07-09-2004, 02:04 PM
"Heroes are important only in the early game, unless they have a game-breaking Ultimate (such as the Warden's, the Far Seer's, or the Paladin's); otherwise, your normal units are what will really win the war for you. That's not to say that you shouldn't have a hero; if nothing else, they make great decoys."
I couldn't disagree more. First, the Farseer's ultimate is somewhere between useless and use-free. The Farseer as an ordinary hero, sans-ultimate, is the difference between winning and losing. 2 spirit wolves? Lv. 3 chain lightning? These are game-breaking abilities. Second, hero nuke is probably the strongest tactic in the undead playbook, and more than viable for the other races. Try winning without your heroes, even in the late game; it's just not likely. Warden is more useful for FoK and SS than Spirit of Vengeance, although it's certainly nice to have.
This is not to say that heroes are the only thing that wins games. But they are the core of every army, your no. 1 priority at all times, and they only become more so the more you engage your opponent. In a low-intensity game, yeah, those level 2 heroes aren't much compared to the 100/100 food of frenzied frost wyrms. But if there's constant back-and-forth, that level 4 FS going down means GG.
Scouting methods are all good. I'd only caution that scouting is most useful when you don't have those options available yet. Don't ever hesitate to pull a peon/wisp/acolyte/milita and go scouting; it might just pay off. Also, building farms is a great human way to scout for cheap, much better than towers.
Creeping, as I said, is only good if you get more advantage from it than from attacking. Like right at the beginning of the game, where a one-level advantage can be decisive, or when you know you can power-creep a strong camp very early. Just don't ever let it distract you from the actual opponent. :)
Replays are overrated, yes, but they teach you what you need to know. They don't help you practice it, or figure out your own strengths and weaknesses. But without watching a gosu replay or ten from each new patch, it's hard to know what your opponent might throw at you, or what to throw back.
I couldn't disagree more. First, the Farseer's ultimate is somewhere between useless and use-free. The Farseer as an ordinary hero, sans-ultimate, is the difference between winning and losing. 2 spirit wolves? Lv. 3 chain lightning? These are game-breaking abilities. Second, hero nuke is probably the strongest tactic in the undead playbook, and more than viable for the other races. Try winning without your heroes, even in the late game; it's just not likely. Warden is more useful for FoK and SS than Spirit of Vengeance, although it's certainly nice to have.
This is not to say that heroes are the only thing that wins games. But they are the core of every army, your no. 1 priority at all times, and they only become more so the more you engage your opponent. In a low-intensity game, yeah, those level 2 heroes aren't much compared to the 100/100 food of frenzied frost wyrms. But if there's constant back-and-forth, that level 4 FS going down means GG.
Scouting methods are all good. I'd only caution that scouting is most useful when you don't have those options available yet. Don't ever hesitate to pull a peon/wisp/acolyte/milita and go scouting; it might just pay off. Also, building farms is a great human way to scout for cheap, much better than towers.
Creeping, as I said, is only good if you get more advantage from it than from attacking. Like right at the beginning of the game, where a one-level advantage can be decisive, or when you know you can power-creep a strong camp very early. Just don't ever let it distract you from the actual opponent. :)
Replays are overrated, yes, but they teach you what you need to know. They don't help you practice it, or figure out your own strengths and weaknesses. But without watching a gosu replay or ten from each new patch, it's hard to know what your opponent might throw at you, or what to throw back.