Why Zerg is Good - Page 21

I am going to take the oposite stand and explain why I believe Zerg is not good, or better yet why Zerg is not as good as the other two races. In this arguement not only will I take into account what we have already seen today in the most recent tournament battles but also the inherent potential of development of the races in the game.

1) Zerg have a uni-dimensional development

Because each individual unit is enabled by building the coresponding tech structure, the tech paths of zerg are very linear. You get get Zerglings then Roaches the Hydras, pretty much in a straight line, thus making the advance in the tree pretty much predictible. Zerg will never be able to do stuff like: get a Tech Lab at the Barracks to get Marrauders, but pop a Reaper first for some harrass. Oh, factory is finished, switch the tech lab over for instant tank production. The ramifications for this are endless. (same example works for protoss very well with pretty much all tech buildings).

The fact that unit building structures have multiple units enabled at start give the other two races a much more unpredictible transition possibility which zerg lacks. Zerg will just enable 1 unit at a time. If you see Hydra Den, you know exactly what to expect and how soon its gonna come. All linear and limited play.

2) Zerg units lack versatility.

Both other races have harrass units that can bolster the main army - like banshees or void rays; support units that also enable elaborate tactics - Medivacs heal and can be used to drop, Sentries can use FF to split armies but also to block ramps defensively or offensively; upgrades which enhance the way a unit can be utilised: Blink Stalkers, Stim and Concussive Shell...

Zerg has none of that. All you get is: here, have this unit, it is good at that, use it that way. Roach burrow play is the only upgrade that might add some flavor, but it is very gimmicky in the first place (i.e. 1 scan and u lose). Look at the upgrades for Zerg: pretty much all of them spell: this unit is now faster, or has a better range or better armor... all in all uncreative.

Can there even be a comparison between the Blink for stalkers and the Hydra range upgrade?? The first spells "omg cool new possibilities" the second... "well, I guess my hydras will shoot farther now". How about an activated ability which increases Hydra range by 2 (from 6 to 8) for like 8-10 seconds... that would open some nice play...

Each zerg unit is good at its own role and that's it. Which pretty much means no room for extra creativity and cute play.

3) Zerg has the lowest micromanagement need

Every T and P unit can be greately enhanced by microing it around. Either because it has an ability to use or because of its design. A few examples:
Stalkers: high range, very fast can be used to pick off slower, lower range units like roaches or marines. Blink.
Sentries: FF, GS, Hallucination
Immortals: making them absorb the tank shots, immortal drops
pheonix: picking up stuff, moving shot to keep out of range of mutas etc
Marines: stim
Marrauders: concussive shell kite, stim
Viking: landing action
Hellion: harrass
Thor: Thor Drops
etc etc etc

Lets see how zerg has to micro: you get to move your mutas around (which with how ridiculous Missile Turrets and Thors are you cant even do cute Muta Micro as in BW), you get to move your lings around for some surrounds, eventually rearrange your army when sending it into battle and maybe some infestor play.

All because zerg units are pretty sluggish and bland. Hydras - all zerg makes those, what can they do... well, they can shoot. How do you micro them? well... you a-move... and retreat when it doesnt work.

How about... I dunno... make overlords spill creep while they move so you can create a trail of creep which can serve as a creep highway for your units by moving your overlord in front of your army... and you would need to make sure the ovie is always in front, and the units must keep up as the creep will wear off in time (just a wild thing out the top of my head.)

4) Zerg has very limited harrass options.

A game that is nice to watch has a ton of action. Nobody wants to see a 30 minute game where both players macro up to the final battle. The idea that Zerg is a "reactionary race" is just another word for crap race. It is simply poor game design to leave a race take all the pounding and repell harrass after harrass just to win in the end-game by out-macro-ing its oponent. It bores the players and it bores the viewers.

It limits creativity and meta-game progression. We've seen the countless ways Terrans can open and transition while keeping the pressure up on its oponent. It strenghtens the idea that the race has a deep undiscovered potential, it makes it worth exploring and expanding. In today's state, the zerg we see, will continue to fend off attacks and macro up for 10 more years. Nothing much will change because there is not much room for it.

With the new game mechanics that allow perfectly zergling-tight walls, and roaches which are an absolute piece of crap slow unit, zerg is pretty much of no threat early on. Rushing to Mutalisks? No problem, 2 Missile Turrets with their absurd damage and low cost and you are safe. Hydralisks? Well, let me just put this here tank on my ledge and play TvZ - "The Tower Defense"...

How about a disruption web like ability on those corruptors, or some sneakier way to break those wall-ins at the ramp, like burrowed roaches moving underneath buildings or cliffs, or some sort of zergling catapult that would be fun... I dunno, something

There is a reason why in chess, it is White who is almost always favored to win. Because it has the initiative. Because Black is the reactionary race... think about it.

5)Zerg cannot abuse Terrain

Zerg has absolutely no unit that can abuse cliffs, ramps, ledges, chokes and all other crazy stuff map-makers will put in their maps. Therefore map makers really have to be careful about the maps they make. Races cannot be balanced in function of a map, it will just never work.

What about the opposite? Huge flat maps with empty spaces? Well, zerg will have trouble on those too, as hellions can enter ur base with ease and protoss early pushes will be much harder to defend. Which means that other races do fine on different kinds of maps, it is only zerg who will suffer because of maps with funky terrain.

Where's our Lurker or other unit that can abuse ramps and chokes and stuff? gone.. but wait all is good we have the baneling....


Anyway, I might continue this later on.. but I think I made sufficient points to counter your arguement.