"I can't wait to receive the trophy in the mail. You know the one that says "Sorriest Ass Starcraft Player on the Planet" "
-Johnny_Vegas
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| Dire Maneuver | | | Author: | | | IP: | XXXX | | Date: | 11/03/99 04:11 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 2, Max: 7, Min: 6
Lifetime Rating for KaOs[-gF-]: 6.3333 |   | KaOs[-gF-] - (Toss)
vs
Unknown (forgot his name, doh!) - (Terran)
Map: Dire Straights
*Intro*
Well, after playing enough computer and team games, I decided to try my hand at ladder games on b.net. Of course, I knew I was going to take a step up in skill and difficulty, but I said "Bleh!" to my fears and went to find a game ;).
My first ladder match was against some sub-1000 player who was also looking for a 1x1. We both chose Toss, and off we went on Temple. For some reason I thought I'd be rushed, so I did a hard 2 gate-forge strat, and hoped to take an early offensive or else make a stand. I scouted with my 12th probe which had just warped in my first gate, and went down to scout. I found him later at 5 o'clock and my probe was able to kill one of his probes warping in a gateway. (Can you say "cheeeese..") I now knew that he had two pylons, a gateway warping in and an assimiliator. I chose to pump zealots, and with an almighty force of 6 zeals, I went in a pummeled his base. Yay! My first ladder win, however, I wasn't content, and looked for another. This is where the real story begins.
*Coming into chat*
I came into a chatroom, which read 1000+. We exchanged the "hello's" and all that, and began. He chose to random while I went with "muh toss." I prepared my order in my head and took a quick glance at the map chosen...looking back, I should have taken a longer look.
*Starting on an island?*
I started off in the far right corner, and began my normal 2 gate forge order. However, after my 1st gate began to warp in, I sent my probe to begin to scout. However, my palms began to sweat as I realized that this was an island map...newbie, newbie, newbie...
Realizing this grim truth, I quickly dismantled my plans for the next gate and forge, and put up an assimiliator and forge instead. I quickly teched up and built a robotics facility. I had now changed my plans and decided to reaver drop, which I had become quick adept to doing in team games. I had two robo's going, and with my first shuttle began to scout. I found him later at 5 o'clock, and realized he was terran. To no surprise he was ahead of me in units and tech, but most distressing was the fact that he had made his base "un-reaver-able." I then had to dismantle my reaver drop, and decided to do a contain-expand strat. It was a strat I had mostly used during my warcraft days, but I was sure that I could apply it here as well. With my shuttle I landed a probe on an island near 11 o'clock and built my expansion, remembering probes around my mine to eliminate the possibility of a cloaked-wraith disaster. I built 3-4 observers patrolling the entire map, making sure that when he expanded I would know exactly where and when. And I did soon learn...
*The first assaults*
I saw the first remnants of an exp on an island right below my main. He had a bunker filled with marines and firebats, and a few marines outside waiting for the lone SCV to finish his next bunker. Seeing this and a lone turret, I decided to let him in on my no-expansion tolerance plan, and set to work on dismantling his force. It was successful with several zeals and two dragoons, but as I headed my forces back, I saw three shuttles headed toward my main and several wraiths.
I quickly landed back on my base and began warping in cannons at once. After a minute or two, I felt funny because nothing had happened yet. I sent a probe down to see if he landed, and lo-and-behold, he had built two bunkers, a barracks ip, and had seiged up tanks protecting the mini-base. I knew immediately that I must stop this, because his clear plan was to slowly eliminate my base. My first three assaults were bust, even as I tried to micro my dragoons and zeals around his tanks and seperated them. Soon i gained my good ol' reavers, which died at a 2:1 ratio to finally lay waste to his devious plan. He tried again, but this time I was ready with 7 reavers, and a whole force of zeals and dragoons at the ready. He then bulked up by the island near my main which I had forgotten about, but by this time he was well fortified.
*Quick change of plans*
Knowing that he now had an exp and was shuttling in SCV's from his main, I chose to now take a heavy offensive. My short attacks against his expansion was futile: he now had turrets all around the base so a drop of impossible and I had no air units..yet.
I bulked up on templars, random ground and reavers for a final assault on his main. I thought that if I could knock out the main, this game would finally swing in my favor. As I bulked up, I shuttled another probe over to 11 o'clock to begin yet another expansion. This time, I put my cannons around my nexus and built a lone stargate for a small force of carriers. I realized now that he had gone heavy on the wraiths and was patrolling the middle of the map to stop any more drops by me.
I prepared my forces on my shuttles, and began their descent down to his main. I had a shuttle and a lone carrier also patrol down but at a different angle. They met up with a wraith assault team and were almost dismantled, but at the same time their death was a great sacrafice: my shuttles had safely landed on his base.
Realizing this, he pulled his wraiths back towards his main. But I had taken a major foothold already, quickly demolishing the limited forces there already and knocking out his supply depots. He smartly lifted his engineering and barxs away, but I had the final laugh as I wiped away any remenants of his base. As I reloaded my shuttle, I had a terrible realization...mye expansion was under attack...
*The worst terran strat ever*
It was almost deja vu, as I looked at my exp at 11 o'clock, only to find that he had pulled the same maneuver of landing scv's, tanks and marines and building up towards my base. I was beginning to panic, because there was a huge force there now, almost equal to a main base. I realized he had lifted his strutures there, and now had around 5-6 tanks down and around 20-30 marines. His wraith assault team had also increased, as he stopped my attempt at another expansion. I was now running out of options and time, as I had no new source of income, and he had one up expansion on me, plus heavy military forces. I knew my only chance was to take out this expansion which once was mine, but now was his. He had turreted the island, except for one area which was protected by marines. I landed safely with my forces, and began the assault. Quick work of the marines was overshadowed by the rows of tanks that would not allow my to pass. After the diminishing loss, i knew the game had swung clearly in his favor. i gave him the customary "gg" and surrendered to a well-fought game.
*End thoughts*
Well, in retrospect the fact that i messed up my strategy worked against me. but I can't blame that clearly on the loss. I had a chance to regain the advantage, and I don't know many games where you can wipe out your opponents main and still manage to lose. However, i attribute the loss to bad expansion defense, as I allowed him to land safely on my second exp, and failure to contain. Also, my strategy never clearly defined itself in the game, and I never fully countered his wraiths. All-in-all, a good experience for myself against terrans, and a great reference point and what "not to do" in a game vs terrans.
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