1. Where to Get Your Build Orders
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Check out Spawning Tool or reddit (AllThingsZerg, AllThingsTerran, AllThingsProtoss)— they have a huge database of tested and proven builds used. When I asked sharkbot’s creator he mentioned watching the top SC2 creators as a source of inspiration, here are some suggestions:
2. Implementing Build Orders: DIY vs. Frameworks
You can manually code the timings and steps of the build order yourself, giving you full control. But if that’s too tedious, frameworks like Ares or Sharpy can help streamline this process, handling details like timing and resource management, so you can focus on the fun stuff.
3. Dynamically Adjusting Your Build Orders
Just coding a static build is the easy part, a prescribed recipe won’t adapt when things go sideways. Incorporating simple conditions (like reacting to scouting info or adjusting based on enemy response) can make your build order smarter and your bot more resilient in real games. This reminds me of my conversation with MindMe, the creator of one of the top-performing bots in the scene. When I interviewed him, he emphasized that a bot’s strength isn’t just in executing a build but in its ability to pivot when faced with unexpected situations.
Also consider, build orders are designed for humans, but AI can push them further. You’ll need to tweak them to account for things like speed mining or coding buffer time—making sure workers start building at just the right moment.
