Since SC and SC2 are such intense games, forcing you to be on your toes every second and knowing that any slip up can potentially cost you the entire game, I seriously get pretty nervous before games, even random quick matches. I just keep thinking to myself "Oh man, who's my opponent gonna be? Is it gonna be some crazy uber gosu guy with 200apm? oh my goooodddd" And when the game starts and the guy is about equal skill to me, I get really nervous and stuff, so I start slipping up all over the place; slipping up in macro, making bad strategic choices, etc.
Fortunately for me, for all my placement matches, I had opponents that weren't very good so I won all of them without much effort, and my nervousness went away about midgame as I realized my opponent wasn't very good. But now that I'm in the platinum league, I'm even more nervous to even try and play any matches >_>
This is also why I strongly prefer anything besides 1v1, because 1v1 is just so intense, and it's entirely up to you to win. With 2v2 and 3v3, it's a lot more casual, and anything bad that happens is just kind of like "eh, whatever, not like it was entirely my fault or anything".
This is pretty common. After a couple hundred 1v1's the nervousness goes away pretty much. Just don't drink a ton of caffeine while you play and realize that you are going to lose half your games no matter what you do.
I get nervous. As in, my body feels like i'm in fight or flight mode. I start having a LOT of adrenalin in my body.. So after a couple hours, my body is twiching like no tmr because it's trying to calm down.. I don't know why i get like that. Also, I hands sweat a lot because of this.. very annoyinng.
Play on iCCup for awhile and you lose that fear. I had it a lot in BW but after about 50 games on iCCup it just stopped. You know on there most people are as good if not better and losses don't mean a whole lot.
Just remember that nobody is a progamer at this point. The game isn't released, and your stats are going to be erased in less than 2 weeks anyway.
Abuse the shit out of the time you have that the huge majority of people playing SC2 after release are not going to have, so that when your stats will actually be semi-permanent, and count for something you don't get nervous at that time, when it actually matters.
1v1 doesn't have to be as intense as you make it sound though.
Once you get the mechanics down fluidly, it becomes more natural and casual.
Also, the best thing I can say to you is this: Just because you are in platinum does not mean you will only play platinum players. You will play silver, gold, platinum, etc. This goes for all of the leagues. You were probably already playing platinum players before, and you just didn't know, and you did fine right? Don't worry so much and go kick some ass
On July 10 2010 11:45 PEKlNGDUCKK wrote: I get nervous. As in, my body feels like i'm in fight or flight mode. I start having a LOT of adrenalin in my body.. So after a couple hours, my body is twiching like no tmr because it's trying to calm down.. I don't know why i get like that. Also, I hands sweat a lot because of this.. very annoyinng.
This used to happen to me to an extent. Trying to calm yourself down is actually a problem. You've got adrenaline everywhere, and the best way to really calm down is to just burn it. I started spamming at the start of the game, just pushing more buttons in general, and I would end up more calm overall and less tense. Also I would lose a lot of games for stupid reasons so I stopped being nervous that I might lose.
I used to feel the same way in Phase I. Then, I guess I was watching a lot of day[9] clips and I just don't feel that way anymore. Might have "found" zen lol. I still am lousy after placing in silver , but I want to get better.
And agree with InfiiteIce, just chill and have fun
There's no reason to be worried about losing... the only real issue is when people are rude about it. That can get really aggravating really fast.
I understand the nervousness though. I played 2 games on ScienceRob's stream while he was running a matches in a "king of the hill" format... not sure how many people were watching the stream, but there were 6-8 observers in game at the very least and I freaked out and was totally off my game... literally had my heart pounding, lol.
EDIT: I suggest taking breaks and going to unranked games or 2v2/3v3/4v4 games when the stress has built up too much. I tend to play much, much better in larger games simply because I don't feel the pressure of working alone and It allows me to focus.
I get really nervous in tournaments, in normal games I'm pretty laid back, sometimes my macro slips a little but my tactics and strategy are pretty sound.
Glad to see I'm not the only one that gets super nervous before games. I guess I do just have to play more, get used to the possibility of losing, and maybe watch some day9 or something.
I get very apprehensive in this game. Sometimes it prevents me from even starting up SC2. It's honestly making me reconsider whether or not I'll buy it when it comes out.
when i got my beta key i stayed away from ladder games because i was actually nervous of playing them. ive played a bunch of games competitively but never any rts, i was surprised i was "scared" of playing a game.
so i played my first match, lost because i really didnt even know what was going on. i kept playing, and the nervousness started going away.
now, before a game, every now and then ill get a little nervous if its my first game of the day, but once i finish that game and keep playing over and over it goes away.
I actually find 1v1 a lot more relaxing then 2v2 , 3v3 or 4v4. There is just so many things going on in the team games and you need to rely on your teammates to not lose.
Was playing some 3v3 and getting really frustrated when id get attacked 3v1 and my allies forces were on the other side of the map. There was nothing i could do about it.
This is why 1v1 is more relaxing to me because the battles are a lot easier to manage and you don't have to worry about getting jumped by 3 players at once.
Yeah, I used to get nervous in games, but I find if you relax it helps alot with your gaming skills =) When Im relaxed I can macro better since I'm not too focused on just micro. I found the nervousness goes away once you realize that you're gonna lose half the matches anyways!
1v1s make me panic, but I use the nerves to go into 'godmode'. I'm always much more collected and confident in 2v2, but well, they're 2v2. So they don't matter.
On July 10 2010 11:46 Skee wrote: uhhh, I just get extremely pissed when I lose.
This.
But its mostly because i enter the game with the following mentality
"This guy is fucking trash and im going to rape him"
Then when i lose it causes me to rage
Haha same. The rage is the only thing I remember when playing SC2 because when I win, I just give a sigh of relief and move on to the next game. When I rage, it's done with more passion and I just stop playing altogether for a while.
I only get a little nervous when i open the game up.. for some reason when my brain knows he is going to play starcraft 2, the minute i think about it i get a little pinch of stress, maybe the first game or second game i play, i slip a little cause of nerves on intense situations ( if that is stress and not just my hands waking up).
i really feel like the only trick to fight that is play alot of games,first, when u play a good amount of games u obviously gonna lose 1 or 2 games (unless you playing custom games) and thats when the stress just leaves my body, after my first lost i really can just focus on the game. but yeah, i always get nervous when i open up starcraft 2 and didnt play that day of course.
Most nerve-wracking to least nerve-wracking: 2v2 3v3 1v1 4v4 FFA
In 2v2 and 3v3 you are held accountable for your mistakes by your teammate, adding to the pressure. 1v1 you put the pressure on yourself and 4v4 is usually so much going on no one notice youo screwing up. FFA with no ladder and crazy tactics, just takes off all the pressure.
Take comfort in that it's a beta. In 2 weeks, all your stats will be gone, and no one will know who you are. Just play a crap load until you feel confident.
I normally am not very nervous at the beginning of the game. However, as the game goes on longer and longer and becomes more and more epic the tension quickly begins to rise. Going into a pivotal battle my heart rate easily jumps to over 150 as I am frantically trying to micro units and focus down the enemy.
And what's even more weird is I have a very high stress job and I have many adrenaline packed hobbies (mma, cliff jumping, racing, etc) and yet I still get that rush from playing SC2. Takes a pretty amazing game to do that.
whenever i'm scared of quing because im going to lose, i think of 2 things
1. i just want to get better and losing is better then winning 2. i remember a nada quote in that documentary thing, and he said something like "to be good you have to hate losing, but you can't be afraid of losing"
No. Why would one get nervous? Its not like you are about to play an OSL match, its just a little Blizzards ladder game... You win some, lose some, your life continues the same.
I don't get nervous or rage or anything, but i really feel like quitting, since blizzard seems intent on removing the fun aspect of the game for my race, and i'm not good with the other races at all.
On July 10 2010 12:07 nihlon wrote: Most nerve-wracking to least nerve-wracking: 2v2 3v3 1v1 4v4 FFA
In 2v2 and 3v3 you are held accountable for your mistakes by your teammate, adding to the pressure. 1v1 you put the pressure on yourself and 4v4 is usually so much going on no one notice youo screwing up. FFA with no ladder and crazy tactics, just takes off all the pressure.
me and my friends probe rush in 3v3 and win ~40% so we dont worry about that too much, 2v2 we do hilarious strats aswell, and only really try in 1v1s because its what this game is balanced around
I am actually suprised how calm I am while playing.. thats probably why I keep having like 1000 resources and junk though.. On other games like.. savage 2 / HoN I am so.. intensely concetrated on the game.. maybe its because I never played SC1 so I am still learning the game a bit.. In 2vs2 I probably would be more nervous cuz I would hate to make my partner lose because of me doing bad..
Oh wait I do get kinda nervous when I see person scout really fast cuz I always think they are gonna proxy me (which often they do). Although I dont think I have died to a proxy-er once so far..
yeah like a few days ago i played my friend i panicked, i still won but wasn't very efficient, i played about not caring and my game play was very smooth. Try to think its only a game and you can play others.
i find 1v1 to be pretty intense and i don't like playing more than a few games in a sitting. however i find the experience fun or at least fulfilling, even if i lose, so maybe my situation isn't the same as the OP's. i, too, find team games less intense. however, unless im playing with friends, i avoid them as i've had too many bad experiences with random teaming.
I am in plat and i know my level reflects somewhere between high gold and low plat. Yet I hapen to be 8th in my div atm. I really want to keep my place but I know I am not good enough so I am always nervous before my game hoping its a noob to raise my rank I know thats a bad way to practice and improve but I just can't help but adore the pretty rankings ^______^"
speaking of which
A BUNCH of pros are on same ladder, whitera, idra, kawaii, TTone, and a bunch moreeeee
I'm a little bit uncomfortable because I'm not confident in my skills as a player.
I'm still killing people on the ladder at times, but I feel a little more tentative in terms of my decision making. Sometimes I feel like I'm being outmacroed, when I'm the one that's actually ahead in unit count.
So I think the rustiness is there. I just gotta clear it out.
When its 1v1 I always get jittery and nervous, its so weird cause I remember playing CS so much and rarely feeling like that (only in clan matches). But it only happens for the first few games, eventually, I just get comfortable- cause I've been laddering for a couple of games.
When I was younger I tried playing in chess tournaments but I just got so nervous playing in them that I quit playing and i've mostly been watching other people or computers playing ever since. Same thing is happening with SC2, I spend more time watching people's streams and replays than I do playing.
On July 10 2010 11:42 somedumbgamer wrote: Since SC and SC2 are such intense games, forcing you to be on your toes every second and knowing that any slip up can potentially cost you the entire game, I seriously get pretty nervous before games, even random quick matches. I just keep thinking to myself "Oh man, who's my opponent gonna be? Is it gonna be some crazy uber gosu guy with 200apm? oh my goooodddd" And when the game starts and the guy is about equal skill to me, I get really nervous and stuff, so I start slipping up all over the place; slipping up in macro, making bad strategic choices, etc.
Fortunately for me, for all my placement matches, I had opponents that weren't very good so I won all of them without much effort, and my nervousness went away about midgame as I realized my opponent wasn't very good. But now that I'm in the platinum league, I'm even more nervous to even try and play any matches >_>
This is also why I strongly prefer anything besides 1v1, because 1v1 is just so intense, and it's entirely up to you to win. With 2v2 and 3v3, it's a lot more casual, and anything bad that happens is just kind of like "eh, whatever, not like it was entirely my fault or anything".
haha i feel your pain .
the best solution for me is just to suck it up and keep queueing. the feeling eventually subsides or i get used to it lol
The nervousness happens when you play to win or achieve a certain goal. If you're playing only to win, you eventually reach a point where you're running into opponents as good as or better than you half the time. Due to Battle.net's matchmaking system, you're bound to lose about half of those games.
This gets extremely frustrating if you're trying to get that shiny new achievement, league, rank, or whatever else you're aiming for.
Something that's helped me is at the end of very long games that I lose, I'll chat with the opponent for a little bit (wow that was an intense game, etc.) just to cool off. Before my games, if I'm on tilt, I'll close my eyes and take a deep breath while the countdown is happening.
I also get nervous and feel drained when playing.. makes me want to go back to playing WoW... NO. It's nice that sc2 is a lot more than 1v1 though, I don't feel that much pressure during team matches and all the UMS maps that will be coming out will be nice for relaxing. Also, when I buy the game I think I'm just going to forfeit my placement matches so I don't start in the lion's den. In phase 1, I started in silver and built myself up to #1 gold (equivalent to platinum now) which was nice, but in phase 2 I got put right into platinum and it's been a lot more stressful getting used to the game again.
edit: lol I just remembered that my stress levels in sc2 are almost exactly like when I used to play yugioh with my friends and going to Toys R Us tournaments. I think I spent like 10% of my yugioh career actually playing the game and the rest trading / reading about it, kinda like now where I watch sc way more than I play. ><
I know what you mean... I always have trouble bringing myself to queue up 1v1. Team games are fine for me, but i'm used to FPS/team games. Probably a lack of practice, though. Put on your favourite music and just rock out until the anxiety of the first few games passes. Also, I doubt its conscious; because consciously I get the idea of losing is good and I don't really have a fear of losing, nor do I get angry at the end of my games, I just get a certain anxiety when it comes to opening up the game and playing a 1v1.
One thing I can say though, is just play the game. If you get stressed over 1v1, just play 2v2 or FFA until you feel good enough to play 1v1 competitively at a level you're comfortable with. The anxiety won't go away unless you play, so do it. =)
Yeah OP, I thought I was the only one. I'll get chills, start shaking, and hear my heart pounding. At the end of phase 1, most of it went away, but now at phase 2 it's pretty much back.
It's especially nerve racking since the placement is so screwed up. I got placed in Silver when I was previously Diamond in phase 1, so I enter most games with the mindset that the other dude's a nub. Well, I'm wrong more often than right because I don't play Silver level players. . . more like plat and diamond. So when I lose these games, I'm thinking I'm losing to a nub and rage like mad because that must mean I suck pretty hard as well. Then I look at the match history and only see a -2 and shrug it off
On July 10 2010 12:46 prochobo wrote: It's especially nerve racking since the placement is so screwed up.
Yeah this really got to me. I was a Platinum player during Phase 1 and I got placed in Bronze. I'm actually glad because I feel that it is more representative of my actual skill (I'm a D- player on BW), but the placement matches were intense because of the pressure.
Most of the time though, I get too scared to even start playing. Once I start though, I'm fine, but I'm always scared that I'll lose so I don't play as much.
First game of the day I get jittery, been that way since before BW but it goes away until I find myself playing like a complete zombie, not realizing I've even started a new game until I am splitting my workers
Well I'm nervous cause I don't really know any of the strats, for sc bw at least I know the basics and what will/won't work depending on match up but sc2 is a toss up for me. Once i get the basic's down I'll be okay and then I can start to get better.
I get this all the time. It's actually worse in sc2 then sc1, because if/when you lose in sc1 these days, you know it's some pro korean or such. In sc2, it can be anyone like a 10 year old boy coming from C&C. and you don't wanna lose vs that! that makes me extra nervous
I play wow for about 3 years now, and i don't mind dueling, i play dota for 2 years and i don't mind playing 1v1 or 1v2, but i get really nervous playing sc2 1v1 and i guess it's because i dont really have a lot of skill and the only solution is to play more
For me its just the lack of fundamentals. When you aren't confident you are going to click or hit hot keys accurately, the entire game becomes very nerve wracking and deliberate. If I had those RTS fundamentals down, I would feel much more confident going into games. If my strategy makes me lose, so be it, but far more often it comes down to the fact that my poor RTS skill set just means I can't keep up with the speed of the game.
I know nothing will fix that but practice, but I do think sometimes the vets of a game like this forget what its like to not just be new to the game, but also new the *genre.* I can read TL all day long and watch every great video out there, but its like if I tried to get into the FPS genre by watching frag videos when I wasn't even comfortable using WASD to move.
On July 10 2010 12:59 kekeque wrote: Well I'm nervous cause I don't really know any of the strats, for sc bw at least I know the basics and what will/won't work depending on match up but sc2 is a toss up for me. Once i get the basic's down I'll be okay and then I can start to get better.
Something interesting from a lecture I heard the other day: Fear isn't caused by risk or even perceived risk, but by a perceived lack of control. When people are in a situation where they don't know what to do, they feel fear strongly even if the risks are clearly low - the opposite is also true, if you know what to do you don't feel much fear even in a seriously dangerous situation. So the best way to remove fear is just training people so they don't feel helpless.
you just need to practice what you are going to do , and make it fluid, once you have a routine and a list of things to do, you're probably to busy to be worrying about what you're going to do, and you'll actually be doing something, i go into games thinking of doing my best, starting with a fluid build and just doing as best as i can regardless of your opponent.
I find that I can only play a few 1v1 ladder matches before my play just falls apart. I'll switch over to some 2v2s or do some fun random custom games to cool down until I'm calm again, then I'll go back to work raping noobs.
Now that the beta is back out I have been more nervous then before during the first part of the beta. So it is completely normal and will often cause u to lose game, as it did for me my last few games causing me to forget to macro completely. I hope it goes away and since you all seem to say so I believe it will. Thanks.
I definitely have to agree with what many of you have said. I definitely get pretty nervous before a game (I'm pretty new, and I have a feeling that after watching Day[9] and other professional games, you get amped up to play, but when you turn the game on you are afraid to lose) - so much that to the point that I am nervous to even start a game, and will switch to 4v4 instead. I'm hoping that this will go away with more experience and that I'll have enough confidence in my abilities that I can just jump on in to some intense matches.
On July 10 2010 12:59 kekeque wrote: Well I'm nervous cause I don't really know any of the strats, for sc bw at least I know the basics and what will/won't work depending on match up but sc2 is a toss up for me. Once i get the basic's down I'll be okay and then I can start to get better.
Something interesting from a lecture I heard the other day: Fear isn't caused by risk or even perceived risk, but by a perceived lack of control. When people are in a situation where they don't know what to do, they feel fear strongly even if the risks are clearly low - the opposite is also true, if you know what to do you don't feel much fear even in a seriously dangerous situation. So the best way to remove fear is just training people so they don't feel helpless.
This man speaks the truth. To get rid of the fear, learn some standard builds, practice them a few times against the computer then just do it on the ladder. The fear should decrease, then adapt what you do from games to games and just take notes when you lose : if he does that I must do this and then force yourself to try it next time.
Overall you must be in a mind state of trying to get better and not winning. Therefore you should avoid bad cheesy tactics and focus on one race. Be in the mental state of someone that is training to play soccer, the ladder is a training ground not a tournament there is nothing to lose.
When I played for Texas in the CSL for BW, I'd get so nervous every single match because I know everyone is watching the stream and will be like "WTF IS CHANG DOING?!" if I screw up haha. But if I'm just playing regular ladder matches, not so much anymore just because I'm so used to just playing games competitively nowadays.
Though when I played Melee competitively back in the good days, I would get nervous either when I'm playing a well known player in tournament, or playing deep in the tournament with lots of people watching. I remember playing against Chillin at FC6 for the South vs. East Crew Match, I was first and he lined up first for East, I was sooo nervous the entire match since at least 30-40 people were watching, it definitely affected my performance. I actually got 2 stocks ahead but then blew the match. Still very angry at my choking back then
i always have this problem i played iccup hell, ive played sc since i was in first grade.. im 18 now. i still get nervous playing sc hence 2v2 is less intense actualy 2v2 in iccup was still pretty intense
Iccup always intimidates me because I always feel so under-skilled in a sense and I can't compare to Iccup BW players. StarCraft 2, usually I feel a bit intimidated meeting someone fairly more stronger than I am that prevents me from playing ranked.
However, once I get into a game, thats when everything is like confident competitive mode.
whenever i lose i get motivated to play again, but when i win i feel really great and get to nervous to play again, so i stop playing :S. feeling your pain m8
Yeah i realized a good bunch of ppl were raging after a loss... i dont find SC2 to be frustrating at all, BW i could agree sometimes you just feel like blaming the game a little bit because it doesnt always do EXACTLY what you want it to, but in SC2 all you cant really blame the game at all, i just think of why i lost and what could have won it. I take Red dead redemption for example, that game is horrible, im 25 years old and that game on multiplayer man.. really made me berserk, you are stuck in world full of angry gamers just waiting to gang rape spawn you at any moment.. but yeah some people may know what im talking about, some not. i know both games are nothing alike, i play sc2 to compete and other games to relax, bottom line is SC2 never makes me angry, nervous sometimes but probably because im focusing much more and really hoping to win. I think only humans being assholes is the only thing that can really piss me off in a game, any game that is,lets say the guy goes 5 pool in BW,thats not being an asshole, thats being scared. If some guys are trying to ruin your gaming experience in MOST multiplayer games out there, THOSE are ASSHOLES. but yeah im not at a level where im in tournaments all the time and have any rivals or anything like that (YET), since i dont BM, just glhf and gg out on 1v1.. its pretty smooth sailing to me! says it all Good luck, have fun, the game is good.. play more, i love starcraft
P.S: If money is on the line, the data up above is garbage ;p
I feel really nervous during the first 2 minutes of the game. Once I get my natural up though, I usually just go into rape mode and all fears disappear
IMO blizzard should implement a practice mode, you are still matched based on your league, but won't lose points, and you'd be able to choose a specific map and what race you want to play against. This would make learning the game a lot more "controllable," and maybe less stress/fearful like USn was saying.
On July 10 2010 14:34 Teogamer wrote: IMO blizzard should implement a practice mode, you are still matched based on your league, but won't lose points, and you'd be able to choose a specific map and what race you want to play against. This would make learning the game a lot more "controllable," and maybe less stress/fearful like USn was saying.
Man, I thought I was the only one that had this irrational hesitance... I watch so many replays and VODs, constantly thinking to myself exactly what the next move should be, following the strats of these amazing players and even predicting what they'll do next with pretty good accuracy. But when I'm finally looking at the queue screen, I just feel this need to go do something else, or to go watch more replays, because I'm *just not ready yet*. It might also be that I've had exceptionally good win/loss ratios so far, mostly from fighting sub-par players in Plat/Diamond, and I'm afraid to spoil it. Completely stupid since it's all getting reset in two weeks anyways.
This thread gave me a pretty big sigh of relief though. Looks like I'm just going to have to power games until I finally get over this.
On July 10 2010 14:42 sev1 wrote: Man, I thought I was the only one that had this irrational hesitance... I watch so many replays and VODs, constantly thinking to myself exactly what the next move should be, following the strats of these amazing players and even predicting what they'll do next with pretty good accuracy. But when I'm finally looking at the queue screen, I just feel this need to go do something else, or to go watch more replays, because I'm *just not ready yet*. It might also be that I've had exceptionally good win/loss ratios so far, mostly from fighting sub-par players in Plat/Diamond, and I'm afraid to spoil it. Completely stupid since it's all getting reset in two weeks anyways.
This thread gave me a pretty big sigh of relief though. Looks like I'm just going to have to power games until I finally get over this.
I feel exactly the same way! (I think I've watched every VOD available in English, and some in different languages as well!)
when i first started playing this game, i was 12 years old, introduced by a bunch of 30 year olds who owned a PC cafe, we use to always have 8 man FFa's or 3v3 bgh, and i use to be nervous like a lil kid on his first date, shaking / sweating.
The only time I get nervous in SC2 is when I'm on a fairly large winning streak. For instance, today I went on a 8 game ladder winning streak and ended up placed in the top 3 of my diamond league. With each win, I got more and more anxious, because I knew that the level of competition was steadily increasing. Even though I was on solid win streak, it was mostly against platinum and low diamond players, and the pressure I felt to keep winning was pretty intense.
Anyways, my worst fears came true, and I end up playing rank 5 and above diamond players. I lost 5 games in a row, and got quite angry. However, after getting humiliated I managed to calm down and my nervousness went away. I'm now sitting at rank 10 diamond, which I feel is right where I should be in order to improve.
I think its more like the fear of losing? I used to win one or two games and then tell myself "ok good i shall not play anymore today in case i lose". But after playing over 500 games the past beta it doesnt matter anymore if i win or lose, i just wanna enjoy the game and learn new strategies and improve myself. So just play more, lose more, and u will lose that nervousness
I know everyone else said this, but I got to, too.
When I started playing SC after playing once or twice and getting into it (with Day9's help) I found myself having tons of fun. The game was by far my favorite thing to do. But suddenly I would find myself internet surfing instead because the game was too scary.
I couldn't handle the heat.
And then I won my first game, ever. I couldn't stop shaking for half an hour afterwards ^^.
The anxiousness I used to have has mostly dissipated. I still like to play Custom Games and Team Games a lot as the pressure is practically non-existent but everyonce awhile, i remember my will to beat someone and go straight for the 1v1.
Unfortunately, when I started Phase Two, I won all 5 of my placements for 1v1, 2v2 and every game of FFA I played. I just played a real game today and was utterly crushed.
Joining the club. It's really bad for me and because of it I havent played a 1vs1 for a while now xD. For some reason its a lot easier in 2vs2 probably since you can still be saved by your teammate if you screw up something that isnt too major... But it's still there. Trying to get over it . Actually the feeling kind of fades away after the match starts and I start playing but when queuing and before pushing the play button, I have that really nervous and uneasy feeling... Kind of keeping me from starting the games even though I could play just fine.
This might have been stated before but exercise/stretch between games. Sounds lame but it really really helps with anxiety as it burns away alot of stress, I'm not talking a full work out just a set of something. Generally I have a rotation of stuff if I'm doing a large bout of games.
On July 10 2010 15:25 Whomp wrote: This might have been stated before but exercise/stretch between games. Sounds lame but it really really helps with anxiety as it burns away alot of stress, I'm not talking a full work out just a set of something. Generally I have a rotation of stuff if I'm doing a large bout of games.
This. Although I don't exercise between games, I usually play my best after lifting weights and burning off that extra stress.
On July 10 2010 14:42 sev1 wrote: Man, I thought I was the only one that had this irrational hesitance... I watch so many replays and VODs, constantly thinking to myself exactly what the next move should be, following the strats of these amazing players and even predicting what they'll do next with pretty good accuracy. But when I'm finally looking at the queue screen, I just feel this need to go do something else, or to go watch more replays, because I'm *just not ready yet*. It might also be that I've had exceptionally good win/loss ratios so far, mostly from fighting sub-par players in Plat/Diamond, and I'm afraid to spoil it. Completely stupid since it's all getting reset in two weeks anyways.
This thread gave me a pretty big sigh of relief though. Looks like I'm just going to have to power games until I finally get over this.
I always feel this way when I start a new game... for example when I just picked up quake I would basically only play vs my friends, because I just didn't feel ready to jump into games with random people. I didn't want to lose to people who even I, as somebody who had never touched the game before, could see were bad.
Truth is this is fine for a while, you need to get your basics up a little or you won't feel comfortable playing anyone. In QL I now prefer to join servers the matchmaking considers one rank above mine.
People only enjoy a challenge when it's proportionate to their skill - something game designers understand intimately. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi graphs the general principle as follows:
When challenge is proportionate to skill, you enter a state of 'flow' where the experience isn't marred by anxiety or boredom. As a player (A1) improves in skill he may reach A2 where the experience is boring due to his superior ability. Eventually he will either quit or seek greater challenges and re-enter the state of flow at A4. A3 represents the converse, where the player becomes anxious because the challenges are too great, and again either searches for an appropriate marriage of skill and difficulty or quits.
This neglects the area at the beginning I just mentioned, where a certain type of person really doesn't want to be challenged to any degree because they have virtually no skills and are afraid of humiliation. I think it's an effect generally under-appreciated by designers of multi-player games. It's a pretty big issue too... how many people who really developed a long term love of a competitive game started out just messing around with their terrible friends and relatives? Almost all of them I bet.
Whatever you find effective training, that'll help reduce the fear, because as previously mentioned loss of control is what produces it. Think about it, you are running really no risks at all if you jump into an online game... and yet you're terrified! Once you build up a decent floor of skill, I promise you it'll go away... one way or another you just have to jump past the hurdle, whether by playing only friends and then gradually moving to skilled people or forcing yourself to play even if it produces anxiety at first or whatever.
Haha I used to get really nervous when I played BW with my friends like my knees would shake and stuff cuz of the pressure to win! But not anymore! You just have to play more and remember..... its just a game. well sc2 is. BW is more than a game ;D
I used to have the kind of massive problems people are describing in this thread, particularly back when I was playing War3 when it was fairly new. Most of it is probably fear of losing and/or cognitive dissonance caused by expecting yourself to win and then failing. I'd imagine most people on this site are highly competitive by nature (I certainly am), and really hate losing. I think one of the biggest things that helped me get over it was shifting my mentality about my own play, partially through watching vods and such, from "I'm a pretty decent player, I should be winning a lot" to "I'm trash, trying to learn, and deserve whatever I get." Remind yourself you aren't a pro and focus on improving, not winning. I still go on tilt sometimes if I lose several games in a row, but I can recognize it, walk away for a little bit, and come back fine.
I used to. It mostly comes from the anxiety of not knowing what your opponents are doing. Once you get used to how the game flows and scout a lot it goes away.
Wow I cant believe how many of these kinds of threads there are... Literally there was one about every 2 weeks in beta, and now that beta is back they've started again.
First experienced it in World of Warcraft raids when I started tanking, felt like such a burden.
And now with SCII it's totally back, I used to not play because I was afraid to lose, even in the Bronze league. But at some point I was ''like @#$% it!''. It really isn't worth it to get all worked up about it. Building confidence for this sort of thing comes with experience. So I just sacked a whole lot of games in order to get better and when they changed the league system I ended up in Platinum.
Needless to say that made it come back. But whatever, I'll just sack a few games more.
If you think about it, you really don't have much to lose. So what if you drop from platinum league? If you keep playing, you will eventually get back up to platinum, and during that time you will be much better than before. The world won't stop when you lose, I guarantee it.
Nada did say something along the lines, "I hate losing but I do not fear it." Learn from your losses and you will gain confidence through experience.
I don't know what it is about RTS's that does that. I'm 27 years old and have played multiplayer games since the dawn of time and for some reason I can't even open up the beta sometimes because it just stresses me out. Especially if I've had a stressful day its even worse. I don't know if its part of getting older or what but lately I don't even like watching stressful TV shows or movies anymore. However RTS's are the worst, I can fire up some 1v1's in quake live and feel totally normal but SC really gets to me.
When I played War3 (ROC) beta, I had about a 60% win ratio over several hundred 1v1 games. However, there were a ton of good players in the beta, so I never felt bad losing. When retail hit, I maintained a 90%+ win ratio for my first 200 games... Due to all the new players, and the way the ladder system worked (ie. it didn't really pair you up with equally skilled players until much later), and my experience in the beta, it was simple to just murder most players. Then I started slacking a bit and wasn't adapting to players getting better... After that, it became so difficult for me to lose. I think my first 1v1 loss didn't come until like 45-0 or so. Having such a "nice record" that I didn't want to "ruin" really made me feel vain, and I just couldn't handle losing.
In SC2, I'm not doing too bad now with my vanity, because I am playing similarly skilled players within 5-6 games. However, I find that after I'm placed into a league (after each of the resets in phase 1), I win my next 10+ games and get a "nice record" again, and then I kind of want to stop playing.
At least, I've only ever gone through my placements perfectly once, so I feel the desire to "work my way up" into diamond... I went 3-2 in phase 2 though, hehe... In gold league. :/
However, I find it hard to maintain a desire to become "really good" at this game... I guess it's just part of continuing to grow up, despite being 25!
im the same way, you know that pros will go from one game to the next no sweat, but we have to finish a game, take some time to absorb the game then start the next one. If you lose, you feel frustrated and you want to chill for a couple minutes, if you win, you want to appreciate it and enjoy it before starting a new one. im posting this now on me 'break' after a satisfying win lol
Definitely get nervous here. If it's with people I don't know, I just start freezing up, and forgetting things. Trying to get over it, but it's a long journey, some of the advice that people have mentioned is helpful though!
the only time ive felt nervous in sc2 was when i first played again in phase2.. cause i knew my skill was rusty and my BO was all over the place. I calm down now before matches and stay serious until its over. a small stretch and a deep breath are always taken before each match. ;x
On July 10 2010 15:51 guitarizt wrote: it's easier to play more when you don't get emotionally involved with the results
Absolutely. Back in the day I used to get so emotionally involved with them that I'd hesitate to play a game because I'd be afraid to mar my perfect record (despite the fact that it was 0-0). Now not so much
I feel like this a lot as well. Though, reading this thread I now realize that my opponent probably feels like this as well. So that helps a lot actually :D
Wow, I'm surprised to see so many people in the same boat. Whew, now I don't feel like a weirdo by being so nervous from playing StarCraft. Great to see so many replies; now I know that my opponents probably feel the same!
I definitely have to agree with that this is mostly coming from a fear of losing, and what USn posted, about fear arising because of being unable to control the situation. Guess I should start really thinking about how to play the game to be able to handle different situations, rather than just playing. I also like DM20's idea: think of your opponent as someone you're trying to impress. That'll create a sense of motivation and optimism, rather than totally focusing on kicking your opponent's ass and earning the right to rub it in their face or something.
I dont know about you guys. But my hands shake during AND after the games. I probably get the same amount of adrenaline rush as a sky diver. It's the reason why I play Starcraft 2
On July 10 2010 17:18 AzN_Xin wrote: I dont know about you guys. But my hands shake during AND after the games. I probably get the same amount of adrenaline rush as a sky diver. It's the reason why I play Starcraft 2
I used to not be able to play properly because I shook so bad After a season on iccup this went away
who actually gives a flying f*** about your win/loss ratio if you're actually a good player? i think that's a good thing, because you can catch good players off guard.
losing is the best way to improve.
when you're still learning, trying to win 100% usually results in copy catting the same build hundreds of times in a row, you don't really see much improvement doing this.
Uhhh.. yes i do also in 1 v 1. Sweaty hands as well. Just affraid of loosing i guess and i hate loosing more than anything else couse im competitive gamer. 3 v 3 on the other hand is pretty relaxing and i can play it like - coke in one hand and mouse in other ^___^
I don't really worry about the score. I agree that losing can be a good thing, as you will take precaution of not losing the exact same way in the future.
But I think I feel nervous because you never know what the opponent is going to do. You never know if he's going to do an 'all in rush', proxy gateway or apply early pressure. My main fear is to lose in the most humiliating way possible. If I ever lose to a worker rush or anything like that. I would sit on my chair, staring at the screen in shock followed by the uninstallation of the game.
You just have to learn how to not let losing bother you; in fact, losing may be a beneficial thing in the long run. as you tend to learn more upon losing than you do upon winning. Once you realize that, it takes a lot of the pressure off.
Just play to have fun, if you're not having fun then you're doing it wrong.
I have been playing for years, played in multiple online and offline tournaments. I still get REALLY nervous when I play during tournaments.. lol also vs famous ppl on ladder..
I get the same thing. When I start playing my hands shake lke crazy and i can feel my heartbeat. However, I calm myself down by affirming that thi is only a beta and my w/l record doesnt apply.
I find it so funny that soooo many people are feeling the exact same way. Makes me feel really confident that the person on the other side is probably feeling just the same anxiety too! I play alot of competition sports and on stage performances I don't feel much nerves beforehand but the funny thing is, I feel it just before I play SC2 as well!
This is a great thread, it has really helped mentally for me to know that I'm not the only one.
On July 10 2010 18:08 TUski wrote: I get the same thing. When I start playing my hands shake lke crazy and i can feel my heartbeat. However, I calm myself down by affirming that thi is only a beta and my w/l record doesnt apply.
If you want to train, then maybe finding a training partner and playing custom games would be a better option than playing ladder. At least then you know which race you're playing against and on which map.
The reason why you're nervous is because you don't know the game 100% yet. Play custom games to get your confidence up. When I started playing WC3 1v1 ladder 6 years ago I was so nervous mainly because it was the first time I played competitively online. Trust me; your nervousness will go away with time and experience.
I used to get this when playing BW, then I started playing Eve online, got into my first pvp battle there and OMG....I seriously thought I would get a heart attack. And it stayed like that in Eve for three years. After that, playing SC2 hardly makes me nervous at all.
There you can list your league and find somebody who is in the same skill range as yourself to practice with over and over and over in games that won't hurt your stats.
Then, once you're used to the immersion (and realize that stats don't matter on a Beta), hop into real play
You can help each other figure out why you lost to one another after the game, or you can exchange replays of your other (league) solo games and trade analyses to each other ^^
I remember my first SC2 games @ P1 So much adrenaline and heartbeats ^^
Although I really enjoyed these feelings it is obvious to me, that my gameplay got constricted by that. So during the downtime I fiddled around with BO-Testers (huge thanks to qxc and the guys of YABOT! :D) discovered times, what is possible, what not and all in all followed Day[9]'s advice "Always have a plan!"
So today I passed my first games @ P2 and although still exciting its not nearly Heartattack-Style than before ^^
I get nervous when I'm not on top of my game. When I'm playing well I know that everything is in my own hands and I just get excited for the match.
I can also enjoy a game in which i lose, as long as it is close and with some epic battles that could've gone either way. If I messed up and lose to someone I feel like I should be able to beat I can get really pissed . It also pisses me off when I lose to a cheese build that I scouted and still wasn't able to hold off.
Team games are a bit less stressfull in the sense that I generally blame my partner for losing instead of blaming it on myself (talking about 2v2 here). I generally don't play team games with more than 4 players, but if I do it is just casual and I don't make much of winning or losing. Does SC2 have the option to play 3v3 or 4v4 games? (I don't have the beta yet)
On July 10 2010 18:25 AlgeriaT wrote: I used to get this when playing BW, then I started playing Eve online, got into my first pvp battle there and OMG....I seriously thought I would get a heart attack. And it stayed like that in Eve for three years. After that, playing SC2 hardly makes me nervous at all.
You're kidding, right? EVE required the lowest apm ever.
On July 10 2010 18:25 AlgeriaT wrote: I used to get this when playing BW, then I started playing Eve online, got into my first pvp battle there and OMG....I seriously thought I would get a heart attack. And it stayed like that in Eve for three years. After that, playing SC2 hardly makes me nervous at all.
You're kidding, right? EVE required the lowest apm ever.
What does APM have to do with it? There's often a lot at stake in Eve PVP. In Starcraft it's only about the stats, but in Eve you losing can have serious consequences, so it makes perfect sense that he's very nervous in eve pvp.
some years ago i played many shooters. playing a 5on5 in a tournament and being the last alive of your team vs 2-3 enemys and this round will decide the outcome of the game.. since then i never had about 300 heartbeats per minute again
it kindoff made me almost immune to nervousness in most of all games - except for tourney matches
On July 10 2010 18:25 AlgeriaT wrote: I used to get this when playing BW, then I started playing Eve online, got into my first pvp battle there and OMG....I seriously thought I would get a heart attack. And it stayed like that in Eve for three years. After that, playing SC2 hardly makes me nervous at all.
You're kidding, right? EVE required the lowest apm ever.
What does APM have to do with it? There's often a lot at stake in Eve PVP. In Starcraft it's only about the stats, but in Eve you losing can have serious consequences, so it makes perfect sense that he's very nervous in eve pvp.
The nice thing about losing in EVE is you have less reasons to play EVE =P
On July 10 2010 11:45 onmach wrote: realize that you are going to lose half your games no matter what you do.
This. Really no matter how good I can become (it is just a game for me) I will still be losing half my games only the level I play at will be different. Why bother?
Its most likely becuase you like this game to much, you watch livestreams/replays and have great plans for how you wanna play and how good you wanna get.
All this pressure turns into fear of losing, and when doing quick matches your playing against "the enemy". I get the same adrenalin rush and when it gets to intense I feel my heart going so fast I feel like im gonna die.
I played 200games in phase 1 tho and after that it pretty much goes away. It might be back now after the break but just force yourself to play and you should be fine
Yeah, its kinda annoying when you have no idea what to do because you are afraid of making mistakes.
My suggestion to players that have these fear problems would be to practice your build against the new AIs until you get something down. You don't need YABOT or anything, just pick one of the AIs. Get comfortable with the units, the hotkeys, and the general things you need to do(macromechanics, base layout, attacking, defending, etc). Then go online and play a few games. You'll probably still have those panic moments when you have no idea what you should do but if you run through the situations with a UMS or AI, it would be better.
Actually now that I think about it, a better solution would be to actually get a friend to play with you. That way you can have a more relaxed atmosphere because a lot of fear comes from not knowing what the other player is like.
In phase 1 I played 300 games of SC2, while doing my exams... I'm not the person who cares much for stress, as it makes me work better and think better (to some extend), but the effect it had on my body was crazy. I ended up at the doctors/lung specialists, cos I couldn't breath properly..
They still haven't figured out what it was (still is a bit), but it seemed to be the stress from SC. I had perfect lungs, so hasn't that.
On July 10 2010 20:18 Qzy wrote: Funny story, if people wants it...
In phase 1 I played 300 games of SC2, while doing my exams... I'm not the person who cares much for stress, as it makes me work better and think better (to some extend), but the effect it had on my body was crazy. I ended up at the doctors/lung specialists, cos I couldn't breath properly..
They still haven't figured out what it was (still is a bit), but it seemed to be the stress from SC. I had perfect lungs, so hasn't that.
Crazy huh?
That is crazy=p I find a few beers and music calms my nerves down for a ladder session^^ If I'm having a REALLY bad time, I just drink moooarrr!! =D
However, when not drunk (or drunk enough), I'll almost tear the hair out of my head while watching replays.
On July 10 2010 11:46 Skee wrote: uhhh, I just get extremely pissed when I lose.
This.
But its mostly because i enter the game with the following mentality
"This guy is fucking trash and im going to rape him"
Then when i lose it causes me to rage
Me too. I make a million mistakes per game, and every time it costs me a game, I am always mad as hell. Unless I lose solely because my opponent was just amazing at the game, in which case I'm still mad I'm not also amazing.
u will only get angry or nervous if ur goal is to win the game, u get nervous because u feel like u have something to lose when u lose to game
when i practice my goal is not to win, its to learn. so whenever i play a great player im happy because it gives me an opportunity to learn
in rare tournament occasions i do get nervous and the reason is because i want to win
my suggestion to whoever get nervous, happy, lose focus, nerdrage or w/e during practice games is to stop worrying about winning and instead spend ur time trying to master the game. nobody can win all games and nobody expects u to, u make a terrible mistake then dont be sad because u just found out theres something u can improve in. and the more things u have to improve the more potential u got to become a better gamer
with the mindset i use succeeding is to notice how u improve, make a mistake then 1 week later u can handle it makes me very happy and its very rewarding. if i play and make mistake and still win, it gives no satisfaction because my goal was to clear the mistakes from my play
nobody cares about good stats so dont feel embarrassed after losing, this should be motivation and what keeps u going
most progameres would be dead out of stress and nervousness if they had same mindset as a new player which is to think "my goal is to win". if u seriously wanna become great at this game first thing u need to learn is how to respond to losing in a healthy way
On July 10 2010 19:40 lovewithlea wrote: but you lose much more if you fail.
some years ago i played many shooters. playing a 5on5 in a tournament and being the last alive of your team vs 2-3 enemys and this round will decide the outcome of the game.. since then i never had about 300 heartbeats per minute again
it kindoff made me almost immune to nervousness in most of all games - except for tourney matches
This is why I game. That's such an amazing feeling. Holy shit. I also get this whilst laddering. I'm really good under pressure. In my teams i'm known for always doing something crazy when all the odds are against us.
On July 10 2010 20:30 MorroW wrote: most progameres would be dead out of stress and nervousness if they had same mindset as a new player which is to think "my goal is to win". if u seriously wanna become great at this game first thing u need to learn is how to respond to losing in a healthy way
Wise ass
.. We don't take kindly to your types around here! Treehugging Hippy!
I don't get nervous playing the game. I get nervous when I wake up every morning.
Because you see, I'm from Europe. And the possibility that the server doesn't work are pretty high.
On a more serious and on topic note, I never get flustered in ladder games or in practice games, but in a tournament I can get nervous depending on how far I advance.
I feel the same way... I have this idea that I shouldn't ever lose but ofc I do, because I'm just not as good as I perceive myself to be sometimes.
I give a rats ass if I do bad at any fps. But in this game, it feels like with a loss, your opponent outwitted you - he was smarter than you - which is much more 'intrusive' than him having better reflexes or dexterity or whatever it takes to win in an fps. It's like you're trying to prove yourself.
But I rarely play a lot of games in a row. After like 2 to 4 depending on game length, I kinda need a break to settle down. It's actually pretty frustrating as some of my friends can just keep going on and on :-)
Wow im surprised some people consider 3v3s more nerve racking than 1v1s. 3v3s are the most relaxed games Ive ever played. Maybe im just lucky with my teammates, but ive rarely lost with mass nukes and hellions so far. Being able to fuck around in a game and still do well is really easy on the nervousness
ugh i have the same exact problem i almost don't even want to start playing ladder at all some days just because im so nervous i don't want to lose, sure i mjght be a silver but hey wins still matter to me :\
The first game every day is very nervous time for me. I really can't control the nerves but I try not to avoid pushing that find match button--that I can control. Its nice to have that feeling, really.
I got this feeling so bad the first 20 or so games. It was exhilarating when I won in a way that it isn't anymore unless it was a very close game.
It wasn't as bad as when I used to play Diplomacy in BW, I would usually do really good but I would be incredibly on edge the entire game so I rarely played.
Practice makes perfect. Once you lose a couple thousand games, its not as big of a deal. But I completely know were you are coming from. Its quite nerve wracking early game until people settle into their pattern.
right now im at the stage where i do get nervous. my way to try and cure it is to just force myself to play game after game and practice my build orders a lot in the tester map so even when im nervous my openings become just muscle memory. ill let you know how it works
I lose most of my games (I'm a real bad bronze player). So I'm not nervous at all, because I'm gonna lose anyways :-) But it's still soo much fun! One day Î'm gonna be Diamondleague ... maybe in 2014 :D
I enjoy the feeling of fear coursing through my veins as the blood in my body runs red hot. Do not turn away from Starcraft due to the intensity, embrace it.
I have the same problem if I want to ladder a lot and having a bad start. I'm getting really angry when I'm loosing games out of stupid mistakes and then throwing away even another game where something like bad micro went wrong out of my unfocused anger.
I used to shake so badly I could only do a few 1v1s a day before being tired lol. Shaky hands made for a really hard time to control.
Now it's a normal I hope I didn't miss anything, but I'm going to bash his face in now attitude. Just play more games. Hell, get placed in bronze just for confidence kicks and slowly play games to work your way up.
Anyone here that gets nervous before games also get nervous on your first time with a new girl? I think the two might be related and be some form of performance anxiety disorder.
I know the feeling. Sometimes after playing a couple of games i get to stressed up so i´ve got to take a break:/ Spose with more experience that nervous feeling will go away. On the other hand, if i wasen´t that nervous while playing, wonder if it would be the same amount of fun..
I also get really nervous sometimes. Like many says, it mostly happens in 1v1's, and therefore I often actually choose to play 3v3 instead so I can be more relaxed.
However for me it is not really fear of losing.
I get most nervous when I feel that there is a window where I can win, because then I feel that "now I gotta do everything right, and quickly, in order to make use of this advantage and win", and I get excited about the possibility of winning of course.. So my heart starts beating too fast and I lose my calm focus.
as most people said: grind it out. i used to take time in between ladder games but after watching some streams of people playing for 5 hours straight without stopping i try to do the same. i find myself less nervous when im playing a bunch of games in a row than taking breaks because you start to think more.
don't analyze replays or procrastinate in between games, just keep clicking that 'find match' button. you can analyze mistakes in chunks of games rather than after each one. always time to surf TL.net at work or downtime.
You guys need to realise that you're playing an ONLINE game and stop stressing for it. I think that online really doesn't matter. What counts is TOURNAMENTS. If you're doing tournament than take ladder as a PRACTICE game where you met several practice partner. One that will try to cheeze you, one that will try to out macro you, one that will do several timing push and all.
But overall ONLINE LADDER = MANY PRACTICE PARTNER!
Keep that in mind and you won't have any trouble loosing at all.
play with a friend 1on1s. this is what i like the most. first of all -your oponent wont rage and trash talk u down. 2nd you can discuss your games afterwards. After a while you will feel much safer - even when playin unfamiliar people. just dont be afraid to lose. good thing ... it is just a game^^^^
got the same. but i'm still really new to RTS online as the more experienced people here are saying, i guess it'll fade once you got more games behind you and once your body realises that you'll loose 50-50 eventualy
but cold sweaty hands and shaking muscles are not helping when you're in a pinch. makes you wonder what nature intended with that. EEP! i get attacked by a predator. i better make sure my coordination and common sense go down the toilet so i can survive.
Some of you might benefit from breathing deeper when the anxiety hits. It's really easy to hold your breath (even though you're still well enough oxygenated from basal breathing to stay conscious!) during anxiety and not breathe effectively. The deeper, 'cleansing' breaths might even pull away some anxiety.
i feel it to but i'm working on it, the best thing to do is just "press play" right away, don't ask yourself to must question and it's ok to loose sometimes, also i just keep in my head "hell it's beta you should be trying some strats instead of trying to win win win" and that's what i do.
Usually works exepts when i try to fancy/original/new strat.
It helps to keep the mindset that winning or losing is irrelevant, it's what you take away from every game that matters. Just think of every game as a potential learning experience and the fear of winning/losing will disappear over time. This will help you get better very quickly as well and you'll actually end up losing a lot less as a by product.
I actually get the most nervous by mid-game, especially if there's been no clashes. I've got a couple build orders and scout really well, and even usually understand how to adapt to most things I see, so early-game is not too worrisome.
By mid-game, I'm all worried about when to stop making drones, what unit comp to be going for, when to take a 3rd expansion...etc.
That said, I kinda like the nerves. Makes it more intense, victories a bit sweeter.
On July 17 2010 00:08 Lobotomist wrote: I actually get the most nervous by mid-game, especially if there's been no clashes. I've got a couple build orders and scout really well, and even usually understand how to adapt to most things I see, so early-game is not too worrisome.
By mid-game, I'm all worried about when to stop making drones, what unit comp to be going for, when to take a 3rd expansion...etc.
That said, I kinda like the nerves. Makes it more intense, victories a bit sweeter.
This is where most people's hearts in Starcraft rest. It's that unique, yet critical balance between nervousness, macro, and micro. When do I STOP making drones and keep making units? As soon as he pushes out? Should I build static defense and skip a bit of scv/drone/probe production or just mass units to try to counter him? Then, where does my Build Order rest in all of this? Can I delay my build order to hold off his rush or should I slip that building in to get a tech advantage over my opponent?
But this thread is evidence that not everyone you play is a pro and calloused Bisu waiting to drip the life blood from every worker you have. We are all human
But literally, I would SHAKE with nervousness on ANY ladder game D+ and up on Iccup the past two seasons. But for some reason, SC2 I haven't had much nervousness at all. I always remember what Day[9] said -"don't play against the player, play against the race -and their weaknesses'
It's interesting people get so worked up, freaked out and paranoid about a game while sitting at their comfy computer desk with no real threats to them. I suppose this means Blizzard did their job.
It also means the game is really psychological. I suppose like most sports the best players will be able to deal with not just the metal aspect of the game, but the psychological aspect of it too.
Me, I just pretend everyone I'm playing against is just AI. Because, as far as I know, they are. I don't know any of them from Adam, why should I care if they beat me or not.
I'm going to say this out as my first post on this forums this is a great topic and I suffer from it to in this game. I have been playing online games for a long time but this is my first rts and coming into an rts this late in the game is such a difference as opposed to when I was really playing heavily about 10 years ago in fps games. I used to get so nervous in fps games until I just played and played and played and you get over it really fast until everything becomes second nature to you.
Right now sc2 and rts gaming is new to me so I get twitchy I get nervous. I forget stupid things that you know you should have done like expand, put guys in gas, build units is a great one.. oh ya I have 5 gateways wait why do i have only 3 units in my army?
Since the 2nd phase came back up I got tossed into the gold league and after a few games I jumped right up to platinum and I'm sitting at 12/12 right now which is ok for me. I'm new I am expecting to lose but I don't like losing constantly. However it's a new game for me and a lot of people and being nervous just adds to it all. There is a lot of things to learn and remember and all you can do is pick one thing to work on at a time. I've played maybe 50 1v1 games in total during this entire beta. The top guys are playing hundreds of games. They have been playing rts for years and years and when they started I bet they suffered a lot of the same things.
The biggest problem with being nervous is that it makes you stressful and when you start to stress and suffer from small anxiety over the little things you forget other things because you gain gamer tunnel vision. You focus too hard on one thing or how you got beat the last game you lose your build order your smooth beginning and you lose to something else that normally you could have stopped or beaten easily if you were just calm.
What I'm saying I guess is I feel where a lot of you guys are coming from and my own advice to myself is to remember that it is just a game, yes I want to get great at it, but that it's going to take a long long time. Losing is just a fact of it and at some point you will settle out in a ladder you are really comfortable in and then you can slowly work your way up.
Keep hitting that look for game button folks and just enjoy it.. revel in the nerves for some day they will go away.
I get nervous during every single match of every single RTS I've ever played, it's called adrenaline. Utilize it to think faster, and ignore the negativity and things that make you think too fast.
Im not getting nervous, but when people are rude to me, writing gg before me and stuff... That just pisses me off so bad, I want to take my sword and just go out and slay someone. The good part is that I get really happy when im on a winning streak.
Lol it's not like people are insane they just get bouts of adrenaline rushes and when that happens it just makes ya lose sight of things you should be doing. It makes ya nervous you will look stupid. The ironic part is that when you get that nervous you lose to something so stupid. :D
used to get nervous in iccup, especially the dreaded "C for Cheese" ladder where you especially had to be on your toes.
sc2 i only get nervous when it's TvT and the opponent is favored, simply because i don't already like that matchup and i definitely won't like it if he pwns at it.
Yeah the adrenaline is already starting to fade for me, only about 40 games in. I remember I almost used to pass out in the early days, now I just shake a little after the game Also, remember that the rest of your family/friends aren't on your adrenaline high so don't get impatient with them for asking you to, lets say, help find their iPod docking chord.
Thousands of people before you have experienced that same feeling in just about every single game where results matter. Its called performance anxiety, the fear of losing making you play less than your best, thus you lose. Its something everyone has to face at some point, and the only way past it is simple, raw perseverance.
Defeating it it what separates the proficient from the truly good. I you really want to play this game, sometimes you have to go through something unpleasant to truly fulfill your potential.
This used to happen to me, back when I first played beta. Now, when I ladder, I just jam out to music, and I don't really care much if I lose, so there is really no pressure on me. I'd say listening to music could help.
seriously the best way to beat the fear of losing is to just lose about 20 games on purpose... your win/loss ratio is really bad so you won't panic while trying to 'preserve' it.
i wish you could choose to disable the win/lose ratio, it's the same as being a pub hero in an FPS such as counterstrike - when you get a really good score and impress everyone for several rounds, you have to find a new server then otherwise you risk losing and being a nobody again... at least you can change your alias.
i don't do this of course, but if i was a competitive FPS player i would definately do this to avoid soiling my name.
I find that having a game plan and practicing my build order in a couple games vs the computer really helps with the anxiety.
When I queue a game Im actually impatient to start and get the build order going. And when I get countered and realise that I'm in a tight spot (about 50% of the time) I just drop the strategy altogether and think about what counters I should build.
This situation usually makes you nervous because anything unexpected is something that makes your brain work faster. You ll notice that with experience you'll learn multiple ways to counter different situations and that is why people get less nervous after a while.
Basically, don't be afraid to lose, learn from your mistakes and do not ever rage. It's best you dont play at all if you get at the point where you're angered.
Getting angered is something that hapens to most people. A good trick of mine when I feel frustrated and I feel liek screaming, is to just tab out of the game and do pushups to exhaustion. not only is it good for your health but getting to the state of exhaustion will help remove the effects of high blood pressure that high stress causes to you.
You'll prolly notice that you can eek out a few more push ups than usual when you're angry .
lol dw just embrace it, the extra adrenaline helps.
I used to shake like crazy like when it's -10degrees although it's more 40degrees, i tried to force that down but dat jsut made it worse. Till i accepted it ^^ and found that i'm more alert when i'm in that state of heightened consciousness =D
This usually only happens in the first 4-5 game after i wake up... then i need to sleep again to get the same resulut =[[
I usually start off really cool and relaxed, but if the game is very close I get pumped up with every passing minute. Any such game that lasts past half an hour mark makes me feel really exhausted mentally. I jump off the chair immediately after the score screen and have to cool off for 10 minutes before I play another game.
Dont get nervous. Its just for fun guys! Well, when playing some kind of tournament, i think getting nervous is normal. But in the ladder? Just relax !
Just remember that White-Ra has lost more games than you'll probably ever even play, and that being a bad Starcraft player doesn't mean your a bad person.
Being nervous is totally normal and will pass. I worry about the rage-ers, though. Rage is not a good thing; it doesn't help you, and it doesn't help the people who you play with. When you rage, you're like a dementor, sucking enjoyment out of the world. If you're not having fun, man, play something else.
But at the same time most of players get a little rush after a win and also get slightly upset after a loss. Most of the time you can't help it. It's beyond you.
So when playing a game I get nervous because I know which feeling I want to get at the end of the match. And for that to happen I HAVE to win. Simplz
On July 17 2010 03:50 CrushDog5 wrote: Just remember that White-Ra has lost more games than you'll probably ever even play, and that being a bad Starcraft player doesn't mean your a bad person.
Being nervous is totally normal and will pass. I worry about the rage-ers, though. Rage is not a good thing; it doesn't help you, and it doesn't help the people who you play with. When you rage, you're like a dementor, sucking enjoyment out of the world. If you're not having fun, man, play something else.
Yeah. I do think people seen to be raging for no reasons. People think that the other player cheesing is a good reason to rage, but its not! If you want to improve, i think you have to above all else, have fun. I get really upset when losing to a cheese too, but when we lose, its always our fault, so no reason to rage.
Im dont cheese by the way, but i see no problem at it.
when i played my first online rts game i was shaking so hard of nervousness that i couldnt click anything. :p
10 years and thousands of starcraft games later the nervousness slowly disappeared, however im still nervous if i play someone good / in a tourney. guess im not made for competitive rts^^
On July 17 2010 02:18 Le BucheRON wrote: Also, remember that the rest of your family/friends aren't on your adrenaline high so don't get impatient with them for asking you to, lets say, help find their iPod docking chord.
LOL! Totally on point right there.
I am still getting to worked up when playing, my girlfriend teases me for breathing like a mofo when I am getting into it. But then, so does Gretorp, so its np.
On July 10 2010 11:45 onmach wrote: This is pretty common. After a couple hundred 1v1's the nervousness goes away pretty much. Just don't drink a ton of caffeine while you play and realize that you are going to lose half your games no matter what you do.
This is so true, except I lost almost all my games (in brood war of course) in sc2 not so bad, I have like a 60% win rate.
On July 17 2010 03:50 CrushDog5 wrote: Just remember that White-Ra has lost more games than you'll probably ever even play, and that being a bad Starcraft player doesn't mean your a bad person.
Being nervous is totally normal and will pass. I worry about the rage-ers, though. Rage is not a good thing; it doesn't help you, and it doesn't help the people who you play with. When you rage, you're like a dementor, sucking enjoyment out of the world. If you're not having fun, man, play something else.
Yeah. I do think people seen to be raging for no reasons. People think that the other player cheesing is a good reason to rage, but its not! If you want to improve, i think you have to above all else, have fun. I get really upset when losing to a cheese too, but when we lose, its always our fault, so no reason to rage.
Im dont cheese by the way, but i see no problem at it.
that's a big reason why RTS has so little appeal compared to cod and dota etc. you can't blame anyone but yourself when you lose (which you will), and people feel inadequate when they cant go undefeated or blame allies.
It's lame, my nose starts to run and my eyes get a little watery when I get competitive on any game. I used to think of it as "Video Game Sickness" when I would go to arcades and play fighting games.
Get a cup of tea, a cigarette if u smoke and make a 2 hour time of your life only to play 1x1 games...
I did that for the very first time after 2 or 3 months of playing in the beta... and it felt awesome... I lost 4 or 5 games in a row, and then i won 3 or 4 games, then i lost other 4 games, and then i won other 2 or 3 games, and finally i started to get it... the strats that worked... i watched my failures in my replays and i repeated them into myself "JESUS SUPPLY CAP! DONT FORGET SUPPLIES " " JESUS U FORGOT SCV's!! DONT FORGET SCV's!" " Omfg Jesus christ, that rally point was failure! DONT DO THAT"
And after that u might feel comfortable with your gameplay... Now is funny how i play every game feeling like i WILL WIN!... it doesn't matter if i loose badly, but i feel i'm the freaking winner and try not to miss any clicks...
When it gets to late games is really hard to understand your mistakes, because in late game there are MANY options that you COULD have done to win "X" Minutes before you lost.
Just sit down, turn off ur celphone, close your door, nobody bothers you, and play for straight 1 hour or 2 hours without stopping for nothing but watching your losses and just THINK about starcraft 2, the strat, the unit composition, the possible rushes, the possible counters... those are the main things i think during the loading screen.
EPT
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