Fishing for Achievements

I've been taking a hiatus from Cooperative play (I would really appreciate a block function in Starcraft II so I cannot be paired with people who have griefed me). Of course, Starcraft 2 is way too much fun to stop playing all-together, so I've been doing 1v1 custom games against the AI to get some achievements. I've currently gotten the Zerg economy achievements for Zerglings produced and Lair mutation and the Terran economy achievements for Marines produced and quick Factory construction.

I'll be doing the Protoss economy achievements whenever I log in again (have been concentrating more on my Dragon Quest IX articles; feel free to check out my HubPages profile for details).

So, if you need any help with any of the achievements, let me know since I've been saving up those replays. I can always send them to you. :)

Until the next time, take care and have fun! ;)

-Winterfate

New Article released at Hubpages.com

As promised, I have released my newest hub at hubpages.com! As you may have suspected by my hint, the subject matter is how to die slowly in a cooperative game of Starcraft 2. Read on at: http://hubpages.com/hub/Starcraft-2-The-Art-of-Dying-Slowly

Feel free to comment on the article either here or over at HubPages.

Until the next time, take care and have fun! ;)

-Winterfate

Some of My Pet Peeves in Starcraft 2 Cooperative

I wrote up some tips in my last post. Now, I'm going to write some things that really drive me up a wall while playing Starcraft 2:

• Allies who don't help you fend off an enemy assault when it's painfully obvious you're heavily outmatched. At the very least, they could go for a counterattack on the enemy forces. In that case, even if you get wiped out, it becomes a 1v1 or 2v2 (depending on the map type).
• People who leave the game in the first minute of the game. Obviously, life happens (sudden power/internet outages, emergencies), but I doubt that that's always the reason it occurs. I don't see why they can't stay and play. As far as I know, there's no achievements unlockable by losing games. :P
• People who turtle and don't leave their main area until they're out of resources (and sometimes not even then!). Earth to "you-know-who-you-are": We're playing a Cooperative game, I/We (depends on map type) can help you! No need to turtle for 20+ minutes. Oh, did I mention that the greatest offender of this pet peeve actually got wiped out anyways? You would've thought he'd have the decency to not get stomped after all of those defenses he set up. -_-
• Triple Terran on the AI side in a 3v3 match. Then the legion of Marauders knocks on MY door. While I'm playing Zerg. Oh, for the love of the Swarm!! -_- 
• (Pro Tip: Counter with Zerglings. Hydralisks are flimsy and Roaches are Armored).
• The Bio Ball aka. MMM aka. Marines/Medivacs/Marauders. I hate myself when I use it; that's how bad I hate it. Seriously, I feel like Protoss and Zerg require actual effort to master but Terrans can stomp with their basic Tier 1 infantry and some healing ships (which, mind you, just make the Bio Ball stronger; you don't really need the healing if you get to your enemies fast enough). I don't think I've used half of the Terran tech tree yet, because MMM works that well. To be fair, it's fun the first dozen times you use it. After that, you feel like you're coated in Cheese. :P
• I loathe how my micro and macro slips at regular intervals while playing Zerg. How I miss the days of the first version where the extent of playing Zerg well was just expanding fast. Now you need to micro Queens as well (which can get overwhelming if you're trying to do so for multiple bases at the same time).

/rant

I hope you enjoyed reading through my pet peeves. :P
You're probably peeved by some of these things as well. :D

Until the next time, take care and have fun! ;)

-Winterfate

Some Helpful Multiplayer Tips for Starcraft 2 Cooperative Gaming

I'm going to write up some helpful tips I've picked up for playing Starcraft 2 with other human players.

• If you get a notification that your ally is under attack, go help him/her out. A 2v2 or 3v3 gets much harder if it's suddenly 1v2 or 2v3 (respectively).
• Synergize your unit selections. For example, if you're playing Zerg and your ally is Terran, you should use Zerglings to complement his ranged firepower. Roaches are optional, but Hydralisks are essentially buffed up Marines (look at the stats, I'm not joking!).
• Assist your ally's efforts to expand. Several maps in the Cooperative map pool have destructible rocks guarding some of the mines (this is especially true if they are High Yield mineral fields). When you see your ally trying to destroy some rocks, send your units to assist.
• If an ally is getting attacked and you are sending units to defend, prioritize his economy and his main tech buildings (such as the Spire, Dark Shrine, Factory, and other buildings that are mid to high tier and can cause quite the setback if lost).
• By the same token, that's what you should be aiming at if you're attacking an opponent.
• If you're being attacked by all the computers in a Co-op match, entrench. This involves creating defensive structures and units to protect those structures. You may not win, but you'll usually buy your allies enough time to either assist you or counterattack your opponents. I call this Dying Slowly when the skirmish in question is visibly unwinnable.
• If you're playing as Zerg, be particularly mindful of where you place your Creep Tumors. If you have Protoss and Terran allies, your building foundation (aka. Creep) can work against them as they cannot build on it. Or, maybe you're evil and that's what you want to do... :P

These are just a few tips I've figured out during my game time in Starcraft II. Feel free to add more tips in the comments sections! :D

Until the next time, take care and have fun! ;)

-Winterfate