I just finished watching the epic game between Flash and Jaedong on Rush Hour 3 and I got to thinking why it seems like SC2 never has battles on this scale, with this intensity. Then I realized what may be the biggest difference: Map Size.
In Starcraft: Brood War, the larger 1v1 maps were HUGE compared to the unit sizes and movement speeds. You had to be everywhere, all at once, split your army up to defend and attack multiple positions. The idea of "mobility" meant something big, something more than the tactical mobility of kiting or forming a faster concave. You had to be able to get around the map fast, put a ton of force in one place and then be gone by the time reinforcements arrive.
I really feel like a lot of this is missing from SC2. Terrans still have a modest amount of drop ship play, and thanks to the new marauders have a lot of success with base sniping, but I never see anything like the small ground armies running around in this game. Protoss have warp gates, which can be used to attack and defend far flung areas of the map, but even so the distances transversed seem very small compared to those in BW. Zerg now have the creep speed bonus, which helps defensively, but seems to have been considered in balancing because the strongest zerg offencive units (hydras and ultras) now lack a speed upgrade. Also, nydus worms are now priced as an offencive tool, so there is a pretty hard limit on how far away you can defend a base with a ground army.
Anyone else have similar thoughts?
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I just finished watching the epic game between Flash and Jaedong on Rush Hour 3 and I got to thinking why it seems like SC2 never has battles on this scale, with this intensity. Then I realized what may be the biggest difference: Map Size. In Starcraft: Brood War, the larger 1v1 maps were HUGE compared to the unit sizes and movement speeds. You had to be everywhere, all at once, split your army up to defend and attack multiple positions. The idea of "mobility" meant something big, something more than the tactical mobility of kiting or forming a faster concave. You had to be able to get around the map fast, put a ton of force in one place and then be gone by the time reinforcements arrive. I really feel like a lot of this is missing from SC2. Terrans still have a modest amount of drop ship play, and thanks to the new marauders have a lot of success with base sniping, but I never see anything like the small ground armies running around in this game. Protoss have warp gates, which can be used to attack and defend far flung areas of the map, but even so the distances transversed seem very small compared to those in BW. Zerg now have the creep speed bonus, which helps defensively, but seems to have been considered in balancing because the strongest zerg offencive units (hydras and ultras) now lack a speed upgrade. Also, nydus worms are now priced as an offencive tool, so there is a pretty hard limit on how far away you can defend a base with a ground army. Anyone else have similar thoughts?