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Mechanics Video Series

Forum Index > Brood War Strategy
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Birdie
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
New Zealand4438 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-03-13 11:17:22
February 06 2014 11:34 GMT
#1
[image loading]

Introducing...Birdie's Mechanics Video Series!


The foreign community has tended to ignore or downplay the importance of anything related to APM, namely, mechanics. However, this is quite detrimental to the rapid improvement of new players, as mechanics are extremely important for players to be able to achieve what they want in the most efficient and quick way possible. If you can do what you want quicker and more precisely than your opponent, it will give you a significant advantage over him, and help you win.

To help players both new and old improve their mechanics, I have created a video series on mechanics. Each video will discuss one mechanical aspect that is useful in playing StarCraft, and then tell you a way of practicing that mechanic in order to improve in it.

Here are the videos!

+ Show Spoiler [The First Video: Clicking!] +



+ Show Spoiler [The Second Video: Screen Hotkeys!] +



+ Show Spoiler [The Third Video: All the Other Hotkeys!] +



+ Show Spoiler [The Fourth Video: Unit and Building Sh…] +

Red classic | A butterfly dreamed he was Zhuangzi | 4.5k, heading to 5k as support!
fencer
Profile Joined October 2011
122 Posts
February 06 2014 17:37 GMT
#2
Cool video!

About spamming in the beginning: isn't it also true that you can obtain marginal benefit by "juggling" the first workers around so that they travel a bit shorter? It has always puzzled me how many good players spam their workers like crazy, yet can't be bothered to actually put those actions to use.
Disc Golf is Awesome! Thought I'd throw that out there =)
Falling
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Canada11363 Posts
February 06 2014 19:15 GMT
#3
In the situation with the hydras that you presented, would the fast thing to do would be to double click one? Or is this more for when you have more than a hotkey group and the remnant will jam the selected together?

I don't know about juggling, but I try and send workers to open patches when I'm spamming at the beginning.
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...
Warlord_Master
Profile Joined May 2010
51 Posts
February 06 2014 19:31 GMT
#4
On February 07 2014 04:15 Falling wrote:
In the situation with the hydras that you presented, would the fast thing to do would be to double click one? Or is this more for when you have more than a hotkey group and the remnant will jam the selected together?

I don't know about juggling, but I try and send workers to open patches when I'm spamming at the beginning.


come on man double clicking is like 2006, ctrl click is where its at, i cant double click already moving zergling for shit so i got used to ctrl click for ease
Birdie
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
New Zealand4438 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-02-06 20:54:55
February 06 2014 20:54 GMT
#5
On February 07 2014 02:37 fencer wrote:
Cool video!

About spamming in the beginning: isn't it also true that you can obtain marginal benefit by "juggling" the first workers around so that they travel a bit shorter? It has always puzzled me how many good players spam their workers like crazy, yet can't be bothered to actually put those actions to use.

Yeah you can, and I do that sometimes. I'll cover it in a later video but I'm not that great at it so I'll have to practice it some more I'm starting with the more basic stuff though.

On February 07 2014 04:15 Falling wrote:
In the situation with the hydras that you presented, would the fast thing to do would be to double click one? Or is this more for when you have more than a hotkey group and the remnant will jam the selected together?

I don't know about juggling, but I try and send workers to open patches when I'm spamming at the beginning.

Ctrl-Click would be the true fastest method, but it was more to demonstrate if you wanted to select specific hydralisks. If there had been 30 hydras on the screen and you only wanted that 6, Ctrl-Click wouldn't work.

Doubleclick's too slow.
Red classic | A butterfly dreamed he was Zhuangzi | 4.5k, heading to 5k as support!
Falling
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Canada11363 Posts
February 06 2014 21:15 GMT
#6
I did not know about control click except when selecting wire-frame within control groups, so you see I have learned something already. Even if I was stuck in 2006
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...
WombaT
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Northern Ireland25616 Posts
February 06 2014 22:36 GMT
#7
This is pretty cool for us mechanics nerds, shall have a re-watch later as I'm kind of zoning out here.
'You'll always be the cuddly marsupial of my heart, despite the inherent flaws of your ancestry' - Squat
Birdie
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
New Zealand4438 Posts
February 06 2014 23:16 GMT
#8
Updated with the second video, on screen hotkeys!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BByzkLzr6E0
Red classic | A butterfly dreamed he was Zhuangzi | 4.5k, heading to 5k as support!
XenOsky
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Chile2277 Posts
February 06 2014 23:56 GMT
#9
this is really helpful for new players... i wish we had a series like this back in 2003 T_T
StarCraft & Audax Italiano.
Reuental
Profile Joined July 2009
United States457 Posts
February 07 2014 02:12 GMT
#10
Oh wow you can ctrl click instead of doubleclicking, my mind is blown. This is just like when I was a newbie and found out you can shift select.
I'm a Crab made of men.
hp.Shell
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States2527 Posts
February 07 2014 08:16 GMT
#11
In addition to ctrl+click, you can also alt+click a unit to select that unit's most recently selected group. For example, if that unit was most recently selected as part of ctrl group 1, alt+clicking that unit will select ctrl group 1. However, if for example you just select a few units randomly, EVEN IF THEY ARE PART OF A CTRL GROUP, and then select something else that doesn't include one of those units, the next time you alt+click one of those units you just randomly selected together, it will reselect your "random" selection group.

Unless, that is, you press 1 again, which re-selects the units in the ctrl group 1. This action will reset that alt-group for the units in ctrl group 1. For the units that are not in ctrl group 1, but still are part of the random alt-group, alt+clicking it will reselect the alt+group.

Hard to explain, but I don't feel like making a video. Load up some probes and just mess around with it. You'll see what I mean.
Please PM me with any songs you like that you think I haven't heard before!
jello_biafra
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
United Kingdom6638 Posts
February 07 2014 13:17 GMT
#12
On February 07 2014 17:16 hp.Shell wrote:
In addition to ctrl+click, you can also alt+click a unit to select that unit's most recently selected group. For example, if that unit was most recently selected as part of ctrl group 1, alt+clicking that unit will select ctrl group 1. However, if for example you just select a few units randomly, EVEN IF THEY ARE PART OF A CTRL GROUP, and then select something else that doesn't include one of those units, the next time you alt+click one of those units you just randomly selected together, it will reselect your "random" selection group.

Unless, that is, you press 1 again, which re-selects the units in the ctrl group 1. This action will reset that alt-group for the units in ctrl group 1. For the units that are not in ctrl group 1, but still are part of the random alt-group, alt+clicking it will reselect the alt+group.

Hard to explain, but I don't feel like making a video. Load up some probes and just mess around with it. You'll see what I mean.

I did not know that...that's madness.

IIRC you can also select a unit and press alt+# to add a unit to control group #.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions | aka Probert[PaiN] @ iccup / godlikeparagon @ twitch | my BW stream: http://www.teamliquid.net/video/streams/jello_biafra
WombaT
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Northern Ireland25616 Posts
February 07 2014 23:06 GMT
#13
Does the alt + click thing work in Sc2 because if so that is actually something of which IO was previously unaware!
'You'll always be the cuddly marsupial of my heart, despite the inherent flaws of your ancestry' - Squat
ZeroChrome
Profile Joined September 2010
Canada1001 Posts
February 08 2014 02:17 GMT
#14
On February 07 2014 22:17 jello_biafra wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 07 2014 17:16 hp.Shell wrote:
In addition to ctrl+click, you can also alt+click a unit to select that unit's most recently selected group. For example, if that unit was most recently selected as part of ctrl group 1, alt+clicking that unit will select ctrl group 1. However, if for example you just select a few units randomly, EVEN IF THEY ARE PART OF A CTRL GROUP, and then select something else that doesn't include one of those units, the next time you alt+click one of those units you just randomly selected together, it will reselect your "random" selection group.

Unless, that is, you press 1 again, which re-selects the units in the ctrl group 1. This action will reset that alt-group for the units in ctrl group 1. For the units that are not in ctrl group 1, but still are part of the random alt-group, alt+clicking it will reselect the alt+group.

Hard to explain, but I don't feel like making a video. Load up some probes and just mess around with it. You'll see what I mean.

I did not know that...that's madness.

IIRC you can also select a unit and press alt+# to add a unit to control group #.


Mind=blown. Shift+# adds the selected unit(s) to that group and alt+# selects and centers your screen on that group. I've played thousands of BW games and never knew this before o_0
Forward
DemonDayz
Profile Joined June 2012
18 Posts
February 08 2014 12:57 GMT
#15
The more of these kind of videos the better ! :D
Winning is Everything
vOdToasT
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Sweden2870 Posts
February 08 2014 16:20 GMT
#16
I've started using CTRL + C a lot

It centers your view on the currently selected unit or structure

It's very useful.
If it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid* (*Or: You are stupid for losing to it, and gotta git gud)
BonitiilloO
Profile Joined June 2013
Dominican Republic625 Posts
February 13 2014 00:58 GMT
#17
i have a question tho... i usually see stream on sniperslot and players like mong, hiya, ample, eCaruS,
they can have a lot of units in the rally point and they can CTRL #1 #2 #3 #4 without getting the same units on the same control? how do i can do that?
How may help u?
Birdie
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
New Zealand4438 Posts
February 13 2014 03:59 GMT
#18
On February 13 2014 09:58 SC2BF3Love wrote:
i have a question tho... i usually see stream on sniperslot and players like mong, hiya, ample, eCaruS,
they can have a lot of units in the rally point and they can CTRL #1 #2 #3 #4 without getting the same units on the same control? how do i can do that?

Assuming I understand your question, it's all manually selecting different units. You can do the same thing by just making sure you select the correct units with each box select (or manually shift select several units).

Last exam was today so I'll try get another episode done tonight or tomorrow.
Red classic | A butterfly dreamed he was Zhuangzi | 4.5k, heading to 5k as support!
Golgotha
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
Korea (South)8418 Posts
February 13 2014 11:15 GMT
#19
love it! thanks birdie!
Birdie
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
New Zealand4438 Posts
February 13 2014 11:21 GMT
#20
Just added the third video, covering ordinary hotkeys. Much of it may not be new to seasoned players but there's a few things which some relatively "experienced" players don't even know, so it's worth a look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiVQBPOw5is
Red classic | A butterfly dreamed he was Zhuangzi | 4.5k, heading to 5k as support!
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