Starcraft 2: 8 Medivac drop

[Happy Gravity]

http://drop.sc/

Thank you very much.

Any tips for what I can do better? :D

In any case, I love the Swarm Host as a unit and I'll keep trying to use it, but if you mass them then you have to play so much differently from a normal Zerg. Your map presence becomes much more centralized (stronger in 1 area, but none in any others) so I feel like spamming spine and spore crawlers on all expos/choke points would be a good idea. Maybe even creep (heh) them along with your army if you have the creep for it.

[Artanis]

I just finished the mission where you get Mutalisks. So far I've taken the leaper Zerglings, leaper Banelings, and slowing Roaches.

The mini-Banelings don't do much damage, from what I saw during the evolution mission. I think you wind up with a grand total of 25% additional total damage per Baneling (though that damage does get spread around a bit more). Not that they get much use either way, admittedly - I'm pretty bad about completely forgetting that I can build things that aren't Zerglings, Hydras, or Mutas

Also, as awesome as spawning free Banelings is, I find the alternative ability - giving +200hp to a batch of guys - to be quite appealing. The idea of Zerglings surviving two Siege Tank rounds to the face makes me giggle

Yeah the char thing, I took out the tunnels so I was warned they had been filled with lava by the terrans. Had to make a run for it down the bone valley or whatever it was called and it was a pretty cool mission.

I got the same mission after having taken out the sky platform in WoL, so it appears you get that mission either way.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Putting Kerrigan in your army does make things go so much easier, particularly once she gets Mend. Chain + Broodling gives you a bunch of disposable minions to soak up the first shot from things like siege tanks so your leaper lings can jump in and take them out.

I also don't think your previous campaign choices have much of any impact whatsoever on the HotS campaign, other than maybe a couple of phrases. You still do the exact same mission, with exactly the same conditions.

I will also say... that final cinematic was a beatdown that was a long time in coming. Arcturus Mengsk is a villain you love to hate. I haven't had a burning drive to put a video game villain down in the worst way since... well... since Kefka. That's when you know you've got a good storyline... when your player really, really wants to kill that bastard of a BBEG.

[Traab]

Man, just ran the ultralisk upgrade missions. Are, are they REALLY that powerful? I mean, I generally never bothered to make them, only using whatever ultralisks I might stumble across but damn. I am LOVING that plague ultralisk. Combine with monarch blades for death to everything in the vicinity. Who needs resurrection when you can just melt everything attacking you first?

[Chen]

So since I got Banelines (did Char after the primal zerg place) I've realized all I need to do is hotkey my hatchery, set its spawn waypoint onto Kerrigan and just spam Zerglings. Turn about 10 or so into banelines and push forward. Nothing really stands in my way. I kept the first default kerrigan power and that generally deals with any big threats the opponent comes up with. Also have mend for emergencies. But with Zergling speed+raptor strain they break through whatever is needed pretty easily.

[Traab]

Yeah its odd but so far air units are fairly few and far between. A few of those banshees are about the only thing to worry about in the air as even those transformers tend to land quick. And those few air units can get kerrigan blasted with relative ease. I honestly wonder if the reason its so easy to mow down the enemy is because I get to control kerrigan 95% of the game and she is beastly.

[Aotrs Commander]

Hooray, HotS arrived!

Now I just have find room on my hard drive for the... 20gig?! Mwah? How in the heck did they managed to use that much space? That's more than Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition!

(I'm actually not really critically short of space per se - there's about 80 gig before I take anything off - but it is broaching my 15% not-enough-space-to-run-defrag limit.)

Was sorta not expecting the expansion to require +50% HDD space than the game and as much as a full-on RPG! (Heck ME 3 doesn't take that much...!) (Any body know whether this is 20 gig total (SC+Expansion), or just +20 gig for the expansion? I sort of half-assume the former...!)

Well. Definately going to have to take Overlord I & II off again (though to be fair, one play through on them is enough) and maybe Ultimate Alliance (which, until I replace my joystick, I am highly unlikely to play again anyway...) That ought to be a good 14 gig...



(I should add that I am in the process of procuring stuff to add a second, larger, HDD to turn the machine into a duel-boot XP/7 machine (I've bought 7 now I just need another month or two to buy the new HDD); largely because I just really want to minimise the amount of stuff to carry across to Win 7 and the week or so's time it will takes to do that.)

[Karoht]

Ling/Bling + Mutas will win you the majority of missions. With all the boosters it only becomes a stronger strategy.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Hooray, HotS arrived!

Now I just have find room on my hard drive for the... 20gig?! Mwah? How in the heck did they managed to use that much space? That's more than Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition!

(I'm actually not really critically short of space per se - there's about 80 gig before I take anything off - but it is broaching my 15% not-enough-space-to-run-defrag limit.)

Was sorta not expecting the expansion to require +50% HDD space than the game and as much as a full-on RPG! (Heck ME 3 doesn't take that much...!) (Any body know whether this is 20 gig total (SC+Expansion), or just +20 gig for the expansion? I sort of half-assume the former...!)

Well. Definately going to have to take Overlord I & II off again (though to be fair, one play through on them is enough) and maybe Ultimate Alliance (which, until I replace my joystick, I am highly unlikely to play again anyway...) That ought to be a good 14 gig...



(I should add that I am in the process of procuring stuff to add a second, larger, HDD to turn the machine into a duel-boot XP/7 machine (I've bought 7 now I just need another month or two to buy the new HDD); largely because I just really want to minimise the amount of stuff to carry across to Win 7 and the week or so's time it will takes to do that.)

This is a full-on RPG. It's got as many missions as Wings of Liberty has. And it's got tons of cut-scenes with high-res graphics which eat up space like nobody's business. And the shiny, shiny physics engine.

Don't think of this as an expansion pack, it's a full game in its own right. For most companies, it would have been considered a sequel and been Starcraft 3.

[Traab]

I actually have mostly stopped using lings, because they tend to get too far ahead of the big hitters in my group requiring lots of start/stop/start controlling over more than short distances. Besides, the roaches and hydras are able to obliterate armies with their attacks. Gotta love the slower roaches. Toss in a quick mend at first contact to avoid the initial losses as much as possible until everything gets slowed and blammo, I have just punched through the defensive lines. I might make a batch of lings if I need a quick and dirty defense group early on, but I dont bother to replace them after they die.

[Chen]

I actually have mostly stopped using lings, because they tend to get too far ahead of the big hitters in my group requiring lots of start/stop/start controlling over more than short distances. Besides, the roaches and hydras are able to obliterate armies with their attacks. Gotta love the slower roaches. Toss in a quick mend at first contact to avoid the initial losses as much as possible until everything gets slowed and blammo, I have just punched through the defensive lines. I might make a batch of lings if I need a quick and dirty defense group early on, but I dont bother to replace them after they die.

I was noticing the lings getting too far ahead. It may make me switch to the attack speed upgrade instead of the speed upgrade. I do think the ease of the campaign is how absurdly strong Kerrigan is though. I mean it kinda makes sense.

What I'd really have liked to see was some solid levels where the AI would attack like it does in custom games. None of this bull**** 2 tanks and 4 marine "assaults". I'd like to see a full on Bio ball of marines with tank backup and such. Would probably be too difficult for some players though which would probably upset people.

[Traab]

I was noticing the lings getting too far ahead. It may make me switch to the attack speed upgrade instead of the speed upgrade. I do think the ease of the campaign is how absurdly strong Kerrigan is though. I mean it kinda makes sense.

What I'd really have liked to see was some solid levels where the AI would attack like it does in custom games. None of this bull**** 2 tanks and 4 marine "assaults". I'd like to see a full on Bio ball of marines with tank backup and such. Would probably be too difficult for some players though which would probably upset people.

Which is why that should be what happens on higher difficulties. Not damage and hp boosts, but a smarter AI. On a related note, beat the campaign. Woohoo! My swarm host base defense strategy is well proven. Plant 5-6 of those in my base and ignore anything but a massive enemy push because I now have a solid anti ground/air combo that can cover any attack in seconds. Instead of building a set of reinforcements, queueing up another set, THEN sending the first to the front lines so I dont have to worry about having nothing to fight with there, I can take that bit of stress off my shoulders and concentrate fully on obliterating mengsk.

I assume on the higher difficulties I will need to slap down more of the hosts to maintain base integrity, but even so, its a solid and effective method. Heh, I used them to take out the 3 gates on that one mission. I would send them to the limit of their range to snipe away defenders, let the creep grow around them, then move them in 20 feet or so to attack the next line. Keep inching forward till the gate is in range then wait for the news of my victory.

Also, the leviathan is scary strong. Its a one unit invasion force that obliterates everything. On the final push, I used the leviathon by itself to free one of the reinforcement spots. It flew over a small terran camp on its way and still was able to take it all down. Slowly sure, but I wasnt in a rush, I was moving to the other side of the map anyways.

[Silverraptor]

I only massed lings at the enemy because I repeatedly had 8:1 ratio of minerals to gas, and needed to throw something at the enemy. I also would build 2 hatheries per mineral line when I fully saturate them because, since the max number of larva in the campaign is 9 and you can't add queen eggs, and the overflowing amount of minerals I was getting each mission, I needed to spend the minerals on something.

[Silverraptor]

Thank you very much.

Any tips for what I can do better? :D

In any case, I love the Swarm Host as a unit and I'll keep trying to use it, but if you mass them then you have to play so much differently from a normal Zerg. Your map presence becomes much more centralized (stronger in 1 area, but none in any others) so I feel like spamming spine and spore crawlers on all expos/choke points would be a good idea. Maybe even creep (heh) them along with your army if you have the creep for it.

Your lack of adrenal glands saddens me. Also, what was the thought of building the viper?

[Happy Gravity]

Your lack of adrenal glands saddens me. Also, what was the thought of building the viper?

I always forget the Adrenal Glands upgrade. D:

As for the viper(s), I hit E a few times on accident when I had a larva selected. >_>

[Traab]

Your lack of adrenal glands saddens me. Also, what was the thought of building the viper?

The viper does have value, if you are able to micro properly. Yank those seige tanks out from behind the bunkers, drop a cloud on various spots, things like that. It could be a real game changer if you have the skills to use it properly. I dont have the skills, so I dont ever use it. :p Also, I agree with the mineral ratio, I DO end up with a couple thousand minerals and a few hundred gas as I go. I dont mind because im still able to produce whatever I am after. Though at times the gas requirement has caused me to slow down my swarm spawning for a bit.

[Silverraptor]

I always forget the Adrenal Glands upgrade. D:

As for the viper(s), I hit E a few times on accident when I had a larva selected. >_>

I always go into a zerg game with the intent and focus of getting adrenal.

The viper does have value, if you are able to micro properly. Yank those seige tanks out from behind the bunkers, drop a cloud on various spots, things like that. It could be a real game changer if you have the skills to use it properly. I dont have the skills, so I dont ever use it. :p Also, I agree with the mineral ratio, I DO end up with a couple thousand minerals and a few hundred gas as I go. I dont mind because im still able to produce whatever I am after. Though at times the gas requirement has caused me to slow down my swarm spawning for a bit.

Yeah, but against zerg? He had roaches which range didn't make the cloud usable, and the mutas aren't affected. But I understand the accidently hit E thing.

[Traab]

I always go into a zerg game with the intent and focus of getting adrenal.



Yeah, but against zerg? He had roaches which range didn't make the cloud usable, and the mutas aren't affected. But I understand the accidently hit E thing.

Oh, thats ok then. :p I couldnt see the linked game so no clue what was going on in it. Could always use it to snag ultralisks on plateaus with no way off short of transport.

[Spuddles]

Holy Evolution Ultralisk Mission Batman! Holy Crap!

Anyways, hope this isn't a spoiler for anyone, since it should be really obvious, but I'm invading Korhal now. (I know I spelled that name wrong somehow). Anyone want to discuss which evolutions they got with which mutation choice for each unit and the reasons behind it?

Don't talk too much about the missions and plot yet. Lets give it a week before spoiling too much stuff.

Max supply on swarm host that shoot up and can teleport to creep. Be every where at once with an endless free army. Keep a queen handy to push creep. Oh, and teleporting swarm hosts are sort of bugged. If you teleport a large enough pack, they will simultaneously generate creep and then teleport into it. By then end, I was tele-pushing with 30 swarm hosts and leap frogging entire screens.

And kerrigan summoning 6 hopper banelings with 50% increase in radius can push most fortifications by her self and maybe a little locust support.

I was playing at hard difficulty. Not sure viabilty at brutal.

Spoiler regarding end of game:

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I was super disappointed that kerrigan didn't infest mengsk, or at least bring him back and have abathur experiment on him. After all the blathering on about making mengsk pay, then just exploding him? Bleh.

spoiler regarding the swarm:

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I found the giving zergs more autonomy interesting- izsha, the renegade queen, and even stukov. It makes a 3 faction MMORPG in starcrsft universe totally plausible

dr narud

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was he in wol? Also is he duran. Narud is duran backwards

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I am saddened by the lack of Corruptors. I really was wanting an air to air unit to deal with BC's and Banshees. Plus, I didn't want to have to mutate my mutas into broodies. Vipers require too much micro for my tastes.

LeaperLings + Adrenal Glands = good times. Particularly with full upgrades. Since they don't have the speed upgrade, they don't get too far ahead of anyone, and with 'ling reconstitution, I just get 'em back anyways. Basically, I treat 'em as a more competent version of a broodling or roachling.

As far as massively more minerals than gas, there's Vespine Efficiency, which does help. Also, not fully saturating your mineral line, counterintuitive as it might be, actually helps since you have more supply for troops.

[Silverraptor]

Spoiler on campaign lore

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So yeah, I realized several things. Narud is Duran, kinda obvious with a shapeshifter. But also, you know when in WoL final mission, when the artifact is about to explode, and you hear the regular Kerrigan telling you to "Not give up"? I figured out that was the shapeshifter guy as well, since he was in position to absorb the energy he would get from the queen of blades when the artifact went off.

[Mutant Sheep]

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The Doctor/Duran is also the one who hired Tychus to find the artifacts in the first place. Nice gambit.

@V yeah, he's the one that killed Stukov. So much drama!

[Traab]

About nurad.

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He has been in the game since starcraft brood wars. He was with the ued, but betrayed them to the zerg. Im pretty sure he was a zerg member for awhile, then went away again, this time popping up as doctor nurad in mengsk secret lab mission in wol. He has been a player for a long time in game, and even longer going by lore.

[Artanis]

Just did the Infestor mission. It was really interesting, but I didn't find it terribly fun due to how bad I am at micro in general and at using spellcaster-types in particular. I ultimately wound up just making a Hydraball to follow Kerrigan around

About nurad.

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this time popping up as doctor nurad in mengsk secret lab mission in wol.

Nitpick:

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Narud was in The Moebius Factor (the one where you get Medivacs), not the secret lab. Of course, background-wise he was probably involved in that secret lab in some way, but he wasn't in the mission IIRC.

[Traab]

Just did the Infestor mission. It was really interesting, but I didn't find it terribly fun due to how bad I am at micro in general and at using spellcaster-types in particular. I ultimately wound up just making a Hydraball to follow Kerrigan around


Nitpick:

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Narud was in The Moebius Factor (the one where you get Medivacs), not the secret lab. Of course, background-wise he was probably involved in that secret lab in some way, but he wasn't in the mission IIRC.

True he was a part of the medivac one, but im also fairly sure his name gets dropped in the dialogue for the secret lab. And it IS a lab full of hybrids which are his secret project, but you are right, I dont think he showed up there.

*EDIT* I agree with the infestor mission. I Basically used them to infest the next area after mowing down everything in my path and otherwise ignored them. I used those swarm hosts to guard the infested sites. Its actually pretty hilarious how easy the mission is once you get enough of those sites infested. Thats a LOT of infested terrans swarming everything. Most annoying part was moving the creep along.

[Karoht]

The Infestor Mission went a little something like this for me.

Ohez noez, they are sending a big bad Thor at me. I'd better retreat. *Burrow entire army*
*Select Infestors*
*Burrow move Infestors to cozy up next to Thor*
*Burrow move Roaches group up to support*
*Unburrow, parasite Thor, reburrow*
*Watch the fun*

When they sent Medivacs at me to drop, I had to pause the game to laugh. I infested them before they could land. Free marines and a medivac. Medivac support with Roaches is awesome!

But once I infested a few Thors, they started lobbing Battlecruisers my way.
So a short while later I took my free army of Battlecruisers and finished the objective, just to see if I could do it without any other support. Wasn't hard, just had to Yamato inbound Thors if I couldn't infest them fast enough.

[Silverraptor]

Just did the Infestor mission. It was really interesting, but I didn't find it terribly fun due to how bad I am at micro in general and at using spellcaster-types in particular. I ultimately wound up just making a Hydraball to follow Kerrigan around


Nitpick:

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Narud was in The Moebius Factor (the one where you get Medivacs), not the secret lab. Of course, background-wise he was probably involved in that secret lab in some way, but he wasn't in the mission IIRC.

True he was a part of the medivac one, but im also fairly sure his name gets dropped in the dialogue for the secret lab. And it IS a lab full of hybrids which are his secret project, but you are right, I dont think he showed up there.

*EDIT* I agree with the infestor mission. I Basically used them to infest the next area after mowing down everything in my path and otherwise ignored them. I used those swarm hosts to guard the infested sites. Its actually pretty hilarious how easy the mission is once you get enough of those sites infested. Thats a LOT of infested terrans swarming everything. Most annoying part was moving the creep along.

The Infestor Mission went a little something like this for me.

Ohez noez, they are sending a big bad Thor at me. I'd better retreat. *Burrow entire army*
*Select Infestors*
*Burrow move Infestors to cozy up next to Thor*
*Burrow move Roaches group up to support*
*Unburrow, parasite Thor, reburrow*
*Watch the fun*

When they sent Medivacs at me to drop, I had to pause the game to laugh. I infested them before they could land. Free marines and a medivac. Medivac support with Roaches is awesome!

But once I infested a few Thors, they started lobbing Battlecruisers my way.
So a short while later I took my free army of Battlecruisers and finished the objective, just to see if I could do it without any other support. Wasn't hard, just had to Yamato inbound Thors if I couldn't infest them fast enough.

Ah darn it, didn't think about nerual parasiting the medivacs. I liked the infestor mission based on my experience with multiplayer and the necessity of fungals. I fungaled alot of units that campaign with roach support.

[Traab]

Heh, I will have to try doing that at harder difficulties when it might be useful. At normal though you can pretty much stomp right through it with a few roaches/lisks as backup while the unending swarms of infested terrans absorb all the damage on their march to the prison cell. I let them wear down the defenses, then mop up whatever is left. When the crews come out to attack my infestor areas, as I said, the swarm hosts do a bangup job. I just deep tunnel them around a bit if I need more for some reason.

[Silverraptor]

Heh, I will have to try doing that at harder difficulties when it might be useful. At normal though you can pretty much stomp right through it with a few roaches/lisks as backup while the unending swarms of infested terrans absorb all the damage on their march to the prison cell. I let them wear down the defenses, then mop up whatever is left. When the crews come out to attack my infestor areas, as I said, the swarm hosts do a bangup job. I just deep tunnel them around a bit if I need more for some reason.

Pssshhh. You wait to push when the gas is off? I really only thought of the gas as, "Oh look, free units to consume to replenish the energy of my infestors." *Omnomnom* Keep pushing!

[Traab]

Pssshhh. You wait to push when the gas is off? I really only thought of the gas as, "Oh look, free units to consume to replenish the energy of my infestors." *Omnomnom* Keep pushing!

Its more fun to come in behind a wall of infested terrans and crash through the blockade. This has always been my favorite type of mission. Back in warcraft 3 with the final rexxar missin, the assault on theramore, I loved running that one and taking down all the big towers so the three groups of npcs could all push through and make the final assault with me. Yeah I could just pound my way through with the heroes only and do it faster, its just more FUN to do it with 100 units that I dont have to worry about backing me up. You actually had to do it just right and fast enough to avoid losing one of the three allied camps. I must have run that one map a couple dozen times perfecting my method.

For example, if I methodically took out every tower big and small before moving on to the next lane, I would often lose a camp because I took too long. But by only taking down the big towers, I make it possible for the npcs to push their own way forward so they all break through at about the same time.

But anyway, this mission was a nice reminder of that warcraft mission for me and I loved doing it that way. Let the expendables take the losses. Open up all possible routes for them, get all the areas producing, and watch the carnage!