StarCraft II with GeekHack

[speakeasy]

Played Nexus Word Wars with my friend for the first time last night, lol wow it's pretty fun. I'd imagine it would be more fun playing with people from here

[Index]

Scouting is so hard with Zerg =(

[iamtwon]

I watch about 100% more Starcraft than I play because my computer sucks so bad. I guess I need work on fixing that. Index, watch more nestea.

[Index]

Why specifically Nestea? I mean I know he's the best zerg player, and arguably the best player right now. Other than that why? Does he have amazing scouting?

[Hydroid]

Yes, NesTea has amazing scouting. It's what makes him the best player in the world right now. He plays zerg reactively not aggressively and as such, he needs to know exactly what his opponent is doing so that he knows when it is safe to drone up and when he needs to be preparing for an attack.

[flaming_june]

Well no, neastea is a god because he's unbelievably smart.  Scouting is just part of his skillset.  Other people who scout just as much are still nowhere near his cerebral play.  The other parts that you said is just zerg basics.

[Hydroid]

Well no, neastea is a god because he's unbelievably smart.  Scouting is just part of his skillset.  Other people who scout just as much are still nowhere near his cerebral play.  The other parts that you said is just zerg basics.

Yeah, he's smart, he knows how to interpret his scouting which is what a lot of other people lack, but without scouting he wouldn't be able to win so I'd still argue he's one of the best players to check out for seeing how. Because if you can spend some time figuring out what he notices just from seeing certain stuff then you should be able to apply it to some extent in the game.

[pitashen]

Yeah, he's smart, he knows how to interpret his scouting which is what a lot of other people lack, but without scouting he wouldn't be able to win so I'd still argue he's one of the best players to check out for seeing how. Because if you can spend some time figuring out what he notices just from seeing certain stuff then you should be able to apply it to some extent in the game.

It is quite basic for pro-gamers to effectively guesstimate what the opponent is doing by seeing only a few clues. The quality of the strategic part of the decision making under immense pressure is what really differentiates between each pro players.

In any case, one should be able to reach diamond league with just proper scouting, money spending and macroing.

[ogreofdakka]

I can't believe I haven't seen this thread earlier. I play SCII on the NA server as DirTyOGRE. I am not a very good 1v1 player, but I love playing team games if anyone would be interested in 2v2s or 3v3s. I play a Macro oriented Terran.

BTW I actually prefer Sen's Zerg play to NesTea for some reason. I think its because its got those weird ass timings.

[Softdrink 117]

Dittoing above about not seeing this earlier.

I play Terran on NA as Softdrink, with the weird ID code thingy as 505. I'm actually pretty good in terms of mechanics and practical knowledge, but I have almost no real game experience because I've been so busy with school. As in, I haven't played since late season one. At all.

I'm really looking to find people to play custom games with before I head back into the ladder. I *am* in bronze league (or was back when I was ranked), but have been able to keep pace with Korean platinum players before-- the bronze placing was really just due to inexperience, which remains my real problem.

[Feign]

I play on the EU server.

Feign.892

In fact, i joined this site to get some advice on customising key caps for a slightly Starcraft 2 themed keyboard (Korean legends and a purple "make more drones" key).

[Susiria]

Dittoing above about not seeing this earlier.

I play Terran on NA as Softdrink, with the weird ID code thingy as 505. I'm actually pretty good in terms of mechanics and practical knowledge, but I have almost no real game experience because I've been so busy with school. As in, I haven't played since late season one. At all.

I'm really looking to find people to play custom games with before I head back into the ladder. I *am* in bronze league (or was back when I was ranked), but have been able to keep pace with Korean platinum players before-- the bronze placing was really just due to inexperience, which remains my real problem.

You've played on the Korean server and played their Platinums? Apparently they're equal to NA/EU's Diamond league.

[Softdrink 117]

You've played on the Korean server and played their Platinums? Apparently they're equal to NA/EU's Diamond league.

 
Sorry, I should clarify: I have a couple Korean friends, one of whom is only on the US servers part time and spends the rest elsewhere, presumably on the Korean server. And he is just like @_@

Back when I last played him (months ago), it was in Season one when you could see win/loss ratio. His was something like 200 to 10, and he was flying up through the ranks. I played a long series of custom games with him, at his request, after being paired up on a random 1v1 on Xel'Naga.

So no, I'm not that good. >.<
I have beaten some NA plats, but that was a long time ago. Right now, I totally suck.

My downfall, like I said before, is simple lack of game experience. Having a good grasp of the game's mechanics, balancing macro and micro, scouting-- these are things that I'm relatively good at (some much more than others)-- but without enough knowledge of how people actually play the game they don't make any real difference.

[Hydroid]

There seems to be a sudden increase in masters players creating smurf accounts on the SEA region. I've had the pleasure or misfortune to be pitted against two of these players in their placements only to get well and truly destroyed as expected. I guess there isn't any shame in losing to a masters player while in the gold league, and I did get to chat to them and ended up playing a few custom games with each, but it does give you quite a shock the first time when they just seem to have twice as much as you expect.

[guilleguillaume]

There is the prove that MC does use a Qsenn and not a Realforce:



Pic from the IEM at Cologne

[flaming_june]

Maybe he just didn't want to bring a heavy and expensive keyboard to overseas while he still competes in the GSTL in Korea.  He's doing up n down matches this season too right?

[HeavyArms]

HeavyArms 443, nice to meet you all!

http://www.sc2ranks.com/us/2335832/HeavyArms

[hashbaz]

Did anyone notice Genius' keyboard in group H of GSL the other day?  He had some kind of plastic overlay or something.

[Hydroid]

Yeah its a soft dust cover, kinda like the cover you get on filcos, leopolds and duckys but flexible enough to use the keyboard with it on. I got one with my Qsenn and it was great. I couldn't stand to game with it on, but I would put it on when I ate at the computer so that the keyboard would stay clean.

[flaming_june]

bongboong had it today as well.

Yup I see MC with qsenn atm vs taeja, whom's using metallic blue filco with red esc.

[Susiria]

Maybe he just didn't want to bring a heavy and expensive keyboard to overseas while he still competes in the GSTL in Korea.  He's doing up n down matches this season too right?

When you compete in a tournament for money, I'd assume that every player would want their exact gear. MC's made so much money from sc2 anyways that he should buy a Realforce, though.

[Tempy]

Back when I last played him (months ago), it was in Season one when you could see win/loss ratio. His was something like 200 to 10, and he was flying up through the ranks. I played a long series of custom games with him, at his request, after being paired up on a random 1v1 on Xel'Naga.

if you go 200-10 you do not get promoted, the mmr needs to settle before you can get promoted, there was a time during early season 1 or the beta (i forget) when they just introduced diamond, and i was in platinum with a like 85% win rate, could not get promoted, i literally threw 5 games (join and leave instantly) to drop my mmr to get promoted to where i belonged, i then proceeded to not play.

[Softdrink 117]

if you go 200-10 you do not get promoted, the mmr needs to settle before you can get promoted, there was a time during early season 1 or the beta (i forget) when they just introduced diamond, and i was in platinum with a like 85% win rate, could not get promoted, i literally threw 5 games (join and leave instantly) to drop my mmr to get promoted to where i belonged, i then proceeded to not play.

Yup, I was aware of this. I meant he was flying up through his platinum league, as he had been placed initially at the bottom of it and was complaining about how he'd been number one for a few days without losing a match. My apologies for not being as clear as possible. I believe he eventually figured it out, but I haven't played with him in some time. Whenever I'm online he's either away, busy, or not online at all.

Unless I'm mistaken, the game uses mmr as a sort of running average to determine skill based partially on player win/loss ratio and partially on win/loss consistency, with a separate series of indicators for evaluating skill based on the rank or league difference between the players (which is part of the 'favored' screens that display during match loading). But what that ends up meaning is that unless you maintain a relatively consistent average performance by 'normalizing' your win/loss ratio every once in a while, it's impossible for the game to realize you're good enough for the next league. Which is kinda unfortunate and very frustrating, but makes the general matchmaking engine very fair.

It has been a while since I read the article on the Liquid forums though, so I could easily be forgetting something.

[dudebro]

DongRaeGu was playing with a Razer BlackWidow during last weekends MLG event in Raleigh. He was using the macro keys on the side quite a lot, and without the keycaps!

[video=youtube;0xRDdBL4aWc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xRDdBL4aWc[/video]

[nolliepoper]

DongRaeGu was playing with a Razer BlackWidow during last weekends MLG event in Raleigh. He was using the macro keys on the side quite a lot, and without the keycaps!

I love DRG. I am also curious to what macro binds he uses. It's funny that he took off the keycaps, maybe have the feel of a standard keyboard, but he still uses the macro keys.

Plat Protoss here.
Username: nolliepoper
Char Code: 830

[kywirelessguy]

Don't know if you guys saw this storyline from MLG Raleigh

Idra loses to Trimaster and slams his headset on his keyboard:
[video=youtube;4mdmWs1SfuY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mdmWs1SfuY&feature=player_detailpage#t=92s[/video]

Reddit user Thricey finds Idra's F4 key:
http://www.reddit.com/r/starcraft/comments/jx35j/so_i_have_idras_f4_key_after_he_slammed_his/


Idra doesn't seem to want it back so Thricey gives it to Trimaster:
http://www.reddit.com/r/starcraft/comments/jxiho/update_idras_f4_key_now_in_possession_of_its/

[kywirelessguy]

One more from Idra's perspective...

[video=youtube;DoT393WXrrU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoT393WXrrU&feature=player_detailpage#t=55s[/video]

[hashbaz]

Hah, we were talking about this yesterday at work.  Just imagine getting idra's D or T key -- the primal founts of his legions of drones and mutas.

[Chobopants]

Haha Idra is such a baby. Can't wait for more SC1 pros to come over to SC2 and he just fades away, a whiny bratty footnote of the progaming scene, nothing more.

He's not nearly as good as he thinks he is.

[hashbaz]

Ouch.  I like idra.  Yeah, he's whiny and arrogant and defeatist, and I wonder how much he actually enjoys the game.  But I like that he speaks his mind, and that he can usually back up his analysis with real examples.  Obviously I don't know the guy, but I feel like if he took three months off or something and then returned fresh, it would ultimately do him a lot of good.