On December 20 2011 15:05 theonlyshaft wrote:
Yeah, Tang, about your discussion questions, I agree alot of players allow what they hear to affect what they do. What I mean by that is, how many times have you and I, as Zerg players, heard that you must always, 100%, unequivocally be up a base? Too many times to count, but I think players like Stephano actually show otherwise. You hit most of the explaining points well -- no economic boost, just production for the mid-game, etc -- but I think for Stephano, it's a few other things, as well. What you said is absolutely right, but consider these factors as well:
In a situation where you are FORCED to remain on two bases in a ZvT, what is the best case scenario?
- Amazing drone saturation
- Strong production, from maco hatcheries
- Very centralized bases, rather than being spread out everywhere
- And, most importantly of all, you can tech a lot harder, a lot faster
Stephano is one of my favorite players. I study his games, have entire notebooks dedicated to what he does in every situation. You've kind of combined, in the OP, his new style with his old style, and offered no distinction between the two. Partly, it's because in the game you're analyzing, he opens with his old BO, and seems to be trying to do the heavy infestor style he has been known for.
It used to be that Stephano favored ling-infestor over pretty much everything else. Now, he's favoring pure ling with 3/3 upgrades, adrenal glands, and some form of hive tech -- usually ultra, but he's known for his tech switching in this period. So the reason, in my opinion, that he goes for a later third is so he can get his hive tech -- I think that's his primary motivating factor. You don't really see it in this game vs Maka, but player tendency plays a factor here. In this particular game, it's debatable whether a quicker third would have helped or hindered his strategy, but in Stephano's experience of high-tech games, he tends to favor delayed expansions.
Yeah, Tang, about your discussion questions, I agree alot of players allow what they hear to affect what they do. What I mean by that is, how many times have you and I, as Zerg players, heard that you must always, 100%, unequivocally be up a base? Too many times to count, but I think players like Stephano actually show otherwise. You hit most of the explaining points well -- no economic boost, just production for the mid-game, etc -- but I think for Stephano, it's a few other things, as well. What you said is absolutely right, but consider these factors as well:
In a situation where you are FORCED to remain on two bases in a ZvT, what is the best case scenario?
- Amazing drone saturation
- Strong production, from maco hatcheries
- Very centralized bases, rather than being spread out everywhere
- And, most importantly of all, you can tech a lot harder, a lot faster
Stephano is one of my favorite players. I study his games, have entire notebooks dedicated to what he does in every situation. You've kind of combined, in the OP, his new style with his old style, and offered no distinction between the two. Partly, it's because in the game you're analyzing, he opens with his old BO, and seems to be trying to do the heavy infestor style he has been known for.
It used to be that Stephano favored ling-infestor over pretty much everything else. Now, he's favoring pure ling with 3/3 upgrades, adrenal glands, and some form of hive tech -- usually ultra, but he's known for his tech switching in this period. So the reason, in my opinion, that he goes for a later third is so he can get his hive tech -- I think that's his primary motivating factor. You don't really see it in this game vs Maka, but player tendency plays a factor here. In this particular game, it's debatable whether a quicker third would have helped or hindered his strategy, but in Stephano's experience of high-tech games, he tends to favor delayed expansions.
I agree, waiting for a bit better creep spread (on top of having infestors just around the corner) makes it easier to hold your 3rd base which, as you mention, is usually where zerg starts to spread out and no longer has a centralized base.