EPTGathering Minerals: First two gather 55-63 Minerals Per Minute (1 Worker = ~0.98 Minerals Per Second), and the third only gathers the remaining up to 143 maximum Minerals /Minute per Patch (with 3 fully saturating). This means the third worker is about half as effective as either of the previous two. This is why 16 (and not 24) is optimal saturation. Another point of view on this would be seeing the first two workers getting about 41% of the potential out of the patch, while the 3rd would only get about 18%.
Gathering Vespene Gas: First three gather 46-59 Vespene Gas per Minute, and the fourth only gathers the remaining up to 160 Vespene Gas/Minute per Patch (with 3 or 4 depending on the map). A 4th worker is rarely ever worthwhile.
Base Saturation:
8 Mineral Patches (2 Workers Each) = 944 Minerals/Minute
8 Mineral Patches (3 Workers Each) = 1,144 Minerals/Minute
2 Geysers (3 Workers Each)= 320 Vespene Gas/Minute
8 Mineral Patches (3 Workers Each) = 1,144 Minerals/Minute
2 Geysers (3 Workers Each)= 320 Vespene Gas/Minute
now in Seconds
8 Mineral Patches (2 Workers Each) = 15.73 Minerals / Second
8 Mineral Patches (3 Workers Each) = 19.07 Minerals / Second
2 Geysers (3 Workers Each) = 5.34 Gas / Second
8 Mineral Patches (3 Workers Each) = 19.07 Minerals / Second
2 Geysers (3 Workers Each) = 5.34 Gas / Second
Thus,
Mineral Collection Rate of Workers 1 through 16 ≈ 0.98 Minerals Per Second
Mineral Collection Rate of Workers 17 through 24 ≈ 0.42 Minerals Per Second
Mineral Collection Rate of 25 or more Workers = 0 Minerals Per Second
Vespene Gas Collection Rate of Workers 1 through 6 ≈ 0.89 Vespene Gas Per Second
Vespene Gas Collection Rate of Workers 7 to 8 ≈ 0 to 0.37 Vespene Gas Per Second
Vespene Gas Collection Rate of 9 or more Workers = 0 Vespene Gas Per Second
Mineral Collection Rate of Workers 17 through 24 ≈ 0.42 Minerals Per Second
Mineral Collection Rate of 25 or more Workers = 0 Minerals Per Second
Vespene Gas Collection Rate of Workers 1 through 6 ≈ 0.89 Vespene Gas Per Second
Vespene Gas Collection Rate of Workers 7 to 8 ≈ 0 to 0.37 Vespene Gas Per Second
Vespene Gas Collection Rate of 9 or more Workers = 0 Vespene Gas Per Second
Now the Charts: LotV Production Spreadsheet
Imgur Version
I've tried to make this as digestable as possible, but I'll elaborate on the purpose of some of these numbers.
Supply Per Minute: This number quantifies how taxing incessant production of a unit will be regarding your Supply. At the top of the list lies Reactored Hellions, Ultralisks, and Colossi. On the other end of the spectrum: the Reaper, Zergling, and yes, the Warp Prism.
This also helps us realize how little we should rely on the supply offered from our Command Centers, Nexi, and Hatcheries. The spread in the value is the greatest with Zerg (27:5); Terran is in the middle here with (23:13); Protoss gains the most (relatively) out of their Nexus with a (19:13), but Pylons will still offer more Supply Per Minute.
Health (+ Shields) Per Second: How much health (and shields) is fielded by the unit compared to it's build time.
Mineral / Gas / Total Workers: How many workers are required to sustain constant production of X (Unit, Structure, Upgrade, etc.) I've used most efficient Resource Collection Rates to calculate these numbers (1-16 Mineral Workers and 100% Gas Saturation) We can extrapulate that Reactored Vikings, Ultralisks, and Tempests are the most taxing; solo Marines, Zerglings, and yes, the Warp Prism once again, but the cheapest offensive unit Zealot.
Chronoboost: I've added additional columns on the Protoss chart to accommodate the varying production that Protoss players deal with.
Understanding these constraints, and the frame they create will help you immensely when it comes to contingency plans and Macro'ing out of a bad scenario effectively and efficiently.
GG's
-TrickDunn
