Age of Empires II Jaguar Warrior these days... |
- Jaguar Warrior these days...
- Prague in the middle ages (add a Bohemian civ!)
- Twitch Petition to merge AoE2 categories on Twitch (again)!
- A look back at the Hidden Cup 4 Qualifiers
- Remember this?
- Posting a Hidden Cup meme everyday until the finals #11
- If Age of Empires 2 is set in Napoleonic Europe
- Strategy Thesis of the Week: Byzantines are the best civ against civs that have no eco (consistent) bonus
- If you don't like the map, please just Alt+F4
- 90.9% of people (very conclusive source kappa) think the Spanish archer rush is less expected than even the Spanish inquisition so enjoy a brief chuckle at this dumb meme I made
- Day9 is trying AoE2 again
- Gota love the village pathing
- When should I consider including monks in a army composition?
- Delete from global queue?
- Brainfart 101 Oasis walling
- Input lag in multiplayer
- Noob-ish watermap questions
- Any insight on how the AI thinks at different difficulty levels?
- Sheep Spawning farther away recently? Anyone else? T_T
- Hard AI Cheats
- What are your Top 5 army compositions?
- lost progress on campaigns for Lord of the West
- A question about ranked, ELO and going out of sync
| Posted: 13 Mar 2021 02:36 AM PST
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| Prague in the middle ages (add a Bohemian civ!) Posted: 12 Mar 2021 11:30 PM PST
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| Twitch Petition to merge AoE2 categories on Twitch (again)! Posted: 13 Mar 2021 01:09 AM PST At the moment there are 3 categories for AoE2 which is quite suboptimal https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Age%20of%20Empires%20II%3A%20Definitive%20Edition Day9 for example streamed in the AoE2:DE category for the last 2 days while the AoE2 category was the one used for the last 6 months or so. To change this and merge the categories back again, go to the following link and click on vote under the number: [link] [comments] | ||
| A look back at the Hidden Cup 4 Qualifiers Posted: 13 Mar 2021 02:37 AM PST Last weekend marked the last stage of the qualifications for Hidden Cup 4, with eight players emerging victorious, earning the coveted ticket inviting them to the main event. The level of play displayed was incredible, and the final result, heartbreaking for the courageous eight that fought bravely, but ended up not making it to the final event. Spoilers for the qualifiers will follow, so keep reading at your own risk. This year will mark the fourth edition of the Hidden Cup, and the tournament has improved so much since its humble beginnings in 2018. The first Hidden Cup only had a field of 12 players, all invited, with four of them receiving a bye in the first round. The next year saw it increase to 16, with two spots up for grabs through qualifiers (it also introduced hero names and Capture Age as a spectating tool, but this is another story). Hidden Cup 3 expanded the qualifiers, offering 32 players the chance to fight for one of 8 qualifying places. Finally, this year, the qualifying bracket was expanded again to 64 spots. What never ceases to amaze me is how incredibly close the skill gap between the top has become. It has reached a point where anyone in the top 20 can beat anyone else without any result being a huge upset. After three weeks of grueling qualifications, ACCM, Nicov, Villese, JorDan, Vinchester, BacT, Vivi and Barles made it through. Two of them are Hidden Cup veterans: Nicov and Vivi participated in all events since the start. ACCM, BacT and Villese are also returning to familiar grounds, having only missed the first occurrence. JorDan is an interesting case. He returns to Hidden Cup for the second time, having previously qualified and played in Hidden Cup 2. He is, incidentally, unbeaten in Hidden Cup qualifying events. Finally, and perhaps the most exciting result of the qualifiers, Vinchester and Barles managed to qualify for a Hidden Cup for the first time. They will be this year's newcomers to the tournament, and I am excited to see what they have in store for us. The Seven Games of the EagleHidden Cup 3 was an important moment in ACCM's career. In the build-up leading to the tournament, he won a 4-3 hidden showmatch against none other than MbL, during which casters praised his "top 5 level". Until then he had always been considered a strong, but not top tier player. While he fell to Viper in the first round of the tournament, he has since steadily improved, qualified for almost all major events and even reached the semifinals of Red Bull Wololo 3. Arguably now a top 10 player, he was the overwhelming favorite coming into this match with Daniel. This is a testament to the courage and the impressive level displayed by the young American player, who traded almost evenly with his opponent. After a shaky performance on Arabia, Daniel showed impressive composure and creative strategies – watch him play Britons on Bay – winning all his home maps. It is crazy to think that, just a year ago, he had lost in the first round of the qualifiers without scoring a single game. Even though he ultimately fell short, he can be proud of his astounding run in the qualifiers. I am very happy to see ACCM make it to Hidden Cup again. He strikes me as one of the nicest and most hardworking pros, and I hope he will do well in the tournament. Likewise, I look forward to seeing more of Daniel, who showed how close he is to the very top of the scene. Nicov All MightyGoing against Lyx in a random game can already be a daunting task, but in the deciding set of a qualifier? It is definitely an ordeal no one wants to have to go through, and it was Nicov's path to the fourth Hidden Cup, after an already tough set against F1Re. The first game was rocky – going for Huns scouts into archers, Nicov got caught up in the open as Lyx reached Castle Age earlier and started pumping out knights. He followed that up with sustained aggression on Nicov's exposed woodlines, suffocating his opponent under pressure. If that quick loss affected Nicov's mindset, the Argentine superstar did not show it, as he pulled off four straight brilliant games. He was the first to take advantage of the outside relics on Cross – playing to the strengths of the Lithuanians – and showcased the power of Bulgarians on Hideout as he followed up a men-at-arms and towers push with a strong boom. Dominant performances on Gold Rush and Slopes followed to close out the set. Nicov's post-match interview was touching as well. He did not appear confident about his chances in the tournament, highlighting the incredible level of the competition. This may actually play in his favor: with no expectations and nothing to lose, he might play more relaxed and feel less pressure. I have personally always been a Nicov fan, and think he has all the arms to do well in Hidden Cup. Captain Finland: Winter SoldierOne of the most improved players of 2020, Villese has a legitimate claim to the top 10 and two semifinals to his name in the latest S tier events. Only one other player has done it: Liereyy, with a victory and a final. He has however been shaken during the qualifiers, by an in-form classicpro who has also upset him in the first qualifiers for RBW 3. LaaaaaN, his final round opponent, has blown hot and cold during 2020. He qualified for NAC 3 and made it to the quarterfinals of the first Red Bull Wololo but was also eliminated in the round of 64 of KotD 3. He also had been challenged in the previous set, only narrowly beating Bruh to set-up a classic set against Villese. The match-up is a classic. In fact, the two players are extremely similar: both have this very "solid is better than flashy" style where they do everything pretty well, master the meta, and have been in the close range of the top 15. They had played 4 times before and split the sets evenly. It was then not surprising that this clash would go the distance. If you only have time to watch one set of the qualifiers, watch this one. It had it all: a strong opening by Villese, a powerful comeback by LaaaaaN, scoring three straight games, and impressive mental resilience from the Finn who managed to pull from his reserves to take the final two games. There were many great games in this set, and honestly both players would have deserved to be in the main event, but such is the (heartbreaking) nature of qualifiers. We welcome back Villese to Hidden Cup, and welcome back LaaaaaN to the very top of the scene after his "slump" of the past couple months, showing he has lost none of his considerable talent. Same Wars: Jordan Strikes Back"Jordan is back", like Beetlejuice, perhaps if you say it enough times, it will be true. The legendary player, once considered the best in the world, has been playing the game full time again since last summer. He was not able to regain his form fast enough to do well in KotD 3 or RBW 3 but has changed gears and seems to have found his groove. He dominated the German scene before beating two veterans of the game, Erhan and Capoch, to set up a clash with Hidden Cup 2 runner-up, TheMax. TheMax is one of these names that need no introduction, but he too, had a difficult year in 2020. Coming into Hidden Cup 3 with big expectations, he went out in the first round to dogao without winning a game. Unlike Jordan, Max had not been challenged in the earlier rounds, breezing through Lucky Rox and Running. After a close Arabia game that ended in a narrow victory for Max after he managed to convert a small advantage, Jordan showed that he was now ready to compete with the best, showing exceptional composure to win Islands, Bay and Slopes with greater macro, decision making and execution. TheMax had a last stand on Gold Rush – historically one of his best maps – before eventually bowing out to the power of Teuton late game on Hideout. Jordan will return to Hidden Cup after missing the third installment entirely, and Max, for the first time since his debut in 2019, will not participate in the event. The story goes further, as Jordan was already "back" in 2019 and managed to win one of two qualifying spots to Hidden Cup 2, beating miguel and F1Re to make the main event. Main event where he dropped in the first round, thoroughly beaten by none other than… TheMax. S.M.A.S.H.This match opposed two heavy fan-favorites in slam and Vinchester. One of the best-liked streamers and pros in the community, slam's chill demeanor, mesmerizing speed and crisp gameplay have earned him legions of fans across the globe. Despite his considerable skills, he has however historically struggled in 1v1 events. He was opposed to Vinchester, an amazingly talented player who has been flirting with the top 20 for years, yet seemingly only managed to confirm his potential in major tournaments recently. After a quarterfinal in RBW 3 and beating slam himself in KotD 3, Vinchester will seek his first participation to the Hidden Cup. Having played the first edition, slam is chasing a second participation. This exciting match promised to be a battle between two "micro nerds", where speed and dashing feats of army control would decide the winner. And we did have some of that, but Vinchester robbed us from the expected spectacle by smothering his opponent with his brilliance. After a quick win on Arabia, Vinch mounted what was perhaps the most stellar performance of the round on Islands, stunning viewers, casters – and perhaps slam himself – with a lightning-fast Castle Age time that enabled him to sail to victory. slam stroke back on Gold Rush but that respite was brief, and he could not withstand the Vinchester storm, conceding the next two games. Fast and great at micro, Vinch showed that he is also coming with excellent preparation and strategies. He is a player who likes deviating from the meta – expect him to pick his beloved Goths early on in his drafts. He will make his Hidden Cup debut with this victory over slam, which will have shown the world he is ready to compete with the very best and is not to be underestimated. Once Upon a Time in VietnamOnce considered the best player in Vietnam, BacT has struggled in major events over the past few years but has managed to comeback towards the front of the scene about six months ago. With good performances in KotD 3 and RBW 3, he is looking sharp again. His opponent, Dark, is an up-and-coming player. While BacT has been around for years, playing for TyRanT and participating in many high-profile tournaments, Dark just surged on the scene with the release of DE and is now ready to challenge the real pros. BacT was coming into the set uncontested, having easily dispatched Ganji and his countryman SongSong. He rode this wave of confidence in the match against Dark, taking a convincing win on Arabia with Franks – for the third time in three sets, perhaps a detail to keep an eye on. BacT then won a game he should have lost, on Islands, highlighting his class and perhaps the lack of experience of his opponent, before taking an almost unassailable lead with a win on Hideout. The fourth game of the set, on Cross, was perhaps the best in the entire qualifying bracket: a relentless back-and-forth fought on land and water until Dark prevailed eventually. BacT then closed out the set promptly on Slopes, qualifying for his third Hidden Cup. BacT seems to have firmly come back into the top 15, qualifying for his third straight major event. He has never done well in Hidden Cup before, but his play, a mixture of bold defense and a capacity at making small gains when he can, make him a dangerous opponent for the upcoming tournament. The Good, the Bad, and the Fat DragonThe Fat Dragon is an interesting case among high level players. He does well on the ladder, has a distinctive style and, his endearing personality, colorful nicknames and funny one-liners have earned him legions of fans, especially among the more casual viewerbase. Vivi is also unfortunately notorious for failing to living up to expectations and turning his ladder acuity into actual tournament performance. That being said, Vivi was able to turn the tables after a slump in the first half of 2020, qualifying and playing well in RBW 3. A sign perhaps of his return to form. To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting his opponent of the day to make it so far. Badboy, arguably the fourth best Vietnamese player now, has improved a bunch on DE – infamously playing a lot with Tatars for a few glorious weeks. Nevertheless, Badboy managed to reverse a situation that saw him down two games against Sitaux to take the win and set this clash with Vivi. The first game showed us everything we needed to know about the set: that it could be close, that Badboy had qualities, but that, eventually, Vivi was simply better in the long run. Taking an early advantage with a devastating knight raid in Vivi's economy, Badboy became complacent towards the end of Castle Age, allowing the Fat Dragon to recover. After DauT castles on both sides, the game transitioned to the imperial age where Vivi's decision making and overall macro proved too much for Badboy to handle. The rest of the set was even more dominant. After a good start on Cross, Badboy collapsed and offered little to no resistance, enabling Vivi to take the only 4-0 win of the qualifying round. With this victory, Vivi returns to Hidden Cup, having not missed a single event. Last year, he was unceremoniously whopped in the first round by Liereyy. Will he manage to do better now? Fast & Furious: Warsaw DriftThis was one of the blockbusters of the qualifiers, perhaps even the most interesting match. Neither Hearttt nor Barles had played in a previous Hidden Cup – the only set where that was the case for both players! Hearttt has come back to the game after a pretty long hiatus and done very well on the ladder. It is perhaps surprising that a player of his caliber never made it to the Hidden Cup series before. After all, Hearttt was a semifinalist of the first King of the Desert in 2018 and a key member of team Aftermath. Now fully "un-rusted", Hearttt seemed to be in prime shape to battle for the qualification. On the other hand, Barles had stepped up in the months leading to the event, reaching new heights on the ladder and holding his own against ACCM in the RBW 3 qualifiers. He is playing better than ever and competing with the top 20. That clash promised to be exceptional. After losing Arabia to an inspired Barles, Hearttt switched gears and imposed his style, claiming three victories in a row – and the games were not particularly close either. Barles managed to strike back on Hideout, using the power of Vikings to take it against Khmer in the late game. Taking Hearttt on his home turf on Islands, Barles then turned the map into a full-on land map and suffocated Hearttt under relentless pressure, forcing a deciding seventh game. The final game was played on Gold Rush, opposing Tatars and Berbers as it has often been the case. It was eventually the Polish player, Barles, who emerged victorious, earning the coveted ticket after climbing back from the brink of defeat. Barles will make his Hidden Cup debut and should be a very entertaining player to watch. I recommend catching the official cast to check out his post-game interview. His happiness was palpable and great to witness. So, na zdorowie Barles, and good luck in Hidden Cup 4! TL;DR
If you only have time to watch...
I will write some more during the days leading up to the competition so stay tuned for this! [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 13 Mar 2021 04:20 AM PST
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| Posting a Hidden Cup meme everyday until the finals #11 Posted: 12 Mar 2021 01:26 PM PST
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| If Age of Empires 2 is set in Napoleonic Europe Posted: 12 Mar 2021 09:11 PM PST
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| Posted: 13 Mar 2021 04:00 AM PST All the Civs with no eco bonus rely on some strong military options. But those are usually rather easy to anticipate: Spanish Conqs, Burmese Arambai, Burgundian Cavalier, Magyars and Berbers with Knights into CA/CaA, Bulgarian cavalry, Goth infantry spam, Ethiopian Archer line, Mongol Mangudai etc. For most Civs it's hard to stop those Armys once they get rolling because producing lots of counter-units delays your eco and can force you into a weak composition long-term. But with Byzantines you can counter all of those and still have a good eco or another power unit (Cataphracts or Arbelest) with them. Also, you will be able to reach Imp with a good timing even when you have to invest a lot into defending. Against Civs with superior eco though, the opponent can just play standard, dominate Feudal Age and transition that into a good composition where you build the counter-counters quicker than the Byz can build their army. Khmer for example will usually be faster into the archers, faster in Castle Age and then Byzantines have a very hard time to deal with Knight-Scorp. So basically the Byzantines problem is just that there are so many civs with good eco bonuses and those are also usually the stronger ones. :( PS: In regards to the title here, I am thinking of doing that a regular weekly thing if people like it. Just a little post with some more or less accurate but hopefully kind of thought-provoking thesis about strategy in AoE. [link] [comments] | ||
| If you don't like the map, please just Alt+F4 Posted: 13 Mar 2021 03:06 AM PST ... instead of starting the game and resigning after a few minutes. Four of my last twelve games ended this way, three of them on Nomad and one on Arena (the opponent apparently shot a boar with the TC). The most frustrating thing about this is that you get elo points without actually playing, which means that the next game will be against a stronger opponent with a lower chance to win. In the 12 mentioned games, I had a win rate of 50% on paper, but I actually lost 6 games, won 2, and the other 4 were just a waste of time without any fights. This is much more annoying than waiting two more minutes in the lobby because the opponent dodged the map. [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 12 Mar 2021 12:19 PM PST
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| Posted: 12 Mar 2021 05:00 PM PST So for the people who like and/or remember day9, this epic starcraft analyst and personality is trying our wonderful game again, after he tried it last year for the first time. Trying to improve and know the game. He is live right now. His first AoE twitch VOD from yesterday https://www.twitch.tv/videos/945676765?filter=archives&sort=time [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 13 Mar 2021 05:22 AM PST
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| When should I consider including monks in a army composition? Posted: 13 Mar 2021 07:23 AM PST I'm aware that when dealing with elephants that they're very useful but other than this when should I consider including them in my army's composition? Also when should I consider going deep into their upgrades? [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 13 Mar 2021 06:47 AM PST I cannot figure out how to do this but I know it's doable. Can someone help me out? [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 13 Mar 2021 05:45 AM PST That moment when you wall oasis and scout rush only to find the scouts won't kill enemy villagers cause the villagers are your allies'. Slowly your brain comprehends that you have walled the wrong side of the map. Sit back relax and watch Ethiopian xbows walk into your economy unchallenged PS I and other open map enthusiasts need to get involved in map pool. Oasis arena BF and fortress in same pool :( [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 13 Mar 2021 08:03 AM PST So after enough time of practicing vs bots I decided to play some online matches but its been a massive let down. All 3 multiplayer matches I played I've had a noticeable input delay when moving units or placing buildings making the game awkward to play and micro extremely difficult. My ping is completely fine, (30ms) and this issue only happends in multiplayer games, even when host a multiplayer private match with just me in the game. Again, the game is buttery smooth in singleplayer, but the input delay is constant when I try play on online servers. Anyone else having this issue or suggestions for a fix? [link] [comments] | ||
| Posted: 13 Mar 2021 06:48 AM PST a) If I want to have the first fire-galley on the water, will I be faster if I build fishing ships, or should I just focus on berries/deer/boar? b) I honestly have no idea what things I should upgrade to win water battles. Does anyone have a list of important techs and which ones to prioritize? Thanks!!! [link] [comments] | ||
| Any insight on how the AI thinks at different difficulty levels? Posted: 13 Mar 2021 06:35 AM PST Disclaimer, I picked up the game when it was released 20 years ago, but never played seriously and only picked it up again this past October. I beat the hard AI in a 1v1 for the first time a few days ago and, being excited, wondered if my strategy would have worked at higher difficulties, as I was under the impression that what separates the AI difficulties is villager cap. I was curious what additional limitations the AI has at different difficulties; I've watched the extreme AI and it seems to follow the basic build order meta (2 houses, 6 food, 4 wood, boar luring at the right time, etc), but when I watched the hard AI that I had beaten, his initial plan appeared to be less efficient. It only built one house, appeared to go straight into wood, and didn't seem to have a real plan, whereas spectating a 1v1 with two extreme AI, you'll notice the extreme will lay out their strategy in chat. My strategy was Sicilian FC into Knights, and although I was incredibly sloppy it felt overwhelmingly one-sided. Since the AI never made it to its villager cap, I initially figured if that's the only difference between AI then theoretically this strategy should work just as effectively on extreme. The wiki is a little vague, so I was hoping for a little more clarification. Any thoughts? [link] [comments] | ||
| Sheep Spawning farther away recently? Anyone else? T_T Posted: 12 Mar 2021 03:24 PM PST
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| Posted: 13 Mar 2021 06:04 AM PST I wish I had a recording to share here. I play the HD edition, and am just about to delete it (and then throw my PC out the window). Started a game playing Britons against Portuguese (AI). Barely into the 9th minute I get a huge contingent of archers and skirms. Quit, play again, build houses in the way, again the same story. The quit screen stats say the AI had an army of 47! I had managed about 22 vills and just about transitioned into Feudal. This is fkn frustrating. /rant over [link] [comments] | ||
| What are your Top 5 army compositions? Posted: 12 Mar 2021 12:08 PM PST Mine:
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| lost progress on campaigns for Lord of the West Posted: 12 Mar 2021 10:08 PM PST Second time this happened to me.. I beat the first scenario in both Grand Dukes and The Hautevilles. After trying to load second scenario on the Hautevilles campaign I receive an error 23. So I went ahead and tried to do a file integrity check on Steam. Now it's showing I'm back to the first scenario. Any way to get my progress or prevent this from happening? [link] [comments] | ||
| A question about ranked, ELO and going out of sync Posted: 13 Mar 2021 03:45 AM PST
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