• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 05:41
CEST 11:41
KST 18:41
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL22] Ro16 Preview: Rough Waters8[ASL22] Ro24 Preview: Siren's Call8[ASL22] Ro24 Preview: Summer's End9Serral wins HomeStory Cup 2915Serral wins Maestros of the Game 244
Community News
Weekly Cups (Aug 30-Sep 7): herO thrives amid growing schism0Official StarCraft website teases new content ahead of BlizzCon?107Stellar Fest TWO the Moon (Dec 16-20)9Weekly Cups (August 24-30): Patches' balance mod takes over3New 3v3 BGH Ladder (and more) on ShieldBattery!46
StarCraft 2
General
Weekly Cups (Aug 30-Sep 7): herO thrives amid growing schism Nexon wins bid to develop StarCraft IP content, distribute Overwatch mobile game Balance hotfix patch 5.0.16b (July 16) SC4ALL: II Winner Will Earn a Spot at HSC 30! Weekly Cups (August 24-30): Patches' balance mod takes over
Tourneys
2026 GSTL Announcement Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament Stellar Fest TWO the Moon (Dec 16-20) IntoTheTV X SOOP SC2 League : Weekly & Monthly SC2 INu's Battles#20 [BO.9]
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
Nexus Wars 2021 GUIDE [M] (2) Industrial Park
External Content
Mutation # 542 The Ascended Mutation # 541 Binary Choice The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 540 Dodge This
Brood War
General
Official StarCraft website teases new content ahead of BlizzCon? New 3v3 BGH Ladder (and more) on ShieldBattery! ASL22 General Discussion BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Pros React To: Calm's Big Brain Play Vs Mini
Tourneys
[ASL22] Ro16 Group B [ASL22] Ro16 Group A [ASL22] Ro24 Group F [Megathread] Daily Proleagues
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Odyssey Mineral Stack Saturation Replay Review Process - What do you do? Game Theory for Starcraft
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread Diablo IV EVE Corporation [Maplestory Hardcore] Let's Play~!! General RTS Discussion Thread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
[TL LoL EUW IHs] Teemo shall perish TSM pausing esports and CLG Dead
Heroes of the Storm
Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Power Rank TL Mafia Community Thread NeO.D_StephenKing vs This Guy From 1 Million Dance
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine UK Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Artificial Intelligence Thread
Fan Clubs
MarineLorD Fan Club The Creator Fan Club The ShoWTimE Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Movie Discussion! Anime Discussion Thread
Sports
Football (Soccer) Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 MLB/Baseball 2023
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List Northern Ireland Global Starcraft
Blogs
F* the Children and Get Off …
TrAiDoS
Dreaming of BW patches (mod…
c3rberUs
Regacy Esports: The Bh…
regacyesports
LOCKPICKING NOOB
LUCKY_NOOB
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 6540 users

Ideal Mining thoughts. - Page 2

Forum Index > BW General
Post a Reply
Prev 1 2 All
KurtistheTurtle
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
United States1966 Posts
March 23 2009 14:47 GMT
#21
This is just off memory. I read a post here some time last year or the year before that (back when I lurked and didn't even have an account) of a guy trying to figure out the same thing. What he came to was 5 scvs/3 min patches. I don't remember what they were, but I do remember his arguments were valid and sound. Of course, he said that you should always keep producing for when you get an expo, but for max efficiency it's 5/3.

This is the number I've gone by if I ever get into late game. Maps with 10 min patches get 17 scvs, and since my multitasking isn't too great I'd just set rally points from other cc's there and queue up 16/17 scvs.

Also, probes mine a teensy bit faster than scvs. Dunno if this would factor into your calculations or not.
“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears."
simfarm
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Ireland75 Posts
March 23 2009 15:13 GMT
#22
Put data into excel. Run regression and find variance!
Garnet
Profile Blog Joined February 2006
Vietnam9054 Posts
March 23 2009 15:37 GMT
#23
well you still have to build more to transfer to other bases, and who actually has time to check how many SCVs are in each base?
Hyperionnn
Profile Blog Joined September 2007
Turkey4968 Posts
March 23 2009 16:58 GMT
#24
On March 24 2009 00:37 Garnet wrote:
well you still have to build more to transfer to other bases, and who actually has time to check how many SCVs are in each base?


Unless you are a pro, you dont count your workers. (I remember that they count their workers and not overmake them)
And i just pump workers no-stop until i think i have enough of them, you'll need extra workers to transfer them into new expos anyway
malathion
Profile Joined March 2009
United States362 Posts
March 23 2009 18:23 GMT
#25
On March 22 2009 14:09 inReacH wrote:
While this is good work(assuming it was tested well), the reason such scrupulous analysis is unnecessary is because it's fine to get too many SCVS because at any given moment, in any given game, you will be planning on expanding soon and then you can transfer scvs to your new expansion.

The exception I suppose is if you are developing an all in timing attack BO and you are sure you won't be expanding.

Still nice to see this stuff.


This isnot as useless as you might think, because this tells you how many SCVs you want to leave behind after a maynard transfer. In other words, if you are getting ready to expand, you should build SCVs to the optimal number and then add however many SCVs you want to have transferred to the expansion once it goes up. Then stop.
rrsszzcc
Profile Joined March 2009
China22 Posts
March 23 2009 23:04 GMT
#26
On March 23 2009 23:17 lMPERVlOUS wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 23 2009 20:23 rrsszzcc wrote:
Haven't figured out what ur formula is
May be follow the tactic idea is the most important thing, you can have that much scvs if you want to make a rush.


I don't have a formula. I tried to make one, but there really isn't one.

Basically, no matter how much you spend on your economy (until about 3.0 workers/patch), you get a similar return on investment.

The most efficient setup is to have 1.0 workers/patch, and you can have more units because you use less workers to keep up the same economy. As Terran, you gain the ability to use more Comsat or Nukes. As Zerg you gain the ability to produce units faster. Your economy is more stable against harassment, because it hurts a smaller portion of your economy than it would if you hit one of your opponants expansions. You can also outlast your opponant, because your opponant will mine out quicker.

However, you are more spread out, which means you are more vulnerable to harassment and counterattacks. Also, it takes longer to see a return on investment than simply adding SCVs at each current expansion.

This is why I believe that there is no "ideal" number of workers - it depends on the map, you, your opponant, and other factors. Knowing that you get a similar return on investment, you make your own decision on what is better - 1.0 workers/patch, 3.0+ workers/patch, or something inbetween.




Sure there is no ideal number, but I always make it depend on the supply used or a certain time period such as start mechanics push.
cyx
rrsszzcc
Profile Joined March 2009
China22 Posts
March 23 2009 23:42 GMT
#27
In most of the maps, the formula may be Amount of scv = amount of minerals multiplied by something,then + or- something For the best invest-returning ratio.
Although it really depends.
cyx
DongTanks
Profile Joined January 2010
Singapore15 Posts
January 03 2010 14:57 GMT
#28
Hey! This is a very interesting thread on ideal mining. I am a College student and I am currently working on an economics assignment regarding mineral mining in Starcraft. I have decided to do some research on the internet first and have coincidentally found this great thread and this equally great community (P.S. I was really ignorant about the existence of teamliquid bcos I started SC like.... 4 weeks ago!? LOL!? Srry 'bout dat)

I have collected data through in-game experiments and they are VERY similar to yours posted here. However I was not quite convinced with your half-way-done explanation regarding the need for 2 to 2.5 workers / mineral patch. After the end of my assignment and having collected data from in-game experiments, i THINK i have found a explanation for having that amount of workers / mineral patch by using the Short-Run Average Cost (SRAC) idea, which has been accepted by my economics tutor. I am SO EAGER to post my findings bcos I feel this might be quite a contribution to this community (perhaps? :p)....

glhf!

(pssstt.... the notice on bumping this old thread made me feel like i'm not suppose to be here, especially with the 'you better have a good reason' warning.... LOL!)
One may not be gosu, but passion alone makes him a Starcraft player.
DongTanks
Profile Joined January 2010
Singapore15 Posts
January 03 2010 14:59 GMT
#29
Oh and yes.... I am not able to post a new thread due to the trail period of 3 days....
One may not be gosu, but passion alone makes him a Starcraft player.
emucxg
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
Finland4559 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-01-03 15:06:02
January 03 2010 15:05 GMT
#30
some chinese did a research of ideal mining, i hope this helps u

[image loading]


credit playsc.com
DongTanks
Profile Joined January 2010
Singapore15 Posts
January 05 2010 12:30 GMT
#31
luckily i read chinese.... cool.... he investigated into the marginal increase of minerals gathered per worker. Thx. These data are useful in confirming my own experimental data. But the outcome of these data are not explained (in economics).
great job... he used the uncertainty of measurement.... O.O
One may not be gosu, but passion alone makes him a Starcraft player.
danl9rm
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States3111 Posts
January 05 2010 13:19 GMT
#32
good luck with your findings, i'm eager to hear what you come up with
"Science has so well established that the preborn baby in the womb is a living human being that most pro-choice activists have conceded the point. ..since the abortion proponents have lost the science argument, they are now advocating an existential one."
Nikon
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
Bulgaria5710 Posts
January 05 2010 13:34 GMT
#33
On March 23 2009 03:31 lMPERVlOUS wrote:
workers = minerals patch * 3 - 1

I found that even when you went to 3.1 scvs per mineral patch, the rate of return of minerals still increases.

I compared the cost of the system to the rate of return, and I found that the ideal number of workers is actually at 1.0 per pach (but I do not know how it would work with less, my feeling is that it is actually equal to 1.0 per patch).


Well, the normal 2.5-3 SCVs per patch saturation simply approaches the problem from another angle - as the number of SCVs increases, the rate at which the patch is being mined approaches 100%, therefore giving you more resource. However, you're interested in the rate at which the individual worker mines. If you want to achieve optimal results for that, yes, the optimal number is exactly 1 per patch since the next worker added will lose mining time due to wander because all patches are already taken. Having a high amount of bases however, is mostly dictated by need for gas - which is why Zergs get so many bases with relatively low drone counts on minerals - they just need gas that much more. Incidentaly, this situation replicates itself in TvT in nearly the same manner once you go past 3 bases total - you need more gas for production as you already have tons of spare minerals.
DongTanks
Profile Joined January 2010
Singapore15 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-01-06 03:09:39
January 06 2010 03:08 GMT
#34
However, you're interested in the rate at which the individual worker mines. If you want to achieve optimal results for that, yes, the optimal number is exactly 1 per patch since the next worker added will lose mining time due to wander because all patches are already taken.


You are right that 1 worker / patch gives the most mineral gathered for each worker, but that is not our aim. The aim is to find the way to gather the most amount of minerals in the shortest time with the least cost. That IS the idea of ideal mining. The stats of how much each worker mines according to how many workers / patch are just data that are used to derive the answer for our main question.

However, do not be confused. 1 worker / min patch may give you the most minerals gathered by each worker but it does not let you gather the most minerals in the shortest time with the least cost!

good luck with your findings, i'm eager to hear what you come up with


Thanks! That will be 12 hours more...
One may not be gosu, but passion alone makes him a Starcraft player.
Impervious
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
Canada4222 Posts
January 06 2010 22:05 GMT
#35
[image loading]


Yes, I am also interested in hearing followup from this.

One thing though - it's complicated..... There really may be no "ultimate" or "right" answer, because of all kinds of factors:

Benefit/Cost ratio
Effect on supply cap
Ability to defend
Linear production of vespene
Point in time of the game
Number of available expansions
etc.....

I'm just glad that someone is finding some use from this. I've learned a lot about the economies in Starcraft, and I like Zerg best because of their flexible economy. This information helped lead me to switching to Zerg.
~ \(ˌ)im-ˈpər-vē-əs\ : not capable of being damaged or harmed.
DongTanks
Profile Joined January 2010
Singapore15 Posts
January 07 2010 08:42 GMT
#36
btw i've posted a new thread so do check it out... http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=109458

One thing though - it's complicated..... There really may be no "ultimate" or "right" answer, because of all kinds of factors:


Yes.... you are so right..... the most efficient number of workers in theory does not reflect the best way to do things in a real game bcos of many different circumstances. But we can take the ceteris paribus assumption in THEORY

Sadly I did not include zergs in my research but, again, IN THEORY, using the Short-Run Average Cost (SRAC) curve, the zergs need less workers to be efficient as the hatchery is less costly. More in the thread linked above.
One may not be gosu, but passion alone makes him a Starcraft player.
Kimaker
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States2131 Posts
January 07 2010 09:04 GMT
#37
Very informative, I'll keep the workers=mineral patches x 3-1 in mind.
Entusman #54 (-_-) ||"Gold is for the Mistress-Silver for the Maid-Copper for the craftsman cunning in his trade. "Good!" said the Baron, sitting in his hall, But Iron — Cold Iron — is master of them all|| "Optimism is Cowardice."- Oswald Spengler
Prev 1 2 All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 19m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Trap 15
StarCraft: Brood War
Bisu 1303
BeSt 623
Larva 253
hero 212
Rush 78
soO 65
Mind 46
Hm[arnc] 39
Stork 32
Sharp 28
[ Show more ]
Terrorterran 20
sSak 20
ToSsGirL 20
Shine 13
JulyZerg 7
Yoon 6
Noble 1
League of Legends
JimRising 359
KnowMe41
Counter-Strike
olofmeister1213
shoxiejesuss1084
edward283
dupreeh181
Other Games
ceh9779
XaKoH 335
[ Show 12 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• LUISG 35
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• iopq 13
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• lizZardDota2229
League of Legends
• Jankos1524
Upcoming Events
Afreeca Starleague
19m
Leta vs ggaemo
Jaedong vs Queen
GSL
1h 19m
PiGosaur Cup
14h 19m
Kung Fu Cup
1d 1h
Replay Cast
1d 14h
The PondCast
2 days
KCM Race Survival
2 days
Escore
3 days
IntoTheTV X SOOP
3 days
CranKy Ducklings
4 days
[ Show More ]
Sparkling Tuna Cup
5 days
Shopify Rebellion Sundays
5 days
Spirit vs Mixu
Clem vs TBD
RSL Revival
5 days
Replay Cast
5 days
Afreeca Starleague
6 days
WardiTV Weekly
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2026-09-02
PiG Sty Festival 8.0
Big Dog Cup 2026 Div 1

Ongoing

KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 3
K-JUNGMAN
ASL Season 22
Super Anchor Qualifying S3
CSL 2026 AUTUMN (S22)
Acropolis #5
Acropolis #5 - TRS
RSL Revival: Season 6
Calamity Invitational
FISSURE Playground #3
BLAST Open Fall 2026
Esports World Cup 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026

Upcoming

Escore Tournament S3: King of Kings
Acropolis #5 - GSA
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
Acropolis #5 - GSB
Acropolis #5 - GSC
SC4ALL II: Brood War
HSC XXX
Stellar Fest 2: Lunar Cup
SC4ALL II: StarCraft II
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
RSL Offline Finals
Stake Ranked Episode 6
BLAST Rivals Fall 2026
IEM Beijing 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 5
PGL Masters Bucharest 2026
1win Private Club #2
Thunderpick World Champ. '26
ESL Pro League Season 24
Stake Ranked Episode 4
1win Private Club #1
Logitech G Play Connect 2026
SL StarSeries Fall 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.