Game Speed
From Liquipedia StarCraft Brood War Wiki
Game Speed is a value that adjusts the time it takes for the game to perform each Logical Step (referred to as a Frame).[1] Fastest is the default speed for custom and ladder matches.
Logical Step[edit]
Brood War uses Logical Steps to run all of the game-important time-sensitive functions. Every time-based mechanic, such as attack speed, movement speed, and build times, are all based off of this. Logical Steps have a delay between them, and this is the game speed.
Game Speeds[edit]
Each game speed puts a different delay, in milliseconds, between each Logical Step. This is as follows:
| Game Speed | Milliseconds per Logical Step | Logical Steps per Second (LSPS)* |
|---|---|---|
| Slowest | 167 | 5.99 |
| Slower | 111 | 9.01 |
| Slow | 83 | 12.05 |
| Normal | 67 | 14.93 |
| Fast | 56 | 17.86 |
| Faster | 48 | 20.83 |
| Fastest | 42 | 23.81 |
* = This value is calculated by doing 1000 / milliseconds per logical step, then you divide your value by this number. Using the LSPS value is functionaly the same, but simplified, compared to doing value * gamespeed / 1000. The values in this table are rounded to the nearest 100ths place.
Movement Speed[edit]
The raw movement speed values, basically, are calculated in pixels per Logical Step. For movement speeds that are controlled via the Iscript.bin file, movement speeds are only approximate averages. Here is a list of all the unit's raw movement speed values:
Ground Units[edit]
Protoss
| Unit name | Speed |
|---|---|
| Probe | 4.92 |
| Zealot | 4 |
| Zealot (upg.) | 6 |
| Dragoon | 5.25 |
| High Templar | 3.2 |
| Dark Templar | 4.92 |
| Archon | 4.92 |
| Dark Archon | 4.92 |
| Reaver | 1.78 |
Air Units[edit]
Protoss
| Unit name | Speed |
|---|---|
| Shuttle | 4.44 |
| Shuttle (upg.) | 6.67 |
| Observer | 3.33 |
| Observer (upg.) | 5 |
| Corsair | 6.67 |
| Scout | 5 |
| Scout (upg.) | 6.67 |
| Carrier | 3.33 |
| Interceptor | 13.33 |
| Arbiter | 5 |
Terran
| Unit name | Speed |
|---|---|
| Wraith | 6.67 |
| Dropship | 5.47 |
| Valkyrie | 6.6 |
| Science Vessel | 5 |
| Battlecruiser | 2.5 |
Cells Per Second[edit]
The Movement Speed that is seen on a unit's Liquipedia page is listed in the amount of full cells it will cross in a second based on the game speed. A cell is always 32 pixels wide and 32 pixels long. A map can only be 256 cells by 256 cells at maximum and only 64, 96, 128, 192, and 256 values for height and length are possible using the regular map editor.[Note 1]
The formula for calculating movement speed is raw speed * GameSpeedLSPS / 32.
Turning Speed[edit]
When a unit changes direction, it turns. The rate at which it turns is controlled by Turning Speed. A unit will turn its turning rate in degrees every frame when turning. Although it appears units have only 32 facings, the facings are actually fully 360 degrees.
Acceleration[edit]
Some units accelerate. This is the amount of speed they gain each Logical Step before they reach their maximum speed. Related is Halt Distance which is the distance in pixels from the point they were ordered to go to when they will begin to subtract their acceleration rate from their current speed. Units that are ordered to stop or hold position will still subtract their acceleration from their current speed.
Rush Distance[edit]
Rush Distances on the Map Pages are based on a Worker's traveling time.
The standard format look like this (add appropriate spots / timings)
This is measured by the speed of a Worker
| Spot | 12:3 | 12:6 | 12:9 | 3:6 | 3:9 | 6:9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main | 34s | 33s | 31s | 30s | 24s | 35s |
| Natural | 34s | 33s | 31s | 30s | 24s | 35s |
Cooldown[edit]
Cooldown, or attack speed, is the delay in Logical Steps that it takes for a unit to reload and be able to fire it's weapon again. The Cooldown that is seen on a unit's Liquipedia page will be listed as per second in real-time on Fastest game speed. The formula to calculate this is raw cooldown * GameSpeedLSPS.
Here is a list of every unit's raw cooldown:
Ground Units[edit]
Protoss
| Unit name | Cooldown |
|---|---|
| Probe | 22 |
| Zealot | 22 |
| Dragoon | 30 |
| High Templar | 30 (Unused) |
| Dark Templar | 30 |
| Archon | 20 |
| Dark Archon | none |
| Reaver | 60 |
| Photon Cannon (Ground) | 22 |
| Photon Cannon (Air) | 22 |
Terran
| Unit name | Cooldown |
|---|---|
| SCV | 15 |
| Marine | 15 |
| Marine (stim) | 7.5 |
| Firebat | 22 |
| Firebat (stim) | 11 |
| Medic | none |
| Ghost | 22 |
| Vulture | 30 |
| Goliath (Ground) | 22 |
| Goliath (Air) | 22 |
| Siege Tank (Tank Mode) | 37 |
| Siege Tank (Siege Mode) | 75 |
| Missile Turret | 15 |
Zerg
| Unit name | Cooldown |
|---|---|
| Drone | 22 |
| Zergling | 8 |
| Zergling (Adrenal Glands) | 6 |
| Hydralisk | 15 |
| Lurker | 37 |
| Broodling | 15 |
| Infested Terran | 0 |
| Defiler | 22 (Unused) |
| Ultralisk | 15 |
| Sunken Colony | 32 |
| Spore Colony | 15 |
Air Units[edit]
Protoss
| Unit name | Cooldown |
|---|---|
| Shuttle | none |
| Observer | none |
| Corsair | 8 |
| Scout (Ground) | 30 |
| Scout (Air) | 22 |
| Carrier | Unknown |
| Interceptor | 1 |
| Arbiter | 45 |
Terran
| Unit name | Cooldown |
|---|---|
| Wraith (Ground) | 30 |
| Wraith (Air) | 22 |
| Dropship | none |
| Valkyrie | 64 |
| Science Vessel | none |
| Battlecruiser (Ground) | 30 |
| Battlecruiser (Air) | 30 |
Spells[edit]
Although not specifically stated or obvious, quite a few abilities actually do have a cooldown. The cooldown is how many Logical Steps a unit must wait before it can use the same spell again. Just to name a few abilities that do, there is Psionic Storm, Disruption Web, Mind Control, Yamato Cannon, laying a Spider Mine, Optical Flare, and Restoration. Here are the raw values extracted from DAT files:
Protoss
| Spell | Cooldown |
|---|---|
| Psi Storm | 45 |
| Disruption Web | 22 |
| Mind Control | 22 |
| Feedback | 22 |
Terran
| Spell | Cooldown |
|---|---|
| Spider Mine | 22 |
| Yamato Gun | 15 |
| Irradiate | 75 |
| Restoration | 22 |
| Optical Flare | 22 |
DPS[edit]
Damage Per Second is calculated by taking the damage a unit does and then dividing it by the cooldown converted to real-time seconds (ex: 0.63 on the Marine). For the Marine, this comes out to 9.523.
Against Ground[edit]
Protoss
| Unit name | DPS |
|---|---|
| Reaver S | 39.68 (+9.92) |
| Archon S | 35.71 (+3.57) |
| Dark Templar | 31.75 (+2.38) |
| Carrier (8 Interceptors) |
30.88 (+5.12) |
| Photon Cannon | 21.65 |
| Zealot X2 | 17.32 (+2.16) |
| Dragoon E | 15.87 (+1.59) |
| Carrier (4 Interceptors) |
15.44 (+2.56) |
| Scout | 6.35 (+0.79) |
| Probe | 5.41 |
| Arbiter E | 5.29 (+0.53) |
| Interceptor | 3.86 (+0.64) |
Terran
| Unit name | DPS |
|---|---|
| FirebatC S (stim) |
25.40 (+3.17) |
| Siege Tank ES (Siege Mode) |
22.22 (+1.59) |
| Battlecruiser | 19.84 (+2.38) |
| Siege Tank E (Tank Mode) |
19.31 (+1.93) |
| Firebat C S | 17.32 (+2.16) |
| Vulture C | 15.87 (+1.59) |
| Marine (stim) |
14.29 (+2.38) |
| Goliath | 12.99 (+1.08) |
| Ghost C | 10.82 (+1.08) |
| Marine | 9.52 (+1.59) |
| SCV | 7.94 |
| Wraith | 6.35 (+0.79) |
Against Air[edit]
Protoss
| Unit name | DPS |
|---|---|
| Archon S | 35.71 (+3.57) |
| Carrier (8 Interceptors) |
30.88 (+5.12) |
| Scout E X2 | 30.30 (+2.16) |
| Photon Cannon | 21.65 |
| Dragoon E | 15.87 (+1.59) |
| Carrier (4 Interceptors) |
15.44 (+2.56) |
| Corsair E S | 14.88 (+2.98) |
| Arbiter E | 5.29 (+0.53) |
| Interceptor | 3.86 (+0.64) |
Terran
| Unit name | DPS |
|---|---|
| Missile Turret E | 31.75 |
| Wraith E | 21.65 (+2.16) |
| Goliath E X2 | 21.64 (+4.33) |
| Battlecruiser | 19.84 (+2.38) |
| Valkyrie E X8 | 17.86 (+2.98) |
| Marine (stim) |
14.29 (+2.38) |
| Ghost C | 10.82 (+1.08) |
| Marine | 9.52 (+1.59) |
Zerg
| Unit name | DPS |
|---|---|
| Spore Colony | 23.81 |
| Hydralisk E | 15.87 (+1.59) |
| Mutalisk X3 2 Bounces |
10.32 (+1.15) |
| Mutalisk | 7.14 (+0.79) |
| Devourer E | 5.95 (+0.48) |
E Explosive Damage (100% vs Lrg, 75% vs Med, 50% vs Sml)
C Concussive Damage (25% vs Lrg, 50% vs Med, 100% vs Sml)
S Splash Damage
X# Multi-hit, armor has greater effectiveness, applying once for each hit. e.g. X2 is two-hits which applies armor twice.
Build Time[edit]
Build Time is the amount of Logical Steps something takes to be built. This includes units, structures, and upgrades. The Build Times you will see on something's Liquipedia page will be in real-time seconds on Fastest game speed. The formula for this is raw Build Time * GameSpeedLSPS. The build time on the Wiki will all be listed for the fastest game speed.
Ground Units[edit]
Note that these do not include the hatching frames of the Egg iscript, which the impact on the final build time is debatable, these are only the values directly from the .DAT files that contain statistics for the units. Morphs do not include the time of the base unit (Such as Hydralisk->Lurker)
Protoss
| Unit name | Build Time |
|---|---|
| Probe | 300 |
| Zealot | 600 |
| Dragoon | 750 |
| High Templar | 750 |
| Dark Templar | 750 |
| Reaver | 1050 |
| Scarab | 105 |
| Archon | 300 |
| Dark Archon | 300 |
Air Units[edit]
Protoss
| Unit name | Build Time |
|---|---|
| Scout | 1200 |
| Corsair | 600 |
| Arbiter | 2400 |
| Carrier | 2100 |
| Observer | 600 |
| Shuttle | 900 |
Terran
| Unit name | Build Time |
|---|---|
| Wraith | 900 |
| Dropship | 750 |
| Valkyrie | 750 |
| Science Vessel | 1200 |
| Battlecruiser | 2000 |
Buildings[edit]
Protoss
| Unit name | Build Time |
|---|---|
| Nexus | 1800 |
| Pylon | 450 |
| Assimilator | 600 |
| Gateway | 900 |
| Forge | 600 |
| Cybernetics Core | 900 |
| Photon Cannon | 750 |
| Shield Battery | 450 |
| Robotics Facility | 1200 |
| Robotics Support Bay | 450 |
| Observatory | 450 |
| Stargate | 1050 |
| Fleet Beacon | 900 |
| Arbiter Tribunal | 900 |
| Citadel of Adun | 900 |
| Templar Archives | 900 |
Terran
| Unit name | Build Time |
|---|---|
| Command Center | 1800 |
| Supply Depot | 600 |
| Refinery | 600 |
| Barracks | 1200 |
| Engineering Bay | 900 |
| Academy | 1200 |
| Bunker | 450 |
| Missile Turret | 450 |
| Factory | 1200 |
| Starport | 1050 |
| Science Facility | 900 |
| Armory | 1200 |
| Comsat Station | 600 |
| Nuclear Silo | 1200 |
| Machine Shop | 600 |
| Control Tower | 600 |
| Covert Ops | 600 |
| Physics Lab | 600 |
Zerg
| Unit name | Build Time |
|---|---|
| Hatchery | 1800 |
| Lair | 1500 |
| Hive | 1800 |
| Extractor | 600 |
| Creep Colony | 300 |
| Sunken Colony | 300 |
| Spore Colony | 300 |
| Spawning Pool | 1200 |
| Evolution Chamber | 600 |
| Hydralisk Den | 600 |
| Spire | 1800 |
| Greater Spire | 1800 |
| Queen's Nest | 900 |
| Ultralisk Cavern | 1200 |
| Defiler Mound | 900 |
| Nydus Canal | 600 |
Casting Time[edit]
Very few abilities use Casting Time, or Channeling Time. Casting Time is the time it takes for the unit to use the ability after being ordered to use it on their target. Yamato Cannon, Burrow, and Recall to name some of the only ones that do.[citation needed]
Regeneration Rates[edit]
Regeneration for health, energy, and shields is a little bit complicated. In order to calculate the actual regeneration per second, first you have to determine how long it takes to generate 1 energy. To do this, you must do (X / 256) * GameSpeedLSPS. Plugging in the energy regen per frame of 8, we get (8 / 256) * ~23.81 = 0.744.
Here is a list of all regenerations (including drains) as their game value (values in game are at an accuracy of 1 / 256) as well as per second on fastest game speed[2]:
| Type | Regen | Regen (#/256) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 0.744 | 8 |
| Life Regen | 0.372 | 4 |
| Shield Battery | 119.047 | 1280 |
| Shield Battery (Cost) | - 59.525 | - 640 |
| Shields | 0.651 | 7 |
| Medic Heal | 18.601 | 200 |
| Heal Cost | - 9.300 | - 100 |
| Ghost Cloaking | - 0.930 | - 10 |
| Ghost Cloaking (- Energy Regen) 1 | - 1.674 | - 18 |
| Wraith Cloaking | - 1.209 | - 13 |
| Wraith Cloaking (- Energy Regen) 1 | - 1.953 | - 21 |
| Structure Burning | - 1.860 | - 20 |
1 Cloaking disables energy regen by increasing the cost of cloaking to include energy regen.
Notes[edit]
- ↑ It is possible have a map with custom dimensions down to 20x12 with special editors, but a regular-sized map will have to be played first, or the game will crash.