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[D] Ways to Practice Macro/Micro at Work - Page 2

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
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Inquisitor1323
Profile Joined March 2012
370 Posts
July 01 2012 04:18 GMT
#21
On 6-29-2012 TheZanthex wrote:

On June 29 2012 06:43 simian_sc wrote:
Show nested quote +


o.O You can play BW off a flash drive? Or are you saying just install it?


You can play it off a flash drive. I've done it before at my school. :D


Dude BW at school is the best thing ever. :D Same problem OP. You could try missionred.com for mouse accuracy that's what I usually do.
EsportsJohn
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
United States4883 Posts
July 01 2012 04:23 GMT
#22
I have the windows icon as my destop background. I generally like to practice boxing the entire logo as accurately as possible, the each one of the windows. I practice boxing from all directions and try to make as small of a box as possible as fast as I can.

Another thing I commonly do is spam between browser tabs by clicking on them. I use Chrome, so the tabs at the top are relatively free of other buttons. It's fun to click back and forth as fast as possible, making certain you don't accidentally X out of it.

Is the OP for real? Spamming macro cycle in Notepad/spam-clicking desktop background to increase apm/precision whilst at work? It never fails to astound me; how utterly, and pathetically desperate some people can be to get better at this game. Am I really the only person who laughed at this? There are far more efficacious, and far less pathetic methods of evoking the sort of improvement the OP so desperately desires. Stop taking the game so seriously, bro. And I would recommend a thorough re-evaluation of how (productively) you're spending your 'spare' time at work. When you're actually playing the game is the time for improvement.


Are you for real? There's no need for asinine responses on this forum. Some people actually ENJOY Starcraft and enjoy learning and playing...why would be ridiculous to practice Starcraft on a non-Starcraft medium? Pianists practice on tables to insure memory and accuracy, does that make them pathetically desperate to play piano better?
StrategyAllyssa Grey <3<3
ETisME
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
12738 Posts
July 01 2012 13:00 GMT
#23
hmmmm.....I usually circle the middle part of the screen to check my mouse accuracy. I also tab my fingers every now and then to make my fingers able to move more freely. It really works because my one hand typing is now pretty fast and accurate
其疾如风,其徐如林,侵掠如火,不动如山,难知如阴,动如雷震。
nichan
Profile Joined December 2010
United States158 Posts
July 01 2012 13:48 GMT
#24
is there a https or secure website with any games for mouse accuracy? and is there any way to get team liquid page on a browser that doesn't let you see sites that are consider gaming sites
luckyshit
Profile Joined July 2012
Singapore1 Post
Last Edited: 2012-07-01 21:15:15
July 01 2012 21:12 GMT
#25
just some of the ways i "practice" when im not physically playing.

mental/visualization practice!
i do lots of mental practice during my free time. just lean back n use your imagination! be VERY detailed when u visualize!
imagine yourself doing the actions. when u start your warm up games eventually, refer back to that mental blueprint of how u would like your actions to look like, and then adjust.
develop a mental checklist n know it like as though its your birthdate!

as quoted from (i think) day9, "macro is in your eyes! where u look at any point of time."
starting from the beginning the loading screen, i know that im gonna click hatch, build a drone, then select my drones n split to start mining. i imagine where my eyes look at(i do it with my eyes closed so i have a very clear image in my mind).. for example,
1) centre of screen. where the hatch is so i can click it and then "s d".
2) around centre the centre area of screen. where the mineral line is (top, left, right, bottom of hatch), select workers and send to mine, split if u want or however u like to do it.
after that, i know i will hotkey my hatch to 5. so what i do is i imagine myself selecting hatch, press left shift with pinky, index finger on number 5.
i try to be as detailed as i can when i "daydream". also, the more u think about the same thing, the faster u become at thinking it, and eventually, "doing" it, because it feels kind of second nature.

if u dont mind looking like an idiot in front of your colleagues while picturing what u're doing, move! play "air keyboard/mouse"!!! XD because the keyboard/mouse at work/school is never gonna be the same as the one u use at home (especially with regards to mouse sensitivity, i play with a high sensitivity). as a side note, u dont have to move exactly/precisely at all! if u have used a keyboard and mouse before, u dont need to "search" for the spacebar/esc button right? u get the idea.
some times when i "daydream-sc2-practice", i even notice that my head twitches here n there because im imagining myself looking at minimap, top-right, minimap, bottom-centre, top right, minimap, etc etc.

just a rough idea of how i see it. u can learn faster and sometimes even more than what u expect, without actually doing it physically, but mentally.

u'd probably be questioned if u're sleeping at work though! GLGLHFHF~
VPCursed
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
1044 Posts
July 01 2012 21:14 GMT
#26
you should try playing the game in your head, imagine your self doing things.. it's actually a common practice among athletes.. imagine your self moving your hands/mouse/keyboard.. ; )
djdoodoo
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United Kingdom192 Posts
July 01 2012 21:26 GMT
#27
On July 01 2012 12:20 uLaLuLaLume wrote:
Is the OP for real? Spamming macro cycle in Notepad/spam-clicking desktop background to increase apm/precision whilst at work? It never fails to astound me; how utterly, and pathetically desperate some people can be to get better at this game. Am I really the only person who laughed at this? There are far more efficacious, and far less pathetic methods of evoking the sort of improvement the OP so desperately desires. Stop taking the game so seriously, bro. And I would recommend a thorough re-evaluation of how (productively) you're spending your 'spare' time at work. When you're actually playing the game is the time for improvement.

User was banned for this post.


TL is far too strict. This is good life advice. Why are you banning for this? OP needs to rethink how productively he spends his time.
monk
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
United States8477 Posts
July 01 2012 21:37 GMT
#28
On July 02 2012 06:26 djdoodoo wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 01 2012 12:20 uLaLuLaLume wrote:
Is the OP for real? Spamming macro cycle in Notepad/spam-clicking desktop background to increase apm/precision whilst at work? It never fails to astound me; how utterly, and pathetically desperate some people can be to get better at this game. Am I really the only person who laughed at this? There are far more efficacious, and far less pathetic methods of evoking the sort of improvement the OP so desperately desires. Stop taking the game so seriously, bro. And I would recommend a thorough re-evaluation of how (productively) you're spending your 'spare' time at work. When you're actually playing the game is the time for improvement.

User was banned for this post.


TL is far too strict. This is good life advice. Why are you banning for this? OP needs to rethink how productively he spends his time.

He wasn't banned for just this post. He's a PBU who was let back in despite having 4 other banned account. He was also put on a very short leash, and he should have been banned a long time ago, around his first 2-4 offenses rather than letting him get to his 8th offense in 74 posts. TL was not strict enough, if anything, in his situation. I edited banned reason in this case, but usually if banned reasons are unclear or dubious, check the automated banned list in the closed threads forum.

Oh and it's quite a bad post, doesn't contribute at all, and is just flaming the OP.

If you have problems with moderation, take it up in website feedback, not here.
Moderator
djdoodoo
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United Kingdom192 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-07-01 21:46:54
July 01 2012 21:46 GMT
#29
Thankyou for clearing this up.
Snoodles
Profile Joined March 2012
401 Posts
July 02 2012 00:17 GMT
#30
I tap my fingers REALLY fast on my leg, as fast as I can, as if I were playing an invisible piano.
SilSol
Profile Joined April 2012
Sweden2744 Posts
July 02 2012 00:35 GMT
#31
Isn't there many games you can try online that helps u get better with multitasking, micro etc? If someone knows a few good games that can help a lot feel free to PM me if so ;]
http://fragbite.se/user/117868/silsol since 2006 http://www.reddit.com/u/silsol77
OriginalBeast
Profile Joined September 2010
United States709 Posts
July 02 2012 01:19 GMT
#32
wait until you come home and do nothing but ladder, you won't get better at work. You will improve though.
More gg, more skill.
doner0
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States233 Posts
July 02 2012 01:33 GMT
#33
I like minesweeper, making boxes on my desktop, using the painting program and trying to make accurate squares with boxes to represent force fields, and, lastly, I love to run sc2 in windows and do some meaningless micro challenge.
EsportsJohn
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
United States4883 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-07-02 04:16:28
July 02 2012 04:14 GMT
#34
On July 02 2012 09:17 Snoodles wrote:
I tap my fingers REALLY fast on my leg, as fast as I can, as if I were playing an invisible piano.


Doesn't work very well for me because I DO play the piano hahaha. But yes, I think it's definitely viable to just train your fingers constantly to be more agile. If you're ever watching netflix or GSL or something at your comp, you can also just unplug your keyboard and practice tapping the hotkeys. I generally like to practice these sets: 123, 124, 125, 678, 890, shifting my hand as quickly as possible in between. It makes you a TON faster, and a lot more accurate moving around the keyboard. You can practice this in notepad at work as well.
StrategyAllyssa Grey <3<3
simian_sc
Profile Joined August 2010
United States91 Posts
July 02 2012 13:22 GMT
#35
On July 01 2012 11:56 Mavvie wrote:
Hey! This topic intrigues me, so I plan on spending this weekend and week developing a (simple) 2D mockup of SC2, where you can practice macro mechanics (injects, constant production, supply blocks, etc) in various minigames. I may add some simple micro games, but adding the AI, models, and information for every unit would be a lot of work (herp derp that's why there's development teams). Either way, it will be a fun project, and I will post here when done/looking for feedback! Basically it's going to be SC2 with SC1 graphics, hopefully will be believable enough ^^


Woot! Go Mawie! I look forward to checking out your results.

Great contributions, guys! I love the brainstorming we have going on. All great suggestions! I especially love the piano style air typing or leg tapping. Great way to excercise your fingers.

@trolls: I apologize if you took my OP as a bash on work ethics. Because it was not meant that way at all. In fact, the reason I have spare time at work to practice these things, is because I have my days work finished long before my co-workers. While it is against company policy to play video games in the office, it is not against any policy to browse the web and such. Hence my reason for posting.

Secondarily, I truly believe that to play SC2 at a GM + level, you have to be this determined to practice as much as possible. You need to constatnly be thinking of ways to improve your play. Constatnly thinking of new and exciting ways to practice so it doesn't get stale. When you look at brilliant minds such as Beethoven, that man practiced relentlessly. Some times being drug out of bed by his father in the middle of the night and forced to practice! While I don't condone his father's methods, you get the principle. If you want to be the best, you have to practice harder than the best.

And yes, while this is "just a game" for most people that play it, it will become a career for those who dream it and desire to put in the work.
"I only speak two languages, english and bad english."
Mavvie
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
Canada923 Posts
July 03 2012 01:54 GMT
#36
Ok so the good news is I wrote a 3D graphics engine with lots of vectormath to boot, and I've got item selection down, hotkeys shouldn't take long either. Camera centring on buildings is done (f.ex. double tap 4 and it will centre on whatever building you have hotkeyed). The really fucking hard part will be MBS (multiple building selection). Adding a UI is hard enough, but selecting multiple buildings?? Man, the amount of AI used when you hit 5dddaaaaaa (2TL 3Reactor rax) is actually ridiculous. Not to mention little white dots to show a production queue lmao. I'm thinking that I will start with zerg stuff, as MBS where S selects all your larvae is easy. Again, since this will be a /macro/ trainer, I doubt that it's necessary to put up with specifics like unit pathing AI and even maps. There's a reason that gaming companies have full teams

Anyways, I'll keep you posted. May even start a thread (probably in SC2 general forums) once this gets ready to release. I'll probably make it open source to 1) Possibly get extra hands, and 2) avoid any and all legal issues with Blizzard.

Disclaimer: Graphics will look like a shitty version of minecraft, but worse.
Getting back into sc2 O_o
Cheshyr
Profile Joined November 2010
United States78 Posts
July 03 2012 02:04 GMT
#37
On July 03 2012 10:54 Mavvie wrote:
Ok so the good news is I wrote a 3D graphics engine with lots of vectormath to boot, and I've got item selection down, hotkeys shouldn't take long either. Camera centring on buildings is done (f.ex. double tap 4 and it will centre on whatever building you have hotkeyed). The really fucking hard part will be MBS (multiple building selection). Adding a UI is hard enough, but selecting multiple buildings?? Man, the amount of AI used when you hit 5dddaaaaaa (2TL 3Reactor rax) is actually ridiculous. Not to mention little white dots to show a production queue lmao. I'm thinking that I will start with zerg stuff, as MBS where S selects all your larvae is easy. Again, since this will be a /macro/ trainer, I doubt that it's necessary to put up with specifics like unit pathing AI and even maps. There's a reason that gaming companies have full teams

Anyways, I'll keep you posted. May even start a thread (probably in SC2 general forums) once this gets ready to release. I'll probably make it open source to 1) Possibly get extra hands, and 2) avoid any and all legal issues with Blizzard.

Disclaimer: Graphics will look like a shitty version of minecraft, but worse.

I'm a bit of developer as well; let me know if I can help, or you want alpha tester. I'm suprised you didn't just use Unity and the GUI layers... likely would have saved you some time on the engine stuff, and you could export it to mobile/flash eventually as well. Anyway, I had been tossing around the same idea since mid 2011, but never got off my ass to do it. Looking forward to your progress. :-)
U_G_L_Y
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
United States516 Posts
July 03 2012 04:22 GMT
#38
Sc2planner.com and lurking TL is what I do. I am terrible though, because this is about as close as I get to actually playing some weeks. I feel like the multitask games don't really translate into SC2 very well. Also, my mouse sensitivity at work is limited by my piece of shit WYSE terminal so I have to have low sensitivity at home to match =(
y0su
Profile Blog Joined September 2011
Finland7871 Posts
July 03 2012 05:02 GMT
#39
On June 29 2012 00:23 ErrantMind wrote:
minesweeper.
seriously.

try to beat easy as fast as you can, great for mouse accuracy and decision making. my best score is 14sec.


great.. now i found out (to my surprise) that even on beginner you can end up with a 50/50 scenario... wtf.
simian_sc
Profile Joined August 2010
United States91 Posts
July 03 2012 13:06 GMT
#40
On July 03 2012 10:54 Mavvie wrote:
Ok so the good news is I wrote a 3D graphics engine with lots of vectormath to boot, and I've got item selection down, hotkeys shouldn't take long either. Camera centring on buildings is done (f.ex. double tap 4 and it will centre on whatever building you have hotkeyed). The really fucking hard part will be MBS (multiple building selection). Adding a UI is hard enough, but selecting multiple buildings?? Man, the amount of AI used when you hit 5dddaaaaaa (2TL 3Reactor rax) is actually ridiculous. Not to mention little white dots to show a production queue lmao. I'm thinking that I will start with zerg stuff, as MBS where S selects all your larvae is easy. Again, since this will be a /macro/ trainer, I doubt that it's necessary to put up with specifics like unit pathing AI and even maps. There's a reason that gaming companies have full teams

Anyways, I'll keep you posted. May even start a thread (probably in SC2 general forums) once this gets ready to release. I'll probably make it open source to 1) Possibly get extra hands, and 2) avoid any and all legal issues with Blizzard.

Disclaimer: Graphics will look like a shitty version of minecraft, but worse.


Awesome man! I'm super stoked to see what you come up with! Let me know if I can help in any way. I'm not much of a programmer but I can do some web design and I'm great with PR if you decide you wanna market it.
"I only speak two languages, english and bad english."
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