micro

[GoVi]

Hey all
I'm a noob microer and I was just curious do you guys use Patrol when ure using ranged units??

[TrongaMonga]

Not really, I only use patrol with observing units, like Overlords and Observers.

Not with Science Vessels, though, because they're too damn gas expensive.

[Ashigaru]

I never use patrol.

[Lord of Nukes]

Units will respond to attacks faster if you use Patrol. It has been proven through extensive testing that unit who fire a projectile will attack while moving if you use Patrol correctly, as well as units with two sprites (Tanks and Goliaths).

This is very useful for Mutalisks as it allows you to peon harass without your Mutalisks having to stop moving. You can either right click peons as YellOw and JulyZerg would do, or you can use Patrol if you're less accurate like me. Use Patrol while your unit(s) are in range of enemy units, then right click away (otherwise they slow down, stop for a seocnd, then turn around).

I don't use Patrol for defense because I pay attention to the minimap and don't need to. As a Terran player I find patrol invaluable for Vulture harassing. You can click Patrol onto or near a Zealot or peon then right click away. If you get used to doing it correctly the Vulture will move slightly towards the Zealot or peon and then turn back, firing the Fragmentation Grenade backwards at the target as it retreats.

I could make a quick replay of this if you want, it's incredibly useful. Naturally, units which do not fire projectiles (Marine [Gauss Rifle plays a sprite over the enemy, it does make a sprite move from the Marine to the enemy], Zerglings, etc.) get no benefit from the Patrol command. Valkyries and Battlecruisers do, but they're so slow at attacking it doesn't matter. I don't use Patrol with Dragoons because Dragoons are so dumb and tend to lock up too easily.

[GoVi]

I would like to see that replay. I have played impossible vulture which is basically using that strategy. Does that mean that vultures are good in a rush against toss(assuming hes lot rushing).

[Phoenix2003]

Patrol is good or scourges protecting islands or from drops. That's probably the only time I've ever used it, though.

[Lord of Nukes]

I remember a game I had a couple months ago on BGH; I was rusty and still am because I haven't played much, my macro was awful. ANyways, I saved the replay, I think I recall doing a lot of Vulture microing in it. I was Terran bottom middle, I don't remember the color.

If that doesn't give you a good idea of Vultures with patrol, then I'll be less lazy and make a replayfor you showing the differences between patrolled and unpatrolled units.

Edit: I just checked it. I'm purple, you can tell that I'm not too experienced with 3v3 and BGH games (I almost always play 1v1s on PGT maps), I could easily have fallen prey to the Zerglings rushes had they picked me instead of my allies. T_T

Edit: Ignore my first attack, my pitiful attempt at defending brown. I wasn't paying attention so I didn't micro at all there, but later on I did and I managed to kill quite a few Zerglings and Zealots. I think if I had expanded less timidly and had better macro I would have won.

Edit: Middle of the map at the 8 minute mark is where it gets fun.

[WhatisProtoss]

In progaming, patrol is most commonly used for vulture, corsair, and mutalisk micro. That's how you see NaDa pull off his vulture tricks, hitting and running without damage. Vulture on attack has a slower response rate than a vulture on patrol.