Scout

A Quake Team Fortress class

Protoss Scout

The scout is the Protoss's lowest-level aerial fighter. Like all Protoss units, the Scout is powerful, fast, and amazing in large groups. Unfortunately, it also inherits the negative aspect of 'toss units: they are slow to build and expensive. The Apial Sensors upgrade, while very cheap, is all but useless with a better upgrade available for the detector-ing Observer. The extra speed provided by Gravitic Thrusters, on the other hand, is a must-have if you choose to work with Scouts.

The scout is a little-used unit in most StarCraft games. That's not to say that it's a bad unit, per se, but it is poorly placed. It is a mere 75 min/ 125 gas less expensive than the mighty Carrier, and takes longer than most units (still almost half as long as a Carrier). Thus, many players, especially those on "money maps" who have no shortage of resources, skip the scout while focusing on Carriers. Scouts have good cooldown time on their ground weapons, and amazing cooldown time on their air-to-air missiles.

However, in a "real" StarCraft game, where money and time are micromanaged with incredible precision, the Scout truly begins to shine. The main problems with Carriers, you see, are that they are EXPENSIVE. A fleet of twelve carriers alone costs 4500 minerals and 3200 gas. You want eight interceptors on each of those Carriers? Upgrading to eight interceptors on those twelve carriers will cost an additional 2500 minerals and 100 gas. You want those Carriers before you opponent wipes his ass with you? You'd better have at least six Stargates -- 900 gas, 900 minerals more. You see, a Scout fleet, compiled correctly, can absolutely slaughter the base of the poor sod who tries to get Carriers like that. SLAUGHTER. You can put twelve Scouts into his main base, pop his workers, and then pick off his two Carriers with two interceptors each. HE'S DEAD, JIM! THE POOR SOD BE FUCKING DEAD BECAUSE HE FUCKING MISUNDERESTIMATED THE POWER OF SCOUTS!

Note, however, that I said "compiled correctly." If your Scout-building timing is off, or if your opponent decides to go with, say, Dragoons instead of Carriers...well, you're screwed. Royally. Up the ass. With plasma balls, or spines, or depleted-uranium pellets. Should your opponent be playing Terran or Zerg, they can get HUNDREDs of Marines or Hydralisks by the time you get a dozen Scouts. In fact, even if your opponent is getting Carriers, and they acquire a few Corsairs...well, bend over...

You see, the scouts have their place. They are very good rushers against Carriers, and do a mighty fine job of picking off enemy workers. Unfortunately, that's pretty much the limit of their generally effective strategy. The scouts have their place, but it's a very small place.


The scouts are dead! Long live the scouts...

In addition to performing a valuable function, the scout also contributes heavily to the sense of the store as a gathering place, and not just a market - like an ancient agora. He will usually spend more time there than is strictly necessary to complete his business, chat with customers to find out what they want, and develop meaningful relationships with the shopkeepers. This helps the good scout insure that after lugging everything to the transaction point, he can actually leave it there and not have to find somewhere else to dump it.

Scouts generally have a lot of free time on their hands, so they can scour all the spots where goods are likely to be found for little or no money - curbs on trash day, the city dump, yard sales, library sales, etc. They often have their best luck at sales by going towards the end and offering to buy what's left over for a ridiculously low amount of money. If you offer to transport it from the premises, it can even be often had for free.

Scout (skout), n. [Icel. skUta a small craft or cutter.]

A swift sailing boat. [Obs.]

So we took a scout, very much pleased with the manner and conversation of the passengers.
Pepys.

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Scout, n. [Icel. skUta to jut out. Cf. Scout to reject.]

A projecting rock. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

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Scout (skout), v. t. [Icel. skUta a taunt; cf. Icel. skUta to jut out, skota to shove, skjOta to shoot, to shove. See Shoot.]

To reject with contempt, as something absurd; to treat with ridicule; to flout; as, to scout an idea or an apology. "Flout 'em and scout 'em." Shak.

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Scout, n. [OF. escoute scout, spy, fr. escouter, escolter, to listen, to hear, F. écouter, fr. L. auscultare, to hear with attention, to listen to. See Auscultation.]

1.

A person sent out to gain and bring in tidings; especially, one employed in war to gain information of the movements and condition of an enemy.

Scouts each coast light-armèd scour,
Each quarter, to descry the distant foe.
Milton.

2.

A college student's or undergraduate's servant; -- so called in Oxford, England; at Cambridge called a gyp; and at Dublin, a skip. [Cant]

3. (Cricket)

A fielder in a game for practice.

4.

The act of scouting or reconnoitering. [Colloq.]

While the rat is on the scout.
Cowper.

Syn. -- Scout, Spy. -- In a military sense a scout is a soldier who does duty in his proper uniform, however hazardous his adventure. A spy is one who in disguise penetrates the enemies' lines, or lurks near them, to obtain information.

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Scout, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Scouted; p. pr. & vb. n. Scouting.]

1.

To observe, watch, or look for, as a scout; to follow for the purpose of observation, as a scout.

Take more men,
And scout him round.
Beau. & Fl.

2.

To pass over or through, as a scout; to reconnoiter; as, to scout a country.

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Scout, v. i.

To go on the business of scouting, or watching the motions of an enemy; to act as a scout.

With obscure wing
Scout far and wide into the realm of night.
Milton.

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Scout, n.

A boy scout (which see, above).

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