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I've been playing SC:Remastered pretty much nonstop since release (got almost 2000 games under my belt, switching from SC2 Protoss to SC:BW Terran. It's been a rough transition). I never really delved into Brood War past 2001 in any competitive sense, and I was far too young at that point to immerse myself in the full ensemble of skillsets that would eventually develop Brood War into a highly competitive and insanely technical mechanical monster of a game.

However, I spent years and years playing SC2. I got very, very good (top masters, was on a professional team, was in talks about getting shipped to Poland then Korea for a couple of months before I just stopped playing), though not phenomenal or top level by any means. I played nonstop, studied nonstop, gave up everything in my life to get better at StarCraft 2. It was what I did. Every day, all day. It was my life.

I even put myself through a physical training regimen to help mental clarity and reduce any RSI I was receiving through intense 10-12 hour daily session of starcraft. I slept 7 hours a night--the minimum to receive full clarity and full stamina--usually between 8-9PM and 3-4AM (can't miss GSL guys). I put my best foot forward trying my damnedest to improve.

Playing Terran in SC1 for what, 2-ish months now? That has had a larger impact on my game than any one thing I did for SC2 while I was playing in the competitive spectrum.

Hell, any TWO things I did.

The crazy thing? I haven't improved THAT much at Brood War. I'm maybe 300-350 points higher than where I started (I think I dipped to 1150 before I started winning--granted I didn't actually know any build orders for my first 50 games or so), and that doesn't seem like a whole hell of a lot to me. But my APM in SC2 has gone up 50 points and my ability to macro is so much stronger than it was. I stopped playing SC2 almost completely while I was playing Brood War...now I come back, and it seems like I'm having a ridiculously easy time in games. I feel like I'm back at Masters level, and I was struggling to stay in Diamond when I started playing SC:Remastered (a nice batch of games will tell the truth on whether or not I'm back that far up--I feel like I may be a bit too far behind the curve on the metagame for that feeling to hold true).

Simply put, I've had to focus on my mechanics, multitasking and single unit value control so much that my macro has increased exponentially and my game sense is extremely well honed. I have never seen this much improvement in such a short time since I broke Masters the first time around.

I think I may start to force myself to play more SC2--partially to see where exactly I land on the ladder, but also, if I can improve this much in such a short time then maybe playing both games will help me get back to the level I enjoyed playing at. Maybe there's a chance I can get back to the competitive sphere before I'm in my 30s.

I never realized how much Brood War trains you to sharpen every skill in your repertoire until recently.

That said, I'm still terrible. At both games.