Why does shift-queuing blink have unpredictable results?

Why does shift-queuing blink have unpredictable results? - Crumpled blanket in dark room at sunset

I was messing around with some of the "Challenge" missions and discovered a Protoss a mechanic that I don't quite understand (Protoss is my least played race by far, so sorry if this is a basic question).

When I attempt to blink stalkers using the shift-queuing method, I usually end up leaving some stalkers behind. It's odd that sometimes all stalkers will properly blink but sometimes I'll end up leaving somewhere between 1-3 stalkers behind. The unpredictability is unsettling...

Mechanically, I'm going through the following 3 steps, which I believe are the correct ones:

  • First, I select the stalkers, right click on the location from which I want to initiate the blink
  • Then I press Shift + R (R is my blink hotkey) and left-click on the intended destination of the blink
  • Lastly, I release shift, then press Shift + right-click on a location to which newly blinked stalkers can go (so as to make room for the stalkers which haven't yet blinked).

Note: this is the same series of steps as outlined in this other post.

Here's a gif showing the result (for some reason, it's giving me an error when I try to upload an image directly to my post).

What am I doing wrong?

Alternatively, if I'm following the right steps, what is causing the unpredictability? I have never seen an instance of a unit simply "skipping" one of the commands in its command-queue and attempting to execute the next one...



Best Answer

You should be holding the shift key throughout the whole process. Letting go and then Shift queueing another command will overwrite the existing ones. My assumption is that some of the stalkers have already blinked by the time you try to execute the command to shift move to make space.

The entire process should be:

  • Right click under the cliff.
  • Shift + R + Left click destination of blink.
  • Still holding shift, right click where to move the stalkers.
  • Release shift.



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When \u0026 How to use Shift Queue To Be Faster




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