StarCraft and BroodWar Tips
Ok, here are some tips for
kicking the glutious maximus (ass) in Starcraft or Brood War, by Sonlee, If you dont the strategies, please politely email me your response at ChrisJR01@aol.comif I pick up a hint of sarcasm or am insult my response will be "Up yours prick, why dont you make your own site and tips section if you are a big expert on strategy?"
Units
This section is for thoise of you who want to know what units are really good for (as in different from what the SC book that comes with the cd tells you
SCV- This is the only unit that you can NOT win the game with, they build, repair, they get minerals, they gather vesppene, and even slice and even slice and dice potatoes into crispy french fries.
Marine- Most basic of all terran units, usually used for defense and maybe a rush if you build fast enough and rarely used later in the game for anything but defense.
Firebat- Nice close combat unit, excellent against tanks in siege mode and zergling attacks, some people like to put 1 in each bunker, but later in the game when air units come in to play they loose some defensive value.
Ghost- These infantry units do more damage than the marine, but a slower rate of fire, however they are able to be given a cloaking device (research at covert-ops on the science facility). I would say their greatest use is the ability to launch nukes, 2 nukes can take out any structure that takes a direct hit, and many structures with less durability in the blast area, effectively destroying the core of a base.
Vulture- Used mainly for scouting, possibly a small sclae assault early in the game, their best function is as scouts and for laying mines (upgrade spider mines and better thrusters at the factory add-on).
Siege Tank- Key to any terran deffense and/or mid-lvl attack, when you upgrade siege mode they do about 80 damage, the bad part is that when in siege mode they are vulnerable to close rin melee attacks because they cant hit targets that are nearly touching them, that is why you NEVER send them out w/o infantry or air support.
Goliath- Some people use them, others dont, maiinly they cut air units to pieces and do a great job on ground troops when used in numbers, I like them for mid-tech expansion base assaults, they work good with tanks for long-range support while goliaths kill units that get close and air units.
Wraith- Think of an f-18, that is basically what a wraith is used like, fast, light, and cheap compared to the bigger air units. The wraith doesnt do much ground damage, but in air to air it does just 5 less than a cruiser, but is under half the cost. The key to the wraith is its cloaking device (research at starport add-on). It is good for early to mid game skirmishes and small early attacks. The best way to use these is to plan ahead, catch your opponent off guard, attack before the enemy gets detectors, if you are lucky you can take out the Command Center/ Nexus/ Hive and therefore slow your opponent down or stop him dead in his tracks if he cant rebuild it. The wraith isnt that good later in the game because there are more units that can detect the wraith by then. I would say this is a scout/air to aiir unit, I dont recomend engaging goliaths, hydralisks, or dragoons unless he cant detect your wraith yet.
Battle Cruiser- The battle cruiser is the largest terran unit, they do 25 air to air damage and 25 air to ground damage, these are perfect for attacking bases, but dont get over confident. You may think cruiser can take out 12 marines w/o a problem, but you are unfourtunately mistaken. Dont attack bases 1 or 2 cruisers at a time, use 8 or more cruisers when you attack a base, if possible have a dropship with SCV's in it to repair close to the battle field, when playing against terran ALWAYS have a science vessel on hand to detect wraiths, 8 wraiths can slaughter 8 cruisers if they cant be seen and your only option will be to fall back and hope that he doesnt decide to follow you as a wraith can easily out run a cruiser.
Science Vessel- These are a must when fighting protoss on Brood Wars or Terran in any game, they are mobile detector unit that can also activate a defensive matrix (shielding) and much more, only an idiot would attack a base that may have cloakable untis w/o them.
Brood War Units for Terran:
Medic- this unit can tip the balance in a battle, until medics came in terran men could NOT be repaired, while toss and zerg units could either repair shields or repair completely, now the medic allows terran ground infantry to last longer in the game and an assault, they also have the ability to remove zerg parasites, plague, spores, ensnare, and a ghost's lock-down.
Valkyrie- I use this as air support for ground assaults. They have missles that scatter and have a wide damage radius, 6 of these can pretty much slaughter a swarm of mutalisks. These are also good for scouting, even though they cant attack ground units, they are strong and fast enough to out-run ground units and destroy any air unit faster than them.
Don't rush
Upgrade
Repair
Defend your self before you attack
Get 4 SCV's on vespene, 14+ on minerals
Drone- Most basic zerg unit. It has the same role as an scv but it can't repair structures. It also has a pretty bad recipy for french fries.
Zergling- Smallest zerg attack unit. It uses a melee attack (walks up and thrashes at the enemy). This is most used for an early game rush. The prob;lem with rushing is it is some times viewed as a cheese tactic and if you fail most people dont know how to use zerg in a long game and die.
Hydralisk- I think of this as the standard zerg unit. It has a ranged attack that can damage both air and ground units equally. No attack force should be with out them, plus, 6-8 can destroy a cruiser or carrier without much problems. These are all purpose units so they are used for mid-tech level to high-tech level games.
Ultralisk- This unit is viewed as the zerg version of the siege tank. I dont believe it is though, I think of it as more of 12 zerglings in an armored body. It uses a melee attack like zerglings, but is much larger, stronger, does more damage, but is much slower. This is mainly used as close ground support for high-tech level attacks vbecause it cant damage air units.
Defiler- This is often given the unjustly earned reputation of being useless, but they are far from it. These can use the plague ability to corrode an enemies health to near death or use the dark swarm to make friendly ground units invulnerable to attack from ranged weapons while inside, this is perfect for attacking a base. These are mainly for high tech level attacks.
Infested Terran- This is what you are able to get from a queens ability toinfest a terran command center. It will use its self as a living bomb and charges in to an enemy unit or structure, doing 500 damage. These are rarely used because by the time you take over a command center the game is nearly over anyways.
Overlord- These are the zerg version of supply depots, accept they are mobile units, instead of buildings. They are used 1st for scouting, and supplies. Later in the game they become transports and NO attack should be made against a base that may have cloaked units without them because they can also detect cloaked or burrowed units. Most people keep them in a large mass in the corner of the base, tha is a BAD idea, as scouts, wraiths, or corssairs can come in and rip them to pieces and destroy your supplies.
Mutalisk- This is the basic zerg fighter. It has a weapon that can damage ground and air targets. Its weapon can also bounce of one target and damage multiple targets, but it is relatively weak. The mutalisk is used mainly for mid-tech level air swarms.
Scourge- This is a suicidal air unit. It rams in to enemy ships doing severe damage, a dozen of these can rip a fleet apart. Many people dont plan to defend from these, but regret it when they loose 6 cruisers from them. These are used as mid to high tech level air defense units.
Guardian- If you think you are safe and sound going turtle (surrounding your self with defenses) then you will recieve a brutal awaikening from this. This is a morphed mutalisk that has an air to ground weapon which is able to fire out of the range of any dfensive structure. However, if you attack wioth these always have hydralisks or mutalisks with it to kill air units. This is used mainly in mid to high tech level attacks.
Zerg Queen- This unit is sometimes viewed as a novelty item, but has true ptential when used correctly. It has the ability to either slow targets down with ensnare, destroy an infantry unit and turn him in to 2 small ground units, or attach a parasite to a unit so that you can see what the unit can and use it as an unknowing scout. These are mainly mid to semi-high tech level missions.
Brood War Unit:
Lurker- This is a very effective weapon for defense, if anything this is what truely deserves to be called the zerg version of the siege tank. It has sub-terrainian spikes that, when the unit is burrowed, can do about as much damage as a guardian can, and from a relatively long distance. This is an upgraded hydralisk and is best used for defense and ambush in mid to high tech level games.
Devourer- This is an upgraded mutalisk that turns in to an air to air unit. It is stronger, but slower, and can only do air to air damage. Its weapon also has acid spores that destroy armor on ships and slow the rate of fire. This is used in high tech lrevel games, and is best used in conjunction with guardians.
Probe- Most basic toss unit. It has the same role as an scv but it can't repair structures. It has the WORST recipe for french fries I have ever seen. It's only good side is the fact that it has the ability to start a structure and walk away after starting construction.
Zealot- This unit is the equivelant of 2 marines, in cost and ability. These are used for early ground rushes and mid-game support for dragoons. These are best suited for destroying tanks because when a tank is in siege mode it cant hit units close to it. The zealots problem is that by the time you can get enough to rush chances are a good oponent has enough time to defend, they also lack a ranged weapon and therefore cant destroy air units.
Dragoon- This is the toss rival of a hydralisk or a goliath. This type of unit is used for inner base defense from air units and mid-tech/mid-game rushes. This is very useful because it has a relatively long range weapon that does about 20 damage. It's only problem is it cant fit through wall to wall defenses and only 2 can fit in a shuttle craft.
Reaver- This is as close to a siege tank as the toss get. This is best used as early as possible in the game, dropped behind enemy lines by a shuttle, if you do it right your enewmy doesnt have a chance. It has very high damage (more than a tank) but slightly less range than a tank. It's number 1 disadvantage is that it has to produce ammo and is vulnerable for a short time after it runs out, it also cant fire over gaps. But on the plus side it does have the ability to shoot close range targets.
Templar- This unit is a high tech level swarm killer. 4 or 5 of these can use phsyionic storms to slaughter a mass carrier fleet or a swarm of ground units. One spell that is un-justly unused is hallucination. Hallucination can be used to create infinate suicide scouts and lure your enemy in to a false sense of security when he thinks he has destroyed a fleet of 16 carriers that is really 16 hallucinations.
Archon- This is what you get when you combine 2 templar. Unlike the templar it has no spells, but it does have the ability to attack. Its weapon is apx. half as strong as a tank in siege mode but has a higher rate of fire. It can also destroy an air unit and has the advantage of high durability, most of which is shields and therefore it can regenerate most of it's durability. This is for high-tech level anti-air unit in an attack.
Observer- This unit is a toss's best friend. It is best to get these in to an enemies base early on before he has outer detectors. They have a cloak but can do no damage yet have the ability to see far beyond any other units. These are fore mid-high tech level scouting.
Shuttle- This is the equivelant to a terran dropship. It's main advantage is that you can upgrade its speed and make fast attacks before the enemy can react
Arbiter- This is a good unit for high tech level attacks. It has the ability to cloak any unit within a certain range. Another useful ability is that it can warp in 3 shuttle loads of zealots (12) or as many carriers as you can cram together when you activate the warp.
Scouts- This is the back bone of any mid-tech level air attack. While it only does about 9 air to ground damage it can do more air to air damage than a terran cruiser. It's number 1 advantages is its combination of speed (upgradeable), sight (upgradeable), and strength.
Carriers- This is the protoss equivelant of a cruiser. It is best for high-tech lvl air attacks and air support. It does the most damage of any air unit but it must build interceptors, which can be destroyed. It's greatest advantage is the fact that it creates a swarm of interceptors that draw fire from defenses and allow the carrier to survive much longer.
Brood War Unit:
Dark Templar- This unit is the only self cloaking unit that the protoss have capable of attacking. It's used for mid to high-tech lvl attacks. It does relatively high damage, but lacks the ability to attack air units. It's most valuble accet is that it never comes out of cloak.
Dark Archon- Like it's counterpart, the dark templar can also combine in to a new unit. It has the ability to take control of an enemy unit such as an scv and allow more than 1 race to be used by the protoss. It's only problems are that they lack a true weapon and have less shields than the Archon. These should be used in high-tech level attacks on expansion bases to take over enemy scv's or drones.
Corssairs- These things are an air to air unit. These have a high rate of fire and high speed, but are weaker than scouts and can only do air to air attacks with a less powerful weapon. They are best used in any tech leve for attacking zerg overlords and cheap base defense, but should be used in swarms of no less than 6 when attacking large ships.
