Starcraft evolution: Patch 13, so what

I admit, I am to bad player to understand Starcraft 2 in numbers. Pro players and Starcraft 1 veterans can see tiny differences on something as their skills depend on this, they have mastered micro-macro, they value every second in the game. I am more "clicker" (which is of course not good for good gaming).

Anyhow, I follow every patch release with great interest. Not for the game balance but for the players balance. Every time some patch is released, we usually have three races in discussion. It comes out that it is not about the units buff or nerf...
Since most of players have their favorite race, if patch note says "we nerfed this and this unit" and the unit is of our race we like to think "you nerfed me". So discussions mostly follow the same pattern: If my race is nerfed it is tragedy, if other races are nerfed it is good, yet if my race is buffed it is awesome, and if the other races are buffed it is stupid and unfair.

Well, full respect to random players. They can play all races, and they can easily switch to any they like.

Nerf/buff relativity

There is no point in discussing some unit ability if you never use it. Some units are used more and some less. I guess some nerfs/buffs are not strictly to balance the races, but to balance the players. Blizzard wants us to use all units. Only, and only if we use all units, the game can be further balanced.

So from this aspect I understand that kind of psychology is behind it.

- Is Overseer good, balanced unit?
- We don't know, it is used in 15% of all games?
- Lets make it more attractive, lets add him some new ability.

This may be the the story behind. Now when overseer have some neat buff, we may use it more, then we will see how he performs, and what additional balances need to be done. Just my thoughts.

Overpowering

What is the meaning of "overpowered". I guess this should be invincible unit, in a way that any race doesn't have proper counterattack. Is there any? Is Siege tank overpowered over marine? Yes it is. So, stay away with single Marine. Pump them up in larger numbers until your Marine ball overpower the siege tank. Or go for Banshees. Tank can't even fire back.

Overpowered unit would be very easy to detect: everyone uses it, in lethal combination, and it is a winning combination. I don't think we have any that could guarantee victory.

To many variables are in the game. All unit values are just numbers, but practical use depends on many other factors. it is same in every competition. Do something better under the same conditions. We must not forget that one of conditions in Starcraft 2 is that it have three races involved. Any player can play the race he prefers. It is choice. If Prottos is more powerful then Terran, lets play Prottos and win. No one is forbidden to play any race. We can play exactly the one we think is overpowered.

Reaper may be considered more powerfull on Desert Oasis and Lost Temple, then in Scrap Station or Steppes of War, depending on how much clifs you have arround your base. And so we see Reaper in early game and in maps with approachable start positions. But on amy map his hitpoints, damage, production time, abilities and everything else is the same. This is just an example how any unit can be powerful in certain situations, against certain enemy, on particular terain, in some period of game, and of course played by certain player.

If I could play TvT against for example IdrA (oh, my...), I guess all his Terran units would be overpowered over my units. His macro is better, he would have more units, his micro is better, his units will be more skilled in battle, his strategy is better, he will use units where and when they will be most effective.

So I would like to give new definition of "overpowered" unit: It is any unit that beats you on right time, right place, in right number, with proper tactics, good support, and guided with good player.

As a conclusion, it is good to have suggestions, but discussions can only bring up some opinions. Luckily, many players do exactly that, they say what they think and that's it, they live with new patch as they lived with early beta. And for those that are absolutely sure they know what should be done in game balance and that everyone else is wrong , here is nice link. You never know :)