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[H] SC2-->BW, Quick Question!

Forum Index > Brood War Strategy
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
Necron1993
Profile Joined September 2011
United States3 Posts
September 24 2011 08:51 GMT
#1
Hi, I recently started playing around on BW and have found it much more entertaining/challenging than SC2, from a personal standpoint. That being said there is a large scope of knowledge I have to learn, from basic mechanics to the over all metagame. Really I just have one question to help me on my way, which couldn't be easily found through FAQ or Forum Search:

What is the most efficient gateway/nexus ratio when you have proper saturation??? Yes I realize not every nexus will be accompanied by the same amount of mineral patches, but just a ball park estimate would help alot!!!
gu-val
Profile Joined March 2011
59 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-24 10:13:06
September 24 2011 10:11 GMT
#2
I guess it is ~3 gateways/base for protoss, depending on are you planning to expand, or switch tech (protoss can also build from robotics and stargates). 4 gateways/base is resourse extensive and wont probably allow to expand/research without halting unit production for a while. Anyway, if your macro isnt perfect, get as many gateways as you need to keep money low, in the lategame. Once you've reached unit limit, get even more gateways to resupply the army instantly after battle.
sluggaslamoo
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
Australia4494 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-24 10:29:42
September 24 2011 10:26 GMT
#3
Depends on how many probes you have and how many bases.

In BW if you split your probes evenly between 4 bases you will have a lot more minerals than if you just keep it to 2 bases. In SC2 3 bases is all you need to get maximum income, but in BW you are better off having more even if you have less probes. So you will have more gateways per base, depending on how many bases you have.

You can support up to 4 gateways on 1 base, about 8-12 on 2 bases, once on 4-5 bases against Terran you probably won't even be able to count how many gateways you have. What generally happens though is that on one base you won't have that many gateways because you want to expand.

Here are some starter gateway heavy builds, pretty prevalent in the lower leagues, although they get less popular the higher you go.

3 gate goon in PvP.
10/15 gate goon range PvT
Bulldog PvT
2 gate zealots PvZ

But really just build as many gateways as you think you will need, when you get better macro you will find yourself making less gateways.
Come play Android Netrunner - http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=409008
Necron1993
Profile Joined September 2011
United States3 Posts
September 24 2011 17:06 GMT
#4
Thank you all very much, and yes I have noted that there is quite more expanding needed in BW to have a competative economy and be able to remass your army appropriately
ArvickHero
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
10387 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-24 21:45:36
September 24 2011 21:44 GMT
#5
Mineral line saturation is about 2.5x the number of mineral patches. In PvT you must be wary to not over-make on probes, as it will cut into your maxed out army, and in PvZ and PvP there are usually several different points where you need to cut probes in order to hit some timings.

As for Gateways, generally 1 base can support up to 4 gateways, 2bases 8 gates, 3bases 12gates, etc. However, you generally want to expand as much as you can with Protoss, so normally you can safely expand to your natural off of 1-2 gates (PvP and PvT), and get your 3rd off 6 gates (PvZ and PvP, in PvT its 2-3 gates before third). Note in PvT you will probably normally only have 6-10 Gateways producing before your 4th/5th go online, but as your economy explodes and you hit population cap, you will be adding many more gateways, usually to around 20+ gateways.
Writerptrk
TheNessman
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
United States4158 Posts
September 25 2011 00:25 GMT
#6
I feel like there is a lot of information that should be on liquipedia but doesn't have a place yet....
~~! youtube.com/xmungam1 !~~
blahman3344
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
United States2015 Posts
September 25 2011 01:34 GMT
#7
Generally it goes something like this:
# of base: Max possible/reccomended
1 base: 4/2-3
2 bases: 8-9/7-8
and for 3 bases or more, just go by your own discretion. Usually with 3 bases you can support 12 or more (i think), but after 4 bases, it increases to like the high teens and 20+

For each matchup here's what I'd suggest is the following on gateway count for the mid/late game:
PvT: Go all out. You can't win straight up vs. a Terran deathball, so you need to constantly reinforce with many many gateways (20+)
PvZ/PvP: you don't need nearly as many gateways as PvT, but it still needs to be pretty high (for PvP, try to match your opponents gateway count. For PvZ, idk exact numbers, but try to have more gateways than he does hatcheries.)
I like haikus and / I can not lie. You other / brothers can't deny
GinDo
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
3327 Posts
September 25 2011 02:19 GMT
#8
On September 25 2011 02:06 Necron1993 wrote:
Thank you all very much, and yes I have noted that there is quite more expanding needed in BW to have a competative economy and be able to remass your army appropriately


Damn I miss that. I spent the day losing to 1 base all ins in SC2 T_T. I miss the days were Mech was actually worth something in TvP.

Good to see that BW isn't dead.
ⱩŦ ƑⱠẬ$Ħ / ƩǤ ɈƩẬƉØƝǤ [ɌȻ] / ȊṂ.ṂṼⱣ / ẬȻƩɌ.ȊƝƝØṼẬŦȊØƝ / ẬȻƩɌ.ϟȻẬɌⱠƩŦŦ ϟⱠẬɎƩɌϟ ȻⱠẬƝ
FlaShFTW
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
United States10154 Posts
September 25 2011 03:01 GMT
#9
I like to stick to 2 gate then expand, then add on like 4 more gates so you have a good 6 gates to work off of. General rule of thumb, if after one full pump and queue up (meaning one batch of units comes out of the gates and you macro on more set up) and you still have about 1000 minerals, you can add 2-3 more gates.

PvT: Go BeSt style (AKA get like 10000000 gates and hope to overrun your opponent)
PvP: Try to match your opponents and then some.
PvZ: More than hatches. I'd say try to keep about 3 more gates to hatcheries, just so he can't just stream units down your throat.
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konadora *
Profile Blog Joined February 2009
Singapore66160 Posts
September 25 2011 03:28 GMT
#10
each nexus can support 4-5 gateways, generally. so if you have 3-base, you should have like 14 gateways.
POGGERS
Cambium
Profile Blog Joined June 2004
United States16368 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-25 04:33:58
September 25 2011 04:33 GMT
#11
In the early game, you have to invest a lot of resources in infrastructure (tech buildings, other nexuses, cannons, etc.) so you need less Gates. You first Nexus should only support 2 to 3.

When you have your 2nd Nexus, you are technically in the mid-game, and your infrastructure should be relatively set up, so at this point, you can support more Gates, up to 8 or 9 if you don't want to develop a late game. 6 or 7 if you want to continue developing.

When you have three or more bases, if you don't have a maxed out army, you can have ~3-4 Gates per running base. By the time you are maxed, you no longer need to keep on producing units nor making pylons, so you will have a ton of deposited resources, and you should invest these into more gateways, spread out over different bases, so that you can replenish your units quickly when you lose them.
When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
vOdToasT
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Sweden2870 Posts
September 25 2011 04:47 GMT
#12
if you're only making dragoons and zealots, it's 4 gateways. If you're making dragoons, zealots, and templars, it's 5, because the templars only cost gas.
If it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid* (*Or: You are stupid for losing to it, and gotta git gud)
baubo
Profile Joined September 2008
China3370 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-25 10:45:26
September 25 2011 10:41 GMT
#13
My own two cents. This is IMO more or less playing "standard" and not trying to rush anything or play econ cheese.

In early-mid game, when you're still making probes, teching, and trying to expand safely, it's fairly optimal to go 2-gateways per Nexus. You can more or less continue to make units and at the same time tech and make probes. And it's generally enough to hold off rush builds. Of course, your offensive potential is limited this way, so opponents who are greedy will have an advantage over you. But it's "safe".

If at any time you feel you do not wish to expand or tech, that's when you can add more gateways. Assuming you've achieved good probe saturation, you can possibly support 4 or more gateways per base. But this is based on the assumption that you're not making more probes nor are you teching. So all your resources go to macroing up your army. And if you ever get close to 200/200, you can add even more gateways to replenish your army faster.

Location of your gateways depends on the matchup. In pvp and pvz, your army generally works best together. So concentrated gates is best. But in PvT, concentrated protoss ball melt to tank fire, so it's best to have gateways outside the main(sometimes a lot) so you don't lose to tanks seiging up your natural.

It's also a good idea to keep a gateway at each expansion late. Make a couple of DTs to hold off harass.

Edit: One more thing. Goons are like stalkers in that they're quite expensive and you need to really hold on to them. So for optimal macro, you should make a control group or 2 of goons and try to keep them alive. Then you can just make lots of zealots the rest of the way.
Meh
Garaman
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States556 Posts
September 25 2011 13:38 GMT
#14
my two cents.
1 fully saturated base can support 2gate into robo or templar archive, or 3-4 gate with pure gateway units

ur main + nat, you can support 6 gateways with like a stargate or two for arbiters and what not. if you want carriers, i say 4 gate + 2 stargate for carriers... but you can support 7ish gateway for pure ground army + like robo bay for support units

if you take a mineral only, i would say 10-11 gateways, maybe more depending on your mineral situation. if you took another main, i say 12-14 gateway.

but i'm just a person who enjoys playing BW, and is just from my experiences in trying to keep my mineral count down. it is nice to have 8 gateways though on your main + nat. it is so easy to macro when u accidently let your minerals stock up (1200mineral + 400gas for 8 goons, or like 800 min for zealots)
XsebT
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Denmark2980 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-25 14:17:56
September 25 2011 14:15 GMT
#15
This depends on:
Probe saturation
Are you still producing probes?
Are you teching?
Are you expoing?

If you're going for hardcore unit production (like a pvz hanbang timing) you can support 4 gateways/base with full saturation. No probe production, no further teching, no expoing.
Edit: maybe +1 gateway/base depending on your templar production.
화이팅
ninini
Profile Joined June 2010
Sweden1204 Posts
September 26 2011 01:54 GMT
#16
I think expansion timings should be adjusted according to your timing attack timings.
Always and only expand before building up for a timing attack, and when moving out during the attack, when you're the strongest. Best is a great example of this mindset. He follows complex build orders in PvT, starting out with a 3 base arbiter push, and then follows it up with a timing push on 5-6 bases. Expansion timings are not about Gateway numbers, probes, or how long the game have been going on, it's all about when you want to push out with your next attack. If you're doing a 4 base push, you can take the expansion earlier than if you're going for a 5 base push, because since you're doing a earlier attack, you can survive a potential attack on a lesser gateway count.

I think this is one of the reasons why Zerg seems to be the easiest race to master. Zerg as a race is built with timing attacks in mind, and this makes them very flexible when it comes to endgame timing attacks.
writer22816
Profile Blog Joined September 2008
United States5775 Posts
September 26 2011 04:25 GMT
#17
A progamer who is going all out unit production have about 3 Gateways per saturated base. Adjust according to your macro ability.
8/4/12 never forget, never forgive.
iloveav
Profile Joined November 2008
Poland1478 Posts
September 26 2011 07:19 GMT
#18
It changes a lot.
Depends on the match up and also the tech/upgrades you are doing.
aka LRM)Cats_Paw.
Falling
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Canada11349 Posts
September 26 2011 08:04 GMT
#19
On September 25 2011 06:44 ArvickHero wrote:
Mineral line saturation is about 2.5x the number of mineral patches. In PvT you must be wary to not over-make on probes, as it will cut into your maxed out army, and in PvZ and PvP there are usually several different points where you need to cut probes in order to hit some timings.


I never really thought about that for PvT as I hardly ever cut probes. How much is too many probes in PvT?
Moderator"In Trump We Trust," says the Golden Goat of Mars Lago. Have faith and believe! Trump moves in mysterious ways. Like the wind he blows where he pleases...
baubo
Profile Joined September 2008
China3370 Posts
September 26 2011 09:11 GMT
#20
It's weird people want him to copy Best. Best to me seems to have a very precise build: Tech to arbiters while making about 1-2 control groups of dragoons(from what I can see), then mass gateways into mass zealot reinforcements for push break. Obviously I don't know the details, but his build seems to be geared towards a certain army size at a certain point. Similar to terran's 2-1 push.

This I find different from say Stork, who prefer to always expand off of minimal gateways when possible, or Kal, who seems to always oversaturate his mineral lines.

On September 26 2011 17:04 Falling wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 25 2011 06:44 ArvickHero wrote:
Mineral line saturation is about 2.5x the number of mineral patches. In PvT you must be wary to not over-make on probes, as it will cut into your maxed out army, and in PvZ and PvP there are usually several different points where you need to cut probes in order to hit some timings.


I never really thought about that for PvT as I hardly ever cut probes. How much is too many probes in PvT?


I don't cut probes either. Well I do but I'm not exactly scientific about it. But from what I've seen of Stork, he seems to maintain enough probes for 3 saturated bases. Usually when he gets his 4th up, I generally see either the main with very few probes or undersaturation in general. Although Stork did say in an interview that when he goes carriers he make a ton of probes. Makes sense, since carrier builds generally mean less bases while very mineral intensive.
Meh
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