[Delraich]

Hi, I am a new player and was hoping for a little advice please. My current cunning plan (which isn't really working atm), is to practice over and over on the same map on custom games. I have read a bit around Xel Naga Caverns, and it seems like a cool map to learn some key strategy's (e.g. proxy pylon behind the trees or proxy building by that expansion behind the rocks). After playing quite a few times, I have noticed alot of zerg playing this map against me (I'm trying to learn protoss). Another thing i remember from some video i watched along the way is that apparently void ray and collosus is a good strategy against zerg. So now i have all these different things going on in my head (bearing in mind i am a noob and my multitasking is not very good!). I am also struggling with expanding for some reason, and i am not sure when to time this.

So anyway... I am kinda OK right in the very beginning (I think!): select probes send them to minerals (I double click them atm, but i read about control F1 somewhere, but this is too much for my brain atm), selct nexus and press e, right click onto the minerals from nexus to make the pathway, and control 4 the nexus. I then make my 2 more probes and i put one of the probes on control 3 (the building one). I then send the probe to build my first pylon by the ramp with a cool circle that just touches the ramp and sides, and then send it back to mine. I build 3 more probes in the meantime (this timing isnt great for me by the way, i only get through 2 when the pylon is already warping in - am i too slow?). I bring it back a bit later for the gate which i place with the corner facing the near side of the ramp so the cybernetics core can fit nicely. I now build the assimilator right after the gate and then another pylon.

By now there is a drone in my base and it starts attacking my probe or just being annoying. As a noob this is really distracting!! I just want to put down my cybernetics core and get that zealot standing in the gap. Is there a way to deal with this easily? I was thinking today maybe i should hotkey even more probes to attack the drone because once i start pullling probes off the mineral line and clicking all over the place and then i need to put them back on the mineral line, i usually forget something (e.g late on my building of a zealot, or forget to press hold on my zealot, or forget to press warp gate research, or forget about the second gas or something). Oh, i have also started learning to scout, so after warping in the gate by the ramp i right click on the opponents base (i know where it is because there is only one location).

So moving along... Let's say i get this far and i now finally get the core down and the zealot parked there and my probes are back in action blah blah. I am still faffing at this point. I really like robo for some reason (i love the observer, and i also want to try to get collosus). But.. i also want void rays too! Now, I am also thinking that i need to expand because these are expensive units. I also have read that I can only afford 4 production buildings at my base (e.g. 3 gate robo or 4 gate). So i normally forget about the stargate for now because its all too hard, and besides there are now 4 zerglings killing my zealot. So i usually end up with a 3 gate robo after a little while, whilst trying to build some stalkers to kill these zerglings.

Now the next thing that is bugging me... everytime i want to send dudes out my base (e.g. probe or whatever, i need to move the bloody zealot out the way AND remember to put him back and on hold again once im done). Is this right? should i still be doing this at this stage of the game? I am also still wanting to build a cool proxy pylon by the trees but... arrg. How do i successfully build this expansion? How many defending/ offensive units should i have by now? Should collosus be around by now? Do i wait for the extended thermal lance ray upgrade or try and get it ASAP?

If i expand, should i be attacking too? or is it one or the other?

If some kind (and bored) person out there can make a replay video (eg. find a friend to play PvZ on Xel Naga) and act out a scene of what i should do, that would be truely awesome. Otherwise just explaining will be appreciated as well.