I got to thinking, there are a few threads talking about build orders and giving their two cents on whats good and whats not. What I am curious about is who uses em? Obviously alot of people see the pros do something and do their best to mimic it, but I have always found I play best mostly "by the seat of my pants". I generally will open with 1 supply, then a troop producer with all the races followed by whatever I feel like. How about you all?
I go with a plan rather than a build order this is better than winging it. Build orders are far to rigid in my opinion
I never copy set build orders. Generally I play lots of games and what I find works is what i do. Some techniques against some strategies i do copy to some extent off the pros though like how to counter a 4 gate rush. Against diamond players you really have to copy the pros to some extent as theres no other easy way to counter all in strats or well microed harrasses. I've faced some players who copy the pros completely but do it worse and fail to realise that pros only use it because it works in that situation. Like players reaper harrasing poorly then going massed marauders thinking i would mass roaches for some reason...then my cracklings tear them to pieces
I lol'd at that example marine freak. Just the other day I faced this terran that tried to thor medivac me (I was terran btw LOL) and my vikings just ripped him to shreds. Pros do everything as a counter not as a "MUAHAHA THIS IS UNSTOPPABLE!". Something I haven't seen pros do, but I have done is proxy starport with tech lab if I see a early stargate for possible void ray harass. Get like 8 marines from my no attachment rax and defend against the void while still returning to the bunker for the ground force. The banshee will just tear his probes to pieces though
It's been my experience build orders are just for the very beginning - get those early units out asap. After that initial stage it's all down to what plan you have and what plan the opponent has. If yours is better gg. If his is better, adapt your plans and come back stronger.
i use a basic opener for protoss, mainly becuase its most efficent, 9 pylon 13 gateway + gas by this time ive scouted and build accordingly.
I did write down an early Speedlings build once. I eventually deviated from in at a few points in order to get my Queen (and eventually Zerglings) out faster, and have since learned it by heart. I really need to watch one of my own replays sometime to figure out exactly what I'm doing :\
I saw a replay where TLO did that in a TvT. It was very clever of him. But I tend to follow specific build orders if I'm doing a certain strat from the beginning (1 Rax FE, Fast Muta Tech, etc.), because they are most likely the most efficient way to pull off that strategy. Build orders are refined and well-thought out for the most part, and I don't think any player is able to pull off that kind of thinking during a game. Once you memorize them, everything just becomes so much easier.
I just improvise, but I usually go 14 pool, 21 hatch, or 9pool überlings, then build mutsa/hydras and fend of/keep pressure on them untill I nydus them with me ultralisks. That's often when they gg works awesome in silverleauge :F
Well, you have to think in terms of what build orders are: opening plays. It's sort of like chess openings. There are a variety of different openings in chess that have different purposes, like the Karokan Defense for stability, the Queenside Gambit for influence, and the Silicean Dragon for intense play. While all these moves start out the same, they're more of a kind of gathering together of resources to get a good start in a game. However, a lot of these are cut-and-paste use in any situation type deals, while some chess players actually don't have opening strategies but instead try to do moves that play perfectly for the very specific game that they are playing. So, yeah, everyone can use them, and everyone can benifit from them, but not necissarily everyone actually employs them.
This. Basically build orders are useful for providing you the optimal/most efficient initial build into a specific strategic goal. I don't copy them much myself, mostly because I'm lazy. Of course you have to be able to adapt your play as the game progresses, and even the initial build order may have to be changed based on scouting or what your opponent does (e.g. proxy rushes you). Although I don't copy build orders much myself (partially due to laziness, partially do to having enough experience to feel comfortable winging it), I do think it is a wise idea for learning/starting off on a strat that is new to you. I'll probably suck it up and look at a few terran or protoss BOs when I'm ready to branch off into them seriously.
Yeah a build order would have to be a set way of opening a game that works well for you (not something that wins you every game, as you can't win them all). My terran build, since anyone I've played can watch a replay...... SCVs, 9th one goes to build supply depot, (won't bother with a wall yet if its too far away) 2 more SCVs to minerals, building scv goes to barracks, 12th scv builds second barracks, 2 more scvs, Preorder 1st rax scv to build refinery Upon completion of first rax - train marine, start comsat upgrade (mules and free supply depts are a great resource) Queue up 2nd marine Preorder 2nd rax building scv to build supply depot Set command ctr waypoint to building refinery Upon completion of comsat queue up scv and land a mule on minerals( for noobs who don't know, you can target the minerals with the mule and he will autoharvest, I remember it was a couple of games before I realized this) And that gives a great starting force and economy start, when I usually use this for a rush and have twice the marines as my teammates, though 1st building scv goes to minerals when rushing ans not a refinery. I use this to rush usually, but it is also a great anti rush start, as walling holds off zerg and protoss rush and if u know ur against terrans then 5 or so marines should be placed on your back cliff to counter reapers, wellplaced marines will kill all of your opponrnts reapers before he even has a chance to click retreaT.
