RTS Macro vs. Micro: Can someone explain?

[Kabob]

I'm just starting to get back into the whole Starcraft scene (I've never been very good at the game, VERY little multiplayer, but I've always enjoyed it) and I keep hearing people referencing Macro and Micro.

Now, in the few times I've heard it assume that Macro has to do with gathering resources and building vs. Micro being managing your troops in a fight? Is that a rude sort of summary? Can anyone elaborate?

Anyone want to enlighten me?

 

[Jhalf]

Im not sure about in the Starcraft universe as I've never played, but they are usually economic terms. Macro referring to a systems whole economy, and micro focusing on a small portion of it.

EX. Macro would be focusing on U.S. economy as a whole and micro economics would be focusing on a particular farm contributing to the GDP or any other group of small businesses.

It may also be used to describe the scope of your "starcraft military" with Macro looking at the big picture and micro looking at a specific fight or group of your troops.

I am sure someone else can explain it more thoroughly for your case though.

 

[Menelmarar]

More than likely talking about how control and management of resources are. Scale of size.
Macro being larger and more broad than micro.

Microscopic things are where you have to control every minute detail. E.G. Maybe you have to move each individual unit, and give specific commands for what they do in each scenario. Maybe you have to tell a gatherer to go gather every-time it's needed.

Macro gives you broader control, more automation, easier to multi-task, leave a group of units to do something while you do something else. E.G. Select a group of units, give them a general goal/location to move and a general condition such as (fire at will, hold fire, return fire only, etc) and then they follow through on their own. Maybe you set a gatherer to auto gather minerals, and he goes back and forth automatically and you can pretty much ignore, maybe he's got the scripting to realize your low on gas and will auto switch resources.

 

[k1pp3r]

How about an example

Macro = any C&C game
Micro = Supcom 1

 

[Ritorix]

In starcraft,

Macro = the overall game strategy you use, your resource management/building/harvesting, control of expansions, whether you tech up or rush, etc
Micro = your control of individual units to win a battle, like moving back marines individually to kill off zerglings without any marine dieing.

 

[Kabob]

In starcraft,

Macro = the overall game strategy you use, your resource management/building/harvesting, control of expansions, whether you tech up or rush, etc
Micro = your control of individual units to win a battle, like moving back marines individually to kill off zerglings without any marine dieing.

This is more what it seems like they're referring to. I was watching one of the HD Starcraft games yesterday and both were Protoss, one with melee Zealots and one with ranged units and the ranged guys moved back and forth to hit the Zealots without being hit...a "micro battle?"

 

[aKrippler]

Like Ritorix said Macromanagement is how you manage your money/ what BO you are using etc....


Micromanagement is using your units effectivley. Moveing rines back, or surrounding the enemy with lings before making them attack.

This is more what it seems like they're referring to. I was watching one of the HD Starcraft games yesterday and both were Protoss, one with melee Zealots and one with ranged units and the ranged guys moved back and forth to hit the Zealots without being hit...a "micro battle?"

Yep he was probabley walking the front goon to the back of the group so the zealot will chase it/switch to a different target wasting time giving the goons more shots. You always want to pull hurt units to the back, just because they are hurt doesnt mean they do less damage.

 

[Kabob]

Yep he was probabley walking the front goon to the back of the group so the zealot will chase it/switch to a different target wasting time giving the goons more shots. You always want to pull hurt units to the back, just because they are hurt doesnt mean they do less damage.

Well, it was SC2 but it was the replacement for the Dragoon, same thing. Gosh, the sheer amount of coordination you need to play these games well baffles me...

 

[Udgnim]

probably already explained, but in simplified terms

macro = base / unit building and resource gathering
micro = your control of units

 

[Ritorix]

Well, it was SC2 but it was the replacement for the Dragoon, same thing. Gosh, the sheer amount of coordination you need to play these games well baffles me...

Its all about the APM (actions per minute)

Watching a replay of the top-level players, if you see the vultures place mines perfectly one at a time, or hydralisks burrowing and unburrowing individually...thats the player being awesome.

Of course when a player is doing that, focusing on winning a skirmish, his attention may be distracted while the other guy expands to a new base...

 

[Kabob]

Yeah, I watch the replays (of the middle of the run guys even) and they're flashing all over the screen, back to their base, back to their army, move here, back to the base, build units, etc etc.

Do the top level guys bind their armies to any hotkeys or is it mostly buildings? I've never in any game bound my buildings to hot keys and it seems like when I was watching the HD Starcraft replays he does so yet I see him drawing boxes to select units at times.

 

[Ritorix]

You pretty much have to bind your buildings to hotkeys.

1 f 2 f 3 f 4 f

There, you just built 4 footmen at your 4 barracks. Or whatever. From what I remember you could also shift+F1 to hotkey a location, then F1 to go back to that map location. Or maybe that was another RTS. They all blend together after a while.

But yeah you have to be able to manage several things at a time. Hotkeying different groups of units by location helps you get around quickly.

 

[Spewn]

Well, it was SC2 but it was the replacement for the Dragoon, same thing. Gosh, the sheer amount of coordination you need to play these games well baffles me...

One of the reasons I enjoyed Supreme Commander so much(Edit: Because in my experience, it has a lot less to do with controlling individual units, aka micro-management). The tactical display/zoom interface is absolutely fantastic. I find it *extremely* limiting to play an RTS without it now.