Because the first strike can easily mean a win for either side, determining the best ways to allocate the resources is important. The top players are skilled simply because they have fine tuned it to a point.

In all RTSs, you can basically harvest resources or build attacking units. Because the rate of resource acquisition and creation of new units is essentially constant, simple flowcharts can be created to determine the various combinations of units for optimal expansion or offensive capability.

Just another idea I will pursue when I’ve got loads of cash, time, an F430, and a nice McMansion.