's not very common to see 3/3 bio at 15 minutes. It's easy to get 3/3 safely by 18 minutes or so, which is still extremely fast and I try to plant to seeds to doing this here.
The idea of layering in new parts of your play is nothing new, but after this lesson you should feel much more solid in your play if you started in a lower league. By this point you've only dealt with, and mastered two bases. You should also be able to really tweak things by this point. Being able to transfer over these ideas to a totally different build shouldn't be a problem.
Benchmarks:
50 Scv's @ 10 minutes
3:45 Natural Started
6:50 Factory Started -> Take Third Gas
7:25 Eng Bay
7:55 Starport Started -> Reactor Started on Fact (or techlab for tanks/naked starport vacs)
10 Minute Push Out With 100 Food of Units
+1 Attack @ 10:50
Stim @10:00-10:10
WarningThis episode will be brutal if you can't hit the benchmarks from the previous episodes. This episode will be difficult, even for higher level players to accomplish. I teach out tech, and timing attacks in this video. Timing attacks are straight forward and I teach a fairly basic one here. This is where things start to become more about practice, but the lessons are helpful.
Tons and tons of players watch pro's tech extremely fast. This is problematic for most people though, because they simply try to tech way too fast. Some pros will take big risks to tech, they understand that but for the average joe our control simply isn't good enough to handle those risks. Fast tech is also deceiving, it's not very common to see 3/3 bio at 15 minutes. It's easy to get 3/3 safely by 18 minutes or so, which is still extremely fast and I try to plant to seeds to doing this here.
The idea of layering in new parts of your play is nothing new, but after this lesson you should feel much more solid in your play if you started in a lower league. By this point you've only dealt with, and mastered two bases. You should also be able to really tweak things by this point. Being able to transfer over these ideas to a totally different build shouldn't be a problem.
Benchmarks:
50 Scv's @ 10 minutes
3:45 Natural Started
6:50 Factory Started -> Take Third Gas
7:25 Eng Bay
7:55 Starport Started -> Reactor Started on Fact (or techlab for tanks/naked starport vacs)
10 Minute Push Out With 100 Food of Units
+1 Attack @ 10:50
Stim @10:00-10:10
Episode 7: Scouting
+ Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZDqk6YqN1w
This video is a very basic overview of scouting. The main concept here is really simple, don't try to pinpoint his build try to group what he can do. Examples of that are Toss with one base and two gas, that's probably DT's, Void Ray all in, Blink Stalker all in or a sentry expand. If you build 10 bunkers and 8 turrets to defend that, but he expands you lose the game.
For experienced players this video won't be very interesting or important, but I did feel it was something vital to make for players that struggle with scouting. This one is far from perfect, but it's a pretty good overview of some good techniques to use. I do skip over scouting the front here because that's impossible to cover in a short amount of time, and very subjective. You also get a lot better at that with experience.
This video is a very basic overview of scouting. The main concept here is really simple, don't try to pinpoint his build try to group what he can do. Examples of that are Toss with one base and two gas, that's probably DT's, Void Ray all in, Blink Stalker all in or a sentry expand. If you build 10 bunkers and 8 turrets to defend that, but he expands you lose the game.
For experienced players this video won't be very interesting or important, but I did feel it was something vital to make for players that struggle with scouting. This one is far from perfect, but it's a pretty good overview of some good techniques to use. I do skip over scouting the front here because that's impossible to cover in a short amount of time, and very subjective. You also get a lot better at that with experience.
Episodes 8+9: Taking a Third and Adding Production, Plat League Demonstration
+ Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udr9BtFVWGc
This video is tough. Players that are able to accomplish the benchmarks here are going to be playing mechanically at a masters level, easily. This doesn't mean your micro etc is all there, but mechanically your macro will be masters level. I'm still practicing trying to hit the benchmarks I've set here on any kind of regular basis, and doing it in a game while trying to micro etc really makes it tough. The point here is to be able to take a safe third, with max saturation already and have a ton of production very quickly.
The point behind these videos is not to simply win at the level they're aimed at, but absolutely dominate. I don't think plat players can just walk in and hit these benchmarks, but I do think they can with practice. I also think that if they can hit these in games they'll have no issues getting to masters.
Benchmarks
65 Scv's @ 12:30
Third Landed @ 12:40
9 Barracks by 14 Minutes
+2, +1 Infantry @ 14-15 Minutes
Combat Shield Finished
200 Supply Army @ 14 Minutes
This video is tough. Players that are able to accomplish the benchmarks here are going to be playing mechanically at a masters level, easily. This doesn't mean your micro etc is all there, but mechanically your macro will be masters level. I'm still practicing trying to hit the benchmarks I've set here on any kind of regular basis, and doing it in a game while trying to micro etc really makes it tough. The point here is to be able to take a safe third, with max saturation already and have a ton of production very quickly.
The point behind these videos is not to simply win at the level they're aimed at, but absolutely dominate. I don't think plat players can just walk in and hit these benchmarks, but I do think they can with practice. I also think that if they can hit these in games they'll have no issues getting to masters.
Benchmarks
65 Scv's @ 12:30
Third Landed @ 12:40
9 Barracks by 14 Minutes
+2, +1 Infantry @ 14-15 Minutes
Combat Shield Finished
200 Supply Army @ 14 Minutes
Conclusion: I spoke with Zatic about posting this here, in fact he suggested it. I felt that this was the right time to post my series. I will be making more videos in the future, and covering the other two races. I do feel though that the series to this point will help somebody become a very strong macro player, and that it can be a great place to point people here who need help at lower levels. I will be covering things like drops, multi pronged attacks, properly engaging a tough army however there's already tons of stuff out there like that. Those videos will be best suited to people that like my videos and appreciate the effort I put into them.
If you have comments, suggestions, questions or advice then please post it. The only thing I really ask is for things to be talked about in terms of learning and getting better, not in a strict build order fashion.
M youtube channel, contains more videos with different topics
My stream if you want to watch me play live
Replay Packs
Bronze Level Reps
Silver Level Reps
Gold Level Reps
Plat Level Reps
Diamond Level Reps
Masters Level Reps
Special Thanks: I have loved working on these videos, it's been one of the most rewarding things I've done in a long time. Reading all the positive comments from the fellow nerds I've managed to help in my own way is awesome. There are two people however who's attitudes I've admired for a long time.
Day9, I just wanted to thank you for your ever positive attitude. You're positive about everything you do, and that's something I work hard to strive for.
TotalBiscuit, I just wanted to say that I appreciate your quality attitude when it comes to content. I always want my videos, and my channel to only contain worthwhile stuff and not just a big stack of me playing a game with commentary like the other 90% of youtube lets plays. I've actually thrown out a couple videos completely because I didn't feel they were up to snuff.
