Some sweat when the heat is on
The fact of the matter is, if you’re going to be a pro at Starcraft, you need to learn to micro.
Annnnnddd…if you’re going to micro properly, you apparently need to learn to use hotkeys. As with many mouse/keyboard combination games, some of the best players in the world are the ones that use almost exclusively one type of control or the other. Using both tends to break up a game’s rhythm or flow, and makes actions that should take picoseconds take nanoseconds instead.
Science-y terms – welcome to the big time, SCII fans – we’re as smart as it gets!
The twin disciplines needed for Starcraft II leetness are the ability to effectively manage a small group of single-purpose units, while also being able to produce large masses of varied units efficiently. The small-group use is best done with the mouse, and really needs to occupy the bulk of a player’s attention when it’s being done.
In theory, for example, a two or three Reaper rush can be extremely effective in crippling an enemy’s economy.
Not so much for us.
We tended to end up in situations where our speed-boosted Reapers were outrun or outgunned by even Zerglings, Workers or Probes, and wheras our Zealots would trail after a laughing squad of Reapers, flush with the thrill of reducing our Probes to twitching husks of pretty metal, our opponents would somehow, by grit or sheer alien anger, catch up to our Reapers and drive their cruel energy swords through our poor little Reapers. Needless to say, we were not best pleased.
We know, however, that it’s ultimately our own fault. We don’t micro properly, and we know it. While we’re busy trying to deal with our enemy, our mind drifts back to our base, its’ Barracks silent, the insulting calls of drill instructors absent as we forget to train another crop of Marines, the grinding machinery of our Factory halted because we simply didn’t get a Vespene Geyser harvesting early enough. In short, we’re not great at doing two things at once – and it shows.
Thus the hotkeys.
Basically, Blizz has provided a way to make your Marco-ing easier, by providing hotkeys for creating buildings or units. Have an SCV selected? Press “B” and it will queue a Barracks for placement. Got that built? Select it, hit “A” and a Marine is on his way. Tabbing will let you cycle through units and buildings, so done correctly, and with an eye for detail, you can field a massive army in a very short period of time.
Done badly, you’re going to end up with a hell of a lot of Hatcheries when you want Hydralisks, or a plethora of Probes when you want Pylons.
To sum up – hotkeys are great, but paying attention is better.
Another good point of information is that the F12 key will display the unit tech tree, as well as strengths and weaknesses of individual units. While hardcore players already know all of the stats and have the basic, upgraded and fully pimped out damages and armor buffs of their favorite units tattooed on their arms, this can be helpful for those of us who are not members of the Korean pro leagues or who do work more than one hour a month weeding our mom’s garden for change to buy another bag of Doritos. She pays in nickels!
Starcraft is game of strategy, but actually plays more like two games in one. You need to be able to control small groups of units to hit very specific targets in order to maximize your chances of winning, while at the same time pumping out as many units as possible, as quickly as possible, to defend against the unknown variable of your opponent.
Hotkeys can be a great way to limit the number of mouse clicks needed and speed up your gameplay, but as with all things, moderation is key.
Hotkey, in this case.
