Out-of-game Strategies to be a better Starcraft player

extracted from http://starcraftarena.net/forum/index.php?topic=3898.0

Ever think that some people are just naturally better at certain things because of their specific biology? Well, regardless of whether or not this is true, there are certain ways to improve your physical skills. These methods should allow you to play Starcraft better. We will be discussing reaction time, music, monitor ergonomics, and rage.

Reaction Time

We all wish that we could move those roaches as soon as we saw the marauders, but most of us have slower reaction times than Gosu gamers like Flash, Jaedong, or Bisu. We may however, through the knowledge of science, give you a slightly better reaction time. Man can now shorten the path between the hand and the eye.

A way to decrease your reaction time is to take a daily supplement of Omega-3 fish oil. It promotes the production of myelin, which coats the axons of a neuron. Neurons function by altering polarity based on Sodium/potassium pumps at Nodes of Renvier. Nodes of Renvier are the nodes that are not covered by a myelin sheath. The longer the distance between nodes of Renvier, the faster the signal travel, because nodes dissipate the charge carried by potassium/sodium ions by giving them a point at which to exit the cell. Promoting the production of myelin lengthens the distance between nodes by covering up more of the axon with myelin, thus speeding up signaling speed.

Synapses are also coated in myelin, and signals pass from the axon of one neuron to the dendrite of another through these synapses using integral proteins called neuroreceptors. Neuroreceptors are responsible for everything from memory to speech. Boosting the production of certain neuroreceptors would decrease reaction time for most people, hopefully allowing you to become a more effective gamer. There are, however, several factors that may increase or decrease reaction time. They include:

Knowing how to react to stimuli - what unit do I make?

Psychological state of mind - e.g. mood.

Physical state of mind - brains get tired. Playing without sleep or when very stressed decreases reaction time significantly.

Deciding how to react to a stimulus - Do I make banshees or Tanks?

Amount of time between stimulus perception and necessary reaction-seeing zealots leaving your opponent’s main vs. seeing them at your ramp.

Severity of threat- i.e. one zergling is less of a threat than 12 ultralisks.

Experience - have I dealt with this before? If so, then your reaction is much better timed. Players put in a new situation will often panic, and let their micro/macro slip.

Body Temperature - cold neurons fire much more slowly, and cold fingers take along time to react.

State of alertness - are you on the attack? Or are you macroing up an army?

Length of neural pathways - remember that more myelin makes shorter pathways, which speeds up neural firing immensely.

Sobriety - playing Starcraft when intoxicated is ill advised; alcohol and most drugs slow down reaction time and affect the brain directly, causing thoughts to be skewed.

Individual biology - Not everyone is the same, you know. Certain things that work for some people may not work on others. People have differing reaction time, with females usually reacting quicker than males. Think about that: Tossgirl probably has a faster reaction time than most Starcraft players!

Increasing your APM

Many people do not know what the acronym APM stands for- it means Actions Per Minute. It is the number of times you click on anything or press a hotkey in one minute. It is not necessarily an indicator of skill, but players with high APM can get more done with their units. They can micromanage units more efficiently, keep up with their micromanagement during attacks, and milk as much worth as they can out of build order timing. High APM does not necessarily translate to skill, but it helps.

Proficient gamers usually have high APM’s; the almost-bonjwa (Starcraft king) Jaedong has an APM consistently above 300 in Brood War. IdrA, an American Zerg currently under employ by the South Korean progaming team CJ Entus, crowned King of the Starcraft 2 beta phase as well as a finalist in HDStarcraft and HuskyStarcraft’s HDH invitational #1- he has an average APM of 146. HuskyStarcraft has an average APM of 110, as does Duckload(White)-ra, the winner of the first HDH invitational. BratOK has an APM of 159, and the crowd favorite, TheLittleOne, has an APM of 139.

Most players can consistently get up to about 80 APM by simply clicking and hitting hotkeys over and over again, while their actual skill level stays the same; this “APM Spamming” is generally frowned upon. The only way to get a higher APM consistently is simple: APM spam. It may take a while, but that useless hitting of keys and selecting of units will develop into a methodical symphony of micromanagement, macromanagement, and nearly-perfect timing. Let the naysayers frown; APM spamming strengthens your fingers, and conditions your neural pathways to be able to perform more actions per minute than before your training. You will benefit from it, and your skill will surely increase. It takes time, however, to become conditioned to use high APM efficiently.

Listening to music while playing Starcraft

Love listening to music while playing Starcraft? Well, you have a friend right here. I love it. Believe it or not, music can greatly affect your play!

Listening to music in allegro- fast tempo, upbeat rhythm- actually increases the rate at which the heart pumps blood, and the rate at which your lungs expand and contract. That means that you get more blood in your fingers and brain, the main two components of a Starcraft player. This extra blood means more oxygen, meaning that your brain can function more efficiently, resulting in a shorter reaction time. You fingers also benefit; more oxygen is carried to them, allowing for the Krebs cycle to occur in your muscle cells. The Krebs cycle manufactures ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, out of oxygen and several other compounds. ATP attaches itself to components of muscle cells, and causes them to expand or contract based on electric charge. Listening to upbeat music helps you play faster.

Music that causes influxes of adrenaline- very rousing music, such as hard rock and metal- affects your play dramatically as well. Adrenaline actually increases reaction time more dramatically than about any other compound besides amphetamines (which are highly illegal in almost every economically developed country). Adrenaline lets your instincts do the decision-making; it is a compound that humans used to use to decide whether to fight or flee. Gamers are faced with much the same situation in a good game- during a big attack, for example. Rousing music may facilitate the release of adrenaline, allowing you to make decisions quicker, and be generally more alert.

Be sure not to turn off your game sounds, though; you don’t want to miss the fact that you are supply-blocked or that you are being attacked.

Monitor troubles

Believe it or not, the monitor is a fairly common source of problems for Starcraft players. Many players keep their computer monitors too close to their eyes, making it impossible to focus efficiently on everything that is happening on-screen. The human eye can only focus on so many points at once. This is about the simplest in the world: push your monitor back a bit. I did, and I noticed that I could see much, much more that was happening in the game. Similarly, to increase your focus, turn your graphical settings on low- that’s how the pro’s play. It allows you to focus on the bigger picture; your brain isn’t wrapped up in processing all the tiny details of the ultra setting. It’s a lot like your processor-the lower the graphics, the smoother it runs.

Dealing with Rage

We’ve all lost a game- and most of us have gotten a little angry more than once when we’ve lost. This rage can be eliminated in a number of ways. A popular way to deal with rage is by angrily typing at your opponent- this can get you in major trouble: DON’T DO IT. The best way, in my own opinion, to deal with rage is to take a quick break for a short workout. A few pushups, pull-ups, and sit-ups later, I feel refreshed and restored. My rage from losing is gone, and I am ready to play another game. Many other people utilize this method of anger management, and experience similar results. The reason is this: during voluntary physical activity, the human body releases pleasure sensors called endorphins. This creates a natural high; some illegal drugs (which I in no way endorse) create a similar high by releasing damaging chemicals that mimic endorphins into your brain. This natural high can be experienced in several ways. You can listen to a favorite song, watch a favorite TV show, or even eat chocolate. Yes, chocolate. As high in sugar as it is, the chemical signature that chocolate leaves upon your brain causes it to emit endorphins naturally.

[Disclaimer]
These methods may not work for everyone. People are different, and no major results should be expected. The purpose of this article was simply to show people how to tweak themselves and their physical surroundings to become better players without massive amounts of in-game practice.

[Sources]
SC2 Replayed.com
ABC.net /science