Vlad Dracula Campaign. Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Looks Amazing. Part 1
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Summary
In this episode, we take a look at the campaigns and historical battles from Age of Empires 2, and discuss the impact they have had on me and my interests in history. I have played this game a lot, and it has been a huge influence in my life, and I am so excited to share it with you!
Transcript
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Greetings, my esteemed Laddingtons. I will sound like a complete normaling now, but I am excited.
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Excited indeed to share this fine game with you. I have waited a long time for this and
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as I will elaborate on further as we get into the game, this game, Age of Empires 2,
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has been a huge influence of mine. And yeah, I will credit my history interest to this game.
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I played it a lot, played it a lot with my brother back in the day. So we're just gonna have a look
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through the campaigns and the historical battles and then we'll pick a campaign and get into it and
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I will talk more about the influence it had on me. So yeah, as I said, I had a quick look at
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it by myself yesterday and it looked absolutely amazing. They remastered the music as well.
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Absolutely glorious in the correct sense of the word. So let's look at historical battles first.
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So we have a lot of epicness here. I shared this on Telegram and Twitter yesterday and Instagram,
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of course, because I was so excited. Not often I get excited by a game like this, but since it's
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been with me for such a long time, I am very excited. So we have York, Vinland Saga. I remember
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that one. Hastings, I do not remember being part of the first game when it came out. Aging Court,
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though, I mentioned this in a recent Swedish History video when I talked about knights. Then Tours,
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of course, of course, which I've talked a lot about in also various history videos. Then we have
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Lepanto, glorious battle. So anyway, we have a lot of cool things here to dive into later on. So I do
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believe that Assassin's Creed will be on hold for a little bit because we have so much historical
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juiciness to get into here. So my thought was to get into some sort of campaign. And this is the
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good stuff, of course, because it's Europe. But I will just show you the other campaigns also really
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quickly. So we have Montezuma. Loved that campaign when I played it back in the day. Loved playing as
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the Aztecs. Then we have a new, for me at least, because I didn't play Forgotten Kingdoms. I only
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played the Age of Conquerors. So the Incas can be interesting to play as as well. Then we have a lot
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of interesting stuff here. And the great thing with this game is that for me, I've learned so much
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history from it and you can still learn so much from it. So I have honestly no real idea who any of
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these are. And it will be nice to get into them at some point. Genghis Khan, classic campaign. I loved
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playing that back in the day too. Tamerlane. I have actually read a book on the Mughal invasion and
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then they discuss who was the greatest, Tamerlane or Genghis Khan. So the descendants of them.
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When they invade India, they discuss who was the greatest of those two. So Tamerlane. Fascinating story
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as well. Might make a campaign at some point. We have Africa. Saladin. Great campaign. Obviously you
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are playing for the wrong side, but Saladin was a man of honor. So we have to respect that. Then we have
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some other campaigns which I don't know anything about either. Then we have Francisco de Almeida
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of glorious Portugal. Might be nice to look into as well. Now back to the main thing here. I have played
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of course back in the day. Attila. I've talked about this on numerous occasions, both in text,
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in my book and in videos and in articles, etc. The sheer epicness, the sheer epic sensation of being in
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the late stages of the Roman Empire. And of course Attila, the legend of Attila. As you can see here,
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Scourge of God. It's an epic thing to think about, especially in the situation we are in Western
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Europe today. Quite similar to Western Europe in that time. But yeah, I will save that for another
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time. We have Alarik, epic name. And I have made Let's Play episodes in Attila Total War as well
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on both the Romans themselves and the Ostrogoths. And yeah, some Let's Plays there. So that is one
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option of course for us to make a Let's Play. El Cid. Highly motivating story. I talked about it
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briefly in my Spanish Reconquista video I released two months back. William Wallace. This
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is a learning campaign, so this wasn't really all too intriguing. But yeah, I played that back in
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the day as well. Joan of Arc. Also an epic campaign. I played back in the day. Same thing
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with Barbarossa. So yeah, a lot of cool things to choose from. What I will choose though, what I
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think is most reasonable, is to play Dracula. Because I haven't played this campaign. Because
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this is, yeah, as I said, I only played up until the Age of Conquerors. Then I didn't really play
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the expansions. But now when they released everything, I am very excited indeed to get
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into it. So without further ado, let's get into Valachia. The dragon spreads his wings. So
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We could not make camp in the damp forest blade. So I led my companions along an old path towards
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the base of the mountain. It was overgrown with all manner of foliage, and the footing was difficult.
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Armor and weapons littered the path, and stakes stood tall, covered with vines and moss.
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Glancing around, I spotted a magnificent blade. Light yet firm, and unblemished by the elements
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it shone in the rain and lightning, a long light in the darkening trail. The hilt was fashioned
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from steel, inlaid with silver and gold, to form the figure of a defiant, wingless dragon.
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As we reached the summit, I could not believe my eyes. A ruined yet imposing castle loomed above
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us. Quietly rejoicing my comrades move towards that new camp. Then, the massive wolves bounded
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out of the door of the castle towards my soldiers. Hearing for their lives, they drew weapons. Only
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to hear a voice from the shadows address the wolves, or the men, in a thick Malachian accent.
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Stand down, fellows. Throwing large slabs of meat to the ravenous wolves, he calmed them and satiated their hunger.
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Then, he turned to us. Welcome to Polinari Castle, the ancient stronghold of the Drachulesti.
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A mysterious man raised his hands in a gesture of welcome. It is well that your path has led you
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here. Come inside, sit by the fire and feast, while I tell you the tale of the mad Dracula.
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Epic introduction. Okay, so we are in the game. Main objectives. Vlad Dracula must survive.
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We look at the hints too. And a note on that introduction. When I played it back in the day,
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I always found those introductions so absolutely motivating. So yeah, good times. Anyway, let's get
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back to the hints. Valachia is a dense and mountainous region. Use your ranged units well
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and beware of those of your enemies. The local vovoids and their troops are a means to an end.
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Be frugal, but do not despair if some fall in battle. Keep an eye out for Valachian partisans
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that are willing to join your army. Demolition ships are deadly to anything too close to the shoreline.
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Deleting them when they are adjacent to a target accomplishes the same effect as a direct hit.
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The explosions of the Danesti gunpowder tower will destroy the bridge and anything on it.
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Do not lose men needlessly. On standard difficulty, a monk will accompany your force.
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Yes, I actually did play on standard because I didn't want to come across.
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Dracula, in red, has arrived in Valachia at the head of a small Ottoman force.
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These men will serve to guard him initially, but more men must be recruited if Valachia is to be taken.
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Three local vovoids rule the southern half of the map.
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Should Dracula prove his mettle, they may swear filthy to him.
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The designs of Hungary are unknown, but it is no friend of Dracula's Turkish patrons.
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My lord, the landscape around us is crawling with the nasty scum.
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But three local voivodes resist Vladislav's reign.
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We should seek them out and see if they are willing to join our cause.
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And as you can see, the game looks absolutely amazing.
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But yeah, to anyone who has been part of making this game, well done.
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Our soldiers killed them before we could get a chance.
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So, yeah, as you can see, the graphics are very much improved.
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Actually, it looks better than Age of Empires 3, I would say, which had amazing graphics.
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Dracula, your timing could not have been better.
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Hmm, I think I might have set the difficulty level to a bit too low, because this might seem a bit easy.
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I am a bit noobish now, because I rushed in with my cavalry.
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I'm not supposed to, of course, rush in with cavalry into pikemen like that.
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So, as I was saying, my brother and I, and our friends, back in the day when we were like 12 until 14, 15, played.
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He's teaming up with each other and fighting against the computers.
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And really got that sense of epicness in it all.
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Now, I want to convert something fun with this monk bra.
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Now, maybe I can reach this boyar and convert him.
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So, yes, I have to go up there and see what is up.
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And, as I mentioned in the beginning of the video, they have remade, remastered the music.
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And, actually, sometimes when I write, when I've written on my book Dauntless and also on my book, my coming book,
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I sometimes put the soundtrack of Age of Vampires 2 on to get that epic sensation.
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That rascal Vladislav has seized the nearby settlement and cut us off from our trade.
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So, anyway, speaking of Hungary and Romania, I don't know what has happened.
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But, every time I mention anything related to Romania,
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there is always some Hungarians who are mightily upset.
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We actually managed to convert the boyar and then he got shot to death, anyway.
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So, yeah, if you're a Hungarian, it's not a good look.
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And, especially for Americans and Western Europeans,
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we're not really overly concerned with your centuries-old conflicts.
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That being said, I will try to convert this guy.
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Something you always need if you are to engage in some sort of war.
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I actually posted on Instagram in the spring when I was in Holland.
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that a Frankish throwing axe man is checking in.
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And I asked what everyone's favorite faction and such is.
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And I responded that my own might be either the Teutons or the Britons.
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And the interesting thing here now for me is that
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since I haven't played so many of these new factions,
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Our soldiers, they're too quick at killing.
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the Daneshti fools store a cache of gunpowder
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