Software Issues (cont) and Rolling Random (rage)

::EDIT:: Everybody should watch for me on Facebook and Twitter (links at the end) and tune in for the NeSPA SC2 tournament that Sleepercells and myself will be casting live! April 18 and 19 will be the online seeding rounds, and April 21 we will be at the venue in Lincoln to cast the event!
http://nebraskaesports.org/archives/1875

The Software Woes Continue
So as many of you may know, I had to take an extended leave from Starcraft 2 casting (and subsequently Starcraft 2 itself) due to a nasty issue with my broadcasting software, Xsplit. Xsplit, until very recently, has been in a Public Beta for quite some time now, and the last version of Xsplit before the official release severely jacked things up. There was a major bug in Public Beta 7.0 that cause massive and frequent CPU (aka processing) spikes up to 100%, which cause nasty lag spikes in-game. Because this affected my CPU, this also hampered my ability to cast pro games offline, as the lag spikes were still present. Public Beta 7.0 was pulled, and days later, Beta 7.1 was released. Public Beta 7.1 was the fix to 7.0 that worked for about 75% of Xsplit users.
I was part of the 25%.
And for some completely unknown and baffling reason, even when rolling back to the previously effective Beta 6, the lag spikes persisted. This is the problem that forced me to play other games, for a time, including Riven, Myst: Exile, and Alien Swarm, among a few others. I greatly enjoyed my time playing these games with you guys, and will likely continue to do so on the side. Thanks for sticking it out with me, and I am excited to move forward with the C0ffeecast and the growing community that you are all contributing to : ).

Random Rage
I am sitting at my computer desk in my dorm, relaxing and sipping my coffee. I can't help but reflect on the interesting set of events that occurred last night while I played random on my alternate account (technically my father's, who does not currently play SC2, but may someday!) First and foremost, I want to thank those of you who joined me last night, played your own off races or main races, and helped me begin picking up the mechanics of both Zerg and Terran. There are no doubts in my mind that, between my two off races, Terran is by far the better one. I feel like I understand the underlying concepts of both, but, just as my Protoss play, I am working with my execution, which will come with practice!
Through last night I played 10 games as Random: 6 Terran, 3 Zerg, 1 Protoss.
I had some great practice games with my friends from the chat, and learned quite a bit! As Terran, I confirmed that you really can win most games by just making marines and tanks (LOL!), as that is all I ever did (never having to face a Protoss opponent). I knew that, while playing races I was less experienced with, I would have to confine my goals a bit, and remove the "let's just win" goal. So to start, here are my goals I set throughout the night, my starting goals in normal text, revisions / additions to existing goals are italicized, and new goals at the end are bold:

• Terran
• Macro hard: I want a quick 2nd base, and a decent 3rd (~10 - 11:00)
• Watch the minerals! The Protoss rule of 4 production facilities / base does not apply to the other races. Drop extra Barracks, get another factory or Starport.
• Mirror the old Thorzain style: quick 2-2 bio, supported by +1 mech.
• Don't forget infantry upgrades (aka Stim), and don't overstim / stim too early
• Watch the CC energy. Mostly Mules, and a scan doesn't hurt anyone if you have plenty of SCV's
• Zerg
• Larva injects are the most important of the 3 macro mechanics of Starcraft.
• Larva injects during combat are even more important to help resupply your army in a lengthy fight
• Creep spread in a non-ZvZ game is ultra important for defense and vision
• Map awareness: scout the 3rd, hold the towers, Overlords in place to scout for drops
• Macro mode: drone harder that Nestea himself. Take that macro risk
• Macro mode: take a quick third (4 - 6:00), saturate, then worry about teching
• Macro Hatch once on 3-base. So many resources!

A quick conclusion to this entry. I have played ~150 ladder games and Protoss, my main race, on my main account, Coffeebreak. It took me 150 games ladder, and probably about another 250 custom and 2's (I have ladder anxiety, shutup!) to finally reach Diamond league. 2.5 years of (totally worth it!) work. In my 5 placement matches as Random... I placed diamond, beating players with well over 1000 ladder wins (I think my main account in somewhere around 450...) as my off races. 2 things for that:

1. They should be freaking ashamed of themselves!
2. I can't believe that in 5 games as Random, I achieved what took me ~400 games as Protoss...

This entry has already been longer than I thought it would be, and I have more thoughts, so perhaps I will continue writing about my Random exploits in future blogs!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coffeebreak/200306970053172
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Ben_C0ffeebreak
Email: Coffeebreak1337@gmail.com

Tournaments and Mass Gates

Keeping Up with the Scene
I am sitting here with my morning coffee (yes, there is a reason I am named "Coffeebreak") and I start to worry about keeping up with the scene. I'll be honest, as much as I revere people like Tastosis, Husky, and especially Day[9], I am intimidated by them. This especially is true in the area of tournaments. I am an extremely avid MLG watcher, but for some reason, when it comes to the NASL, IPL, GSL... I may have watched two hours of it in the past year. I know that I am not the most up-to-date on the scene, and it shows when I try to cast an IPL bo3 series that turns out to not only be a bo5, but the Grand Finals. I suppose I am a little unsure of how to keep up with the scene, and it really freaks me out as someone who is trying to claw my way up the ladder...

Protoss vs Terran: The Midgame
I was watching a Day[9] Daily yesterday about the PvT midgame, and how it is so difficult for Protoss to survive Terran's multi-pronged attacks and massive stim bio-ball up the middle. Since I know you all don't watch the Daily (and even I don't as rigorously as I used / want to), I wanted to discuss a little bit Day[9]'s concept of limiting the attacks of your opponent. We say this a lot in SKMC vs EGPuma (a series that I actually casted). MC opened up the games many times with this 3-Gate timing attack off of 2-base that featured a lot of Sentries. For brevity's sake, I will cut to the point and say that the point of this attack was not necessarily to win, but to do some damage and weaken the opponents army.
In the mid-game, Terrans have a tendency to drop the main and the third at the same time, or drop the third, force the army to be pulled, then push their main bio-ball down the throat of the 'Toss. Even with Blink (an essential upgrade for holding against drops) it can be difficult to be in 2-3 places at once. So good Protoss players started to look not only at holding against those drops, but what they could do before that to prevent it.
First of all, the 3-Gate timing is pure brilliance. In the early game, Terran players like to build up a nice little bio-ball to defend against Protoss aggression, which they later use to pummel the Protoss with aggression of their own. With this timing attack by the Protoss, the Terran is forced to trade armies or lose extra buildings / SCV's. Without this army in the mid-game, they can not afford to do 3-pronged aggression, because they simply do not have the numbers. They can drop or they can push the front. Doing both would result in no damage as their army would just be too small.
The second piece of importance is Warp Gate count / use. We see MC and Naniwa with many Warp Gates, 8+, and then not do anything with them. This, of course, is on purpose, as these high level players aren't just "forgetting" Warp Gate cycles. 1) By not using these Warp Gates, they can tech and upgrade like mad because they have a lot of extra resources. 2) By not using these Warp Gates constantly, when a drop occurs, they suddenly have 4 - 8 units instantly to defend while they can get a portion of their army in position to defend against the drop.
And with that, welcome to and abrupt ending.

References
Day[9] Daily #432: http://blip.tv/day9tv/day-9-daily-432-p1-skmc-s-pvt-living-through-the-midgame-6039893#disqus_thread
C0ffeeCast: SKMC vs EGPuma: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk1ksuoAVo4&feature=plcp&context=C40bdf8dVDvjVQa1PpcFPLtvnI2Y1SxFz-bnvEDqB-JP-mlYPh7E0%3D

Scheduling Timings

Schedules (The "I'm venting" section)
Probably the biggest problem I have been having in my attempts to climb in views is having a set schedule. I am an out-of-state college student studying Information Technology (using computer systems to improve business, mainly), and well as a vocal performer, exercise enthusiast, and would-be outdoorsman. My schedule is constantly changing based on deadlines for classes, weekends spent at home, and things as simple as a nice day to go rock climbing. For those of you who have stuck around since the beginning in November of 2011, you know my schedule has changed a lot. There was even a couple weeks where I was streaming 6 days straight! Unfortunately, time just does not permit such anymore, and even with cutting back to two, my days are always on the verge of chaos. Without a set schedule, it is difficult to pull consistent viewers, aka ones who keep coming back. Just a thought to keep in mind.

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The following concept of Dynamic Timings, rather than Static (based on supply) is mainly based for the younger players out there. You more experienced players, prepare to bring on the "duh" factor, but calm your jets, I'm trying to look out for everyone!


What are Dynamic Timings?

When going through build orders, you will normally find your timings based on supply. At 9/10 supply build your Pylon. 13/18, your Gateway, etc... But what do you do when that build is thrown off. Let's say you're a Terran player do a 1 Rax Factory expansion and when you lift your Barracks and Factory off to get the Reactor for the Hellions, 8 Zerglings stream into your base. Not the biggest deal in the world, but you had to make a couple extra Marines and Hellions to clean up the mess. Look up at your supply and you are 10 supply ahead of where you are supposed to be. You're probably thinking, crap! I am so far behind right now! I can't imagine where my opponent must be!

Well quit your worrying! Your supply is thrown off, but it doesn't mean your timings have to be. Day[9] has been moving away from expressing timings solely in supply (which I consider a "static" timing), and alternatively has been looking at comparisons ("dynamic" timings). Let's take another example, this time from WhiteRa's Carrier rush I analyzed a few weeks ago (1).

Extended Example of Dynamic Timings

This build is anything but standard and safe. It requires a minimalistic ground army and virtually no defense until 11:00 when your Carriers are finished. If we look at the static timing for the opening, the Gateway should come around 17/18, and your first two Assimilaters around 22. Let's say you are Forge Fast Expanding and your Zerg opponent 10 Pool's you. In response, you throw down a couple of extra Cannons and keep pumping out Probes. Pretty quickly that 10 Pool is defeated and you get ready to go back to your strategy when you notice, crap! I'm already at 20 supply and everything is shot to hell! Time to go Dark Tem- STOP! Seriously, f*** Dark Templar... just no. No. Go back and look at the way I summarized the build order;

- 2 gas after Gateway
- 3rd gas @ ~50% Cybernetics Core completion.

These are based on Dynamic Timings. Those Zerglings got into your base? No problem! Just build the 2 gases after the Gateway. They hit with a second attack and delay your Cybernetics Core? Don't worry! When the Cyber Core is halfway finished, lay your next gas.

Alternate Examples
Other examples of Dynamic Timings could be, When I have 2 Siege Tanks, I'm going to push or, Once I have 10 Mutalisks, I'll start harassing. These are better than saying, I will attack at 8 minutes, regardless, because if you only have one Tank and no Siege Mode, you could find yourself in a world of hurt.

As stated above, this may seem obvious to you higher level players. The reason why this is an important point for lower level players is the mental aspect to the game. Lower level players are going to be less refined in their play, and thus be flustered more easily. They are not going to understand as well what to do when their build is thrown off. That is the reason I wanted to write about this- I was there at one point, and I understand.


References

1. WhiteRa's Carrier Rush Analysis     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeEYQYidnzo&feature=plcp&context=C45cf4f0VDvjVQa1PpcFPLtvnI2Y1SxE-MYAxVv06WQSENO7u_LbI= 

Broadcasting and Mutalisk Defense

So it has been a while since I last wrote a blog (and to be specific, my only post thus far). I have been keeping myself extremely busy with the site, new cast times, and casting for alternative functions. I figured that the blog may be a nice way to begin an expansion to a new horizon of the C0ffeeCast, so I hope to continue updating this blog. I want to write about all things Starcraft: an upcoming patch, an issue I have, a player I like. However, I want to have some sort of focus on the techniques and complications of casting, and as an amateur caster, there are a lot of complications!

Woes of Broadcasting
So I want this post to be a bit about the quality of the video, not the caster. I have had many a'problems with my broadcasting software, XSplit Broadcaster, ranging from misconfiguration, confusion of controls, and software bugs. There have been times that I have hit the broadcast button, XSplit will give me the go ahead, and 10 minutes into the cast the chat is asking why I haven't gone live yet. This is by infuriating, by all means, but I have to give the most frustrating award to the configuration and properties of channels. I don't know how many times I have looked up VBV Max Bitrate and VBV Buffer- I just do not understand them. Once when I was streaming for a tournament not of my own, the audience was discussing how I needed to change some settings a certain way, so I did.
I have no idea how it affected anything.
And the audio encoding likely frustrates me even more. I don't know what the hell the problem is, but when I do live recordings at 44.100 KHz 16-bit Stereo with a bitrate of 128000, my voice is fairly much clear. When I do a local recording at a bitrate of 320000 I get the mushiest, crappiest sound to come out of a mic, and it just sounds plain flat out unprofessional, and that is something I will not tolerate. It's something I am working on, but I am fairly much just blindly changing settings.

An Annoying State of PvZ
So I don't know how far down the leagues this strategy has descended. Personally, I haven't felt the effects yet (thatnkfully : p), and I am around the low Diamond level right now. However, in the upper Diamonds and professionals, a base race trend is starting to occur in PvZ, but it tends to be a little one-sided. Zergs are doing a mass Muta style- we're talking 40+ Mutalisks- and making 60 or so Spine Crawlers back home to defend. The Protoss player is slowly whittled away while the Zerg sits back and picks a little here, and a little there. Eventually, unable to establish a fourth base, due to the Mutalisks, the Protoss is forced into a base race situation. Unfortunately for the 'Toss'es out there, Spine Crawlers count as structures. The Mutalisks are able to roll around the Protoss base taking out tech and production alike, and the Protoss player loses the majority of his army to the Spine Crawlers. I have heard many complaints (and not just from Sleepercells) about this strategy, so I wanted to break it down a little bit to help counter it. These are going to be basic concepts, and may make it sound like I am being condescending, but so many Protoss players don't play a modern PvZ style or simply do not have the concept of anti-Mutalisk down. Just review your last PvZ and tell me if you did all of these things.
Scout Constantly
And I don't just mean that Probe at the beginning of the game. Scout the 3rd around the 4 minute mark. Not there? Check again at 6:00, 8:00, until you find it. Then deny it. If you can't deny it, harass it- force Zerglings / Roaches. Have that Observer scouting around the main and natural looking for tech. Get destroyed by a Spore Crawler? Make another. Be vigilant. With a Chronoboost, it's only ~22 seconds of lost Robotics time.
::EDIT:: It has been brought to my attention this nasty Mutalisk starts out as a 2-base Mutalisk harass build, where the Muta's should come around the 10:00 mark. If you aren't seeing a third by 7:00 or so, start thinking about cannoning up and getting blink, keeping in mind you have ~2 minutes until you need to start doing those things. An extra cannon at the front may not hurt, in-case of a roach all-in, too. Zerglings at the front of their base indicates Mutalisks or Infesters. Thanks Sleepercells : )
Deny Bases
This is one of those "duh" factors, but you would be surprised how many Protoss's let their Zerg opponents hit 4 or even 5 bases unopposed. Mutalisks are not cheap. Stop the opponent from getting gas, and you stop the opponent from getting a flock of deadly malformed geese. And again, at the very least, harass the bases. Have a forward Pylon somewhere and warp in 4 Zealots and set them to attack the Hatchery or Drones. Bring Blink Stalkers up, kill an expo, and run like hell. Even if you can only do a bit of damage to it, do that damage and come back later to finish the job! You're throwing your opponent off their game.
Split Your Army
Once you see a Spire (which is probably the most popular tech for Zerg at this stage of ZvP, beginning to overtake the Infester route), get a few Stalkers and a couple Cannons at each mineral line, and seriously, get Blink as fast as humanely possible. Blink is one of those great upgrades that is amazing to have at any point in the game. Cut a single Colossus to get this upgrade, or skip one High Templar. That easy. Make sure your Stalkers are on a different hotkey than your normal army- these units can not afford to be clogged up by Zealots when trying to get up a ramp to defend.
Phoenix Will Not be Enough
Phoenix are super amazing counters to Mutalisks... in small numbers. Once that Muta count hits 15 or so, you just will not be able to produce enough Phoenix to counter (and the +2 range upgrade is sort of a joke, it seems). If you went a Stargate opening, however, having some Phoenix around will help a ton with your early Muta defense until you can get Blink and Storm up. Whiiiich just so happens to be my next point...
Storm is the Ultimate Defense vs Mutalisks
Storm does 80 damage, or 10 ever half second (http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Psionic_Storm). Without good micro, you are still guaranteed to do at least 10 damage to every Mutalisk. With bad micro, you can reduce every Mutalisk to at least half of their health, be there 15 Mutalisks or 40. It forces the Zerg to turn around for a moment or abandon ship all together. This is time to get the bulk of your forces in position to defend.

::EDIT:: An excellent Day[9] Daily (#415) about stopping Mutalisks.
http://blip.tv/day9tv/day-9-daily-415-p1-stopping-mutalisks-in-pvz-5944748

A Stormy Start

You know what? Casting is harder than I originally thought it would be. I always knew it would be kind of difficult, but now that I have worked out the rough spots (i.e. not saying "uh" after every sentence, filling awkward time gaps... actually calling units by the right name instead of calling immortals roaches and calling roaches those things engaging en masse), it's become much more difficult to refine. I think all my guest casters would agree- it's not just as simple as sitting down and spewing out some words.

That is one thing I will be focusing on in the future of this blog- overcoming the setbacks of becoming a caster, some of the difficulties surrounding it, and probably some tips and tricks you pick up just over time.

Another thing I want to be talking about is the game itself, especially in regards to the metagame (and maybe an occasional statement on balance). For those of you who do not know, the metagame can be best described as the current state of the game. What do Terrans usually do against a Protoss opponent? Why do Zergs find mass roach so appealing? Whatever happened to super drop aggressive Terran play (and why was it put to the back-burner?). These are all examples of the metagame.

To add some actual meat to this post (mmm... steak.), I wanted to speak briefly of the usage of psi storm in PvT. I know that a lot of lower level Terran players complain of the difficulty of dealing with psi storm. It does a massive amount of damage in an area of effect (80 dmg, 1.5 radius... think the new radius of EMP), and fairly much neutralizes improperly controlled bio armies. However, Terran bio-balls are very quick and can decrease the effectiveness of storms by simply storm-dodging- running outside the radius of the storm. Now High Templars can obviously cast more storms, and yes, it will force the Terran player to retreat. But if they fall back, recoup their losses and attack again quickly, the Templar simply will not have enough energy to storm.
Okay, so storm-dodging isn't as simple as moving backwards. You have to anticipate where the storms will be dropped next and not move there, as well as not being where you are now, or where the Protoss army is. So I always recommend EMP. A couple of ghosts in your army (which, with the current metagame, should be in your army anyways vs a Protoss opponent) with Mobius Reactor will do the trick rather quickly. Drain the energy of the High Templar with the added bonus of removing 1/3 of the HP of the surrounding units and your army will quickly roll over the Protoss army, or at least force him to retreat.
Still think that's too hard? Bitch, please! Quit your whining and play a real race.