Terranzzz

[Falchion]

Based on the Zerg thread, by Mesk, I'm doing a throughout help on Terrans. As I totally managed now to get the hang of them on B.Net 2, I feel I should help out the poor follies suffering and feeling not worthy of serving Mankind. Okay, that sounded Dominion-ish, but WTF?

Browder says Terrans are pretty easy to understand, right? Problem is, they're too easy to do bullshit too. Either you didn't mass right, or you didn't block in time, or etc, etc, etc. GAAAAHHH!!!

FIRST THINGS FIRST - Terrans got terrible early game and efficient ground AA cover, period. Also, despite all the versatility bull, rushing them is far too risky to win. Terrans are a play of defense, patience and getting the right hand. In other words, defend first, when the foe's bucked off, hit'em. You won't get a second chance twice, so you must be ready to defend and WIN.

There's also a mania around players of ignoring certain units, buildings and their uses and don't realize ignorance isn't a bliss when you're playing Terran.

THE BASICS:

The Reactor/Tech Lab Problematic - We got guys 'round making only Tech Labs, because of obviously, Marauders. Problem is, Marauders aren't the only part of Terran infantry useful! Thus, unless you want to go on floating on ore and short on gas, you gotta crank up one or two Reactors and mass Marines.

Unlike the first Starcraft, yes, Marines here ARE weak, period, not even Combat Shield can fix up considerably. But they make up for the best use I came to make when facing Marine/Marauder rushes.

Meat shield.

I always set Marines a bit foward of Marauders to keep the enemy busy while big boys do real work. Units are meant to die, for christ's sake, so faggy players, stop that hit and run bull, thinking 'Ooo, ooo, they're gonna diee! They're gona diiiiiiiieeeeeeee!!!'.

Terrans, unfortunately, are about mass AA to live. Sit down and get used to it, no more Valks for you fellas. Vikings can be built with Reactors, allowing for quick mass! Get Reactors on your build list or die. Simple rule.


Multiple Orbital Commands - If you're aiming for an aggressive mood, you'll need at least two Orbital Commands. At least, if you want to keep dropping MULEs and extra supplies and Comsatting your foe. Three makes Terran use Gold.

Starcraft II's Terrans are more abusive on supplies, and building more will get a headache on time, and that isn't a luxury for Terrans. This is the principle on Terran game, deploy extra supplies as often as you can.

But that alone isn't an excuse to ignore Comsat and MULEs. You need minerals for Marine Meat Shield (MMS) and scouting. So multiple Orbital Commands are worth expense, yessir!


Terran Safe Gas - Going gas is important for air play, most of all Banshees. They're expensive to get and even more expensive to research their cloaking. I generally build up a CC, then (if needed) churn out an OrbCom, lift off, land somewhere less likely for an assault (That's a part of play too!), and prioritize refinery build.

Also, if you can, get Refinery early game ASAP, especially if you're playing TvT: You need to get ahead of Marauder Race.


Teching - Upgrades for Marauders and Reapers are at water prices, folks! Grab'em as well as Combat Shield, you need your MMS to be at least a bit durable. But, until you got Medivacs, stay away from Stims, that's an order.

On Factory, Siege is priority. Until the patch is out, you need some safe, crowd control firepower. Don't even bother getting Thor guns, they're fully useless.

On Starport, make important Cloaking Field, Durable Materials and Corvid Reactor. The later two I'll explain why later. Medivac energy is optional, but not terrible too.


KNOWING THE UNITS:

In all games, Ghosts and Nukes are fully useless, they spend a lot and take longer to be used effectively. No, you can better use your eco on something else. Sensor tower is a suicidal idea and a waste of time, it doesn't only put on a big note saying 'I'M HERE! HIT ME!!!', it also doesn't pick up anything invisible. So, no, stick to Missile Turrets instead. Preferably with that range upgrade on the Eng Bay.

As I told, Marines are weak, only for Meat Shield. Reapers perform best in early hit and run alone, later games make them useless, they only work better climbing cliffs for hitting. But Marauder number is crucial, as long as your MMS can double/triple them. Concussion grenades are a must, they can slow Klingons, and you need to keep their blades AWAY!

Banshees will only work miracles, especially on Z, when you get Cloak. But the advantage is short-lived, because Z will get smart and bring along an Overseer. You can get Vikings real quick, plus they can transform, but it's a thing I don't do: Who knows when the next air group or Colossi will show up? Also, they're good for Overlord Bullying.

Hellions are a vehicle MMS, so it isn't that bad getting a Reactor for them, unless you're not sure of it. If you're confident of your group, you can research flame upgrade and see'em cause some extra annoyance. They also hold Watch Towers best than Reapers, but can't climb cliffs.

Siege Tanks are a must against mass Hydras and Protoss, so get one or two ASAP. Thors are a need against Colossi. Unfortunately, the Thor AA has a good range, but not good sight. Time to value MMS again!

The de facto problem with Terrans indeed is sight. Pure and simple, unless you can get'em to use max range of their guns, Terrans will screw big time. Thus, you need more than just detection from ComSats, you need RAVENS!

People are making the worst error possible because they're not using Ravens, they claim it's useless. Every game I won I had to use them. The reasons, besides detecting those pesky Ninjas?

Pea Shooters (Point Defense Drones for dummies.).

Pea Shooters work miracles on any mass Hydra, Thor, Squid, Muta, Cruiser and Viking combinations, at least in two or three. They don't last long, only block for a moment or two, but that's what you need to beat the hell outta them with your mass! Get two/three Ravens ASAP, research Corvid and Durables, and you can have a real shield on your hands!

The Bombie is a good upgrade for mass foes, but you might risk your Ravens, so prioritize Pea Shooters. Period. Just don't expect pea shooters to work on Void Rays, 'coz they won't, it has to be ignorance to beat'em.

Battlecruisers are a joke for Air, need escorts, take too long to build and far too many resources, provided the resource expos are protected too. On places unlikely to be assaulted early. The only thing they're useful for is to Ray Ban those Carriers, but even when you manage to get that chance, the foe will already have two/three carriers per Cruiser.


I've also got some real big time tips to help you out, besides that Raven advice. I used'em and don't regret them.

BUNK, YOU BUMS! - Those Reaper rushes are really a pain in the ass, but you got the best of all solutions for'em, you don't use'em 'coz you don't want to: Turtle Holes! BUNKERS!!!

Those things aren't like the ones in first Starcraft, they add one plus range and they're reciclable. You get your minerals back. So, instead of just complaining, build up a Bunker in your mineral line, fill it up with Marines and let'em worry about those fuckin' Reapers! Then, after a hit or two, you can salvage'em. Extra Rooms can let you set up a Marauder, if you can afford to lose one in your army. So use the goddamn things, I don't know WTF you complainin' about, noobs!

WALL IN - Playing maps with narrow choke points and ramps? Close it with Depots ASS-AP (Sorry, I needed to put on that joke.)! They can now retract, making it a gate too. So, instead of rushing for Barracks, go for walling in first. Terrans suck about early defense, remember that!

Players go in rushing Probes/Drones for those hating Refinery hits, Photon Blitz and Zergling harass. That's the why on the wall! Don't let those guys get you on the most vulnerable, and early Terrans ARE too vulnerable!

UPGRADE - Mesk said and I repeat him: Get upgrades, they help out alot! You just need Armories for higher levels now, no more of that Science facility bull, so what you're waiting for???

MEDDLE VACS - Medivacs are your friends, learn to love those nurses. Not only they allow you for backdoor rapin', they also heal. So ideal is to have at least four/six Flyin' Nurses for your big boys. Energy upgrade works well too.

They're also buildable with the Vikings on the Reactor thingie. Any more laughable excuses?

HOME ON THE FOCUS 'N RANGE - If you got that famed Void Ray problem, you need to learn to use range and stuff. Vikings and Thors got the longest missle attack possible, but no sight. Again, it's the Raven thing. ComSat's possible too, but wastes energy.

Also, you need to shift-click, make your Airplanes focus on one ship at a time, rather than just A-move. The more you can dedicate to blowing up a ship rather than damaging three, the better. Remember: SHIFT KEY! SAVES ALOT! ESPECIALLY ON BUILD!!!

SNOOP THY NEIGHBOR - Got that eco up 'n runnin? ComSat! You gotta know what they're getting! ComSat scans aren't killable. Another reason why you need more than one Orbital Command.

Also, get Reapers, or better, Buggys into those towers. The more vision the better, Terrans desperatly need range.

Your foe's a Zerg? Even better, you know you can set in and see all he's got, since he doesn't know how to Creep Tumor yet.

CHEAP EXTERMINATOR SERVICE - Marines' instant attack is a must for those Mass Carriers, they can't just keep the hornets distracted, they can, with enough numbers, kill a good number of them in a few moments, and Carriers DO take long to replace their hornets. So, REACTORS GALORE, HO!!!

So, in the end, we sum it up to the doc's instructions:

- Wall in ASAP. Period.

- Get two or more OrbComs for good game. Think 'More MULE's, more Marines.', 'More extras, less time wasted.', 'More ComSat, more raping planning.'...

- Value Marauder racing, but go Marine aggressive too. Mass'em up for shielding and Carrier problem. Love your Reactors. Don't forget Combat Shield!

- ComSat often.

- Bunk in for Reaper rushes. Salvage after that.

- Islands are best for expo. Especially that gassin' for air.

- MEDIVACS!!! BUY OR SUFFER!!!

- If you got Medivacs, Stim alot. With Marauders still having it, you need to rock the house.

- Thors are good, but not THAT good! Only for Colossi. As BCs are only useful to Ray Ban Carriers. So Vikings and Banshees work best in here.

- Upgrade or suffer too.

- Last but not least, Ravens ARE the game turners 'round here. Get used to using Pea Shooters and focusing infantry to knock enemy Pea Shooters down. If you got spare energy after deploying two/three Pea Shooters, home run a Bombie.


Resuming, T can pull a war against massed Z and smart P, it's a race that requires doing smart moves than just senseless massing Marauders and Vikings all around. People who MeddleVac Thors or grouped infantry to a base do some big time damage. People who got smart Raven use are in for the win. The crucial, however, is early game, indeed. Terrans who didn't walled in for that rushed Barracks quit shortly because some douchebag went for Photon Rush.


And in case anyone asks, no, I'm not Korean neither American. Just Brazilian.

[Krazy]

dude, 5 rax reaper gg.

[Mucky]

1: Train a Reaper
2: Build a Bunker
3: Place Reaper in Bunker
4: ???
5: PROFIT!