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Shinji_Rarenai

The pandemic has gotten me to look through my backlog and revisit old favorites.

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Shinji_Rarenai

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I saw that this is available for the Switch. Portable sounds great, but only if it's a good port. Anyone try it out?

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Shinji_Rarenai

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I uploaded images from my iPhone. They showed up right-side up when I viewed them on my computer and on my phone, but they're upside down. I can't figure out how to delete them from the Images link on my profile.

Here are the links:

http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/3/35043/2457906-img_0988.jpg

http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/3/35043/2457905-img_0986.jpg

http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/3/35043/2457904-img_0979.jpg

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Shinji_Rarenai

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#3  Edited By Shinji_Rarenai

@baldgye:In the game I played last night, I realized that I could have used more APM. I was playing Terran against Zerg, and I survived his assault, so I countered with the remainder of his army. I took out his expansion, and I saw that his drones ran to the west. I spent all my time building more units and trying to spread out my army as I pushed up towards his main. If I was able to, I would have sent my two hellions to the west to try and figure out where his other expansion was. I knew I should do that, but I just didn't have the time. I figured it was more important to keep reinforcing my army and making sure it didn't group up and die to banelings. I won the game anyway, but that's where I realized that there was stuff that I could do if I was just a little bit faster.

Maybe I should have gone for it anyway - sacrificed a little control of my army to get more information and to practice multitasking to get better.

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Shinji_Rarenai

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#4  Edited By Shinji_Rarenai

@SexyToad: Cool! Thanks for the tip. I'll try it out the next time I get a chance. I'm in the process of building a tower to use up all the cobblestone I have, but I'd like to get some powered gates (like maybe a drawbridge or something) for my house. I'm sick of zombies banging on the door and scaring me half to death. :)

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Shinji_Rarenai

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#5  Edited By Shinji_Rarenai

Actually, the "no scouting" that filterstarcraft does in the video is a self-imposed handicap. He's just using it as an example to show that you don't NEED to scout and micro to win games at the gold level if you have good macro. He isn't expecting me (the sucky player) to give up scouting and micro, but was using the handicaps to demonstrate how strong good macro play is. I think he mentioned it explicitly in one of the earlier videos in his series.

I made it to the top ten in my gold division. My timings for the gold build are still way off, though, but I think I could do a lot better if I was hitting the 10-minute mark benchmarks more consistently.

I have started scouting to see what my opponent is doing, and noticed that even though I see something interesting (like I know that he's four-gating or he doesn't have gas as a Terran player) I don't know what I should be doing to modify my build. Some of the stuff is obvious (starport with tech lab means I should get turrets up) but sometimes I think I'd be better off just hitting the ten-minute mark and attacking. Scouting and map control are the two subjects for the platinum videos, so I figure I'll start on those once I have the gold build consistent.

Also, my APM is around 50 in the replays, so I'm not particular fast.

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Shinji_Rarenai

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#6  Edited By Shinji_Rarenai

I started hearing about it on the Weekend Confirmed podcast when Jeff Cannata tried it out, and it had me intrigued. I love indie games, and the fact that this one had done so well made me want to check it out. None of my friends actually played it. Some friends' kids have played it, but it was usually in the "creative" mode - where there wasn't really any danger, and I really didn't see the point.

Anyway, since I was about to take a vacation and head to Dallas, I thought it was a good time to try it out and see what I thought. I downloaded it a couple nights before I left. I already knew a little about how to play the game, mostly from watching the YouTube videos on the Minecraft website and hearing the stories from the podcast. I also heard them talking about playing the beta of the Xbox 360 version on the Major Nelson Radio podcast. I decided that I wanted to play the PC version, partially because it was further along in development, and partially because I knew I'd have a computer with me (and not have an Xbox with me) on the trip.

I managed to chop down a tree and make a small shelter relatively quickly. I was able to survive my first night right off the bat, but I think it's more because I knew what to expect from the videos and from the podcasts I listened to. Soon, I carved away more an more of the side of the mountain, until I actually had something that looked like a house. I was being really cautious - I didn't know what to expect and I was deathly afraid of all of the monsters that were in the world.

After a couple of nights, I had a stone house, carved into the side of a mountain, and a nice patio out in front. I had dirt "stairs" that you had to jump up to get to the front of the house. I had torches that lit the area so no monsters would show up. I thought it was rather neat. I didn't look at the wiki to figure anything out. I sort of enjoyed figuring out how to do stuff on my own.

I actually posted in the Minecraft forums here: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1260896-what-hints-should-you-give-beginners/page__p__15391866#entry15391866The people on the forums were really nice, and I got lots of good advice. Some of the other players also made a few jokes, and I started to understand the Minecraft jokes, too.

The jist of the post is that I wanted to figure out the game on my own. I thought I was doing pretty good. I figured out a lot of the stuff on my own:

  • How to make a hoe - while crafting a pick, I saw the picture change.
  • How to make a furnace - by looking at the achievements
  • How to make glass - I knew glass existed in the game by listening to the Major Nelson Radio podcast, but I figured out how to make it on my own.
  • How to make a door and a fence. I was really excited when I figured out how to make a gate for my fence, too.

My house started shaping up. I had a fence around the patio so I wouldn't fall off the ledge, and the fence plus the stone wall around the patio kept most monsters out.Some things were spoiled, and some things I had to look up. I didn't know how to heal - I was waiting around forever thinking that I'd just regenerate health eventually.

Around this time, I showed the game to my girlfriend's daughter. We took turns playing, and were having a lot of fun. She didn't have a good handle on the WASD keys, since we didn't really play any other PC games (other than StarCraft II vs. the computer). She also would get too excited when she saw a new mineral or stone and recklessly run towards the resources and jump off cliffs.Regardless, we were still having a blast. It was another game we could do together, even though we weren't really playing at the same time. We spent our vacation taking turns on the computer, and just having fun seeing what the other was doing.

After I got back from my trip, I went out to eat lunch with a coworker. I told him about the fun that A. and I had playing Minecraft, and he said that it sounded interesting. He was intrigued that there was a Unix client. He tried it out after work, and he said that he didn't really get it. Oh well.

Around this time, I started getting more feedback from my forum post. Besides some hints about the game, (and besides everyone saying that everyone uses the wiki) I heard a lot of people saying that I should create my own server. I started figuring out how to do this, but we were also starting to be invested in our own worlds. We did get to start a multiplayer game while my girlfriend was working on a weekend, so we did get to play (for about an hour) on the same world. It was a lot of fun, even though we didn't get a lot done. We make a shelter in the side of a cliff, found some coal, and made stairs down the river. We had some fun stories, like how A. made a dirt house (but didn't leave any room for me) and how she killed me while trying to fend off a skeleton.

When we got back from vacation, A. went to science camp with her school. When she got back, she said that there were a lot of classmates that actually played Minecraft, too. Some of the girls in her class played, but gave up when a creeper came and blew up her house. Some of the boys actually had their own server and invited her to play. I thought it was great.

In the meantime, I was playing Minecraft on my own, late at night. I realized that I needed to play with sound (and not while I was on the phone) because I needed to hear when the creepers snuck up on me and tried to blow me up. I also started trying to dig deeper, and figure out what I could do besides build my house.

I really didn't like nighttime. I heard the monsters in and around my house, but I really didn't like the fact that I couldn't see them. It was especially freaky when they'd show up and bang on the door to my house. I think I jumped out of my chair the first time I heard that.

Since I figured out how to make glass, I started putting in windows so I could see out at night time. When I saw that the monsters were just outside my house, I started digging around the house so they they wouldn't be right on the other side of the wall. The windows got bigger, until my house was made entirely of glass. (I guess it's a good thing that zombies don't know how to break glass. Or maybe they just don't want to throw the first stone.) I started finding more rare materials, and didn't really have a good idea want to do with them.

I also started to make my own skin for my guy. I gave him a white patch of hair, so it looks like me. I also changed him so he's wearing a pair of shorts. It's still a work in progress.

One of the funniest moments I had was after I started to get the hang of the game. I could hear the different sounds in my headphones, and I could tell what type of monster it was, and about where it was located. Anyway, I was playing late at night, and I could hear that there was a spider somewhere above me in the trees. I had adequate armor and weaponry, so that I wasn't too worry if it were to suddenly attack me. As I was meandering around my house, a spider dropped from the ceiling and landed on my hand and ran across the keyboard. I freaked out. I think I might have actually screamed out loud. As soon as the shock passed, though, I realized how funny it was.

Now that I've figured out more of the game, I switched my world over so that it's actually playing in a Minecraft server on my laptop. A. can join my world if she's around, or we can go back to the world that we were working on together. My latest project is to use up all the materials I collected. I started making a tower, and building it to see how high it can go. I thought it was rather neat - it encloses a small area with a workbench, a bed, and a chest, and it has a spiraling staircase to the top of the tower. Basically, I was looking for something to do with the cobblestone after I dug up all that rock.

I also started listening to The Shaft - a Minecraft podcast. I started at episode 1, at the end of 2010, when the game was still in alpha. So far, it's been good, since they haven't spoiled anything I hadn't already known. I also heard them talk about Minecraftchick, a girl who started playing and knew nothing about video games when she started. It's actually really entertaining to watch. I heard that she works for Mojang (the creators of Minecraft) now.

Another thing I heard on the podcast, after several episodes, is that they have their own public server. I sort of want to check it out, but at the same time, I'm not sure that I want to actually build anything there. They started griping about some of the building that people made, and one of their grips was about how everyone seems to want to build a super-high tower made out of cobblestone, and how they are such an eyesore. Oops. I guess I won't be visiting, other than as a tourist.

Finally, I ended up talking to my coworker yesterday. Even though he said that he really didn't get the game, he ended up buying it and going home and playing it. He actually figured out things like obsidian and how to use a hoe. He also told me how to make a ladder, before I got a chance to tell him that I didn't want any spoilers. Regardless, I think it's great that there's someone else at work that I can talk to about Minecraft.

I hope that A. and I have more free time together in the future. I'm looking forward to building more stuff with her.

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Shinji_Rarenai

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#7  Edited By Shinji_Rarenai

I really wanted to like this game. I downloaded the demo for my Vita, but after I finished it, I just didn't get it. It wasn't hard, but nothing really struck me as "fun." I like the art style, and I was interested to see what the raven girl actually had to do with the plot, but there just didn't seem to be a lot of game here.

I know that other people on the forum like this game. I'm okay with spending extra money to support Vita games, but I don't want the game to just sit there if I get bored after a few levels. Is there more to the game than what's shown in the demo? What am I missing? I'm hoping one of you can convince me.

Thanks.

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#8  Edited By Shinji_Rarenai

Because I've been playing Minecraft, I sort of took a break from trying to be so serious in StarCraft II.I have still been practicing the Silver build from filterstarcraft, but I stopped worrying about the timings and whether or not I hit the benchmarks or not. I don't think hit the benchmarks, but soon after Season 8 started, I made Gold division.

I lost my placement match, but then won my next four games after that. It was really weird, because I jumped from 7th place in Silver to 4th place in Gold. I'm 6-5 in Gold division, so I think it's about right. I haven't studied the Gold division build that filterstarcraft wrote, so I probably need to do that at some point. I'm still doing well, regardless, in Gold division. I cobbled together a build by adding an engineering bay and just adding barracks when I have money, but I'm sure that with a tighter build, I probably could do even better.

Here's his Gold division build: http://youtu.be/y3YQGubGR_4

I'm happy for now, though.

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Shinji_Rarenai

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#9  Edited By Shinji_Rarenai

I agree that Day[9] is a great resource.

However, I don't know that you need to concentrate on the counters too much in the beginning. I think the most important thing to be able to do is to be able to fight while still managing the base at home and making more units and buildings. If you have enough of an army, it doesn't matter if your opponent has the counter units - you will still win. Often, it's better to build anything instead of pausing to think of what unit you should make to counter the other player's units. Making the wrong unit is better than not making anything while you're still trying to decide.

Of course, there are a few exceptions - Some units cannot attack air units. Some air units cannot attack ground units. Some units cannot be seen unless you have a "detector." If you manage to remember those, I think you'll be fine for a start.

Good luck!

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#10  Edited By Shinji_Rarenai

@Slag said:

Apparently, I'm forgetting to keep building SCVs.

You want to advance, you need to fix that pronto. As a terran you should always be building SCVS and pumping MULEs. I think this is what is the core of your problem right now.

You cannot win consistently without a lot of SCVs constantly mining

I totally agree. I was just surprised how much of a difference it could make. I thought I was making SCVs constantly, but you don't really know until you look at a replay, stare at your command center/nexus/larvae, and then count the workers at the 10-minute mark.

@Slag said:

He was actually attack-moving directly into his opponents base without micromanaging his units, and managing to win against most Bronze and Silver opponents

I would not recommend doing this.Switch primary mental focus to micro mid combat, but use your hotkeys to keep pumping units during fights. You always be making something.

You should never completely neglect either aspect of the game.

btw personally I'm not into Thorzain's style. I think Bomber, MVP and MarineKingPrime have much more interesting, versatile and easier to replicate play styles. You might wish to check them out.

best of luck duder!

I agree. The guy who made the video was just doing it to show that micro isn't as important. It manages to get him through Bronze and Silver games. I think that (at least for me) I naturally look at the battles anyway, so if I try to remember to macro, at least I'll have my emphasis in the right place. I have been hotkeying the buildings, but for some reason, when the game gets further along, I stop making workers. It's more "retraining" me to remember the macro side, and the rest will be by instinct.

I'm really just using his build as a template, so that I can compare it against how many SCVs, units, and buildings that I "should have" at the 10-minute mark. Between that and the "attack with what you got at 10 minutes" it's making the games a lot quicker, and a lot more fun.

The downside is that I can't have as many beers when I sit down to play now. :)