Terran - Orbital CC first 50 energy

When you upgrade the command center to an orbital CC, it gives you the initial 50 energy.

Are people finding better results using the initial 50 to drop a MULE, upgrade supply depot, scan the map, or just save it?

I'm always torn between dropping a MULE and saving it in case of a cloaked rush (it seems like there is a brief window of time where I am vulnerable before I'm able to get engineering bay and a few turrets for detection--or Ravens..)

Not dropping the MULE right away puts me at a mineral disadvantage, but dropping it early leaves me open for cloaked units...

Any thoughts?

 

I don't normaly play terran but when i do i like to use it to see if anyone can be rushed early especially if I have a team mate who is playing zerg. If there is no wall at the choke point then the zerg dude is free to harass early with lings on their economy. So that early scan can come in handy.

 

I don't normally play terran, but when I do, I drink Dos equis...

...

I mean I'd almost 100% of the time use the first 50 energy on a MULE. You should be scouting with an SCV anyways and you should have a general idea about what's going on without having to scan.

 

It's usually tempting to use it for a scan to see what's up, but man. I notice the lack of minerals if I'm not dropping MULEs.

 

I always MULE first, look at it this way-- it costs about 325 (maybe 425 top) minerals to completely secure yourself from any sort of invisible attack or air harass at your main.

Each mule gathers 300 minerals over its relatively short life. So basically, if you go mule and invest a further 25 minerals you are protected from invisible for the whole game. A single scanner sweep essentially costs 300 minerals and is a temporary solution at best and often actually fails due to the mobile nature of some invisible units or having two of them take two different directions.

A scanner sweep shouldn't be used as a scouting tool that early considering the fact that you can make a helion to poke in. Later on in the game, of course, you aught to use the occasional scan to see what is ahead of you but that is when your economy in much stronger.

And as far as a supply add-on, that is late game emergency only in my opinion. A supply depot is 100 minerals, why sacrifice 300 minerals for something that aught to not be a problem

So there's my opinion, go mule and arm yourself against invisible and air harass if you feel it coming.

 

definitely a mule. By the time your get your Orbital Command you would have already scouted so there would be no point on a scanner sweep, and you don't need the extra supplies when you can just build more supply depots. Although the second 50 energy I get, I go scanner sweep unless I have scouted him again successfully.

 

Wow, you must have written that yourself, it was funny.

This is a matter of style as if scanning wasn't needed it probably wouldn't be there. The point of the matter is that you get the information needed and act accordingly, people can decide how best to go about it.

 

I disagree.

The mule adds to your power as far as minerals go, but what point is there in massing marines if your opponent is building banshees or collosi?

I say it depends on the situation.

If you are about to attack, scan first.

If you just ran out of supplies, drop them.

If you are massing forces and need more mules or just need to replenish your mineral flow from a recent attack, build mules.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Yikes, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed :S

I never said that scans were not needed, when I occasionally play terran I'll usually use the second set of 50 energy on a scan of some-sort, and after I expand and get my second Orbital Command up my scans become more frequent.

 

Amberlambs every I said was meant early game wise. I use all 3 in moderation when I need them.
Besides by scouting early you would already have an idea of what they're going to do.

 

i have been pondering this problem myself for awhile, although it has been between supply and mule, and that although a supply is worth 100 and a mule 300 the time lost with a worker is not factored into that, also instant supply can be more useful for getting out units rather than getting more mineralls, and still not being able to make units. i ussually Mule first just cause monies! nd for no other reason (though i dont play terran well or much)

 

In theory, but I have seen people scout me wrong before, and vice versa.

Especially if you do it early, often times all you can do with an initial scouting is determine what race your opponent(s) is.

I'm just saying, even early game the challenges are very different depending on what situation arises. I'd prefer to keep the energy stored up until one of those becomes apparent, such as the need to mass an army once determining the strength and size of the enemy and what strategy they are using, rather than simply offering up a cookie cutter "I always use a mule in the game beginning" strategy.

 

I use a cookie cutter, "I always use a mule in the game beginning" strategy.

 

That "cookie cutter" strategy is what gives you the huge advantage in the beginning. I have yet been in a game where I had to use scanner sweep as my first 50 energy. I mean really? scanner sweep after you just scouted?

Also with scouting you can find out a lot more then just race. If you see a already built spawning pool(zergling rush), early cyber(stalks) or voids), or early refine with tech lab(reapers).

 

I get my orbital command very early and by that time people won't even have factories so scanning at this point won't reveal a banshee strategy. As many have mentioned at this time you have just scouted so it's kind of a waste in my opinion. Against a terran I save my scan until I am at the point where I have to make a decision to go for tanks or for air units. At this time you can probably find out a terran player's strategy with a scan. The other races are normally a little bit easier to scout with scv's and sometimes you can get the info you need from that and can save your scan...if not, well then go for a scan but that first one seems a bit silly to me.
Scanning doesn't substitute other scouting though, especially against zerg and protoss. A good zerg and protoss player will often hide key buildings at the edges of their bases as to not reveal it to a scan. So don't trust your scans too much, a hidden spire for example can be devestating.
A walled in terran can sometimes be scouted with a reaper too.

 

Given the conditions you stated

I will go with the MULE. Simply, with that extra resources, you can quickly build up units, advance buildings, supplies, etc

I use that to build Thors, works quite well annoying my opponents

 

I send in mule to enemy bases to kill off their scv, drones...

 

Uhhhh if you scout bad, then yes - that's all you get. Good scouting means you multi task. Shift queue micro your SCV in their base maybe even harass, while continuing your early game build. You should stay in their base as long as possible - you can even hide your scout and move it in later.