59
votes

I know, sounds dumb, but bear with me a sec.

People here have posted links to tons of high-level replays with commentary. (Thanks.) They're awesome fun, and I can learn a little.

But since I'm a low-level player, it's a lot like watching Iron Chef: experts way above my current skill/understanding level duke it out, while expert commentators point out strategy errors so subtle that I often don't even understand why they're errors.

Are there commentary replays of low-to-mid level matches?

Tutorials like SC2 Noob School and Shokz are great, but they're not the same as watching a real match. And while it wouldn't be as sexy a gig for the commentators, it'd be a great teaching tool: watching 1,000 things go wrong, and having an expert point out which are most common, and which are most important to fix.

9
  • 1
    I know Day9 discussed one in his show ones and actually newbies can make for one hell of a fight, if only due to ignorance
    – Ivo Flipse
    Commented Sep 15, 2010 at 18:29
  • 6
    It's not a commentary but I recently had a terrible game as zerg which I sent to tzenes for review. Go here: gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/7384/… for the write up of what I did wrong ;)
    – Robb
    Commented Sep 15, 2010 at 18:43
  • @Robb +1 Thanks, looks like great critique. I'll check it out in more detail. Commented Sep 15, 2010 at 21:19
  • I know that Crota (of SCLegacy) cast at least one game during the beta for his silver (now it would be gold) league buddy, but I wasn't able to find it. :( Commented Sep 15, 2010 at 21:28
  • @Andy I know its not what you want, but if you want to send me some replays I'll do my best to try and help you out.
    – tzenes
    Commented Sep 15, 2010 at 21:57

6 Answers 6

33
votes

TotalBiscuit has a series called I Suck at Starcraft where he comments on his own noob games, focusing on what mistakes were made and how to improve.

The series starts out very basic, explaining economy, supply, teching, and the uses of some individual units. It should be understandable even for someone brand-new to SC2. The downside to this is that it may be too basic for many players. However, over the course of about 15 videos, he moves into (somewhat) more advanced concepts.

4
  • Very nice, thanks. I watched one of them and it was very helpful, will watch the rest. I'm leaving this question open a little longer in case other people can contribute some specific examples, but this seems to be what I'm looking for. Commented Sep 16, 2010 at 0:24
  • Good videos, though amateur games annotated by a master would be better - he says in one of his videos that the game took place "two weeks ago"... Commented Sep 21, 2010 at 16:08
  • @Blue it's not a perfect resource, but hopefully some folks find it helpful. I seemed to recall him saying something like he'd played hundreds of matches between playing these games and casting them, but it has been a while since I watched them, so it could just be my faulty memory.
    – sjohnston
    Commented Sep 21, 2010 at 17:15
  • 2
    @Blue @sjohnston, I just finished watching the series and you're both right, at various times he says things like "two weeks ago", and also things like "100 games back", so I'm unclear on the timing. He also mentions that he's a commentator and so has seen a lot of games. And regardless, as someone new to SC2 (and SC in general), they were exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Commented Sep 22, 2010 at 14:19
22
votes

As mentioned by Ivo Flipse, Day9 has done a few casts of inexperienced players. These are the ones I could dig up (a couple casts were during the beta, so some things may be out of date, but the main ideas are still there):

Day[9] Daily #115 - A Fun 2v2 of My Housemates
Let's take a break from the usual analysis to admire the beauty of Starcraft 2: the game can create epic matches between players of all skill levels. In #115, we get the chance to watch a game between players I live with! I got the chance to see this game happen live, and it was quite a treat to see :D

Day[9] Daily #121 - Plugging Leaks in Silver Level Play
In this episode, we examine a silver and gold level players to point out some classic leaks of inexperienced regulars.

Day[9] Daily #146 - Gold Level 2v2 Analysis
For anyone looking for silver and gold level 2v2 strategy, this is a must watch. I look at a replay from some very average players and discuss general strategy for 2v2 play.

Day[9] Daily #163 - Gold Level: Fixing the Little Things
In this episode, we take another look at Gold and Platinum level play and how to really improve, what to think about during the game, how to watch your own replays to improve, and other basic topics to help you be a better gamer.

Day[9] Daily #164 - Low Level Reps - In-game Decision Making
This time, we examine the importance of going into a game with a plan, especially for lower level players. We talk about a players starting plan, we see how it does and look at how to change your plan in the middle of the game when it's necessary. We also really look at the little things that are important that non-diamond players often forget.

Day[9] Daily #208 - Live coaching with djWHEAT (this one is very interesting)
We'll be doing a live coaching session w/ DJWheat direct from Phoenix Arizona where we'll help try to find some of Wheat's leaks and point out how to be thinking during a ladder match.

5
  • +1 for tracking those down. Thanks, those will help too. Commented Sep 17, 2010 at 14:17
  • 3
    Found a couple of others on Day[9]Daily: blip.tv/file/3651794 and blip.tv/file/3996172. Commented Sep 17, 2010 at 22:00
  • Awesome that you pointed out specific replays instead of just point at day[9]
    – Chaulky
    Commented Jan 17, 2011 at 23:13
  • blip.tv does not exist anymore. Can these videos be found elsewhere ?
    – Zitrax
    Commented Apr 11, 2016 at 20:59
  • @Zitrax, that's a shame about blip.tv. I just tried doing a google search for one of the show titles, and it did come up on YouTube, so the links could probably be updated (though I don't know if they are full quality - it looked a bit poor). I can't really take the time to chase them down, but I changed the post to a wiki if anyone else wants to do it. Commented Apr 11, 2016 at 21:42
13
votes

After Dave Andersen made his post, Day[9] started a new weekly event called Newbie Tuesday, where he does exactly what we're looking for: every week, he goes over a silver/gold/platinum level game and explains what they did wrong.

I'll keep a list of them here as they come out.


Day[9] Daily #184 - Newbie Tuesday #1
This is the first in the series of Tuesday episodes dedicated to players below the Diamond level. Day[9] examines the common mistakes of Bronze through Platinum level players, shows what to focus on and what not to really worry about until you're a top Diamond player. This particular episode is a PvT, although the concepts apply to all races.

Day[9] Daily #189 - Newbie Tuesday: Losing to Early Pressure
In this Newbie Tuesday special, we examine how to avoid losing to early aggression in a variety of matchups.

Day[9] Daily #194 - Newbie Tuesday: Drone Timing
In this Newbie Tuesday episode, we focus on the timing of making Drones as a Zerg player. Specifically, how to figure out if it you need to make an army or build your economy at any given time. We look at using scouting info, harassment, and defensive strategies to optimize your economy while not actually dying.

Day[9] Daily #198 - Newbie Tuesday: Banshee Harass
In this episode of Newbie Tuesday, we address the common problem of being harassed by Banshees at different stages of the game.

Day[9] Daily #201 - Newbie Tuesday: Using Drops
In this episode, we look at how to effectively use drops to gain an advantage, and point out common mistakes.

Day[9] Daily #205 - Newbie Tuesday: Dealing with Colossi
In this Newbie Tuesday, we focus on what the different races can do when faced against the mighty Colossus!

Day[9] Daily #210 - Newbie Tuesday: 2v2 Strategy
This time, we'll take a look at early game 2v2 and see why people lose to rushes so much! We really examine the rush as a valid strategy, and look at how to cope with them and still win!

0
6
votes

Apparently casting low-level games is the latest fad, because Husky is jumping on the bandwagon too. He recently revived his old series called Lets Learn Starcraft 2.

The original episode can be found here.

The latest episode can be found here.

4
votes

X, of "X's Adventures in Minecraft" fame, has started to do a lot of Starcraft 2 videos. He's currently in silver league.

He's done some basic tutorial videos, as well as commenting his own replays and live streams. The live streams are interesting because he does a pretty good job of explaining his thought process as he plays.

It looks like his Starcraft 2 Playlist isn't quite up-to-date at the moment, so hopefully he'll update that soon. They're all fairly recent, so they should be easy to find on his channel.

EDIT: It looks like the playlist has been updated. Just look for the videos marked "Live Commentary".

2
  • 1
    The idea of a caster commenting on their own replays is nice... it's nice to hear commentary on a given replay, but more insightful IMO to hear the running thought process of a player as he/she plays and makes decisions.
    – Wikwocket
    Commented Oct 18, 2010 at 18:46
  • I definitely think self-casting and...other-people-replay-casting...both have their place. On the one hand, it's nice to see the thought process. On the other hand, it's nice to have insightful commentary, and the player might not always realize where their own biggest mistakes and successes were. It would be really cool if someone did a series that showed the same games commented by the players as well as a professional.
    – sjohnston
    Commented Oct 18, 2010 at 19:50
4
votes

HuskyStarCraft has his Bronze League Heroes series where he cast only Bronze League games. I don't have a link handy, but you should just be able to look up HuskyStarCraft on youtube.

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