Is seems this is my downfall right now and I always end up dying because they are working on some strategy I'm not ready for. I've been rushed 4 out of the last six games and could not hold them off..If I saw them pumping guys I could have done the same. So, my question is so you guys burn a probe every time to scout? Do you leave one near him to check in?
Normally, (what the pros do) is that you send the probe who build your first pylon out to scout. It can ofcourse vary, depending on the fear for proxies and rushes. If you often lose to rushes, it will be smart to place the pylon so it can block most of your ramp off together with the gateway. (i place it a little away from the ramp, so i can build 2 gateways for an almost seal off) If it is zerg rushes, then you only need to build a single zealot to hold off your now small choke. If it is zealot rushes, you should be able to get the upper hand if you do not tech to much.
Yes but this leaves your pylon vulnerable and if your pylon is destroyed, it will deal a blow to your economy because you have to sped 100 minerals to make a new one and you have to wait for it to finish in order to continue unit production.
The pro's do NOT scout after they built their food-building/unit. They only do that vs random, or in some cases when they need to scout for a proxy on a map like SoWar. The biggest issue is that the timings are off for newer players and when a rush comes, you totaly don't have the stuff there when you should have had. If I send my probe to build a pylon when I have a 100 minerals, the time it takes for it to travel to the ramp to block it off (if I sent it at around 80 minerals) I'll have 15 minerals when I put it down. The same goes for things like rally to minerals, often newer players rally to the same patch, and lose mining time in the early game. Things like this add up, and you'll get delayed every time in your cybercore (to stop a reaper) , your gateways, and everything else. Do not delay! If you practice on a stable build you won't lose too much against a rush. Also, scout, but only scout if there's something you need to know. Don't scout just to scout and feel good about it. If you're getting rushed, normally, you'll have time with your scout after your gateway is made to spot a rush and prepare, because his units still have to travel across the map. If you're dealing with cheese, send a probe in your base to scout around and check for any cheese after you've built your pylon... Just some tips. Then agian, you do the basic wall with a choke (read the post above) to stop early zergling aggression. If you don't have a wall, block the ramp with 2 zealots with hold position (if it's a normal size ramp).
You're a better player than me but this comment surprises me. I thought scouting is done almost always - even if your opponent isn't random, and you know exactly where their base is, presumably you wanna see how they're teching up (early gas, early expansion, production buildings, rush build, whatever). The only case where I can see not scouting making sense is if the players start so far apart that they'll have a front door before the scout arrives (or if they start on an island).
I always scout at 5ish. I normally check what they are building, are they getting gas, stuff like that. I feel five is early, but it catches a 6 pool if against Zerg, or other stuff like that. Maybe you wanna scout at 7 or 8 if they aren't Zerg.
I tend to scout after i drop down my Gate in PvP and PvT in a small 1v1 map. Against zerg and in large maps i scout after i drop down my pylon. Scouting is crucial in determining whether the person is gonna early expo or rush or just tech
Against Terran you want to send a probe very early, I would say as soon as you place your first pylon, because you want to be able to get inside the Terran base before the wall is completely blocking the ramp. Against Zerg you may also want to scout early just to see if you are going to be ling rushed. If you are planning on getting a few cannons, then you won't need to scout nearly as quickly. In P v P since ramps arent usually blocked that fast, you have more time and I would suggest sending it after you build your first gateway.
Ok, first of all, scouting is a must. After you build a production building in your case a pylon, go ahead and send a probe, but make sure you know what you are looking for, it's useless to scout a base and not know whats up, so here are some keys. A Terran with really early gas is probably going to go early factory and pump out tanks, that or some other heavy gas build. Just take not that the game will not be a really fast rush but in a sense its still a rush. Also like i've been reading in this thread a little is blocking your choke. This is def. the case when you are fighting Zerg anyways, make sure you block off your choke with a gateway and a pylon with cannons behind them, and zealots in the middle. Best recommendation is watching videos on youtube of plat/diamond level players.
