A real-time strategy game requiring macro/micro management, build orders, scouting, and strategic adaptation across three asymmetric races.
StarCraft is a competitive real-time strategy game where players choose one of three asymmetric races (Terran, Protoss, Zerg) and compete through resource gathering, base building, army composition, and tactical combat. Mastery requires balancing macro management (economy, production, expansion timing) with micro management (individual unit control in battles), while continuously scouting and adapting to opponent strategies. The game rewards both long-term planning and split-second decision-making.
You understand the fundamental game objective (destroy opponent structures) and can navigate the interface to select units, issue commands, and construct buildings. You know the basic resource system (minerals, gas) and can produce workers and military units. You have selected a race and understand its basic unit roster. You can complete a game against the AI on easy difficulty. (Approximately Bronze rank or below)
What Comes Next
If you've checked off most of this list, you're ready for the Silver stage, learning structured build orders and improving your economy management. Thompson et al.(2013)'s telemetry research suggests that foundations are established when you observe and analyze your AI match experiences to systematically understand resource systems and unit production principles.
Documents the 7-tier ranked ladder system (Bronze through Grandmaster) with MMR thresholds and league distribution data directly used for level boundary design across all seven levels
Premier Korean professional StarCraft II tournament series documenting meta evolution, strategic innovation, and the competitive standards referenced in upper-level checklist design
Community-driven build order database with replay-sourced timings and matchup-specific openers, informing the build order execution and scouting response checklist items across levels 2-5
Peer-reviewed study analyzing 3,360 StarCraft II players across 7 expertise levels, identifying 12 cognitive-motor, attentional, and perceptual variables that differentiate skill tiers โ directly informing APM and multitasking checklist criteria per level
