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On March 14 2011 21:48 MasterJack wrote:
qxc's trainer from beta helped me a lot in beta. The one where there are 4 areas on the map
where you're doing different stuff.
this is the first thing that came to mind. any multi task trainer really. another thing is how well do you use hotkeys? personally i'm terrible with them, but i know for a fact if i can start using them more i can move around quicker. also i still don't know a lot of the hotkeys like i guess ground attack is G. wtf i always thought it was W, but then i got my warp gates lol. and A was armor so i kept gettin armor instead of attack. haha lastly it just takes practice. focus on your weaker side (micro/macro) and if you lose a few battles because your units were out of position then so be it. eventually it will all come together :D
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As it has been stated before you won't really be able to micro 2 battles at once, though you should be able to macro without thinking about it. To be successful when fighting on multiple fronts simultaneously you need to know when a fight will be won regardless of whether you micro it or not. You can then somewhat ignore that fight and focus on the other that might need your micro. This of course just goes back to playing more games as that is really the only way you will figure it out.
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The only thing that holds true of all things to be learned in Starcraft:
Practice makes perfect!
Day9 said on one of his old dailies that there was a point where he wanted to increase his APM to 300. For a week straight, all he did was focus on keeping his APM up at 300. He admits that during this period, his play deteriorated and he lost more than usual, however after that week or so he was able to get used to that new APM he was capable of and turn it into useful actions.
The same logic can be applied to your multitasking situation. Early in the game, force yourself to multi-task. I've been having success lately using this kind of system (use your own hotkeys or w/e, just listing mine):
1 - Scout Probe
2 - In-base Probe (builder)
3 - 3xProbe for gas
4 - Nexus
5 - Gateway
To force myself to multitask, I'll go:
11 (look around, see if his scout is around) > click into fog of war on minimap where probe is going > click there
44 (check building probe, nexus energy)
55 (check building unit or building completion)
<check things [money, supply etc]>
The reason I do it like this is because it forces me to bounce my screen around. Later in the game the tasks change, but I am still forcing myself to do them all in quick succession:
11 (scouting Stalking) > left click minimap where hes going > right click/a-move there
22 (army at ramp or harass unit) > arrange them/fly to position/safety
44 (check nex energy) > use CB > build probe
33 (usually my obs or other scouting unit) > check around
5 (was gates, now is robo or star) > check for CB icon, unit completion
I think 2 examples should cover what I'm getting at.
One of the big things I realized, through watching streams and practice of my own, is that you need to allocate your multitask properly. That sounds like a mouthful so I'll try to explain-
Your army is engaging his. In a split second, you see what needs to be done: forcefield to split his army, focus his units with your stalkers, get your Zealots in the right spot, kite your Col back from whatever etc. All of these are pivotal to you winning the battle and possibly the game, but if you do them all right now, your minerals are gonna spike up and you might supply block.
Now is when you prioritize:
11 (Zealot/Sentry group) > cast FF
44 (nexus) > box workers, snap down pylon
22 (Stalker group) > focus vikings
55 (robo) > 4 (click C then on Robo)
33 (Col group) pull Col back towards Stalkers to safety
44 > send worker to new base
11 (micro)
etc etc
You're much higher rated than me, so it probably won't set you back as much, but forcing yourself to do all those things might set you back a bit in the micro. Eventually though, you will be so used to this level of multitasking that it was be a natural feeling to bounce around constantly at a dizzying pace and stay on top of everything. As you become more comfortable, you'll find yourself looking for more to do, so you can put those actions to good use.
Hope this helps 
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Thanks for the replies, but a few of you don't get the point. So let me clarify a little. My macro usually don't slip, even in heat of the fight I always have in mind to keep making probes and pylons and all the good jazz. What I am talking is more when there are two or three attacks at different locations (with me defending or attacking regardless) and sometimes my multitasking just slips while other times I have no issues of keeping an eye on all fronts without making too big mistakes. It's like in some of the games my hands fail to switch to higher gear while @ other I feel like Shiva and have no problem whatsoever to be "everywhere".
So my question was more about how to be Shiva in every game, to be able to switch gears easily. I guess keeping an eye and keeping myself occupied even if its checking unrevealed places of the map @ the start (somewhat spam) will scale later when there are actually many places to look at.
Also I recognize as a problem not looking enough at the minimap so that's definitely something to work on. The real issue however remains that I just don't do useless stuff if I think it is useless, while may be I shouldn't think whether it is useless at all and just do stuff as long as I keep myself busy and on alert so to speak.
The more I think about this, the more I start to think I should focus on spamming more at the start just to be on higher gear already later on... I was hoping for some other way to do this later on though
EDIT: Pretty much what Yarko said before this ninjaedit
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Being a 3700 master league toss you are definitely better than I am, but just play more. Honestly the best way to get better at certain aspects of the game is to play the game, there's no substitute for it.
Mind you, practice partners will help a lot, perhaps get a Terran to continually drop you in the mid/late game on different fronts, that will definitely help out your multitasking.
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beeing in amster means u can do the basic stuff so seperate training wont be that effective jsut make a build thats needs alot of multitasking and which is playable on a almost all maps/ matchups and jsut play it over and over again.
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On March 15 2011 04:04 eXwOn wrote:
TL;DR: make a very complex build that involves pronged attacks, harassment, macro and base management Constantly happening at the same time.
Better do 5 high quality training games than 20 relaxed games which don't help your skill level at all. Also train yourself into some behaviours, like looking at the minimap.
Combine these two and you should have what you're looking for. If you truly want to improve you need to dedicate your practice time to quality games where you don';t care about winning but specifically focus on one aspect. Practice DOES NOT make perfect. Practicing PERFECTLY makes perfect.
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I think the key is to understand that its been proven that there is no such thing as multitasking. People switch their attention between two things, sometimes very quickly, but you aren't actually paying attention to both at the same time. This is especially true in starcraft 2. Even if you could multitask its made impossible by the structure of the game. You cant have your screen viewing two areas of the map at once, and you can't command units on both sides of the map at the same time.
So I think you should approach it as training yourself to switch attention quickly. Don't try to do both things at once. You probably already do this, but hotkey a control group on both sides of the map (maybe 1 for your main army and 2 for your phoenix and void rays) and get in the habit of moving back and forth between them by hitting 11 and 22 very frequently. I try to make a move with my main army then switch back to my harass and execute a command to them because by the time you order your harass to do something it will be about time for you to command your main force again.
So basically don't try to do two things at once, try to switch between commanding different control groups, making units etc, but do so only when you have an opportunity. Obviously doing too many things at once when your attention is needed in a fight thats going to decide the game can be costly. I think it comes down to game sense (you need to be able to subconsciously prioritize the game so you know where attention is needed) memory (you need to be aware of all of the things that you need to do, like zerg need to remember to spread creep, build units, and spit larva) and speed (your ability to command your units very quickly allowing you to change your attention very rapidly.)
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This is the game I was referring to:
http://www.sc2replayed.com/replays/150035-1v1-protoss-zerg-metalopolis
Note that after ~4:20 when my scout died I didnt bother much looking around because I knew I couldnt see much and was not worth it, so my APM drops (switching to lower gear). Then when the void ray pops out and I go in his main I try to multitask and fail. Even after the first lings slipped in I knew I should be fine but again the multitasking fails and while I do good job @ his base I lose my economy while I should not. In theory I knew I should be able to deny the lings from entering my base and even save the expansion, but I fail in both...
PS Excuse the flame @ the end :blush:
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I play zerg and I can definitely understand being on 2-3 fronts all the time when I'm using mutalisks. One of the things that helps me pay attention and keep track of my units better is trusting the positions I'm putting myself in.
For example, in ZvT what I mean by this is when I harass with a large group of mutas I always consider these things:
1) Where is his army?
2) Are there turrets where I'm poking?
3) Does he have thors?
4) Does he have stim and/or medivacs? Aka - is it greatly beneficial for me to make him stim?
5) How much map control do I have? Towers/OL spread Aka - do i NEED to wary of the possibility of helions, banshees, drops?
6) Where am I keeping my 2nd army - lings blings?
7) If I send my mutas to a certain place, is there a possibility of losing them if I look away for 1 second?
I guess the point I'm making is - Do I have enough evidence to trust the position I'm putting my units in? If the answer is NO, I watch them 100%. If the answer is YES, I jump around and come back very quickly. Prioritize your units/survival when jumping around.
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---Install Brood war and play zerg vs 2 or 3 protoss computer on a korean map. Its ok to die, as it will probably happen, but just try to survive the early rush with pure micro and keeping your money low.
---Again, play Bw, against a computer and try to reach 200 units with either zerg or terran in under 10 or 12 minutes.
---Play against a low lvled computer in SC2 and never go under 200 minerals. Its harder than you think, because since you wont lose too many units, you need to be constantly macroing.
---Constantly switch inbetween groups, buildings, and build a habit
---Ask a friend to play Terran a a gsl map, and ask him to do multiple drops.
In Bw, i like to keep an apm of 300 with terrans, and 350-400with zergs. Build your mental endurance. Punish yourself if you missed a pylon,supply,overlord. Constantly ask yourself key question in your mind such as`What is happening in his base, is he having an hidden expo, i need map control, i need to see the map more than this ect.
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EPT
