Topic StarCraft Art of War - When to GG
Daxxarri
Daxxarri
Community Manager
This week, we’re analyzing:

When to GG - Sometimes it pays to fight to the end, and sometimes it’s better to throw in the towel and try again. How do you know when it’s worth it to keep fighting versus when it’s time to say GG and leave the field to your opponent?

Strategy, tactics, and skill. At the heart of StarCraft II are the legion of skilled tacticians and brilliant strategists leading armies of zerg, protoss, and terrans to war across the scarred battlefields of the Koprulu Sector. Knowledge is power; the greatest commanders throughout history earned their victories not merely by virtue of strategic brilliance, but also by applying themselves to rigorous study of warfare and the tactics used by those who fought before them. You too can tap into this valuable resource, and that’s where StarCraft Art of War comes in.

Are you a veteran player? Are you new to StarCraft II and striving to improve your skills? In this weekly feature, we invite players of all skill levels to ask questions, share their tactics, post replays, and provide advice for understanding, executing and defeating today’s most popular strategies.

Don’t forget to up-vote forum posts that you find on-topic and helpful!

Art of War Rules:

  • Stick to the rules. All posts should abide by the forum code of conduct and the Art of War guidelines. Feel free to disagree with each other, but please do so respectfully. When you express opposing opinions, focus on the idea, not its author, their record, or perceived skill level.
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NoRe #801
NoRe
I think it is generally accepted that when you lack any chance of winning you should GG.
TCPMathmick #341
TCPMathmick
MVP
Never give up, never surrender!

I personally like to draw out games as long as possible as long as there is a small chance of winning. Of course, having a floating Barracks in corner of the map isn't a chance of winning, and a T3 army knocking on my door when I have no army is not a chance of winning either.

It's always good to have an idea of what sort of state your opponent is in. If you destroyed half their base earlier and only just fended off an attack which took out a chunk of your base, you may still be in a good position to continue on.

Anyone who remembers that game I am so proud of knows that after I took out half of his base and then had to retreat, he came and smashed up half of my base. I only managed to win because I had the capacity to make units and defences, and managed to do so while I held off a much stronger army. I could have GG-ed out after losing most of my stuff, but I didn't because I knew he didn't have much stuff either, and could still go either way.


    ______________________________________________________________________________
    [TCP]Mathmick - Most Valuable Poster
    http://sea.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/36798 - The Most Valuable Poster program info

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFiAhu1ONKs&t=5m40s
iRLEstancia #651
iRLEstancia
Just don't be like Idra and quit a won game.
ArtVandelay #126
ArtVandelay
Gg when you are satisfied with the game.
nfshaloscrox #698
nfshaloscrox
I GG when there is no hope...
Graboid #548
Graboid
I have GG'd too early in the past and stayed in the game. Often during an attack on my base that looks hopeless. I might barely hold it off and then upon scouting discover that he's now on even footing to myself. I then decide to stay in the game which can frustrate the other player.

It's a rare occasion but it does happen.
Anon #429
Anon
03/16/2012 08:45 PMPosted by Graboid
I then decide to stay in the game which can frustrate the other player.

Thats very much BM. Most players stop focussing after seeing a GG.
Graboid #548
Graboid
The game is only over when it's over. When the other person leaves or all the buildings are gone. Saying "gg" is a polite way of exiting but it is not the actual act of leaving. It is the fault of the opposing player for letting up after reading the gg.

I play ladder though, where anything goes. People hack in ladder, they lie, they "smurf" and do all sorts of things that don't exist in tournaments for practical reasons. What matters is the end result and if my opponent gives up after I give a fake GG then he's the silly one. It ain't a tournament and there is no audience to shame me or disqualify.

If I was playing a tournament or clan match I would leave the game after a GG no matter what. The DIFFERENCE is that I wouldn't GG so early, because the game would be more important. I would hold out longer than usual.
Vectosis #795
Vectosis
i gg when i see voidrays :IFYOUKNOWWHATIMEAN:
jellybelly #453
jellybelly
03/16/2012 11:44 PMPosted by Graboid
I play ladder though, where anything goes. People hack in ladder, they lie, they "smurf" and do all sorts of things that don't exist in tournaments for practical reasons. What matters is the end result and if my opponent gives up after I give a fake GG then he's the silly one. It ain't a tournament and there is no audience to shame me or disqualify.


and thats exactly why there are people who hack and smurf on ladder
Mossie #256
Mossie
I GG when:

I lose a game and are about to quit.

Though sometimes I talk a little in game while he kills my base (I let them get achievements if they want to), and the most lol case was when I GG'd against my friend in season 1 after losing to a zealot rush, he went back to his base and i went on to win that game :D.

How I know I lost:

Army arrives and I have no army
Army warped in on the high ground
Army shows up with massive units and I was planning on using forcefields to hold them.
Army steamrolls its way through my army.
My tech gets reset at later than 8 mins into the game (as in all cyber cores, stargates, robos, TCs, Dark Shrines and Templar archives are destroyed)
My army is destroyed and my backup mega-carrier fleet (15 3/3/3 carriers) is only 50% done when they arrive and kill all the pylons powering it. This is a just in case, never happened yet, though there was a case where I had 15 3/3/3 carriers warping in after saccing my army and my nat, and the carriers went on to win the game for me (lol 10 colossi are useless vs carriers)
Turtles #601
Turtles
When they are "In your base killing your d00dz"

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-ur-base

You can sack an expansion or two to slow down an opponent in the hopes of making a last ditch all in but once they are taking out your production facilities and you already have a smaller army then you know its time to call it a day.

03/17/2012 03:56 AMPosted by Vectosis
i gg when i see voidrays :IFYOUKNOWWHATIMEAN:

IKNOWWHATYOUMEAN
Graboid #548
Graboid
03/17/2012 04:02 AMPosted by jellybelly
I play ladder though, where anything goes. People hack in ladder, they lie, they "smurf" and do all sorts of things that don't exist in tournaments for practical reasons. What matters is the end result and if my opponent gives up after I give a fake GG then he's the silly one. It ain't a tournament and there is no audience to shame me or disqualify.


and thats exactly why there are people who hack and smurf on ladder


Better to learn to deal with these people than just complain and report.
Blaze #977
Blaze
Never GG :)
NightHound #242
NightHound
03/17/2012 03:56 AMPosted by Vectosis
i gg when i see voidrays :IFYOUKNOWWHATIMEAN:


... I don't get it.. What's so green about seeing Voidrays?

03/16/2012 09:44 PMPosted by mGGMueX
I then decide to stay in the game which can frustrate the other player.

Thats very much BM. Most players stop focussing after seeing a GG.


Not exactly. Say if the other player used some pretty cheesy tactic.
I would consider if they outsmarted me and used some good tactical gameplay.
But if they just marine rush, bane rush, or cannon rush.. I'd pretty much stay in the game for the heck of it. :P

03/17/2012 01:06 PMPosted by Blaze
Never GG :)


Now this is what you call BM.

03/17/2012 05:35 AMPosted by Turtles
IKNOWWHATYOUMEAN


WHAT DOES HE MEAN?!?! T.T
Langford #459
Langford
I only gg if it was a good game
if it wasnt a good game, i'll tell them how bad they are and how the game is broken
then i will conitnue to harass them over the neat chat system
but usually i win, so it's a good game
Dogsi #576
Dogsi
The game is only over when it's over. When the other person leaves or all the buildings are gone. Saying "gg" is a polite way of exiting but it is not the actual act of leaving. It is the fault of the opposing player for letting up after reading the gg.

I play ladder though, where anything goes. People hack in ladder, they lie, they "smurf" and do all sorts of things that don't exist in tournaments for practical reasons. What matters is the end result and if my opponent gives up after I give a fake GG then he's the silly one. It ain't a tournament and there is no audience to shame me or disqualify.

If I was playing a tournament or clan match I would leave the game after a GG no matter what. The DIFFERENCE is that I wouldn't GG so early, because the game would be more important. I would hold out longer than usual.


You sound like a sociopath. Something should not be shameful only if others are there to see you do it. Getting a win you do not deserve shouldn't be gratifying. Stealing a win from some one who did out play you should not be gratifying.

Despite such a poor attitude and caring only for the win, you are still bronze. Sad.
Graboid #548
Graboid
The game is only over when it's over. When the other person leaves or all the buildings are gone. Saying "gg" is a polite way of exiting but it is not the actual act of leaving. It is the fault of the opposing player for letting up after reading the gg.

I play ladder though, where anything goes. People hack in ladder, they lie, they "smurf" and do all sorts of things that don't exist in tournaments for practical reasons. What matters is the end result and if my opponent gives up after I give a fake GG then he's the silly one. It ain't a tournament and there is no audience to shame me or disqualify.

If I was playing a tournament or clan match I would leave the game after a GG no matter what. The DIFFERENCE is that I wouldn't GG so early, because the game would be more important. I would hold out longer than usual.


You sound like a sociopath. Something should not be shameful only if others are there to see you do it. Getting a win you do not deserve shouldn't be gratifying. Stealing a win from some one who did out play you should not be gratifying.

Despite such a poor attitude and caring only for the win, you are still bronze. Sad.


lol. Shame is a superstitious practice confined typically to the religiously minded. Please keep that crap out of the forums.
I feel no guilt for what I do for 3 main reasons:
-It is only a game
-I have done it probably half a dozen times in around 1500 games and always by accident
-Saying "gg" is not part of the gameplay. At all. Not even remotely related. That's community, and the community is anonymous.

Your whole opinion of me (you think I'm bronze. You think I care only for the win) is so wrong that I feel you should delete your post in embarrassment.
Anon #429
Anon
03/18/2012 12:52 AMPosted by Graboid
Shame is a superstitious practice confined typically to the religiously minded. Please keep that crap out of the forums.

Lolwut? Since when? Shame is an emotion most people experience automatically when they do something frowned upon by society.

03/18/2012 12:52 AMPosted by Graboid
Saying "gg" is not part of the gameplay. At all. Not even remotely related. That's community, and the community is anonymous.

That doesn't mean that rudeness isn't rudeness.

03/18/2012 12:52 AMPosted by Graboid
you think I'm bronze

You are bronze. If you're trying to portrait farm you're doing a terrible job of it. From your profile I can see you were Gold last season and at your peak you were Platinum. Don't act like you're Master or GM in disguise.

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