Starcraft Terran - Part 2

So by now you've gotten your copy of the game (you have, haven't you)? You've worked through the campaigns and you're ready to hit Bnet with a vengeance and climb the ladders. Before you jump in with both feet there are a few things you need to keep in mind and we're going to cover a couple of those here.

First, is that you're going to need to be able to adjust the build you are working on according to certain things your opponent is doing. So you need to scout well and know how what they are doing and how to counter it effectively. You might not change your whole strategy, since you can get a lot done with almost any terran unit combination, but the upgrades and other things you'll need for those units will certainly change according to what your opponent does during the match.

The most common build you will see for the terran is the bio build. In the bio build you will be going for marines, Marauders and medivacs - abbreviated as MMM. Support units for the bio build can include Ravens, Vikings and ghosts (especially vs. Protoss). The bio build is very hard to counter because Marauders get a big bonus to damage on armored units as well as slow effects from concussive missiles. Add in the Stimpacks for more dmg and medivacs for healing and this build is really hard to stop. Your opponent will try to counter the marines with roaches, but the marauders will tear them to bits, or the units that aren't armored like zerglings and zealots get slowed and then wiped out by the marines who are being healed. It's just tough to whip a well microed bio force.

The other build is the mech build. Where bio has you building the units that have a person inside a suit, the mech build focuses on Hellions, Tanks and Thor - all of which are mechanical units. That doesn't mean you won't want to use marines and other support units, like ghosts, it just means you'll be more focused on things that roll instead of walk. Early in the beta the bio build was all you would ever see in competitive matches. But a change to build times and unit costs for tanks made the build viable alter on. It takes more time to get a big pile of tanks on the ground than a bio build, but it's a lot of fun. And with a few marines in support it's virtually unstoppable.

In the mech build the Thors will take out any ari units and do splash damage to units like mutalisks that would otherwise wreak havoc in your forces. Stick a bunch of marines in with your tanks and thors and you can just rumble through the map blasting through anything in your path. It will take a while, and part of the problem with this build is that it is slower so you'll have to effectively counter any harasses and attacks while you build up your main force. But if you can get it all built it's virtually unstoppable.

Which brings us back to our original point. Terran strategy for starcraft 2 is very versatile, but you have to keep your forces balanced. There is no single do all end all unit in the terran race. By using your units in combination with other units you can have a force that is very hard to kill and can handle any massing of other units by your opponent. No single unit can get it all done by themselves. Even mech heavy builds will have a bunch of marines and a couple of ghosts running around, and that's why they take so much micro, and are also a ton of fun.

Starcraft 2 Terran gameplay - part 1

With the coming of Starcraft 2 people are flocking back into what is, in my opinion, the best RTSG (real time strategy game) ever. as a matter of fact, it's kind of like it has no close second place in the category. And even though Starcraft 2 is technically a sequel, and sequels tend to be not as good as the original, that just ain't the case with SC2. It's a fantastic game all around, and perhaps the most welcome set of changes came with the Terran race. They got stronger, they got more versatile, they got awesome. here's a little overview of Starcraft 2 Terran gameplay.

Of course, there is way too much to go into when it comes to any one race, or even any one aspect of playing a game as complex as Starcraft 2 to deal with in a little bitty online article. But we can give you a good overview of what to expect and some of the nifty tricks the pro players are using right out of the box.

The first thing you will need to know is that the Terran race is the most versatile in the game. So many of the units can do several different things, but that also leads to its own set of problems when it comes to playing the Terran race effectively. Being versatile means that you're not specialized. Which means that at times you may have to make far more choices about what kind of units you want to use and how you want to use them. that also means that you have more ways of defeating your opponent of another race. It also makes for fantastic mirror matches (Terran vs. Terran).

So you're going to have to be able to do two things in order to pwn face with the Terran. The first thing is that you're going to have to learn how to play very efficiently and with a good set of tactical goals in mind. Since you have a lot of options for how to achieve those goals, that means you'll need to master a number of them. The second thing is that Terran need to be micromanaged a lot. You can't just mass a single unit and have them plow through everything in their path. You have to be able to control a lot of smaller control groups on the micro level, and that takes practice. All of this means that the Terran are really easy to learn and really easy to win with, but they are also hard to master. In part 2 we'll go into more specifics about Starcraft 2 Terran gameplay strategies and tactics.

Starcraft 2 Terran

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last few months you know that there is a new game in town. It's not just that Starcraft 2 is another RTSG (real time strategy game) or a sequel (although its a GREAT sequel) it sets a new bar for excellence when it comes to gaming period. Say what you want about Blizzard, but they make games that last. And they last because they are wicked good games. In Starcraft 2 Terran got some tweaks and upgrades which have made them the most versatile race to play. And since we're all human, after all, they are a lot of fun.

I mean, unless you're some sort of hippie or religious nut you've probably thought at least once in your life about being some sort of space marine right? Who wouldn't want to hop into some uber mech suit and lay waste to outer space bad guys? Plus, they keep making movies about that kind of thing, so it's not like you've never wanted to do that. The terran race in SC2 is all that and more. You can now live out your little fantasy, and win a lot with the terran.

Now, it goes without saying that versatility has a few problems of its own. Because the Terran in Starcraft 2 has so many options they are also a little bit tougher to play really well. In other words, easiest to learn, hardest to master. They have unique ways to harass economies in unexpected ways. They have a lot of options when it comes to choosing the road to victory - more than the Protoss or the Zerg. You're not boxed in to having to do certain builds and progressions with Terran, but that also means you have to be very strategic in your thinking and gameplay in order to stay on top of things.

Terran have to be controlled more micro than the other races. You have to be a tactical thinker and and pretty good at micro managing your units and strategy in order to perform at the most effective level to win. Protoss have fewer options, which means they can focus more on what the Protoss units do best. With the Terran there are so many choices it can actually be a bit more difficult to narrow down what you need to do in order to counter what your opponent is doing.

With all that being said, the Starcraft 2 terran race is a lot of fun to play in a game that is completely engrossing on almost every level. And it doesn't matter if you're a computer gamer or a console freak. SC2 is just a damn good GAME. Platform doesn't matter, genre doesn't matter. If you like games, you'll love SC2 and a big part of that is that the Terran is so much fun to play. Don't get me wrong, the other races are excellent too, in their own ways. But for me, strapping into the reaper or loading into a hellion or siege tank it satisfies so many of those rather primal urges and fantasies. Living vicariously through metal firepower? Hell yeah!

Terran Marine

With the release of Starcraft 2 the gaming world is all abuzz. I'm a big fan of Blizz games, and I can tell you from first hand experience that there must be a lot of us out there. The day after SC2 hit the shelves there was like nobody on WOW. Random dungeon queues for DPS toons have always been long, but on July 28th you could wait around for hours and fall asleep. I was a big fan of the original Starcraft, but since PvP in most games has never been my thing, I kinda skipped the whole Brood Wars thing.

But SC2 is a breath of fresh air, and a big part of that is because of the upgrades. And I'm not just talking about the graphics of the game, although they are stunning. But the whole thing changed in some subtle ways that bring the feel of the game, especially for the terran race a bit more in line with how the wars should have always felt to me. That's just me, and I'm sure you can find your fair share of those who will flame Blizz for just about everything they do, but SC2 is awesome, and the Terran marine is part of the reason why.

The terran marine is to the Terran race what the zergling is to the Zerg - only better. And one of the keys to the usability of this unit in the game is based on their range. They can hit anything and do so from a good distance. And since all of the new game maps have a nice little choke point at all of the expansion areas, it's cool to be able to flood those chokes with a band of marines and just pwn. The marine makes a great offensive attack unit against almost everything as well as a terrific defender, especially when you load them into a bunker.

But the marine is also the most cost effective unit in the entire game. Not only are they versatile, they are cheap. Not as fast as churning out a crew of zerglings, but far more powerful per unit. If you compare how much damage they can do per how much it costs to build one, you will find that there is not another single unit in the game as good as the marine. Even if you take into account the upgrades, such as stim packs and weapons, they still remain at the top of the heap in raw power per cost.

So when you begin the campaign there is a really good chance that you're going to fall in love with the marine as your go-to unit when playing the terran race. While there are sexier units for Terran, or the other races for that matter, it's still hard to beat a big pack of upgraded terran marine units charging around the map laying waste to your opponent. And if you haven't laid your hands on SC2 yet, it's high time, as a matter of fact you're late!