The Mule's Hidden Cost

[TheProgramer]

Did you know: If cast directly on a mineral patch, mules never finish their last trip and expire while holding minerals? So though your gaining 240/270 minerals (depending how close the mineral patch is to the CC) about 4x faster than you normally would, your losing 30 minerals each time you cast a Mule! This can be averted by microing your Mules to stop mining during their last mining trip.

[TheProgramer]

On a personal note I hate when people say that when you scan it costs you 300 minerals. No it does not. For two reasons.

a) It costs you nothing, because you will eventually gain those minerals.

b) It would only cost you 300 minerals if your enemy is getting those minerals now and you are not which only happned 2/3 of the time.

[Articorse]

RANDOM STUFF!

Brought to you by the department of Why The Fuck Not.

[TheEconomist]

[DemolitionSquid]

Did this... did this really need its own thread? Couldn't you have, I dunno, just stated it in a preexisting conversation as a humorous anecdote??

[MulletBen]

I heard this doesn't happen if they mine from far mineral patches. Anyone know?

[Caliban113]

Yes - Trump actually spent about 45 mins one night calculating the difference (quite exciting!!) - If you target 'far' min patches, the mule makes all its trips before dying.

[Carsickness]

I still think Mules are OP.
trading energy for minerals? In a macro oriented game? Ya, that's a little much.
Zerg has larvae inject, but has to expand to make the most of it.
Protoss has Chrono boost for probes, but that doesn't come anywhere near +300 minerals.

Make them at least occupy the damn mineral patch. Makes the Terran have to think before hitting the 'free minerals button'.
Don't get me started on late game/ base race scenarios...
The other races need something to compete with such an ability.

What ever happened to that Protoss "dark pylon" thing that speed up probe movement speed?

Zerg needs some sort of gas collection ability. Something on the queen perhaps that works on extractors?

That way each race has its own resource focused ability:
Terran= Minerals (Mules)
Zerg= Gas (Queen)
Protoss= Both (dark pylon)

If you watch the end game, Zerg always has an abundance of minerals but no gas. Terran has alot of gas but no minerals. Protoss is in the middle due to Zealot/ HT resource dumps.

[DemolitionSquid]

What ever happened to that Protoss "dark pylon" thing that speed up probe movement speed?

Seriously? I know you were around I wrote a several page essay a few years ago on how completely unbalanced the Dark Pylon and Proton Charge were.

[Caliban113]

What ever happened to that Protoss "dark pylon" thing that speed up probe movement speed?

Massive rebuttal from Squid in 3.......2....


DAMMIT!!! - missed it by a jus' a little bit