[sneak]

What is the biggest difference to see say a gold terran player progress to being a masters/GM player.

what is the main skill that carries a masters player anihilating a gold player? Im worried im learning the wrong way to achieve this goal. anyone got a good base of beliefs which are used to become a good player possibly quicker than just massing games?

[sneak]

more to the point. what are some of your intimidation tips for the upper hand ??

[iM yang]

Generally speaking Masters/GM players have more units or a better composition while being safe getting up to that point at any one point in time than say a gold player. This comes from better management of economy(worker production or expansions).
Knowing what is scary coming from the other player. Knowing what to do against a specific strategy to gain an advantage also plays a large part in how dominant a player is during a game.

The best way to becoming a good player is to work on a specific part where you have a weakness (getting supply blocked or worker production lacking) and trying to get your weakness to a point where you think of it as a strength. Unfortunately you can't do this without a lot of games played.

As for 'what are some of your intimidation tips for the upper hand ??', I don't know what you're asking here.

[EveMassacrisM]

GMs/Master players know the very specific timings of certain pushes/cheeses from the opponents(4gate, DTs, Banshees... ) which make them way less vulnerable to lower leagued players' attacks, which are usually not well planned-out or later. GMs/Masters are also able to position units and estimate the strength of their army better, which allows them to do better trades and know when to retreat or push as well.

Other than than it's just micro and macro.

[Aean(:]

What separates a gold player and a top-tier player:
- Mechanics (Micro, Macro, to be able to constantly build units and perform tasks efficiently)
- Strategy (Game sense, build orders, being able to react to a situation and come with a plan on the spot).

These become more detailed and finer the better you get. 2 top players can take games off each other if you put them in countless of games, whereas a master v gold, the master will always win since such perfection isn't as critical.

Quick Comments

PiG:

Well said

[Paroxysm]

I would say Macro plays the largest part in this. Although it also comes down to micro, multitasking, positioning and also psychological games like the fact that they are leagues above you in skill (and blizzard acknowledges it) along with having a far better knowledge of the game.

Realistically, it is expected that ALL skills of a Masters/GrandMaster player are far ahead of a Gold player. To become a good player quickly (if possible), you have to personally analyze EACH AND EVERY game you lose, and compare them to those that you win. What did you do wrong in the ones you lost? How could you defend that push that comes at timing 'x'? How can you keep your minerals and gas low throughout the game? What harassment techniques can you employ to constantly pressure your opponent into making mistakes? These are all the question you must be questioning yourself, and training yourself to answer EACH AND EVERY game that you play if you wish to improve.

Of course, the best way to go about this would be to focus on one thing at a time to fully understand and develop that skill.

Good Luck and Have Fun

Paroxysm.

Quick Comments

Doctor:

Well said !

[aLtNinja]

Definitely mechanics, unit composition is not really what does it as any master/gm player can beat a gold player with any unit comp.
Just having more stuff, controlling it well, unit positioning, and general strategies like knowing when to counter attack, defending/dishing out harass, reading scouting information, denying scouting etc.

[sneak]

anyone got any good intimidation tactics? like strats that hurt players in game e.g. hellion harass minerals at start.

[PiG]

Originally Posted by sneak

anyone got any good intimidation tactics? like strats that hurt players in game e.g. hellion harass minerals at start.

There are dozens upon dozens of these tactics but they need to be a part of your build.

In TvZ these strategies are very important in the earlygame like in the reactor helion expand: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft...%28vs._Zerg%29

Understanding how to incorporate harass as part of an economical buildup towards a solid lategame army is vital. I personally learnt how to be a good player at starcraft by watching a lot of GSL and listening closely to Artosis comments about how the builds operate. He is a wise man. There are many other great casters (Day9) and coaches (mrbitter) who give similarly fantastic advice though.

Essentially you must strive to become a solid macro player to improve at the game. Getting active on forums and discussing/reading discussions on strategy and builds is vital. Training specific builds to perfection is also important. Watching and learning from VoDs is also a simple and easy way to improve .

Overall you have to look at the game not with awe, but with a critical and discerning eye.

[Paroxysm]

^ On the topic of Coaches, another great one is aLtPiG, just for future reference