on tilt!

godspal

i have been having a very hot/cold spell on the ladders lately. (friday 9-2, saturday 3-1, sunday 5-13 (win-loss)) Not what usually happens when i am winning is that i can walk away when i lose. but when i am losing i just meltdown. i keep playing even though i know i should walk away. and this kind of mental block is killing my game.
any tips on how to walk away when you're losing?
what do you do when you think you are on tilt?

oh just to show how bad this mental block is... and how clouded my thoughts can get when i am losing. my worst game is z v z. its just atrocious, i over-commit and suicide my units way to often, and the above losses can be broken down like this:
-3 x Protoss
-3 x Terran
-2 x Random (both zerg btw)
-8 x Zerg

You see what happens is against zerg, is when i think i am about to win, i throw all my units (except drones) at the other player, and instead of withdrawing when i am about to lose all my units, and get ready for the counter attack, i just watch and pray that i win. what type of mental process/strategy is that?! its panic that's what it is.

Xios

Play some custom games, enjoy other areas of sc2, it'll improve your micro slightly.

Or play 4v4's, that'll be fun, and let you try out ridiculous unit compositions

Laisurg

Play practice games against zerg, tbh ZvZ is bollocks though, i hate it even though i'm not particularly bad at it.
Usually a good idea to take a break if you're on a losing streak since you'll just get pissed off and mess up your build orders beyond repair, that's what happens to me anyway :P

Decerto

My play is also really streaky but its for different reasons i think. With reguards walking away most people would reccomend something like a 3 loss limit and then take a break or after every loss do 10 pushups.

I personally just mass game untill i start winning again but its completely dependant on you. Something i have noticed though is that going on big losing streaks is alot more beneficial to you as a player then winning as it forces you to think on your mistakes and what parts of your game are causing you to lose so you patch them up for your next session.

I suppose you could view streaks as a sign of progress, you are forced too see the flaws in your game during a big losing streak, you correct them and start winning, then eventually you meet better opponents who exploit other flaws and cause you to lose again and so on

UnholyGregor

i dont understand all the zvz hate, its a great matchup, definately the best mirror mu in sc2.

godspal, the most important thing for zerg is, when ahead, get more ahead, never commit to killing your opponent outright, unless you're totally sure it will work.
the best way to win a zvz when you're ahead, is to lock him onto 2/3 bases, take the whole map and slowly starve him.

IRL_Sinister

Godspal the exact same thing happens to me. I get mental blocks when I start losing. There are a few techniques I use to get over this. However, you need to understand this: Starcraft II is a game of losing. Nobody in the world can never lose and you only improve and learn from losing (the same goes for playing better players). So if, for example, you lose 3 games in a row it's not a big deal; it happens to everyone. However, if you lose 5 games in a row and you see yourself getting frustrated then you need to just STOP there and then.

If you're really into SC2 like me, however, don't completely tune out from SC2. These are some of the things I do when I'm losing, played a long series or am in a Tournament:

1. Get a drink of water - I rarely have a drink on my desk because it means I won't get off the desk. I put all my water/glasses in the kitchen and then in-between games I physically get off my chair, out of my room and poor myself a nice, cold glass of water (or whatever you use yourself). This, in turn, not only refreshes you but takes your mind off the game for a few minutes.
2. Watch a replay (of your favorite player maybe) - The best thing about watching a replay is that it keeps your head in place for SC2. However, you don't physically strain yourself and you get to see entertaining and high-level games. This also adds a bit of motivation to your own game. There are hundreds of replay sites out there - sc2rep.com being by far the best.
3. Watch a stream - go to teamliquid.net and just click on a random stream. Once again it takes your mind away from your own game and let's you still stay in focus of SC2. The best thing about a stream is the fact that it let's you stay off the game for prolonged periods of time with no stress on your shoulders. You see the best and worst players lose and win and you realise it's not only you.

There are many other methods, these are just the ones I use. They give you a mental break from the game but still allow you to focus on the game. Everyone has their bad days and they know this but don't let it get you down. Just remain calm and solid and you'll start racking up the wins again without too much hassle. Exercise is good, albeit simple things like walking to the toilet or getting a drink. They help.

Good luck ~

pixelburp

Hmmm, interesting thread because I'm going through some weird streaks in my matchups, with an overall trend towards a terrible win/loss ratio since Season 2 began. I thought I might finally get out of Gold but still I'm stuck

I too go through a series of extreme peaks and troughs; had one only this weekend where a sofa-Sunday turned into a cataclysmic series of embarrassing defeats; 5/6 on the bounce at times. Naturally I was getting deeply frustrated, which of course led to more losses (the worst being when I lost ALL my drones to a remaining blue-flame hellion that crashed through my wall-off). I hate ending a session on a loss, so I tend to just play on until I get that streak-breaker; pretty much a perfect example of a vicious cycle.

Like the suggestions made in this thread though - I really need to learn how to switch off for 10-30 minutes when I get into those troughs. I'm not sure I'd advocate watching more SC2 as a cure though - I try to take non-gaming breaks; whether it's some channel surfing, take a walk to the shops, make some food in the kitchen, etc.

Manuva

Oh man, I went on a 9 game losing streak a few days ago. I always tell myself that 3 losses in a row means quitting time for the night. Went on a serious tilt that time. One piece of advice is to always watch your replays when you lose, and not at 8x speed! stick on the production tab and check out what you're opponent did and look for the point where you lost. This has 2 important effects:
1. you learn off-race builds and timings
2. you aren't queuing right away in full-tilt mode.
But yeah, the "not quitting till i win one impulse is tough to fight. good luck

UnholyGregor

FIGHT THROUGH THE PAIN
lol jk, although, i was on 499 1v1 wins with zerg the other day, and said to myself ''im not going until i get solo zerg 500 portrait''....... 10 losses later, i decided that was enough sc2 for one night.....

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

its pretty ****ing depressing is what it is
thursday night I went 10 wins out of 11 games, i was playing fantastic. everything I was doing, I was doing well and the game was a joy to play.
Friday night, 1 win out of 10 games.. it was ****ing horrible. Every game I lost I just got more and more frustrasted but couldn't stop myself clicking the find game button, knowing full well i was on tilt and would most likely lose it and lose ladder points. Went from 9th in my division to.. think i'm 30th now.

Decerto

Yup came back from a break lost 3 customs in a row to epi then another 4 ladder games, then went on a 9 win streak:)

I dont think ive ever not had streaks for past few months tbh

UnholyGregor

Decerto wrote: »

Yup came back from a break lost 3 customs in a row to epi then another 4 ladder games, then went on a 9 win streak:)

I dont think ive ever not had streaks for past few months tbh

3 customs and 1 ladder game :P
After the 2nd game, you did seem to be tilting a bit, doing some pretty crazy all ins
edit: 5-1...
damn 4gates ruining my perfect stats0

godspal

having a mediocre day on the ladders. 50:50 win/loss. And then winning a game. and I DC, raging pretty bad now.