Hi As some of you may know, White-Ra launched his own website ( www.white-ra.com ), and I thought it would be interesting if we released an Ask White-Ra series with questions from regular players, as opposed to holding interviews.
I figured TL would be an excellent place to get questions from English-speaking community, so if you have any questions you would like White-Ra to answer, please post them here! If everything goes well, hopefully we can turn this into a weekly thing. I will submit the questions to White-Ra (we talked today, he is all for it!), and we will release the answers on the website.
p.s. It is probably a good idea to avoid very general questions, like "how do you play XvX". I think he is planning to release guides for things like that. More specific things like "what units do you answer infantry/tank/raven with" should be fine.
Btw, there are Russian, Ukrainian and English sections of the website, so make sure you are on the right one If you see something in Russian on the English section, that means the translation is coming soon. They have also added an English forum section (when you go to forums its on the bottom) where you can ask white ra questions. Still I will use this post to release article-style answers, as opposed to forum posts
@White-Ra: Any thoughts on the mothership? We rarely see this unit in competitive games but I'm sure there's a way to implement it, after all Recall is a very powerful spell with a lot of potential.
@White-ra Do you have a URL for your site? But seriously, what is the URL? -Question, what do you think about when you are sitting down about to play a big game at a tournament?
@White-Ra With the first phase of Beta complete, what changes (if any) would you like to see for the Protoss before the game is released? Are you satisfied with the general balance between the 3 races?
how do you manage being a professional gamer while having a wife and multiple children?
(I'm not mocking, it's serious question. My bf and I game a lot and if he ever mentions children, I'm like "well, when would we feed them? there's no time!")
Submitting all of the above questions, with the exception of 1 (take a wild guess..:D). Anywho keep em coming, if they won't get into this release, sure there will be another one
What do you think about Tester's 13/16 or 12/14 double gate to expo build against Zerg?
Your 10gate/forge to nexus build to +2 Colossi seems very solid right now.
Which do you think is superior, or are there certain maps or map positioning that your build would favor more so then Tester's build? The only main difference I see in it is that Tester has 3 main timing pushes where you have 2. You get plus 2 attack versus his plus 1 attack though. Thanks for your time.
What's the big difference between your skills and the Tester? Macro? Micro? Timing? Strategy? The gap is huge? In SC2 is better to be aggressive or passive? (For a toss player) What you thing about the 3 races? What you think is the best race combo to be in 2v2 for SC2? Why?
As a 25 year old, im feeling my reflexes drop and my reaction times suffer. However, i feel like my strategies and tactics are stronger than ever. Do you think that with a greater overall sense for sc2 strats you can compensate for lack of apm/ reaction time?
@White Ra -- Let's say it's ZvP, close enough spawns that a 2gate pressure will guarantee a deny on a 14pool 15/16 hatch. What Zerg response will be the hardest to deal with from the Protoss player's perspective?
As a 25 year old, im feeling my reflexes drop and my reaction times suffer. However, i feel like my strategies and tactics are stronger than ever. Do you think that with a greater overall sense for sc2 strats you can compensate for lack of apm/ reaction time?
check out day9 daily #132. He explains why SC is not about APM but all about memory. Is your memory dropping on you? If not you'll be fine
What is the optimum way to fast 2 gate? 10 pylon or 9 pylon? when do you lay the gateways? is it different if you are intending to win with the fast 2 gate, or whether you are tyrign to 2gate pressure while expo'ing?
"What do you think of Bnet 2.0?" "How do you see late game Protoss shaping up. Idra in a recent interview said that Protoss becomes very weak in late game. Is the solution some sort of big air?
What do you think about Tester's 13/16 or 12/14 double gate to expo build against Zerg?
Your 10gate/forge to nexus build to +2 Colossi seems very solid right now.
Which do you think is superior, or are there certain maps or map positioning that your build would favor more so then Tester's build? The only main difference I see in it is that Tester has 3 main timing pushes where you have 2. You get plus 2 attack versus his plus 1 attack though. Thanks for your time.
-NET
I was going to ask the same question. (or the like)
What do you think about Tester's 13/16 or 12/14 double gate to expo build against Zerg?
Your 10gate/forge to nexus build to +2 Colossi seems very solid right now.
Which do you think is superior, or are there certain maps or map positioning that your build would favor more so then Tester's build? The only main difference I see in it is that Tester has 3 main timing pushes where you have 2. You get plus 2 attack versus his plus 1 attack though. Thanks for your time.
-NET
I was going to ask the same question. (or the like)
I would prefer just some sort of Bio if you have it. Ask him to write a paragraph about himself and how he got into gaming etc, unless that is somewhere on the site. :/
Как можно у тебя такой "beastly" PvP ?! Я сам вьиграл на Протос, и PvP у меня очен плохое. Я смотрил твои игри, и я думаю що у тебя, слишком много единиц. Как ето возможно ?! Не производить пробку ? Замедление технологии ? Я пьтался понять сам по себе, но я не могу.
On June 14 2010 13:08 Alou wrote: I would prefer just some sort of Bio if you have it. Ask him to write a paragraph about himself and how he got into gaming etc, unless that is somewhere on the site. :/
Will ask, I think I read about that in an interview somewhere though, but a bio section would be nice.
With regards to the rest of the questions, I like all of them and will send them in batches, thank you for your input!
On June 14 2010 13:13 Hikari wrote: I would like to know what white-ra is doing during the beta down time. Given his age, how does he balance life with friends/family vs progaming?
I've always wondered how he finds enough time to play with his family. Also what do you do for a living?
In your recent games, we sometimes saw you skip Warpgate research. Was this intentional, and if so, what was your reasoning behind it? It seems general Protoss consensus is to get WG researched as fast as possible because it is relatively cheap.
Is there anything that you would like to see changed in the game, in terms of unit balance, that would make games more interesting?
What are your thoughts about current PvP? I have found that most games rarely even go to a 2nd expansion and end not long after. Is there any way to make the MU more viable for mid / late-game, without breaking Protoss' other matchups?
Thank you for your time, and I am looking forward to your answers.
A tip for iokke, make sure to show him all questions (maybe except the most stupid ones) and then let him choose which ones he wants to answer / where he can give the most interesting replies. Thanks for organizing this!
I often play Protoss and I'm having a little bit of trouble against speedlings. Once my opponent has gotten speedlings, I find myself unable to move out from my main lest the lings come and destroy my mineral line. My opponent then macros up and expands a bunch and then comes at me with a huge 200/200 Hydra force (or what have you). What are some tips that could help me prevent/counter this?
On June 14 2010 17:10 youngminii wrote: Dear White-Ra,
I often play Protoss and I'm having a little bit of trouble against speedlings. Once my opponent has gotten speedlings, I find myself unable to move out from my main lest the lings come and destroy my mineral line. My opponent then macros up and expands a bunch and then comes at me with a huge 200/200 Hydra force (or what have you). What are some tips that could help me prevent/counter this?
Put Zealots on your ramp and press the "Hold" position button. This prevents your zealots from getting kitted away from your ramp. (Look out for banelings!)
If your army moves out keep a sentry or two behind to force field the ramp if you happen to see a speedling counter. You will need some pretty good reaction time though in order to do this.
Speedlings are always something any Protoss needs to look out for. This is the general answer to the speedling issue, if anyone else has any more incite please do tell.
Thanks for the opportunity to ask questions, the beast from the east is certainly one of the most interesting persons from the esports scene.
@White-Ra You're known for being older than the average gamer, this however never seemed to be on the way of constantly staying at the very top. Do you believe age generally hurts the ability to reach a high skill level such as yours? What about yourself personally, do you feel like age has hindered your success?
The age questions are lame. Ra was never known for his apm/reflexes. It was always strategy and game understanding, how is that supposed to be a problem in early 30s?
How do you come up with your builds? Is it more that you have an idea that you like and try to make it work, or do you take something that you have seen work and improve on that?
Do you think most professional protoss players when facing zerg will shift towards an early expo leading into a macro game (your style) rather than the current popularity of trying to end it early (proxy push, fast VRs, etc)? and Why?
What do you do to counteract the physical problems of gaming on a professional level? (I am very interested, because i have not found my perfect balance yet^^)
Coming as one of the most successful non-korean SC:BW player, what is the motivation behind playing Starcraft 2? Do you consider that the game itself, the new challenge, community or the prize money the biggest motivational factor for switching games?
On June 14 2010 19:26 TheLittleOne wrote: What do you do to counteract the physical problems of gaming on a professional level? (I am very interested, because i have not found my perfect balance yet^^)
On June 14 2010 19:26 TheLittleOne wrote: What do you do to counteract the physical problems of gaming on a professional level? (I am very interested, because i have not found my perfect balance yet^^)
On June 14 2010 19:26 TheLittleOne wrote: What do you do to counteract the physical problems of gaming on a professional level? (I am very interested, because i have not found my perfect balance yet^^)
On June 14 2010 19:26 TheLittleOne wrote: What do you do to counteract the physical problems of gaming on a professional level? (I am very interested, because i have not found my perfect balance yet^^)
Physical problems?
yeah, body fatigue and such.
generated from?
I get more fatigued from studying all day than I do on days where I work or exercise, I guess starcraft can be mentally exerting in the same fashion
White-ra: You are generally thought of as a respectful, well-mannered player. What has been your worst BM moment in the SC2 beta and what\who brought it about? Does anything just enrage you during a game of SC2?
@ ra - I have only seen the mothership in use once, and that was by you. After that game, versus TLO I believe, did you regret going mothership? Was it as effective as you were hoping for or was it a dissapointment which is why you do not use them in matches anymore?
On June 14 2010 19:26 TheLittleOne wrote: What do you do to counteract the physical problems of gaming on a professional level? (I am very interested, because i have not found my perfect balance yet^^)
Physical problems?
yeah, body fatigue and such.
generated from?
I get more fatigued from studying all day than I do on days where I work or exercise, I guess starcraft can be mentally exerting in the same fashion
I think TLO also mentioned on day9's daily that he's been using the time after beta went down to get back into shape.
On June 16 2010 21:13 likeaboss wrote: @ white-ra, how do you deal with the tank, marine, viking, banshee unit combo pvt? (vikings for point defense drones)
On June 16 2010 20:57 Back wrote: "23. Is it true that you impregnated some young girl? (Warrior Madness) Those are just rumors based on a mixed-up story."
Without additional details, this question should have probably been left out.
I thought about that, but figured maybe there's a point of addressing this. Don't see a point of a detailed explanation of how a rumor started however
In Starcraft II, what is the most fearsome build (in your opinion as a Protoss player) for Terran to play? Do you feel that, in PvT, you are more confident against Mech or Bio play from your Terran opponent and why? What do you feel is the best way for Protoss to answer these various unit compositions from Terran?
I want to know your take on the acrhons? In broodwar they were very scary units against zerg but in sc2 most common reaction when seeing a archon is laughter
Have you practiced enough to try to incorporate carriers into a late game build similar to the build in SC1 where you would go 3 base carrier late game vs Terran as a viable tech switch? If so, what were the results or is it still a work in progress?
Hey WhiteRa, a fairly big discussion went on about what has been deemed the "Warpgate Shuffle" and what that means is, during your Warpgate cooldown, you switch to Gateway and produce 1 unit, then switch back. There was tests done to show different unit combinations that would work excellently, how do you feel about this? Do you think this will actually be viable, and if so, how would you use it effectively?
WhiteRa: Is there ever a time where base-trading is acceptable? What are your thoughts in general about base-trading, if you ever have done it?
I am speaking about when in game your enemy hits your base right when you hit theirs, and there's a crucial decision that has to be made as to whether you go for the kill or move back to defend.
EPT
If you see something in Russian on the English section, that means the translation is coming soon.
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