WarCraft III

[Eddies cellmate]

Well, I finally started playing the 1v1 maps vs the computer tonight, because I'm almost finished with the last campaign.

I have played about four games in a row, and have gotten my ass whipped 4 out of 4!

Now, I know from experience that I'll eventually learn ways to overcome it, but right now the computer is developing it's armies at an unbelievable speed. It's developing two level 6 heroes before I can develop one. It's mowing down my entire army and loads of towers with ease. It's coming with every unit, fully upgraded, before I can even get to anything much more than grunts and stonethrowers.

I'm sure I'll start beating it, but right now I can barely keep up with it at all...

 

[rabies]

I remember those days...thinking..'how the F can he be cranking units out that fast...and how the hell does he have 2 level 6 heros and I only have a level 2???'

heh heh

On the battle.net forums..it has been widely speculated that if the computer were allowed to play 1v1 ladder games, it would probably be about a level 6 opponent...especially on smaller maps. By comparison, the highest level on the realms right now is level 22. I am a level 9. ..you start at level 1.

On a bad day, even I would lose to the comp 1v1. You have to be uber-fast in teh first 5-10 minutes of the game..and know your build order cold.

You'll get better. You may want to play 1v1 against humans..they may be easier. Until then, here are tips on beating the comp:

1. Save the replay. Go back and watch with the fog of war off. watch what the comp does. It does NOT cheat insomuch as it gets more gold or cheaper units. In fact, its kind of stupid sometimes. The only advantage it has is that It can control each of its units simultaneously (something a human cannot), it knows the maps cold..and can 'see' what you are doing at all times. However, it is remarkably dumb in some areas (to give you a chance). Watch his build order to. The comp build order is a decent one for a new player. Gives you an idea which buildings are most important ..and when...then compare to how fast you are building stuff.

2. When you get into a battle with the comp...remember this 1 thing. He will most likely try to focus all his units on your hero. If your hero dies..you army is but a shadow of its former self. Use this to your advantage...move your hero around in circles and away..or whatever to minimize the impact. Meanwhile, your army gets free hits on his army. You may also want to buy several potions of healing to make the hero last longer. I cannot stress how important item shops are. Scroll of prot/healing/mana potions make a huge diff.

3. The computer is very predictable. It always does the same thing. He will always mass lots of tier one units. There are plenty of high level strats to beat that (turtle tech, early expand, etc).

4. Get to know the maps and the creep locations. The only reason he has 2 level 6s and you have none is because he is currently much better at creeping. You must learn to become a fast efficient creeper...while being able to tech/build and crank out an army.

5. Try not to tower up. This game does not favor defense. The best defense is offense. It is better to focus on getting a 70 point army as fast as possible than it is to build 3 towers in your base.

I can give you specifics tips on how to play any given race if you want. What race are you going with?

 

[Eddies cellmate]

Thanks Rabs, some of that I've begun to realize already, and some are new tips that will be very useful. I think that right now I need to learn the differences between W3 and the other RTS games that I've played over the years. I think I've kinda automatically fallen into old habits that no longer work like they did in the previous games.

So far, I've been playing the Orcs. I want to stick with one race to become accustomed with them first before rotating and trying the other races in 1vs1.

I will watch the replay to see what the cpu's build order is. I haven't done that thus far, and it's good advice. So far, I've been building my Burrow, War Mill, and Barracks first, then the Altar of Storms. I then build a hero and a handful of units to go "creeping". From there I've been trying different things. I've tried to hold there for a bit while buying upgrades and building a defensive army to stave off early rushes. I've also tried getting my Beastiary, Spirit Lodge, and Stronghold built quickly and then putting together an army. Niether worked too well for me last night. It'll take some time, but I'll need to work out the best timing for these, so I don't get caught unprepared.

In the games I played last night, I did lose my hero in a lot of the early battles. I didn't account for the fact that the cpu would focus his fire on my hero. Lesson learned.

Yea, I did get caught wasting time in the first couple of games wandering around looking for creeps. That got better as I became familiar with the map.

Of course you're right about using the Item Shops. I've noticed that in the campaigns, using items is pretty much optional. There are very few places where they're really needed. However, you're right to point out that they play a much more crucial role in the 1vs1 games. I started to work on that a bit last night, but I was so busy just trying to survive and grow that I wasn't able to use the items much.

I did try not to tower up too much last night, but my base got overrun so quickly that I gave it a try just for an experiment. You are right that it's generally a waste. It just delays the inevitable. In this way, W3 is a lot like the older RTS games. The best defense is a good offense.

Well, I'm gonna go play a few with the cpu and see how I do. When I've played a few, I'll take a look on Bnet and see if you're around. Maybe we'll play together against the cpu so I can show you first hand just how bad I'm sucking. If I don't see you there, I'll give a full post-mortem in this thread. :s

 

[Eddies cellmate]

Well, I finally beat the cpu last night.

In fact I whipped it's chip-encrusted ass.

I'm starting to figure a few things out.

Ok, my Steelers are playing soon, gotta go!

Cheers all!

 

[rabies]

Heh heh.

Not bad. How many tries did it take you?

 

[Eddies cellmate]

Originally posted by rabies
Heh heh.

Not bad. How many tries did it take you?

I had beaten it on the second try.

I've been off of the cpu for a few days, so I'll need to practice some more just to catch back up!