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Allied games

Allied games have 2 or more teams of 2 or more people each.  Use the "melee" game type.

• Make sure you set allies, shared vision, and messages at the very beginning of the game.   It's important to turn on vision quickly, so that your Zerg allies won't start an overlord scouting toward you instead of toward a blank space on the map.
• Try to find a regular partner, someone you can play with frequently, preferably someone better than you, so you can learn from him.  If you play with the same person long enough, things really start to click and your teamwork flows naturally; you can develop and practice strategies together.
• Don't abandon your partner -- EVER!  If you let your partner die, you will die soon after.  If your partner asks for help, you help him.  There is no room for debate on this issue.
• Don't skip early troops to go for techtree advances thinking that your partner will pick up your slack.  The tech rush may work against incompetent opposition, but if it's a 2v2 game against competent players and you skip early troops, you leave yourself open to an early double-team AND you have no way to help your partner if he needs it.  It's a bad idea; just don't do it.  Besides, in the early game you don't have the resources to make many advanced units.  Wait until after the rush to climb the tech tree.
• Don't turtle in and play defense; this is tantamount to abandoning your partner.   How can you help your partner if you've built nothing but bunkers and missile towers?  You need to be aggressive and work together to kill the enemy, and this means making troops and controlling the map.
• Communicate with your partner.  When something important happens, tell him!   Some important events to report: you get your first barracks/gateway/spawning pool; you find an enemy base or expansion; you expand; you see a group of enemy troops; you get attacked; you need help; etc.  Also let your teammate know about changes in your long-term plan: "he's got bunkers and tanks...i'm going guardians".
• Have a team plan.  It could be as simple as "double-team the first guy we find," or it could be more complex.  But you must have a plan and you must both agree on it.  Don't fight with your partner over control of the game; if you partner wants to attack something, help him.  Don't waste time debating.
• Pick a joint target. If your partner says "let's kill purple's expansion" and you agree, then until purple's expansion is down or some other target is named (or there is an emergency), both of you focus on killing the expansion.  When it becomes obvious that the target is dying, pick another target.  Avoid lulls where there is no objective; always have a short-term goal.
• Concentrate on one opponent at a time; if you can eliminate one of your opponents, the game is usually over.  However, be careful not to let the remaining opponent get too strong; switch targets if the original one proves too tough a nut to crack.
• Don't just send troops to the target; attack WITH your ally.  Allied games are all about double-teaming (and triple- and quadruple-teaming).  Wait near the target until you have a combined army.  When you're ready, say "ready?".  When your partner says yes, say "go" and rush in together.  Fancier versions can include front-door-back-door coordination, diversionary attacks, or whatever you and your partner practice and feel comfortable with.
• Keep your armies together.  If you and your partner keep your forces united, you will roll over any force that a single one of your opponents can construct.
• Use troops that are compatible with your partner's -- you want the allied armies to fit well with each other.  Use ranged units (hydras, marines) with melee units (zerglings, zealots) so that both unit types can fight at the same time (see screen shot of zealots and hydras ripping up zerglings).  Air units can provide the same advantage -- mutalisks and marines are a better combination than hydras and marines, because the unit types don't get in each others' way.
• Watch out for splash damage that can hurt your allies' troops.  Firebats are murder on opposing melee troops, but they do huge amounts of splash damage to allies; don't use them if there are allied zealots or zerglings around.  Reavers also have this problem.
• Don't compete with your partner for expansion space; expand away from your partner if he needs your preferred spot.  If your partner has nowhere to expand, help him take over an enemy expansion.
• Anticipate your partner's needs.  If you see an enemy force heading his way, send your troops to his place.  This has the extra benefit of uniting your armies.
• Don't ask for help unless you really need it.  When you do ask, be specific: "five mutas at my exp...can you send marines?"  This will allow your partner to divert the right amount of troops from the front line over to the trouble spot.   The idea is to avoid having too many troops running from place to place; troops in transit are troops that aren't killing the enemy.
• If your partner is being attacked, you may want to hit his attacker's base instead of coming to help defend.  Often when you hit your partner's attacker, he'll run his troops back toward home; this saves your partner and kills your opponent's base at the same time.  We in Clan Burning Blade call this the punchingbag/enforcer scheme.   Don't do it unless your partner tells you to; if he wants you to help defend at his base, then defend with him!!

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