5 ms·

How to Improve at Starcraft Efficiently [pdf]

84 points by sayemm 12y ago

holyjaw 12y ago
Hasn't been updated in years, but still relevant if you don't mind reading the wall of text. I think nowadays, the proliferation of educational streams on Twitch.tv could easily supplant the utility of this document. Streamers like Winter (twitch.tv/wintergaming) or pro-gamers like Grubby (twitch.tv/followgrubby) or CatZ (twitch.tv/CatZ) or Minigun (twitch.tv/colminigun) are a great resource, and are usually pretty good at answering specific questions and providing good tips to newbies.
- ObviousScience 12y ago
  My problem with videos is that to cover a ~30 page document of material, they'll stretch it in to dozens of videos and take >2-3 hours of time. I can read such a document in <1 hour of time, and find it much less fatiguing than trying to deal with a several hour lecture on the same topic. In general, I find that videos are good to relay a particular skill by demonstration, and discuss one topic, but that very often, they're a poor medium to convey a large amount of material I want to learn all of at once, especially if I'm going to want to jump around or cross reference at all. Ed: Case in point, I've already skimmed the whole document (I skipped over the details of some specific exercises), and would feel much more comfortable picking a video to start with, because I have a general sense of the recommended training path, the exercises involved, etc. I just find it hard to get the same general sense of something from a video.
  - fluff123 12y ago
    I started SC2 about a year ago and I wrote down everything I learned during this year. Now I am top gold with low APM but I can play macro and I have a startegy at the beginning of the game. I play about 2 games per day and I have fun all the time :) I started to store this information in a Moodle course. You can find the course at http://bepaw.com http://bepaw.com I'm still working on the course content when I have time (creating a course content takes aaages) and I am often using the site to create Moodle prototypes so the design may change regularly. But the good thing is that I do provide a full methodology path, I organized the course into different lessons. I also took some lessons with few progamers and even got the course reviewed by a pro SC2 coach with more than 1000 hours of coaching. I don't know anyone who followed my course but if you do, contact me I would be interested to know if it works for others :)
    - phaus 12y ago
      I'll give it a try. If I stick with it for long enough, I'll let you know how I'm doing.
      - fluff123 12y ago
        Super phaus, you can contact me at mouneyrac at gmail dot com. Cheers.
  - vegedor 12y ago
    > they'll stretch it in to dozens of videos I feel the same about certain lectures, but sometimes it's just the prof's fault.
xx908 12y ago
Anyone know of a similar guide for EA Sports' FIFA series?
2Pacalypse- 12y ago
StarCraft:Brood War version by a different author - http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/stet_tcl/How_to_Improve_by_Ver.pdf http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/stet_tcl/How_to_Improve_by_V...
sauere 12y ago
Related: ask me, an average Top25 master league player anything.
- arh68 12y ago
  Do you think the game would be more interesting if it were continuously rebalanced (always adding units, omitting old ones every year or so) or should a near-perfect version just be frozen for competitive play?
  - sauere 12y ago
    > should a near-perfect version just be frozen for competitive play? This. Balancing the game is hard work and it took Blizz many years and patches go get it right.
- tehwebguy 12y ago
  Do you stream?
  - sauere 12y ago
    I do, from time to time. But it is rather boring since i don't comment, just the raw game stream http://www.twitch.tv/kwaynesc2 http://www.twitch.tv/kwaynesc2
- Bootvis 12y ago
  How much do you play?
  - sauere 12y ago
    I used to play 4-5 games daily, but now i just a play every few days.
- cm2012 12y ago
  What's keeping you from grandmaster?
tylerpachal 12y ago
For anyone that is interested in watching some Starcraft 2, WCS America semifinals start at 3pm Pacific time today. Info: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/2014_WCS_Season_3_America/Premier http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/2014_WCS_Season_3_Amer... Stream: http://www.twitch.tv/wcs_america http://www.twitch.tv/wcs_america
tosh 12y ago
Related: An article I wrote about what product managers can learn from StarCraft: https://medium.com/what-product-managers-can-learn-from/what-product-managers-can-learn-from-playing-starcraft-7e1fa195f14e https://medium.com/what-product-managers-can-learn-from/what... :)

84 points by sayemm 12y ago

Hasn't been updated in years, but still relevant if you don't mind reading the wall of text. I think nowadays, the proliferation of educational streams on Twitch.tv could easily supplant the utility of this document. Streamers like Winter (twitch.tv/wintergaming) or pro-gamers like Grubby (twitch.tv/followgrubby) or CatZ (twitch.tv/CatZ) or Minigun (twitch.tv/colminigun) are a great resource, and are usually pretty good at answering specific questions and providing good tips to newbies.

ObviousScience 12y ago
My problem with videos is that to cover a ~30 page document of material, they'll stretch it in to dozens of videos and take >2-3 hours of time. I can read such a document in <1 hour of time, and find it much less fatiguing than trying to deal with a several hour lecture on the same topic. In general, I find that videos are good to relay a particular skill by demonstration, and discuss one topic, but that very often, they're a poor medium to convey a large amount of material I want to learn all of at once, especially if I'm going to want to jump around or cross reference at all. Ed: Case in point, I've already skimmed the whole document (I skipped over the details of some specific exercises), and would feel much more comfortable picking a video to start with, because I have a general sense of the recommended training path, the exercises involved, etc. I just find it hard to get the same general sense of something from a video.
- fluff123 12y ago
  I started SC2 about a year ago and I wrote down everything I learned during this year. Now I am top gold with low APM but I can play macro and I have a startegy at the beginning of the game. I play about 2 games per day and I have fun all the time :) I started to store this information in a Moodle course. You can find the course at http://bepaw.com http://bepaw.com I'm still working on the course content when I have time (creating a course content takes aaages) and I am often using the site to create Moodle prototypes so the design may change regularly. But the good thing is that I do provide a full methodology path, I organized the course into different lessons. I also took some lessons with few progamers and even got the course reviewed by a pro SC2 coach with more than 1000 hours of coaching. I don't know anyone who followed my course but if you do, contact me I would be interested to know if it works for others :)
  - phaus 12y ago
    I'll give it a try. If I stick with it for long enough, I'll let you know how I'm doing.
    - fluff123 12y ago
      Super phaus, you can contact me at mouneyrac at gmail dot com. Cheers.
- vegedor 12y ago
  > they'll stretch it in to dozens of videos I feel the same about certain lectures, but sometimes it's just the prof's fault.

xx908 12y ago

Anyone know of a similar guide for EA Sports' FIFA series?

2Pacalypse- 12y ago

StarCraft:Brood War version by a different author - http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/stet_tcl/How_to_Improve_by_Ver.pdf http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/stet_tcl/How_to_Improve_by_V...

sauere 12y ago

Related: ask me, an average Top25 master league player anything.

arh68 12y ago
Do you think the game would be more interesting if it were continuously rebalanced (always adding units, omitting old ones every year or so) or should a near-perfect version just be frozen for competitive play?
- sauere 12y ago
  > should a near-perfect version just be frozen for competitive play? This. Balancing the game is hard work and it took Blizz many years and patches go get it right.
tehwebguy 12y ago
Do you stream?
- sauere 12y ago
  I do, from time to time. But it is rather boring since i don't comment, just the raw game stream http://www.twitch.tv/kwaynesc2 http://www.twitch.tv/kwaynesc2
Bootvis 12y ago
How much do you play?
- sauere 12y ago
  I used to play 4-5 games daily, but now i just a play every few days.
cm2012 12y ago
What's keeping you from grandmaster?

tylerpachal 12y ago

For anyone that is interested in watching some Starcraft 2, WCS America semifinals start at 3pm Pacific time today. Info: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/2014_WCS_Season_3_America/Premier http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/2014_WCS_Season_3_Amer... Stream: http://www.twitch.tv/wcs_america http://www.twitch.tv/wcs_america

tosh 12y ago

Related: An article I wrote about what product managers can learn from StarCraft: https://medium.com/what-product-managers-can-learn-from/what-product-managers-can-learn-from-playing-starcraft-7e1fa195f14e https://medium.com/what-product-managers-can-learn-from/what... :)