The Smallest Socotra Ever!

[@Jamdrwa]

Geologist here - There are LOTS of types of rock that are completely unusable for building castles or walls. Gypsum, talc, bismuth, etc. < These are soft on a level where not only are they not useful for that - Even human fingernails are harder. It's a category so diverse it's almost like saying "Is there a type of plant that's not suitable to eat?" Yes, and it's more than could be listed in a youtube comment

[@SIGNOR-G]

Must have been very interesting seeing our ancestors find and select the best stone material tu build their fortifications. Probably some trial and error occurred.

[@tonikauko]

Nice! I throw my guess in and by the looks and colours of it, the rocks on the shoreline seem to be grey granite... Which is a SUPER hard rock, even modern stone drills struggle with it, so there's no way medieval villagers could've cut it efficiently! So they stick to the... white heaps of rock :D

[@MasterGhostf]

not really, people would have naturally known. People were making stone tools for a long long time. @@SIGNOR-G

[@hexzyle]

I worked a short while as an aggregate tester during my adolescence and discovered theres a whole field of physics to do with how gravel hold together in concrete and bitumen based on the shape and size of the aggregate

[@luigilain5692]

I myself was thinking chalk, the one we use to write on blackboards.

[@stormystrifevodchannel9689]

I once played socotra 4v4 on Tiny. It was a COMPLETE mess. Honestly I'd love to both play and watch an 8-player FFA on Tiny maps, not ultra small ones

[@TheGahta]

Tiny Team tourny coming soon 😂🎉

[@MichaelBylehn]

There might be a gentleman's agreement not to touch the rocks and boulders protecting the shoreline from erosion. The island is small enough as it is.

[@37Kilroy]

Elevation does seem to be an issue

[@Wanderer1258]

@@37Kilroy I think it's an optional illusion. Otherwise you would wxpect the waves to roll over the rocks through the cracks. :)

[@scrappyloz]

That stone should be called Mundic Block. If you dont know what i mean a lot of houses in Corwall UK during the 1950s were constructed using it and they literslly fall apart.

[@MichaelBylehn]

@4:38 "Maybe I brought this in at the incorrect order. " Yeah, unfortunately the 4th game was shown before the 3rd game. With the results at the top bar of the previous game, it was a bit of a spoiler on who would win the 3rd game (4th video - Baltic). Still fun to watch!

[@christopherhemstad6617]

That was a throw by snippy he shoulda had that in the bag.

[@tomd96]

The main problem was that snippy was letting Hippo take from the lower gold source without doing anything about it. Draining him of resources and capitalising on surrounding his own gold source was what won the game there.

[@T-West]

At first I wasn't sure if I would be able to fit everything on Socotra... but in the end I'm really happy with how it turned out. It works beautifully as a "Smallest" map.

[@dabootvv]

its insane how they managed to wall each other off tbh and still ended up with a fair amount of res :D

[@CydeWeys]

Oh man, heartbreaking. Snippy should've won it, but his second and third Donjon were poorly placed. They should've both been placed near the first one to create overlapping fields of fire. That would've prevented the vill rush and ultimately led to victory by controlling most of the map. The feudal age Serjeants weren't good value for money and should've instead been invested into castle age to make the donjons stronger.

[@0Haldor0]

this drives me mad in pro games as well, they simply will not put their towers within range of each other

[@ariisee]

Yeah, build 3 Donjons all 1 tile far from the other, and there is no vill rush... Fletching would help too.

[@luigilain5692]

I thought the same. towers are vulnerable to melee hitting them, towers that cover each other are almost unbeatable. fletching also helps, +1 range on a map so tiny means a lot. not to mention that extra damage. on a map where the decisive battle is towers plinking each other, i can't think of anything more cost effective

[@AlfonsaurusRex]

No judging T90 in this house. I played solo AoE2 Conqs CD for 20+ years before I found your videos. First one was Legend of Wall. My wife knew I liked the game as I would sometimes spend hours playing. I was watching one of your videos one night and she started watching with me. We both now watch your videos together or independently and play solo DE or sometimes 2v2 AI. We are definitely super low elo non-legends if we ever decided to play online.

[@matteosberna735]

AH stronghold! Love the modular walls and fortifications you can make there!

[@benneem]

Snippy getting his 2nd Donjon rushed down is a huge error. All he had to do was creep Donjons forward slowly so they protected each-other and he protects his own gold forever while locking Hippo out of all gold and stone forever. He wasn't even cutting off extra resources or protecting more of his own by spreading them so far apart. His 3rd donjon was also poorly placed.

[@MrTelarin]

Yes for stronghold! Just in general some other games would be nice. Not to become a variety channel, not even very often, but once or twice a month - I think it would add some spice to the channel

[@uselessDM]

AoE 1 would be fun for a change.

[@spicywolfsongs]

Its not stone, they're actually mountains, aoe2 has small mountains enabled by default

[@hermean]

I wonder if exploding kings destroy the impassable stone the way that they destroy cliffs...

[@CaiRobinson]

or just petards

[@MaryamMaqdisi]

Exploding kings destroy cliffs? TIL

[@pelda6749]

​@@MaryamMaqdisiyeaaah they do :D

[@vacciniumaugustifolium1420]

​​@@MaryamMaqdisi I guess that cliffs have HP it seems, and exploding kings doesn't have damage restrictions toward anything, Gaïa included

[@parkerbond9400]

This is yet another game where I thought snippy had it but then hippo turned it around

[@SnippyFifa]

I thought the same every game 11

[@Frrk]

Stronghold (crusader) was everything I missed from Aoe2 as a city building/medieval town simulator. Finally being able to put troops on top of the walls, dig actual moats, all of the little details and voices. I still love that game. The one time I played online I got spammed with taunts and Arabian units so I didn't really get into the "meta" gameplay.

[@josiahburkhardsmeier3119]

Man Stronghold is a throwback for me as well! Would love to see it on the channel occasionally. It has its own definitive/remastered edition releasing shortly, which is what I think you were referring to in the video.

[@4nthr4x]

T90 mentioning Stronghold makes me jubilant with joy! The expansion Stronghold Crusader is my #1 favourite game of all time, been playing it for 20 years, for thousands of hours. It has so much that AOE lacks, and this differentiation makes is so unique and replayable : meticulous castle fortifications building, medieval peasant life, economy management with extensive supply chain (farm > wheat to stockpile > wheat to mill > flour to stockpile > flour to bakery > bread to granary) and last but not least: the characters & voice acting is fantastic. I'm so glad they bring back a lot of original voices to Stronghold Definitive Edition, soon to be released.

[@lily-surya]

I still play Stronghold Crusader now and then. I shredded the demo back in the day, then pirated it and eventually now have it on Steam. I'd love to see you play Stronghold!

[@fornoRaisin]

goths get loom instantly I think this might be helpful on a map this size when fighting over limited elephants. Chinese higher starting vill count might be of benefit too.

[@loftus8660]

"This is less of a problem than we had before for red" *scout dies* "The scout won't agree" 😂😂 The setups for these matches are amazing and the commentary is always great! Its so crazy to have grown up playing AoE 1 & 2, then 20+ years later seeing the community thriving and having so much fun content. Awesome stuff!

[@Bubs.]

I played way more stronghold as a kid than I did AoE so it’s super nostalgic for me. My go to strat was use the market at the beginning, create long swordsman and send them right into the enemy base before they had walls up

[@Infinite_Jester]

My go-to in drawn-out games was to make a ton of laddermen (or whatever they were called) and send them to their deaths. This often provoked prolonged discussions about my stupidity. Meanwhile, the rest of my army was tearing a hole on the other side of my opponent's base. This worked surprisingly often. But I recall most people in lobbies weren't actually very good (me included).

[@thoges5040]

Yes, just dont watch T90 play it like i just did, hurts was to much watching

[@abbas-aliibnmohammadal-nam929]

Mounted horse archers ftw

[@rottennrayah2023]

​@@abbas-aliibnmohammadal-nam929My fave strat for S:C 1. Put a ton of archers on one tower 2. Get your bread (for selling) and beer economy running 3. Make cavarchers 4. When enemy has no eco and no real units just buy some macemen / assassins ( depending on the situation ) 5. ??? 6. Profit

[@enc3342]

Stronghold is being remastered and rereleased on Steam soon!!

[@turnbolt]

When I explain to friends why T90 is my favourite commentator, it's precisely BECAUSE he'll zoom in on a random bird, or a cluster of birds circling each other, or he makes sure to periodically check in on a llama that's taking a long journey 😀

[@loganturner7131]

I have to say my girlfriend loves when you zoom in on birds and point out the finer things. Please keep doing it so I can keep watching

[@josephritchie3289]

You bringing up Stronghold makes me happy. Loved that game!

[@oliveleaf7376]

Some sort of sedimentary rock is probably thoroughly unsafe for construction, but off the top of my head I'm struggling to think of one that is literally completely useless. Even sandstone, as crumbly and uncompacted as it often is, still is used in construction in some arid areas due to the lack of rainfall wearing it down. River shale is also close to worthless, except it can be used as rooftiles in a pinch. hmmm... I'll have to think on this.

[@Kehmicle]

"Retire my lord?" "Can't place that there m'lord"

[@Cynndora]

I for one welcome the return of T90 Stronghold.

[@MikeGill87]

I loved Stronghold, especially Crusader, though the OG campaign was great too.

[@kinbine_]

"i said goodbye to the Zucc" T90 thats a horrible way to say you're leaving Facebook

[@beebajazz]

I love how snippy forgets his buildings to go up in every game EXCEPT the one where he plays as khmer

[@forcelightningcable9639]

Ok… re the stronghold quotes, despite not having played it in probably 20 years there are several phrases that live rent-free in me head: “No taxes is one thing, but what about a small gift? Go on…” “The hops have been ruined by hop weevil” “Oh bother it, and, oh no, I lost again!” said in a thick cockney accent.

[@kendemajoros4617]

Oh yeah. Love this “smallest” series

[@theRealRedClifford]

Stronghold is an awesome game! The DE version is coming out soon!

[@pioneerAv]

Can we get a Socotra nothing? Where the stone wall is mineable and the entire water is filled with fish Edit: There probably needs to be some other craziness in the middle otherwise prior would just play it like normal socotra

[@CptManboobs]

This sounds real gigabrain. Seconding this request.

[@Jordan-uy2nj]

thirding this

[@Magnimate]

Based

[@EliasHasle]

Of course with a forest ring in the middle, filled with huntables. I can easily make one, I think... PS: Making a random map script for it seems much harder than I imagined. A custom scenario would be easy enough, though. But I have not given up on the RMS yet.

[@Chappens]

I always get so sad when I see no fish outside of socotra so yes please

[@domyouji3116]

that stone is called Bedrock and can't be mined only in creative mode!

[@JeansWithPockets541]

SB737: Allow me to introduce myself.

[@Tentorkel]

this answer right here

[@racernatorde5318]

*Laughs in 3D-Bedrock remover*

[@michalstary9920]

Love the beginning: "Hippo lost villager to the elephant"... 😅 Also, watching this on phone screen kinda puts it into righ scale.

[@Gotmilk0112]

Holy shit I thought it was over for red when that 2nd donjon went up what a comeback

[@joevuch7981]

yoo stronghold! such a classic and so darn quotable

[@Jayyyytee]

at 3:07 you hit the nail on the head, my wife walked in at that exact time.

[@clarkedavis4105]

The map is tiny. If the overall map is 36x36, to my eye, a three tile width border is lost to water and mountains. So you have 900/1296=0.6944 proportion "buildable," meaning 30% is out of play compared to a wide open 36x36. This map was brutal but fun to watch. I think it would still have been fast, I wonder if it would be better if stone & gold were in corners.

[@TenkaEmpiresFFA]

A wise beeper once said: "Micro wins battles, macro wins wars", well...

[@MrWasLabberschDoo]

Thanks for this series, Hippo, Snippy and T90!

[@MaxenceFrenette]

This is the true smallest map ever!

[@escribe6751]

I'd love to see more snippy vs hippo, they really are great Players!

[@erictheuns184]

I liked this series of 5, thx Mr Berry :)

[@Catalysten]

I want to see more Stronghold!

[@karladajca3205]

Wow never thought the 2 tower and Roman defense could beat Youpudding Donjeon serjeant rush that too on smallest Socotra 11! Unbelievable game lol 11! gg wp!

[@Catalysten]

Mudstone literally dissolves over time. (Pretty quickly, too. At least near the sea.) Nongood building material?

[@bunny_wilder]

Hi T90. I just wanna tell you that I'm spamming Bohemin Hussite Wagon on my 1100 elo games and I've never felt more alive, thank you for this

[@Pomaufour]

That comment about the judgemental spouse is so true. Mine mocks the goofy caster she hears sometimes haha

[@The818carlos]

Honestly that game was pretty surprising excellent work by Hippo. He won that with the pure fundamentals. I would've quit .

[@andrewg3196]

Impressive comeback! I thought it was over from the feudal uptime!

[@nox_luna]

huh, i never been this early before to a t90 video, im surprised youre still around, havent seen your content since the old forest nothing maps but im glad you are doing these, i might get back into AOE2, been playing alot of AOE4 but i think ill go back to this too

[@waylandertheslayer3259]

Would love to see a stronghold stream when you’re back!

[@Telmach]

Pumice, shale, basalt, mudstone, and soapstone can be pretty useless for load bearing. However pumice is very good in concrete and basalt can be extremely good for load bearing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@martin4u2]

I love the Socotra map! Where Can I download this particular version of Socotra???

[@dervakommtvonhinten517]

you know what i wanna see? tiny maps, but buildings that shoot projectiles (aside from tc) are prohibited. cause tiny maps mostly devolves into tower wars. i wanna see soliders fight or how about a medium map, but everybody starts with 30 vills. that would throw their whole buildorder off and would show us who can adapt faster and who got mor apm

[@praevasc4299]

T90, you've never ever seen a stork? You were so amazed by that strange-looking bird.

[@noobkoning4046]

Stronghold is just like age of empires my childhood, my mission agains friends was always to burn down their trees so they didnt grow back anymore XD

[@mathieu3201]

A kind of stone useless in any kind of building: the kidney stone

[@mcgrawesome3292]

Love Snippy & Hippo games 😂

[@SeaBomb]

This series is giving me the feeling that towers are NOT Snippy's thing

[@_Scipio]

Love these small maps!

[@geneticwolf8571]

Haha you missed the town center there 1:54

[@BattIeBear]

I love your commitment to AOE2. You are the only person I watch cast the game, and one of the few streamers I watch on KZbin at all (I don't do livestreams as my schedule is chaotic). Your commitment and dedication have truly rekindled my, and many others', love for this game. Please play more Stronghold.

[@taylorgletscher]

Wild Idea that can make things a bit more interesting than the tower rush. Have the games start with some time of treaty. Or even try other mods along with it, like wonder race.

[@Wanderer1258]

8:10 Snippy had 2 donjons surrounding one tower. If only he garrisoned them and shot the tower down, there would be no way he would have lost that game. Insane!

[@Wanderer1258]

8:52 "Socotra has never really been a map that gives you opportunities for a lot of comebacks". And still there was one. 11

[@inphlox]

stone on the rim is pumice. it'll be useful to mine when the vills focus on their hygiene and opt to exfoliate.

[@gghrtx2]

A tournament on small maps would be nice =)

[@highparadise11]

The nicknames makes it awesome

[@BigTimeZergRush]

What if Socotra is a volcanic island and the surronding stone is obsidian which is pretty much unuseable for contruction cause its just glass

[@Tom4SEO]

i wish they played every map 3 times for a best out of three, per map.

[@dembro27]

Stronghold is awesome. AoE 2 taunts are pretty good, but Stronghold lets you call people slubberdegullions. Looks like Stronghold 1 DE is releasing in a few days. I always rooted for Firefly Studios to recapture the magic of Stronghold and Stronghold Crusader, but the sequels always seemed to fail in some way. Stronghold Legends was a guilty pleasure, though.

[@dznnah]

Shale will crumble or even disintegrate when any pressure or moisture is applied to it. So I'd say it's pretty useless for any construction

[@uselessDM]

Instant chaos, I love it.

[@larzkruber822]

If you play a tower here. Does it count as tower rush?

[@MLandriganReid]

Hippo wins because he is actually 1900 elo not the 1300 that keeps getting thrown around

[@PonyCraft]

"Some peoples spouses" My wife watches these games with me!

[@juliansmart4589]

I love it when my girlfriend finds me watching you - good laugh answering her questions

[@TheGahta]

Useless stone? Thats hearthstone 😂

[@sebastiansanchezn1650]

T90, I'd love to see some Stronghold videos! I can't wait to play the new one!

[@snerl69]

Stronghold is a really fun game.

[@michaelfisher2064]

What about doing the maps from TTL3? Smallest Fractal, Z-Wall, Spiral could be really fun.

[@GummieI]

The bigger blueprint size kinda hurts the donjon here even more than in normal maps, when space is so limited in these games, taking up 4 times as many tiles is HUGE. Then again blue with the donjon placement kinda controlled 2/3 of the usable space here, so rather impressive by hippo

[@DustinHorvath1987]

I'd consider this a throw from snippy. He invested in the 2 donjons and in 5 sargants, but then he didn't really....do much with those units. He went with an all-in sort of strategy, but then he didn't commit fully on the execution. He built his couple donjons and some army, and then kinda just...hunkered down, which seemed wasteful.

[@GummieI]

@@DustinHorvath1987So what would you have expected him yo do, he was kinda fighting the tower, that the seargents couldn't really reach without serious casualties (as seen with the final push), and he didn't really have access to many resources (and no stone or gold at all)

[@The-jy3yq]

@@GummieI just build another Donjon ffs Move the Sergeants and build/repair with them *WHY IS THE MARKET SO LATE*

[@GummieI]

@@The-jy3yq A donjon cost 175 stone(and 75 wood), not something they exactly had a lot of, in fact a lot of the time they used every single stone that had, and bought, just to keep that one donjon alive, so trying to keep 2 alive would be a lot harder. And don't think they would even have enough villagers to garrison a 2nd with a decent amount to get the extra arrows and keep economy going, so it would probably even up doing a fraction of the damage of the one that had.

[@The-jy3yq]

@@GummieI >build a Donjon >enemy gets Fletching so there are 2 Towers hitting your Donjon >spend the rest of the game repairing said Donjon kind of stoopid innit? Snippy had stone - Hippo had only the Market to rely on And even then Snippy could've annihilated Hippos gold income by just capitalising more on gold

[@dogwater4429]

This is great - also please play more stronghold! That shit was excellent

[@magmatavius]

This was so great!

[@ivan55599]

It is a rock. Rock on!

[@Eddythebandkid]

More tiny maps. Maybe start tiny teams of two

[@racernatorde5318]

We haven'T had a 10x tech mod game a in a while. I would love to see the Georgian cavalry madness

[@consadine1]

my wife laughs at you too you do good work she just had to learn the lingo

[@stephencahill7821]

Somehow, Hippo was able to beat Snippy in the tower wars, despite having 20 more villagers to focus on.

[@birdfan1355]

pickaxes too weak to mine that stone

[@rickbiessman6084]

I’d definitely down for some Stronghold!!!

[@MoonKinkou]

This is one of the games of all time

[@talmagejones]

Halite. That's the rock that would be useless in construction. (Halite is rock salt)

[@flowerpower555]

Lead rocks.... Hmmm ... Must be an exploding kings migration nearby

[@SvanTowerMan]

It was very fitting that the Roman player won using towers, considering that the Mediterranean towers are based on Roman towers.

[@SNL92100]

Inconceivable!

[@ryanrodgers3099]

YEEEESSS! TINY SOCOTRA!!!