LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 402 I'm a pro at spending money on StarCraft.
Click the multiplayer menu in the upper left corner, select 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 or 4v4, then select a race, and Lin Ruo can start the game.

Without much hesitation, Lin Ruo chose the 1v1 mode, which best showcased his strength.

Unlike League of Legends and Dota 2, which emphasize team-based combat, StarCraft II primarily features a 1v1 combat mode in most games and competitions.

No amount of chaotic battles or high-level teamwork can compare to the brilliance of tactical maneuvering, operational details, and precise execution in a regular 1v1 match.

A 5v5 battle with a thousand players makes it difficult to showcase teamwork and formation control, which greatly reduces the entertainment value.

Of course, there are many interesting maps where the fun of multiplayer cooperation and competition is fully demonstrated, but it still doesn't have the chance to compare with the most exciting classic mode, 1v1.

Meanwhile, StarCraft 2's ranked system is basically the same as Dota's, using MMR as the standard for judging skill and grouping, from lowest to highest: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, and Grandmaster.

Apart from the Master tier, each tier has three levels: 1 is the highest and 3 is the lowest. Players can advance to the next tier when their MMR reaches the required score and they have played enough games.

To begin the most challenging ranked matches, new players must win their first match of each race for ten consecutive days. Only then can they enter the high-level ranked matches of StarCraft 2 and climb the ranks.

If possible, Lin Ruo would naturally prefer to start ranked matches directly, rather than playing the single-player building mode with another newbie in a match.

Besides.

He didn't want to repeat the experience of spending half a month in Dota 2 before finally getting into ranked matches, with endless long nights spent climbing the ranks.

Well, so Lin Ruo chose to top up her account...

You can simply buy StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Standard Edition for 128 yuan, which will unlock ranked play for free. You don't even need to buy all the campaign content or unlock content.

Yes, this is the most user-friendly aspect of StarCraft 2: spending money can indeed solve some unexpected problems to a certain extent.

Why did StarCraft 2 have to be divided into a free version and a paid version?

The meanings of these two terms are self-explanatory: the free version of StarCraft 2 is completely free and requires no purchase, while the paid version requires users to make in-game purchases to obtain the full experience.

The difference lies in the game content. The free version only offers the basic campaign mode, while the paid version includes an additional extended campaign, bringing players a richer storyline and challenges.

In addition, the paid version gives players the right to participate in ranked matches, adding a competitive element.

In terms of game difficulty settings, the free version of the single-player mode only allows players to experience beginner and easy computer opponents, while the paid version offers more options, including hard and very hard, to meet the needs of players of different skill levels and provide a more comprehensive game challenge.

However, starting in 2017, due to a change in Blizzard's operational strategy, StarCraft II was gradually pushed into the free-to-play market.

For example, the ranked ladder is free. Yes, in the past, the ranked ladder mode, which provided players with high-level competition, was a paid mode. It wasn't something you could play just by downloading StarCraft 2 and getting your first win in ten days.

Before the 2017 patch that made StarCraft II completely free, ranked play and a wide variety of campaigns were always the core features of StarCraft II, available only to paying players.

After patch 4.0, StarCraft II's ranked ladder was also made available to players for free.

In this regard, Lin Ruo still adhered to the principle of payment. It's not that the first win in ten days is not fun, but that it is more cost-effective to directly purchase the quick activation.

After thinking it over, Lin Ruo, who had originally decided to buy the standard edition, opted for the collector's edition instead. The collector's edition unlocks the entire campaign, includes several commanders, a specific skin and icon for each race and unit, and direct access to ranked ladder.

Of course, the last one is the most important; skin type doesn't matter.

[Does Lin Gou really want to play ranked matches that badly? He should just sell the collector's edition. He'll regret it if he gets crushed later. Don't waste your money on this torture.]

Indeed, it seems like Lin Gou hasn't shown any particularly outstanding talent after playing for two days. He should just take it slow and steady with StarCraft 2. Do you think it's as easy as League of Legends, where you can just dominate without even playing ranked?

[So what if you have money? If you have money, you should spend it! I support Lin Gou's first match in ranked mode where he gets beaten up.]

As a true fan, I strongly suggest Lin Gou (Lin Gou) take a look at some tactical studies. What you just searched for—that vague and unrealistic operational strategy—doesn't even qualify as tactics.

Yes, true tactics are diverse and require in-depth study and memorization. Only by mastering most of the basic tactics can one develop the ability to create innovative ones.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments, and as expected, it started with the same familiar rhythm. The viewers were crazy and didn't care if they were proven wrong, all thinking that Lin Ruo's first time playing ranked matches would most likely be a disappointment.

Lin Ruo could understand this perfectly. After all, the time before the game started was the only opportunity for the people to show their true colors. After the game started and ended, all that was left was silence.

He would seize this only opportunity if it were him, after all, he's used to being humiliated, so who cares about saving face? We're all fat guys to begin with.

Ready, takeoff!
However, before doing so, Lin Ruo followed the advice of netizens and searched for StarCraft 2 tactics. There were indeed quite a few.

The Zerg tactics alone were enough to make Lin Ruo dizzy.

Lin Ruo said she couldn't understand anything about 13D dog-poison explosions or 22D fire roaches with dogs, and it seemed she really needed to study more.

Only by mastering the general tactical principles of StarCraft 2 can one better adapt. Let's play a tactical exercise.

Lin Ruo learned a bit about ZVT standard three-way streaming. This learning refers to a simple preview using a few hundred words; watching the video is out of the question, as he doesn't have that much free time.

Zvt refers to a match between Zerg and Terran. Since Lin Ruo's opponent in this game chose Terran, this is also the reason why Lin Ruo used the ward-grabbing tactic.

ZVT's standard opening is also the most commonly used opening in professional play, and it covers all kinds of normal openings for the Terran race.

So, unless the Terran player uses some special tactics or variations.

Before long, the first ranked match began. At the start of the game, Lin Ruo chose to use a naked dual-opening strategy, which is the most common strategy when facing the three races.

Simply put, it means not producing many troops or mass-producing troops in the early game, and quickly expanding to two mines, especially to greatly increase resources and make money.

However, if there are no soldiers or very few soldiers, it is basically a naked doubles formation, also known as naked doubles.

Obviously, if the enemy discovers this situation and quickly rushes in with a large number of troops, then it will likely be level 15.

It's a gamble, and Lin Ruo really likes it.

To avoid risks, the first Overlord should fly to the opponent's second base or high ground entrance to observe and see the opponent's high ground attachments.

As for the two bases involved in mining, Lin Ruo naturally exploited the farmers to mine, but there are methods to improve the efficiency of mining.

For example, large-volume ores, also known as nearby ores, not only have more remaining ore, but are also closer to the base. Using peasants to mine these nearby ores first can greatly improve mining efficiency and allow the mining time to be extended.

After the farmer was upgraded, Lin Ruo piloted the King Insect to the location of the second mine entrance. His purpose was simple: to prevent others from stealing and deliberately build bunkers.

Simply put, building bunkers is like dumping defensive structures all over your face when you're focused on making money.

Imagine stepping outside and immediately encountering the enemy's defensive structures; it's impossible not to feel devastated.

After about a minute and a half of exploration, and seeing that the enemy had not yet built a bunker, Lin Ruo, controlling the King Worm, chose to continue flying out to scout.

Once the two farmers finished their work at the base, the total population reached 16.

Wanting to continue making money, Lin Ruo dragged a farmer outside to open a second base.

Once the second base was completed, Lisuo organized the main base of the second base into a team.

The first farmer goes to mine the remaining nearby mines, ensuring that each mine is mined by two farmers, with neither too many nor too few.

Because if three farmers gather at one mine, it is easy to waste one farmer, resulting in no so-called mining efficiency.

After doing this, Lin Ruo would stare intently at the screen to make sure that each mine was being mined by two farmers.

When the second farmer appears, quickly build another gas field. Only with a gas field can you build more advanced buildings to continue developing.

When the third farmer comes out, build a blood pool, or hatching pool, next to him, to prepare to start making dogs to bite people.

The Zerg, well, once they start mutating, that's it.

After that, each farmer's gathering point had to be set up in this gas field. Then, they prepared the three-stage base. After playing for about half an hour, Lin Ruo, who had only watched the three-stage tutorial once, easily achieved the teaching objective.

She even created some of her own ideas within it, meaning that Lin Ruo did not completely follow the tutorial. After opening three accounts, how to win the game was entirely Lin Ruo's own idea.

The first game of the ladder tournament was played without any difficulty, following the so-called tactical approach.

The trend in the live stream room has gradually begun to change. If you don't want to be proven wrong, why not switch platforms halfway through?

I admit Lin Gengxin has some talent; in fact, I felt he had some talent from the very beginning.

[You learn so fast! Let me put it this way, when I first started learning these techniques, I didn't even really understand the keyboard shortcuts.]

[Lin Gou's keyboard shortcuts were so smooth yesterday, we should have known he was really good. He played well in this game too.]

I admit Lin Gengxin's talent; actually, when I initially said he wasn't good enough, I was trying to motivate him.

Lin Ruo then tried many other operational strategies, all of which were based on the Zerg race.

For some reason, Lin Ruo just prefers playing Zerg over Terran and Protoss.

Hmm, maybe it's because the Zerg mutate.

In summary, the Zerg's opening strategy in StarCraft 2 still requires a lot of strategic thinking.

First, the timing of opening the Blood Pool is crucial. The first two eggs are used to produce farmers, and the third is used to create overlords.

Once the second farmer produces gas, immediately build a gas mine and continue producing farmers until the number of mining farmers reaches 16, at which point you can start building a blood pool.

Continue to recruit farmers, and when the economy accumulates to 300 gold coins, build a second mine. When the gas resources are sufficient to reach 100 gold coins, immediately accelerate the production of dogs.

Once the Blood Pool is built, quickly construct the Baneling Nest. There are even time limits; ideally, the construction of the third mine should be completed within 3 minutes and 50 seconds, and the Evolution Chamber should be activated simultaneously. Generally, building two is sufficient.

This is one of the transformation strategies. Another strategy is "naked doubles," which is the early-game strategy that Lin Ruo used in the first game.

That is, build the second mine when you reach 16.7D, and the rest of the steps are roughly the same as the Blood Pool strategy.

Of course, there is also a strategy that is not recommended: "naked three", which means building a mine as soon as you have enough money. Although the economic management is excellent, it is easy to be defeated by the enemy in one wave. This was also the strategy that Lin Ruo mainly played in the first game.

So this is not recommended. Lin Ruo was puzzled when he searched and the first result was three accounts running simultaneously. Sure enough, all the tricks were to persuade people to quit the game.

Lin Ruo felt from the beginning that operating three accounts simultaneously was very risky, but that didn't stop him from enjoying playing that way.

At the start of the game, sending overlords to scout the opponent's situation and increasing their swarm speed is crucial. ZVT tactics mainly have two styles: Mutalisk-Laga-Baneling and Roach-Roach-Infested-Morphling-Megaminer.

ZvZ tactics typically involve Zerglings attacking each other and Mutalisks shooting at each other. In ZvP tactics, the three main dragons (Brood Lords) are the main force in the late game.

Lin Ruo had to read these key terms several times before she understood them. Sure enough, even if you memorize them, you might still forget them if you don't play them often.

There are just too many technical terms in StarCraft 2. For most beginners, it's like reading a book written in a foreign language; it's no wonder they can't understand it.

Any game that is too difficult can easily cause people to want to quit.

Sound economic management and unit production are key to winning the game, as are flexible tactics and adapting to the opponent's strategies.

and many more.

In fact, Lin Ruo understood these to be just polite words, but in actual practice, they were anything but polite; on the contrary, they were quite formulaic.

Lin Ruo didn't want to look at these operational strategies anymore. He decided to play a game according to his own ideas, using the simplest human race, so that he could find something different.

At this moment, Mingkai, who had just entered the training room, quietly moved his chair and sat down in front of Lin Ruo, unable to resist asking, "Are you starting again?"

"What started?" Lin Ruo asked in return, not understanding Ming Kai's meaning.

Mingkai didn't want to talk anymore. Actually, what he meant was very simple: Are you going to start challenging other people's professions with your hobby again?

He didn't even need to think to guess what would happen next: first, climb to the top of the ladder, and then go and beat a few professional players to make a name for himself.

Although he didn't want to believe it, could Lin Ruo be someone that no one could disbelieve?
(End of this chapter)