Unit Pricing

[CombatEX]

(07-09-2012 06:37 PM)Kirenx Wrote:  If Runners are going to comprise 70+% of the total units bought in every game it could get old pretty fast.

Selective reading much? Scout's do not comprise 70%+ of the actual game. Once one player has gotten way ahead then the number of scouts made skyrockets, but for the actual part of the game before one person essentially has won, the fraction of scouts isn't that outrageous. The thing is, like in the supertitan game, the ratio of scouts to other units josue made was only 5-2 (keep in mind his opponent made 9 scouts so at least 1 or 2 of josue's scouts were made in retaliation. Really josue probably would have made something like 4-3 or 4-2 if not for his opponent overmaking NINE scouts). 4-3 or 4-2 doesn't seem like too many scouts to me. The thing is, after josue got really far ahead by turn 14 or so, then the number of scouts made from that point spirals. Why? Because scouts are too good? No. Because when you're way behind like Cani was you don't have many wits. So what can you make when your opponent is pressuring you with 2 or 3 units and you have no wits or units? You can make 2 scouts, move with them, and attack. You'll then only have 2 wits left. So you're stuck getting out what little you can to hold off your opponent and this usually means making scouts, not because you want to, but because you can't get out much else. As josue, you've already won the game so might as well throw scouts at different parts of the map to keep up that lead. For example, josue kept threatening the resource node with a scout because he's already way ahead and knows his opponent can't afford to deal with defending his resource node when he's already way behind with his main army comp.

You also have to consider that units produced =/= units being used on the map. Scouts die extremely fast whereas other units have much greater survivability. I'd imagine if you made a graph of scout to other unit ratio on the map during any given turn over the course of the game you'd find scouts weren't THAT over-prevalent. Also keep in mind that Cani used a very scout heavy strategy (which probably was what lost him the game since scouts are inefficient attackers in terms of wits, see szei's post). So in a more typical game where one person doesn't early scout rush (cani made 4 scouts in his first 2 turns), you'll see even fewer scouts.

The units on the field are more important than the units being made because that reflects what is actually being used.