On February 05 2013 11:29 JMave wrote:
i watched a lot of flash videos and how he overcomes the problem of getting a third is to gain map control with vultures and mines. he gets mines after siege and produces vultures from the second factory while constantly making tanks from the factory with a shop.
Second this. Although there's one flaw with flash's strategy. It's incredibly vulnerable to a fake fourth into a gateway all in combined with zealot/goon bombs. The problem with his build is the lack of any reliable AA and a later armoury than usual to secure that third. I advise caution and suggest you keep scouting before you take your third. In PvT, it's okay to stay longer on two bases unless you 're 100% sure they're committing to a longer game. Also consider using your barracks and engineering bays as strategic structures to close any siege line gaps. This reduces the effective surface area for attack, which gives you greater defensive advantage. Consider compensating the lack of goliaths with missile turrets instead.
As for arbiters, goliaths and well placed missile turrets (often 3-5 at the edge of the natural/placed within your siege line) should be a sufficient deterrent against recalls, also, do not forget to obtain charon boosters, they make or break your defense against recalls. If there are more than 3 arbiters, consider transitioning to science vessels and researching EMP immediately after the science lab is done. That is the only surefire way to shut down large numbers of arbiters.
One more thing regarding the number of factories, if you're on two bases, you can maintain constant production of 2 siege tanks and 3 vultures plus an armoury with upgrades when both bases are fully saturated. Do not attempt to pre-emptively take a third, especially when you only have 2 factories. A 2 base economy can support 5 facts plus upgrades. Follow this rule of thumb and you will find defense a lot easier.