Starcraft AI blog

Steamhammer's web page is updated with source.

I enjoyed this game of Randomhammer versus Krasi0. It was played by the test version of Randomhammer, before the release version was ready.

Randomhammer ended up protoss and tried its dark templar drop strategy. Here the shuttle has taken the long way around the map, following the edge counterclockwise, and unloaded dark templar next to the mineral line. The dark templar killed a number of SCVs plus a goliath and delayed the academy, while disrupting mining.

Two tanks at the front had been keeping the protoss field army at bay. The tanks pulled back to help defend the drop (in this picture they are on the high ground), which allowed Randomhammer to break the bunker and wreak more havoc in the natural.

At the end of the fight, Randomhammer had its own natural up and was ahead in workers by 33 to 16, which should have been a decisive advantage. Then, of course, Krasi0 played the rest of the game much better and won regardless.

The dark templar drop is dangerous. Krasi0 was prepared: It had turrets up for detection and goliaths to shoot down the shuttle. Terran could detect the dark templar most of the places they went, and yet struggled to defend. Randomhammer did not understand that the turrets were key targets and ignored them. With sharper play during the drop, protoss might have won outright despite Krasi0’s preparation and fast defensive reactions.

It was a fun and instructive game. As protoss, Randomhammer plays the dark templar drop around 15% of the time, depending on the map and matchup.