The meaning of "gimmicky" - Page 3

People use the word gimmicky way too broadly. It's disappointing even in this thread, to see all these people's definitions related to rushes, cheeses, etc. or simply "non standard" stuff.

What the definition means is more that you're attracting attention, but not in the kind of "trick" you guys are describing. Different definitions differ of course, but the word "trick" isn't the only way to describe the definition of the word gimmick. What it really means when it says "trick" is, as this definition says, to attract attention. It is to not to gain some strategic advantage in an RTS game..It does not have to do with your opponent being deceived.

A gimmick is something that works just as well as something that isn't a gimmick. The difference in the gimmick is that it serves the same purpose, except that it differs in some insignificant way that causes it to attract attention.

Some examples:

Splitting workers 1-1-1-1-1-1 instead of 3-3. (Where the player splits them in such a way that both ways, executed at the speed of the player, results in exactly the same mineral income).

Spelling the word "HI" with your depots in your base.

Doing extractor trick (given the speed at which the player does it on the given map results in exactly the same mineral income).


Now, although the kinds of gimmicks in SC2 are quite few (or at least insignificant to note due to almost or virtually no strategic difference), I guess you could say certain things are "gimmicky" in the sense that they are not perfect gimmicks, but they are similar to gimmicks. Things that are different to attract attention, but do have slight differences in strategic value.

Examples:

Using a warp prism for a Colossus only for killing the opponent's roaches, which results in a straight up confrontation between the P and Z armies, of which the result is similar to if they simply used that time building a warp prism to get out the next colossus faster, and have that colossus fight. The warp prism micro attracts attention, but the result is not really beneficial, if at all.

Calling down a MULE to repair your army when you aren't going to even engage soon, and your opponent happens to not engage. Bringing some SCVs could be a better choice, but calling down a MULE is flashy.

Using hydras to, when very ahead, kill an opponent, instead of any other zerg unit which would probably be better in most cases.


You can't call most things (if not everything) that Boxer does as gimmicky. Perhaps remotely gimmicky, but most of the interesting things he does actually have different strategic value. For example, on Terminus RE, he would put a marine and SCV behind a depot at the xel naga tower. That is actually useful because he can control the tower easily and efficiently until the zerg player gets something other than zerglings -- of which they would have to reveal their tech/army movement to Boxer.