I'm 13th (was 3rd) in 1v1 diamond league and I play terran and I want to get to rank 1, or maybe move out of this league and play some known sc2ers
So, my stump.. I find myself not being able to play over 10 or so games in a day (winning or losing). Either I will get bored, or I will get mad etc. etc. Now, if I find myself playing over 10 games, I will just start playing much worse and lose ~80% of my games, maybe it is a concentration thing.
So I guess my question is how do you guys just get in the zone and just keep playing? Do you guys listen to music? Is it a drive to get to rank 1/get better? Are you guys just constantly finding yourself insanely eager to keep jumping into the next 1v1? All of the above, maybe something else? Maybe a little bit of the ganja? Let me know.
Personally, I listen to DI trance radio when I play. The funny part is, I almost enjoy watching starcraft and discussing starcraft more than actually playing (removes stress, physical/mental strain etc).
Most of you are probably going to say, "what's wrong with 10 games a day"? For the most part there is nothing wrong with it, but when I'm not working on a day or have any plans during the day, I have my schedule open up to climb some sc2 ladder. This is when find myself after 10 or so games just logging off and watching sc2 stuff or w/e, if I play more I start to lose concentration. Also, I find if I try taking a 30 min or so break it becomes difficult to jump back in, there is too much sc2 stuff to watch (day9, youtube stuff, debo's hilarious analysis')
So I guess my question is directed to those hardcore players who have all of those pimp portraits (I really want my ghost one.. only 140 or so to go!! -.-).
How do YOU guys and gals get in the zone!!! (by zone I mean longer playing sessions with complete focus)
The only time i will play more than 10 games consecutively is when I'm calm, focused and winning. I stop when I'm playing like an idiot and just doing terrible cause I'm mad at the previous game. I like listening to dubstep or ska while playing any video game.
I find that i play my very best when i don't think about the game im playing. I just don't think about winning or losing and i just let my instincts takeover. This allows me to play for a very long time, because i tend to make less mistakes when i play this way, and i tend not to tilt if i lose, which is good because i tend to go on losing streaks when i tilt.
I usually play about 3 ladder games then take a break and watch Sc2 YouTube videos. Then I might go back on and play a few more games. I turn it off If I find myself raging and making stupid mistakes.
I drink energy drinks and listen to nothing but the BW Terran scores. The same music = the same tempo the entire time (even though there are tempo changes in those as well, but atleast I know when its coming). It is especially hard to get into the zone unless I do these two things but I work the overnight shift..
Lately I have been laddering less and trying to find practice partners in custom games. The problem is I'm crushing my competition when I'm focused (completely 1-sided) and just botching the game when I'm not. I think anyone who plays this game for a long, long time will get much better over a longer period of time. Don't stress too much about becoming the best of the best in a short amount of time...I'm sure this game will be around for quite some time. Build orders, timing attacks, and basic RTS 'fundamentals' will come more naturally if you're just consistant with it.
Having Instincts with the game as opposed to thinking about the game is a cool way of looking at it. I don't think I can do that yet, I need to think a lot when i'm playing.. :/ I guess I can try? heh
I don't do anything special. No special music or food or ritual. I just play until I feel like stopping then I stop, then when I feel like playing again, I play some more
Although whenever I have a game that I need to take more seriously (I played this TvZ against someone I knew and was trying to impress, for example), I play some Getting Shit Done music:
I recently started playing a LOT more games with practice partners and friends, and stopped caring about the ladder so much. This is just my perspective, but I think it helps one improve a lot and it makes the game a lot less stressful and generally more enjoyable to play. For me, that is...
I'm a casual so my opinion might not be the best. All I do is get a friend or two and do a few practice games, then turn on osu and let it auto-play while I ladder.
On August 27 2010 14:39 Vokasak wrote: I don't do anything special. No special music or food or ritual. I just play until I feel like stopping then I stop, then when I feel like playing again, I play some more
Although whenever I have a game that I need to take more seriously (I played this TvZ against someone I knew and was trying to impress, for example), I play some Getting Shit Done music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IClGbW4Nj2g
The original is better :D
<3
Yeah I listen to some high beat per. minute music aswell.
maybe try playing a few custom games when u feeling that way, where the result doesnt really matter.
u could even play some custom games with an off-race just for fun.
i like to watch streams when i take a break, seeing pro people own just gets me in the mood to play again :D best type of break to take is a starcraft-related break, gives u a rest from the pressure and intensity and then makes u pumped to play again!
Well, like you said it yourself, you loose concentration. And that is nothing wrong. It happends, and it happends to almost everyone. But there are people who can keep their concentration up. And its all about your mindset.
What you must do is to say to yourself that right now, I am going to play a session of 15 games. Make sure there are no distractions, turn off your phone, and tell yourself over and over again that you will focus and concentrate on playing good.
It is very important to play without distraction because that is the reason why many people play bad, because they are distracted.
RAGE. About rage, if you rage you'll never be a optimal player because rage does inflict your overall game and will eventually be the main cause of a loss. So learn to deal with your temper. But can be very hard if you've had bad temper your whole life.
There arent too many articles/posts/information about the correct mindset when playing Starcraft, but if you want to read about it and how to set your mind right there is another source, look for online poker articles. There are alot of it and you can apply them to your Starcraft gaming. Because the mindset are pretty much the exact same.
I hope you can eventually figure it out! Good luck!
EPT
