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Forums \ Strategic forum \ The Way of the Newbie - Improve
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1 year ago

Lord_of_Chaos
The Way of the Newbie - Improve (32767 reads, 143 replies)
There has been a lot of these threads lately "I suck, I need to improve, what should I do" etc. Well, the quick answer is: Be patient and don't give up and it'll come to you. I'll try to give a longer answer here.

Edit: For all beginners! Continue reading this thread even if it's long. There is a lot of other advice hidden in it here and there that you will find useful. Read it to the very last page.

Starting out
So, you're a complete beginner and basicly just beat the computer. You felt confident and took your game online and now you've lost horribly the latest month(s). What are you going to do?

First of all, don't panic. This is what happens to everyone and it's just a phase you have to get through. The fact is, the skill level on battle.net is extremely high compared to the public games for other games, and it takes a lot longer time to raech the level where you can play even vs the average online players in BW than in other games, for example CS.

Now, first of all, you're homemade anti-computer strategies won't do it. Discard them, at least realise that they are not enough. Make sure you learn the basic standard play, the basic opening build orders. To do this, watch replays from players of the specific race you play with (I recommend using one race ONLY from the beginning to learn the basics. You can choose random later on). Note that style of play and opening build orders will differ depending on what race you are playing against. Keep that in mind when watching replays so you don't start practising with build orders (henceforth called BOs) fit for playing vs a zerg when you are in fact playing vs a terran.

Study and copy this standard play. Try to CONSTANTLY produce workers in the beginning, and honestly you should do so during the entire match. Never let your workers stand idle, and always build what you need EXACTLY when you got enough minerals for it. When you have learned to do this without mistakes copying the BOs of better players will start to make good sense. Now you just have to practise these a lot so you are very familiar with them.

Congrats, you have just cleared level 1! But you are still going to lose. A lot. You can expect loss after loss after loss on b.net. Losing is not really bad, and you actually learn quite a lot from it, but in the end it gets tiresome and boring and will make you lose motivation. Try to join or create games like "1v1 LT big noob" etc. Even then you will most likely lose a lot. But as I said before, this is a phase everyone has to go through and lots of losses are inevitable. Your own motivation is your worst enemy at this stage.


You got the basics, now what?
Now you need to practise. At this stage there are no shortcuts. There are basicly two things you have to do here: Play and watch replays. Replays to see what others do and to still learn more ideas and strategies, and playing is of course for practising. Just play normal games, don't fiddle around with Use Map Setting games or fastest. Some people believe that they will improve some aspect of normal gaming but it's not true. It's just naive belief that there are short cuts, but there aren't. It's about playing. A third thing that can help is reading strategy guides, but it depends a lot on the actual guide and what level of play it focuses on.

Since you are still below the level of an average gamer I recommend that you stick to "1v1 LT noob" games until you actually win like 30% of these. More if you are the type that really hates losing.

Finding a trainer or some form of coach. Perhaps a friend that is better than you is always a good idea. Play with him as often as you can and make sure to pick up the advice he gives. He'll probably beat you over and over again, but thsi is not competition, it's teaching. So don't care about winning.

Next, don't overdo it. Don't force yourself to play a lot more than you feel like it. Once again, you need to keep your motivation up. Forcing yourself to play 20 games a day because you believe it will make you better, not because you actually enjoy it, will actually make it harder to improve. You will end up playing 20 games that doesn't matter at all and where you have no focus what so ever and you won't learn anything. Better to play just a few games where you give it your everything. I had a rule myself, I played until I won at least one game. If I was on a losing streak I would keep playing til I broke it. If it seemed hopeless I would just turn of the computer and not play for a couple of days until I REALLY felt the urge to play, and then I would go on a nice winning streak instead :)


Specific advice
Never play money maps like BGH or Fastest. It is wasted time and you will learn scarecely nothing of games on normal maps.

Try to stick to maps like Lost Temple or Luna, as these are considered the most standard and popular maps. Lost Temple is by far the most common map, and knowing it well is a very good start.

Don't fall in to traps like believing that you can improve faster by playing Use Map Setting games like micro training maps. It won't work. The best way to improve is to have it all at one time in a normal game.

Don't bother about APM (actions per minute, a program called bwchar can calculate this. It's a measure of your speed in the game). As you get better this will increase with your skill. Don't try to foce your APM up. You get high APM when you get high skill, you don't get high skill when you get high APM. Personally I used APM to keep a track of my skill increase. When my APM increased (in normal games) I knew I had become faster and better. That was all.

Don't try ladder. Ladders are for competitive gaming and the level there is even higher than on the usual battle.net games. It's about competition and winning, and you will be way out of your leauge.

AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: HAVE FUN! Without fun you are going to waste it all. It will be tough sometimes, but as long as you have fun playing, even if some games really suck, you are going to improve.
This post was edited by a forum moderator @ 7 months ago
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1 year ago
#1

Storm1ty

   2
good job :)
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1 year ago
#2

Eresea

   11
I gotta say i really think you did a very good job writing this LoC.. and the advices are really good. And just like LoC said, try to find a friend that's better than you...

for the moment LoC is helping me...i havent played SC in 2 years and basically feel like a total noob...but i've played only 3 games with him and i've come to realize that i've become ALOT better in only 3 games! just cuz LoC gave me good advices...

Also LoC, the specific advices you gave...are very very good...and very true :)

Nice job! *hugs*
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1 year ago
#3

Spec(X)

   4
Very good writes :D
a note is that you should try to perfect the BOs, meaning leaving no time in between every step. And remember to watch reps and why pros make those moves :O
It's also very helpful to have a friend who helps u.
btw will somebody watch the rep in my thread and help me T_T
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1 year ago
#4

Lord_of_Chaos

   17
I don't think analysing strategies is the first thing you should do. First out is just copy them and familiarise yourself with teh basics. Once you've done that you can start analysing and coming up with your own ideas
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1 year ago
#5

Eresea

   11
and now loc said im quite lucky cuz the fact that i play violin... it makes my fingers fast and agile (i think it's the word... "Vig" in swedish) lol ^^ so...play the violin xD or piano :D hehe

EDIT: Imagine when someone interviews you later on...

Person 1: How did you become so good?

You: I played the violin xD

rofl..so hilarious ^^
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1 year ago
#6

gaian

   1
Not really. And the word is 'fingerfärdig'
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1 year ago
#7

iloseonpurpose

   3
LT is actually imba, t v p, terran sieges on cliff and its 12 vs 3 or 9 vs 6, gg
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1 year ago
#8

Spec(X)

   4
-.- i use to play violin and piano and I suck. LoC I think if u should let ppl copy builds and let them know the +/- of this and that. (some of my friends play the same build every game... counter build gg ;p)
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1 year ago
#9

eVo.Winegum

   5
nice guide
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1 year ago
#10

Lord_of_Chaos

   17
#6, 7, thank you for the big contribution for this discussion. How you have helped...

#8, this is for the very biggest beginners. Those who do not even know what 12hatch is. Then you copy the builds. Later on you of course adapt and work out things yourself.
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1 year ago
#11

diniMuater

   9
Specific advice
Never play money maps like BGH or Fastest. It is wasted time and you will learn scarecely nothing of games on normal maps.


this is just wrong, i started with moneymaps, and it thought me very much about macro and constantly pumpin. on those maps you just lose if you got bad macro, also you learn what a little bit of micro can do. so i'd say, its absolutly no waste of time to play some money maps.

Don't fall in to traps like believing that you can improve faster by playing Use Map Setting games like micro training maps. It won't work. The best way to improve is to have it all at one time in a normal game.


how come? i learned sooo many things from UMS games, i'd never found out in regular games. you learn sooo much faster about armor types and learn the power of the specific units in defence games. in micro challenge you can learn very good the power if single units and you can get a very good general micro (hit and run, use splash ....)

and the most important thing why you should play UMS, ITS FUN AND KEEPS YOU PLAYING BW, because after a while only playing melee is plain fucking boring.
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1 year ago
#12

Nimue

   4
funny we should bring up playing musical instruments ... i've calculated that in piano, my fingers move over twice as fast as in Starcraft, and each movement is exact and precise, however i don't have to think up new moves on the spot ...

ok, back on topic. Newbies, do this:

1. Record your replays.
2. Watch your replays.
3. UNDERSTAND why you lost! lets suppose you lost to a dark templar (protoss high tech) rush. In that case, look for the telltale signs of a dt rush. suppose you got outmacroed (enemy had more guys than you). In that case, look carefully at how many hatcheries, barracks/factories, or gateways you had, and figure out if you needed more or less. Finally, if you had a huge army of dragoons fighting a huge army of zerglings, the zerglings are going to win. Again, try to look for the telltale signs of each attack, and you'll be able to be prepared for all of them.
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1 year ago
#13

The1Crow

   5
good work!
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1 year ago
#14

Entropy

   16
ten commandments is a classic!
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1 year ago
#15

Mazor

 (Senior Advisor)   27
Gogo sticky?
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1 year ago
#16

Lord_of_Chaos

   17
sticky is a good idea ^^

#11, what I meant was that you're skill in low maps will increase SO much more from playing low maps than playing fastest. On the UMS thing I simply disagree, it is imo much better to get it all in one big package. That way you also learn how to prioritise between the different things.
The fun part I agree fully on :) But this is about learning fast, and there imo UMS has no place.

#12, which serves to show that you can move at the very least twice as fast with the right amount of practse in starcraft. Of course one cannot expect the transfer the speed and accuracy from an instrument directly to a game, but having a background of the piano will have increased the agility, flexibility and speed of your fingers which will probably make it easier for you to adapt to the starcraft keyboard. In short, you have a slight learning advantage ^^
I never liked the idea of watching myself lose over and over again. I find it boring, and in 99% of the cases I know perfectly well why I lost. Plus, at beginner level you will most likely simply be outplayed, and not be beaten by a specific strategy. Ie, muta harass might be your doom, and there is really nothing to say about that as long as you put up enough cannons or turrets etc...

#14, indeed ^^
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1 year ago
#17

matei

   1
i play the guitar... i could say that it feels some difference at speed clicking but that must be because i used to play Counter Strike professionally before
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1 year ago
#18

Lord_of_Chaos

   17
From another thread by Marc Anthony "TheTrueL" Willems:

This is almost a recreation of an earlier thread that I created not to long ago.
http://sc.gosugamers.net/thread.php?id=101069

This thread will serve the same purpose as the one before it, though the title has been corrected to attract the ones that the thread is directed too.

As the title says, this is a thread that is being made by myself to show the number of people that are constantly asking for help, that there is now somewhere that they can all go to get their game improved without angering the rest of the Starcraft community with the seemingly never ending threads titled; "I suck", "HELP ME PLEASE!", "Help a noob out", etc.

I will be willing to help all those that are asking for help.
I am a player on East. Going by the alias Ninja.L.

I am already in the process of helping many players whom have told me that through a small period of time, I have had their game improve a large amount.

To those that are in need of a trainer, mentor, etc... I am willing to fill that void.

In order to try and help everyone that will be wanting help, I ask that you please post the following:

Your log in.
The time that you are on.
What you are wanting help on (Specifics if possible.)
Race you play
Best match up,
Worst match up

Thank you, L.


From this thread: http://sc.gosugamers.net/thread.php?id=102372
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1 year ago
#19

G.t)oSs

   1
nice man :D
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1 year ago
#20

Ubernoob-Greg

   1
dude im hearing about this 9pool 12hatch for zerg. well im the biggest noob and i was wonderin wtf 9pool 12hatch was.
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