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| Bone Canyon Battle | | | Author: | | | IP: | roc-204-XXXX | | Date: | 09/07/00 12:09 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 2, Max: 8, Min: 7
Lifetime Rating for phoenix[LoD]: 8.2500 |   |
| (F)c_Kill vs. (F)c_Chuck | | in | | Bone Canyon Battle |
This BattleReport is Brought to You by:
 | phoenix[LoD] |
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Map: Bone Canyon
Player 1: (F)c_Kill Terrans (Random)
Player 2: (F)c_Chuck Protoss (Random)
Starting Position, Player 1: Kill Bottom-Left
Starting Position, Player 2: Chuck Top-Right |
Peek-A-Boo (Reconnaissance)
A friendly match between friends (they usually are...), Chuck and Kill's game was determined early on to not be played on Lost Temple. Needless to say, I was virtually elated, as much as a nonpartial observer can be of course. They decided on Bone Canyon, a 4-player map with some serious terrain. Since this is not a well-known map (compared to "others"), I blew the minimap up quite a bit. Each main has a ramp choke, leading to a natural (/w gas) that exits through a long choke below the main plateau. Additional information about the map layout can be seen on the huge-ass map above.
Both players selected random (hmm, that doesn't make any sense) as the timer ticks down. Kill landed a Terran Command Center at the bottom-left position, while Chuck's Nexus warped in top-right. "Despite the publized imbalance of Protoss over Terran," I mused to myself, "the extreme terrain might give Kill a benefit with some clever tank use."
Chuck began his early building with a pylon on 8/9, quickly creating two gateways on 11/17 and scouting with a probe. Kill took a very aggressive early build. Running an SCV down his ramp, he built his first depot (approx. 9/10) against the canyon wall in his extended choke. Apparently, he was attempting to create his first defensive line past his natural, giving him the opportunity to use it even if he became contained.
 | While this aggressive defense (high-risk, high-reward) was being created, Kill ordered up his first rax to be constructed near his main ramp. Even before the rax was |
completed, Kill slapped down a refinery over his geyser. Once the first depot was complete, the industrious SCV set about putting another right next to it. This partially blocked off the canyon to intruders. In a decided move, Kill began a factory in his main. He's tech'ing hard, with only 1 rax to put marines behind his quasi-wall. Kill sent an SCV to scout the map, clock-wise. Chuck's probe was scouting counter-clockwise, and both scouts left at about the same time. Both ended up in the top-left main, looking pointedly at each other. After exchanging phone-numbers the two continue on their way-pointed search routes.
Now, we all know what Chuck will find when his probe reaches the quasi-wall in the bottom-left canyon. At the moment, he's got a pair of gates warping in zealots and has two keeping each other company at his ramp. Kill has 4 marines eyeing the Twinkie supply in the depots by the time the probe cruises up. The marines quickly focus their attention on the bad-guy and blow it to pieces. Chuck learns nothing of his opponent's racing tech tree. Kill receives a more in-depth scouting report from his SCV. The 2 zealots Chuck had guarding his ramp were not positioned carefully enough. While the zealots poked at the SCV, it turned on those little booster thingies and sped past. Chuck's zealots were left behind, cursing and giving the little human the Protoss middle finger.
It took 8x10 glossy color pictures of the 2 gates, nexus, mid-warp vespene assimilator and 4th pylon in mid-warp. Then it dies, horribly. Chuck responds to the prescence of a Terran opponent by warping in a cyber-core, and soon after, a 3rd gateway and a forge. Of course, the zealots keep coming as well. Will Chuck get his goons and cannons in time to stop the imminent Heavy Metal?
Exchanging Pleasantries (Opening Attacks)
Chuck decides to take the initiative. He knows he didn't tech to ranged goons fast enough to plug a heavy metal build before it gets out of control. Chuck hasn't actually seen the factories, but knows they're there. Out come 7 zealots, on a quest for Twinkies and, more importantly, to interfere with Kill's factory production long enough. Kill, meanwhile, is still slapping up tech buildings
around his base. An acad is built in the top, an ebay begins along his canyon ledge, and he adds a machine| shop onto his finished factory. Unfortunately, we all know that there is another side to this story. A darker, more sinister side. It's not the poor conditions of the urban poor who build these fantastic structures, either. It's the sad cost of being a tech-hog. Kill has 5 marines and 1 medic sitting behind the depots, finishing off the Twinkies, when 7 zealots and a probe with an attitude arrive. |  |
The zealots' smiles began to fade as they stared at the empty depots, and then at the messy faces of the garrison marines. Nothing was said, only understood.
Kill had only a moment of warning, as he had sent a single scouting marine up his choke. It had been slaughtered, and the zealots charged the firing squad. The medic was targeted first and was torn to shreds, followed quickly by the marines. Kill didn't micro the battle, and his marines cut down 2 of the zealots before they died. The zealots charged down, toward the ramp to Kill's main. Chuck orders his probe to construct a pylon near the minerals of Kill's natural, while the zealots charge ahead into the main. Kill has 2 factories and machine shops in his main, and both are flashing furiously when Chuck storms in. A bunker was being hastily constructed below the Command Center, and vultures came spitting out of the factories, joining the one already firing at the zealots.
 | The vultures pop off shots at the zealots and some freshly-trained marines race into the bunker. The fighting is intense and crucial. |
Chuck constructs 3 cannons next to the pylon inside Kill's natural, adding to the containment he is struggling for. However, the zealots are not victorious in their headlong charge into Kill's base. The bunker is destroyed, several vultures explode, and marines are slashed. However, in the nick of time, Kill finishes researching Spider Mine technology for his vultures. Using the mines and his continually replaced scooter-bikes, he forces the zealots to retreat and join reinforcements at the cannons.
Pacifism? (The Stand-Off)
Kill has forced Chuck out of his main after a very close shave (and a close fight, too). Now, he uses his bikes to mine up his base a little, preventing further encroachments. Chuck now has 3 cannons and 6 zealots guarding any advance through the natural. Chuck's cyber-core has finished warping, and he begins researching his Singulatiry Charge upgrade. Also, he techs to a robotics facility now that he has Kill contained. Or does he? Kill has just finished his first tank, along with some siege-tech. It rolls over near the lower edge of the plateau, and sieges up. Boom Boom go the cannons in his natural. Chuck goes to silence the tank with his 9 zealots, but the ramp is mined heavily. Along with some good micro from Kill, the 9 zealots are killed in the blasts. To make up for his stellar micro performance, Kill accidentaly orders his vultures to fire on his tank. They obey, and blow it up just like he asked. Everyone present gets a good chuckle out of this, except Kill of course.
Chuck makes good on his containment and begins a nexus at his natural in the top-right corner. Kill, however, has not been idle either, and has a second Command Center ready to transport to his natural. Two fresh tanks take the ugly brown paint off of the remaining cannons in Kill's natural, and the cc flies over. Chuck maynard's several of his probes to the natural as his new nexus warps in, and Kill produces new SCV's from his cc. The terran siege line is advanced, and turrets are put up in the natural and along the ridge next to the choke. Vultures speed ahead to lay mine fields at the mouth of the canyon choke. Also, mines are laid all over Kill's main in anticipation of a drop. He guesses well, too, as Chuck has tech'ed with a robotics support facility and an observatory in his main. The gateways havn't been silent, either, and a small force of goons are on stand-by near their base.
Poking a Turtle With a Stick (Pretty Close, Actually)
As both players build up their forces and harvest their naturals, both try to take advantage of weak spots. Kill has begun a starport, probably with the intent of building a dropship to turn the tables on the containment Chuck has been enjoying lately. It seems he has been beaten to the punch, however. Chuck has an observer sneak into the terran base along the left side, avoiding detection.
It isn't long before the first drop shows up. Chuck loads up a shuttle with a reaver and a single zealot, and speeds across the middle of the map for the top-left corner of Kill's main. There is a mine in the top corner near the refinery, but there is enough space for Chuck to land a reaver and take out the mine with the observer's help.
 | The picture tells the sordid story, especially the middle one, of the mishaps encountered during this drop. Chuck's intent was to pepper the SCV's with scarabs, wiping out the majority of Kill's harvesting capabilities. That's not exactly how it happened... |
In the end, Kill lost quite a few SCV's in the blast of that mine, while the only casualty Chuck suffers is a single zealot. Both the reaver and the shuttle escape the defenses, and they head back home.
Chuck places a Citadel at his main after this drop, and takes his fair-size goon force and moves it to the mouth of Kill's choke. A vulture speeds out, getting a quick look at the assembly before being blown up. With the goon containment in place, Chuck seizes the mineral-only below his main, at the right-mid spot. Surprisingly, Kill is also working on an expansion attempt. So far, his expansions have matched Chuck's stride-for-stride, despite all the pressure he's under. However, "all that pressure" does include the loss of mining time for his SCV's, fighting and repairing during the zealot attack. Also, at least half of the SCV's at his main died during Chuck's drop. Another cc is under construction inside Kill's main, along with a dropship from his starport. The factories continue to churn out bikes and tanks. Turrets have been placed up and down the ridge-line along Kill's canyon choke, with sentinel tanks there as well. Chuck begins a small push through the mine field at the mouth of the choke with an observer and his goons. However, a tank on the ridge fires at them and draws the attack-move goons into the mines. Chuck is unable to react fast enough, and a half dozen goons are caught in a blue-goo-blast. Deciding wisely against further advance through the deadly canyon trap, Chuck pulls his forces back to the mouth.
Let's Blow This Joint! (Breaking Out)
Through the game, Kill has been locked up in his corner of the map, using his long canyon to carve out his territory. Now, he wants to turn the tables on Chuck. His third cc is completed, and his first move is to begin floating it up, towards his mineral-only at the left-mid. In addition, his dropship makes that weird sucking/clicking noise as it loads up 2 tanks and embarks on Kill's first offensive movements of the game. He scans the right-mid spot, finding Chuck's expansion. Now, it is complete with a nexus, 2 additional gateways, and a templar archives. The scan also reveals no defense present. The dropship soars off on its mission.
 | Meanwhile, the expansion attempt had not gone so well. Chuck obviously anticipated this move, and had pulled back the observer he used on his drop a few minutes ago to the left-mid spot. Now, it sees Kill floating his cc over to the mineral-only and quickly bleeps and bloops the information back to base. The response is swift and severe. Chuck directs the goon force from Kill's choke and moves them underneath the flying building. The only opposition they face is some justifiable profanity from Kill. The expansion is squashed. |
| How was the drop attack going during this failure on the other front? Kill successfully drops 2 tanks in behind the pylons of Chuck's mineral-only expansion, and they begin to open fire on the defenseless probes. Chuck responds immediately. The shuttle /w reaver in his main is directed down, with upgraded speed, and unloads the reaver right as a pair of zealots emerge from their gateways into the battlefield. The combination attack easily destroys the tanks at melee range, avoiding their siege cannons. |  |
The drop was successful in destroying the probes at the expansion, and halted mining there until Chuck could replace them. Kill has had no success expanding, and only marginal success at attacking his opponents expansion, so now he tries to use brute force to take control. His force of tanks, vultures, and scattered M&M head up the canyon towards the center of the map. Chuck controls the area with his goons and zealots, and by my quick estimation, the imminent battle would be a tough fight for both.
Blood, Blood Everywhere! (Final Battles)
For being locked inside his corner for most of the game, Kill has assembled a pretty respectable force, and is heading for the center of the map. Chuck owns the area with his goons and zeals, and is thinking about conquering some more real estate. The battle looks evenly drawn if they engage in a stand-up fight. People who've been in TvP situations can agree: it's very important to have tanks seiged quickly and to have mines in place. I was leaning forward in my chair at this point, anticipating a climactic battle between the two major forces. By sheer fate, Chuck had decided to make his move at the same time Kill had. Both armies charged toward each other, barrelling down the canyon. This was a terrible thing for Kill, and he soon realized why.
Suffering casualties that can only be described as "minimal," Chuck continues his advance down the canyon. Kill scrambles to create some defense after the annihilation of his main force, but it looks like his natural is doomed. Kill is no slouch, though, and he prepares a counterattack in his dropship, headed for Chuck's mineral-only. The Protoss charge is continuing, having lost only a handful of zealots in its ambush of the unprepared Terran forces. Now that Kill is ready for them, will they fare as well against fresh Terran troops? A determining battle on multiple fronts ensues, with both players fighting for the game.
With Kill's natural gone, and his main mined out, he needs to find new resources quickly if he wants to survive another wave of attackers. An SCV dashes off to the mineral-only where a cc was destroyed earlier. It beings constructing another expansion on-site, while the forces back home brace themselves. Chuck has been pumping speedy zealots from his gates, and prepares them to attack his crippled opponent. However, he has not spotted the new expansion mid-left. Kill finishes his cc at the new expansion, and desperately maynard's the SCV's from his dry main to the new resource site. However, Chuck now has an observer spying the mouth of the choke point, and the long string of SCV's headed for the mid-left catches his attention. Moving fast, he breaks his zealots
 | into two groups. The first, he sends toward the mid-left in pursuit of the SCV's. The other heads down the choke to prevent help to the expansion. The move works perfectly, and the naked expansion falls to the zealots. The others tie up the defenses in Kill's main long enough to prevent any assistance for the expansion. Kill, knowing that his dwindling forces cannot hold another attack, and lacking the money he needs to create any more, conceeds the game. |
A hearty "GG" to (F)c_Chuck and (F)c_Kill for letting me obs and report this intense game. Scores:
Imperative Stratagems (Lessons Learned, Whatever)
-When furiously tech'ing like a Cold War scientist, get some adequate defenses to protect yourself against rushes. No, a pair of supply depots with no bunker is not an adequate defense.
-Making simple but costly errors can make a big difference in the outcome of the game. So can good or bad luck. Get over bad luck, and don't make mistakes twice.
-Heavy Metal can beat Protoss, but get aggressive. Continually advance and keep the pressure on him instead. Don't allow expansions.-Against speedy zealots and ranged goons, Heartcutter's "Deep Six" idea of continually replenished infantry swarms is usually safer.
-No, I can not pull off either strat, thus making me a good observer.
-I have previewed this, and I have noticed that the font alongside any screenshots is enlarged. I do not know why, and after several attempts, I can say I do not know how to correct it. My apoligies. I have other gripes about the formatting of submitted reports, but this isn't the place for them.
Thanks for reading
-phoenix[LoD]
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