Question thats really been bugging me

I've been watching a lot of replays of pro matches lately, and all the pro zerg players do something that I really dont get. Very early in the game, they all build an extractor on the gas, but then cancel it immediatly and go scout. What is up with this?? Dont you lose money for cancelling buildings? What am I missing here?

 

This is something where there are different opinions. The advantage of doing so (and what you don't see in the replays) is, that while the drones build these extractors, they no longer need 1 (or 2) supply. So, you can produce another 2 drones, going back to 10/10 supply, and then cancel the extractors, voila, you got 12/10 supply of drones harvesting. The discussion whether this brings an economic advantage seems to never end, I don't use it, I rather try killing enemy probes in their base and harass.

 

Wow I never even thought of it that way. So its like a way to cheat the supply limit and harvest faster. Thats crazy.

 

Wow, never thought using Extractors like that. Thanks for the info!

I'm not sure if canceling structures still incurs a penalty on returned resources, but Extractors only cost 25 minerals to construct (not including the cost of the Drone) so the lost resources would be negligible anyway.

 

Wait... If u got 200/200 supply...could you get 201/200 THIS WAY?!?!

 

haha now that's interesting

 

hold on imma try.

 

there is a penalty, and I believe the return cost decreases over time. If you do it quickly, you might only lose 1 mineral, but you definitely lose some, because my mineral amount ends in 4 after I do the trick. (workers collect 5 at a time and nothing costs any amount of minerals that isn't a multiple of 5 so it is effectively 5 minerals lost.)

 

Yup i got a 214/200 supply army

 

^^ wow that is crazy. Only a pro would think to do this to get one extra worker for like 30 seconds. lol

 

I wonder if at that point in the game it really has some meaning

 

Not much I guess, but it's fun to know ^^