I decided to do this report, because I never really know how to play Terran all that much, and I'm just really starting to learn, and I hope that what I've learned can help some people. If you disagree with what I have on hear I'd like to hear what you have to say, and feel free to comment on other things that you've noticed.

Terran were the elusive race to me. I never could seem to grasp the mechanics of how to get them going, so I would always quit after a couple of lost games and go back to Zerg or Protoss. But after a while, Zerg and Protoss were getting fairly boring. I was winning most of my games, and I wanted a bigger challenge, than beating up on people in Public 2v2's on Lost Temple, where I could usually win even if my partner got toasted. I wanted something bigger, better, and infinitely harder to master. Terran was the answer.

First of all, I had to get rid of a few tendencies and problems I had. I could never get my "Turbo Newbies" to work. As a matter of fact, I always sieged up my Tanks before I had constructed Bunkers or Turrets, a big mistake, because that provided my Tank and 3 marines with very very little protection. Then I was having problems with space. I never could fit that next Factory in, or a much needed Science Facility couldn't fit anywhere in my base. Then when I expanded, somebody would always find just the perfect time to drop some units in my probe line at home, or harass some buildings at the edge of my base, so I could never get them started. I was totally lost.

I decided to take a couple days off of Starcraft, and I just sat down and thought over the strategy of Terrans. I played games where I would just look at the units, and see how they worked best together, so when I went back to Battle.net I would be ready to kick some ass.

I think I solved most of my problems, and the games that I lose now usually are because of a lack of scouting, which is pointless because of the Terran Comsat, which never seems to find it's way to Control + O anymore. I'll have to remember that. I came up with a few things about units, some buildings and building placement, and a couple of ideas for attacking.

Note: Some of this, maybe all might be common knowledge to a lot of the people out there, but feel free to add into the comments section gripes/arguments/tips about what you see in the rest of what I have here. Thanks!!!

Terran buildings take up a lot of space, so careful planning is required when you set up your base. If you play a map over and over you can basically get them set up the same way every time with a minimal amount of trouble. To start out, I always block up my base with a 2 Supply Depot, 1 Barracks that helps to fend of Zealots and Zerglings, even though Zerglings can file in one at a time.

I usually put Supply Depots in one side of my base, and protect them with a couple of Turrets and maybe a Tank or two. If someone gets to them and destroys them, your production line will be halted for a couple of minutes.

I also put building where most of the research is conducted *Academy, E-bay, and Armories* in a single spot so I don't have to go looking for them when I want to upgrade. These buildings should be kept flashing until they are all done. A common mistake of most people is not to upgrade their units. I don't know how many times I've seen people *of any race* come in with masses of units w/o upgrades.

My production buildings I like to place in a line, so I can just go down the line, and put a couple of units in the production queue, and then go back to whatever I was doing. I put my Factories in a line, Barracks in a different line, and Starports in another line, and usually a couple of Command Centers, which I float until I'm ready to expand. All of my production buildings have rally points, set to the spot where they are most needed. Choke Points, Bunkers, Cliffs, and expansions are all places where I use rally points. It's simply faster.

Bunkers and Turrets, probably the most effective defensive structures in the game, though the bunker outprices all of them, it's definately more cost effective. I use these quite a bit, for protecting my SCV's, new expansions, for "Turbo Newbies", and Offensive Bunkering/Tank Pushing.

Well, that about wraps it up for buildings, feel free to add anything you want to in the comments section.

Marine: Your average Terran joe, the Marine can deal out great amounts of damage in just a short amount of time. Most effective in groups, and in conjunction with Medics. I believe that Marines are only effective as their upgrades, so I usually keep my Academy and E-Bay busy. Very good for support, raids, and a quick Medarine rush is VERY VERY effective against a fast expanding Zerg.

Firebat: I don't really use the Firebat all that much, unless I'm expecting a lot of Zerglings or a Zealot rush. Also good with Medic Support, the Firebat is great for taking out small groups of small units, though highly inaffective against buildings or large units.

Medic: The Medic is a must for all of your infantry fighters, a ration of 3 fighters to 1 Medic is generally a good idea, though more are useful in some situations where your infantry will be taking large amounts of damage. I take these out with all groups of units.

Ghost: The Ghost is a fairly good unit, though one that I haven't really gotten myself acquainted with all that much. Lockdown is great for taking large mechaninal units out of action, Cloak is good for scouting and spotting, and the Nuke is probably the most feared attack in the game.

Vulture: The Vulture is definately underused. It does good damage against small units, is great for scouting during all periods of the game, and Spider Mines are a godsend. These little things deal a lot of damage for a small price, and are effective for stopping Zealots, Zerglings, Dark Templars, and almost anything else that walks the ground. I use these for defense around a choke and around SCV's, and for Tank pushes and Offensive Bunkering.

Goliath: Does anybody use these things?? Ever??? If so, I don't think I have seen it, and that is a very big mistake. The Golaith has less mobility than a wraith, but was great range, ground damage, air damage, and it costs less. Great for defense, support for infantry and tanks, offense, anything. These units are definately worth their money.

Siege Tank: The most awesome ground power in the game is the Tank, and it's the Terrans. Good for defense, offense, and everything in between, it's a staple in Terran armies, though they must be backed up due to their minimun range. Great in conjunction with Bunkers and Turrets.

Wraith: A good fighter, but I use these only for hit and run attacks. They tend to group if in large numbers, so a single Psi Storm can take out huge numbers, and they get shredded by a lot of different units. I suggest hitting peon lines, and harrassing buildings while preparing for your main assault.

Valkyrie: Bah, humbug. Despite being an anticipated unit, the Valkyrie isn't worth jack. They can't hit much, they don't do a heck of a lot of damage, and are only good against very very large amounts of other air units. I don't use these much, if at all.

Battle Cruiser: 2 thumbs up, rates Siskel and Ebert. These can go through bases in no time with a minimal amount of support by Sci Vessels and Wraiths. Though very costly, I would definately invest a few bucks in these behemoths of the skies.

Science Vessel WOW!!!!! Irradiate can take out humungous amounts of Zerg units, EMP Shockwave removes Protoss shields as well as taking away all mana of ANY spellcaster in the area, and Defensive Matrix adds about 250 armor to the unit it's cast on. The Science vessel costs a lot of gas, but you get 3 awesome spells, some speed, and decent hit points. What else do you want??

That's all the units. Take a look at the next section.

Well, I wouldn't really call these strategies, since I'm not going to include any building orders in here. These are more like micro-management tips to help you get the most out of your units.

Turbo Newbies are rather easy to pull off, though you want to try it without getting seen. The first think you want to unload is your SCV, which will construct a bunker then a couple of Turrets. When these are build then you can unload your Tank and 3 Marines and get them set up. I usually go back with a dropship and bring back 3 Goliaths another Marine and a Medic to finish up this setup. It works great.

Offensive Bunkering isn't really all that hard, and I think this coincides with Tank pushes. Early in the game I'll usually send out 3 Tanks, a dozen Marines, and a couple of SCV's to get started. After this I'll usually include some Goliaths, Mine equipped Vultures, more infantry and more Tanks. Your tanks have a range of 12, so I'd set up a Bunker and a Turret every 8-10 spaces so your Tanks can cover it all. Just push right up into their base.

Practice making your buildings in a line. It really helps the speed in which you are able to pump out your troops. Rally points can speed this up even more.

Always, always protect your SCV's. Without these, you cannont get any of your resources, and therefore units are an impossiblity. I usually place a Bunker on each side, with a Turrent and maybe a Tank or two. If I expect a really heavy drop I'll usually place a few Goliaths on each side as well.

Practice making aimed casts with your Spells. Wanted to Lockdown a Reaver instead that Dragoon?? Or that Carrier instead of an interceptor?? Too bad that game. If you practice it, you'll that little bit of micro will become instinct.

Expansions aren't too bad to get set up, though the require a little bit of time. I'll usually Turbo Newbie my own cliff, as well as set up a couple of Turrets and a Bunker next to my Command Center. Once again, if I expect heavy drops, Goliaths help me out.

That's about all I have to offer you. If you want more from me, you'll have to wait a while, because I'll be testing out more things. But I'd like to thank all the Terrans that I've played, and game me a few of these ideas, for they were priceless. Kudos to all and Thanks for reading.