Patch 1.3 is up! Well, it was for a while. Now B.Net is down, but I did manage to sneak in a few ladder games. I'm psyched. I got a new mouse (nothing special, but the left click was getting hard to press on my old one), a new focus, and stim timing attacks are worse. What could be better?
I love all the little interface improvements of the new patch, like showing the resources of both players at all times during replays and the ability to hide the menu bar and the control group buttons. I can now sleep easy knowing that the custom game interface makes sense, although I won't use it much unless someone ever makes a custom that is based on something more interesting than fetishistically leveling up everything in sight to the point of orgasm. The balance changes are all no big deal, although I instinctually frown at the idea of shifting the use of Fungal Growth more toward a damage spell rather than a freeze spell. I think one of the game's greatest assets is the interesting tactical situations created by terrain and positioning, which is why I believe forcefields to be an elegant stroke of design genius, and why abilities like spider mines are fundamentally good for the game (here's hoping for something like it in one of the expansions).
So what's my new focus? I've decided to focus less on traditional strategy and tactics and more on my own state of mind. Playing the game can often be stressful, confusing and frustrating, so I'm working to try to replace all of those with fun and satisfaction. For example, I've realized that one of the big reasons I can get stressed while playing is that I constantly encounter waves of little questions and self-doubt about minor actions, and I don't allow myself time to answer them. Take something as seemingly simple as setting up a third base. Just send a Probe and build it, right? Well, sure, but should I also build a Pylon next to it? When exactly? Where exactly? If there is an enemy unit watching, should I take any time to try to kill it before I build anything? Should I put down Photon Cannons? How many? When? In what exact position? Should I put down two Assimilators right away, or make the effort to time it so they finish at the same time as the Nexus? When exactly should I transfer Probes, and how many? Should I build more Pylons nearby? What if I already have plenty of supply, should I still build a back-up Pylon to power the Cannons right away? And on and on. It's not as if these questions are impossible to answer, but it doesn't feel like I have the time to answer them. My mind doesn't like the uncertainty that these questions bring, so in the heat of the RTS moment it automatically flushes them away and makes me just rely on habit and doing what is quickest and easiest. The end result is a lack of confidence and a general icky feeling after every game, win or lose.
My answer is to train myself to bring those little questions to full conscious awareness so that I can take a few seconds to come up with an honest answer about what I think is theoretically best. I feel it is fundamentally important for me to master this skill, for which I see many advantages: 1. I will begin to do not what is easy but what is right. This will always make me play worse in the short term but better in the long term. 2. I will get better in unusual game situations since my style will rely less on habit and more on rational thought. This also opens the door to impress myself (and others?) with moments of ingenuity in which I may think of some outlandish solution to a problem that actually ends up working. 3. Perhaps most importantly, I will gain a sense that I am playing MY game, following what I think is best and pushing my abilities to their limit in order to do so.
Along the same lines, I am using a new mantra while I play. Now that I have "Pylons and Probes" pretty much down (although not entirely, which is a topic for another day), I'm moving on to "1. What is the situation? 2. What should I do now? 3. What should I do later?", which should help me keep that conscious state of mind as well as scout more (whenever I can't fully answer number 1). Ultimately I hope to ingrain all of this into my mental behavior so that I can take it for granted and let my conscious mind focus on the next level of abstraction, which is perhaps the psychology of my opponent.
Incidentally, I am currently using one build for each matchup. For PvT, it's 2gate Robo (which I switched to from 3gate expand, after a free coaching session from Coolent over at thesc2school.com). For PvZ, it's the iNcontroL 3gate Sentry expand (I'm having doubts about making as many as 8 Sentries since it's so difficult to go on the offensive to punish excessive Droning, but for now I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and working on my forcefield micro). For PvP, it's the IMYongHwa 3-Stalker Robo, or just 4gate on maps that don't allow it.
p.s. I notice that I was already thinking about this "new" focus back in December! Really, it's been on my mind since I started playing. But I think I've done a good job with finally recognizing, codifying, and proposing a concrete solution to it.
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Games played: ?? (thanks, Blizzard); 771 wins
League/Points: Diamond/3395 (+8 bonus pool)
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