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Math on Widow Mines -- How STLife Dodged the Shots - Page 5

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
Post a Reply
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ElMeanYo
Profile Joined March 2011
United States1032 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-03-19 20:21:26
March 19 2013 20:20 GMT
#81
I must say this is a high-quality thread and reminds me of early WOL threads where people were first figuring out tactics like magic-boxing mutas and sock-folding, etc. Kudos to the OP for starting this.

Looks like widow mines have some complexity and tactical depth to them, and that bodes well for HOTS.
“The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
andrewlt
Profile Joined August 2009
United States7702 Posts
March 19 2013 20:24 GMT
#82
Pretty cool. In BW, the spider mines worked better against slower units anyway. Faster units could drag the mines around and damage the terran laying them. That's why meching terrans would often destroy their own mines while pushing.
Mutineer
Profile Joined March 2013
New Zealand179 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-03-19 20:25:38
March 19 2013 20:24 GMT
#83
There is one more factor which I do not think anyone mentioned.

Even after activation, Mine does not allway hit.

Max range of Mine is 5. So, if speedling mine activated leave this range after it activated, mine will explode at range 5 doing only splash damage. That may not effect speedling too mach, but for bigger units it can greatly reduce damage mine is dealing.

There are other micro ways to reduce damage - Blink same effect. Unit lieve mine radius, mine explode at place stalker was befor blink.
Burrow - mine explode on place doing only splash damage only to primary unit.

Go invisible - same effect, mine explode in place units last time was seen.

Same rules apply to seeker missiles, which have mach longer time to fly range 13 to target, giving a lot of time to avoide dammage even after seeker missile activated. The only difference I belieev that seeker missile will pass range 13 after activation, so this method does not work for seeker missile.
Shinespark
Profile Joined June 2011
Chile843 Posts
March 19 2013 20:27 GMT
#84
I'm pretty sure Life didn't realize any of this consciously...
"I, for one, welcome our new Korean overlords."
DonFonzy
Profile Joined February 2013
United States34 Posts
March 19 2013 20:30 GMT
#85
On March 20 2013 05:27 Shinespark wrote:
I'm pretty sure Life didn't realize any of this consciously...

I am sure he didn't come up with the math. But looking at the games, and how he chose to move through areas he knew had mines, it certainly looked like he had grasped the concept to some point and used it to his advantage.
There was several time where he was very careful even prearranged his forces before advancing.
Not that luck had nothing to do with it. I am sure that it did.

But now this is common knowledge and I am sure he and other pros will be able to capitalize on it.
Terran Race is best Race
Lone
Profile Joined August 2010
7 Posts
March 19 2013 20:32 GMT
#86
On March 20 2013 05:27 Shinespark wrote:
I'm pretty sure Life didn't realize any of this consciously...

No, probably not in a mathematical sense. But he probably realized conceptually that you could get past mine fields without activating them by move-commanding... Whether or not he specifically realized how to do so we wont know until we have replays, etc.

Still, the idea bodes well for SCII. More tactical depth is never a bad thing. Already I've seen some awesome positioning/leading suggestions.

Another important point to note is that you can see a slight indentation in the ground where mines are located, even if you don't have detection...
CenturionSC2
Profile Joined November 2012
United States51 Posts
March 19 2013 20:43 GMT
#87
this is AMAZING stuff! hope terrans will someday be skilled enough to micro mines like you suggest! Props to you for finding the math behind the mine. =]
Gogo INnoVatioN and Flash Fightiiiiiing \m/ "(._.) ( l: ) ( .-. ) ( :l ) (._.) They see me rolling. They hating." EnumaAvalon
nottapro
Profile Joined August 2012
202 Posts
March 19 2013 20:51 GMT
#88
Replays
+ Show Spoiler +
GAME ONE
http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/events/23-2013-winter-championship#2424/2432/1;100107

GAME TWO
http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/events/23-2013-winter-championship#2424/2432/1;100100

GAME THREE
http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/events/23-2013-winter-championship#2424/2432/1;100101

GAME FOUR
http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/events/23-2013-winter-championship#2424/2432/1;100102

GAME FIVE
http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/events/23-2013-winter-championship#2424/2432/1;100103

GAME SIX
http://tv.majorleaguegaming.com/events/23-2013-winter-championship#2424/2432/1;100105


In my opinion, you could tell when life knew about a mine because he sent 1 zergling at a time. But other times he just ran everything over 3-4 of them, and only 1 went off.
Hylirion
Profile Joined March 2012
Netherlands968 Posts
March 19 2013 20:53 GMT
#89
Seems really broken to me... it should fire on anything within it's range after 1.5 sec. This retargeting mechanic just makes it stupidly unreliable. If the enemy doesn't know where the mine is placed, it's pure randomness if it will go off vs zerglings.

mvdunecats
Profile Joined December 2011
United States102 Posts
March 19 2013 20:53 GMT
#90
I think this would be a great opportunity for Automaton 2000 to show off it's amazing micro. Imagine watching a video where 200 lings make their way through 20 widow mines because of precise zergling movement.
Nuclease
Profile Joined August 2011
United States1049 Posts
March 19 2013 20:54 GMT
#91
Lone is

Good job man, love the post, helps me understand the unit a LOT more.
Zealots, not zee-lots. | Never forget, KTViolet, Go)Space. | You will never be as good as By.Flash, and your drops will never be as sick as MMA.
Nuclease
Profile Joined August 2011
United States1049 Posts
March 19 2013 20:56 GMT
#92
On March 20 2013 05:32 Lone wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 20 2013 05:27 Shinespark wrote:
I'm pretty sure Life didn't realize any of this consciously...

No, probably not in a mathematical sense. But he probably realized conceptually that you could get past mine fields without activating them by move-commanding... Whether or not he specifically realized how to do so we wont know until we have replays, etc.

Still, the idea bodes well for SCII. More tactical depth is never a bad thing. Already I've seen some awesome positioning/leading suggestions.

Another important point to note is that you can see a slight indentation in the ground where mines are located, even if you don't have detection...


I have to agree with Lone here. Life plays this game WAY too much to be simply ignorant of something that very well could have won him games more than a few times. Widow Mines do MASSIVE damage when used right, but Life had an amazing way fo microing past them. Can't be pure coincidence with someone as good as Life, I don't believe.
Zealots, not zee-lots. | Never forget, KTViolet, Go)Space. | You will never be as good as By.Flash, and your drops will never be as sick as MMA.
Mitosis.
Profile Joined November 2010
Sweden16 Posts
March 19 2013 21:05 GMT
#93
On March 20 2013 04:47 Jawcub wrote:
Also a simple terran solution to this would be to always keep the mines in pairs, one right behind the first one so that the lings reach the other mines radius when leving the first one. Instead of keeping the mines side to side.


It depends on the situation I would say. Mines placed in-line, behind each other, provides a corridor where units passing through will trigger each mine in succession. In other words, if your opponent blindly runs through a choke in the middle, he will activate all the mines and take a lot of damage. However, there is quite a lot of room to the sides of the mines where you can easily avoid taking any damage at all if you know what you are doing.

On the other hand, if you place the mines side by side it will be virtually impossible to pass through the choke unscathed. But it is likely that units travelling in a narrow column will only trigger one of the two mines, meaning that the potential damage is lower.

As the number of mines grow, a combination is probably the best. That is, stagger the mines in a triangular pattern (or square, or whatever polygon you prefere ) in order to ensure that no unit can pass through without getting hit by several mines.

Quick illustration of the mine-pair case:

[image loading]

GeNi
Profile Joined November 2012
United States49 Posts
March 19 2013 21:17 GMT
#94
this is some awesome research, but i just think life got lucky. oh well
garlicface
Profile Joined April 2010
Canada4196 Posts
March 19 2013 21:18 GMT
#95
Hell in the very last game Life played he opted to run past mines he knew were planted for minutes because he was working with mainly muta+ling. It was only after there was a significant break in the action that he finally decided to clear them out.

When you watch most Zergs play (stream) you can see that they try to clear mines as they move out with their army. IdrA in particular will order his mutas to destroy the mines.

Again though, it comes down to whether or not Terrans give you the space to move past the mines. If Terrans start purposefully halting portions of their armies in front of the mines, then Zergs are going to be fighting one hell of a bad battle.
#TeamBuLba
nottapro
Profile Joined August 2012
202 Posts
March 19 2013 21:20 GMT
#96
+ Show Spoiler +
On March 20 2013 05:56 Nuclease wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 20 2013 05:32 Lone wrote:
On March 20 2013 05:27 Shinespark wrote:
I'm pretty sure Life didn't realize any of this consciously...

No, probably not in a mathematical sense. But he probably realized conceptually that you could get past mine fields without activating them by move-commanding... Whether or not he specifically realized how to do so we wont know until we have replays, etc.

Still, the idea bodes well for SCII. More tactical depth is never a bad thing. Already I've seen some awesome positioning/leading suggestions.

Another important point to note is that you can see a slight indentation in the ground where mines are located, even if you don't have detection...


I have to agree with Lone here. Life plays this game WAY too much to be simply ignorant of something that very well could have won him games more than a few times. Widow Mines do MASSIVE damage when used right, but Life had an amazing way fo microing past them. Can't be pure coincidence with someone as good as Life, I don't believe.


Life probably knew he should send at least 1 ling ahead of the pack to get it to prefire on the least valauble target, but as an unintended consequence, his 1 speedling prevented it from firing at all, because it travelled between mid and outer ring of its range, preventing the AI from firing against it or the next subsequent group of speedlings.
iiGreetings
Profile Joined March 2011
Canada563 Posts
March 19 2013 21:20 GMT
#97
This changes the game, Lone amazing job dude this is absolutely nothing shy of impressive. Loved the visual as well! Can't wait to get plastered as I try to be like life and gosumicro my way to victory lol
Adapt and React I MKP, PartinG, EffOrt ♥
VelRa_G
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
Canada304 Posts
March 19 2013 21:20 GMT
#98
On March 20 2013 06:05 Mitosis. wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 20 2013 04:47 Jawcub wrote:
Also a simple terran solution to this would be to always keep the mines in pairs, one right behind the first one so that the lings reach the other mines radius when leving the first one. Instead of keeping the mines side to side.


It depends on the situation I would say. Mines placed in-line, behind each other, provides a corridor where units passing through will trigger each mine in succession. In other words, if your opponent blindly runs through a choke in the middle, he will activate all the mines and take a lot of damage. However, there is quite a lot of room to the sides of the mines where you can easily avoid taking any damage at all if you know what you are doing.

On the other hand, if you place the mines side by side it will be virtually impossible to pass through the choke unscathed. But it is likely that units travelling in a narrow column will only trigger one of the two mines, meaning that the potential damage is lower.

As the number of mines grow, a combination is probably the best. That is, stagger the mines in a triangular pattern (or square, or whatever polygon you prefere ) in order to ensure that no unit can pass through without getting hit by several mines.

Quick illustration of the mine-pair case:

[image loading]



This is an anti-widow mine thread and you're not helping!

In all seriousness, great post here. You can eliminate the effective radius by stacking them at the correct ranges. Very nice!
Nuda Veritas
porkRaven
Profile Joined December 2010
United States953 Posts
March 19 2013 21:21 GMT
#99
Thank you very much for this post! Very informative.
SHOUTOUTS TO Aylear!!!
SorrowShine
Profile Joined October 2011
698 Posts
March 19 2013 21:32 GMT
#100
Nice Post. Thnx a lot
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