Game Theory: How To WIN A War (Assassin's Creed Odyssey) 

It’s like he knows that I have an oral history exam about Ancient Greece

How to win a war: Step 1: Ask Ezio Step 2: Make him target the entire army

And once we actually got the game, learned the mechanics, and played through the story at least once, we realized that the real option was to side with no one, work for both, and just be a war profiteer selling your services to the highest bidder at the time (meaning you got 2 pieces of trash gear instead of 1)

Sparta wins because their army wears red and Athens wears blue. If you remember the episode about colors, you know.

In oddysey you fight for whoever give you more gear

Ubisoft watching this video knowing damn well the games not that deep *Im in danger*

"This baby's flailing arms will do a fine job of holding a shield some day" *Drops the shield to the baby*

You can’t mention the Peloponnesian war without mentioning Alcibiades

Just because you’re a dad now doesn’t mean you can only tell dad jokes, Mat

To be honest with the old Assassins Creed Combat Mechanics you could literally take out an entire army.

How to win a war: “If”

One of my favorite Spartan comebacks is during the three-day Battle of Thermopylae. King Xerxes sent a message to the Greek infantry ((headed by Leonidas)) that basically said, "Our archers will fire so many arrows that we will block out the sun." The second in command of the Greek army, a Spartan warrior himself, replied, "Then we will have our battle in the shade."

I dont side with anyone, whenever theres a battle i just always go on the attacking side so i get more loot.

matpat what about option 3: when choosing a side: dont choose a side, and murder both sides making you the sole survivor of the war.

Doubt you'll read this, ya know, 2 years after the theory but i have to say THANK YOU. This theory single-handedly got my back into the AC games. I got bored of them and the rinse and repeat gameplay, despite kinda being interested in the story. This theory showed me what Odyssey was like and so I tried it out and it's so far my favorite AC game of all time, I also played origins, but Odyssey improved on even that so it was great. I have high hopes for Valhalla now too, I hope they keep up this new streak of improvement.

Aren't you forced to be Spartan it literally says on the back "become a legendary Spartan hero"

You aren't punished for stealing. You're punished for getting caught. Just a theory, what if Sparta was just as dishonorable as Athens, they just didn't get caught? Hmmmm...

Thrown off a cliff because of the profecy forecasting that the child will be the doom of Sparta. Years later, Sparta destroyed by the same child who was thrown off a cliff. Irony in its finest.

“Want to front punt a lion? Then be my guest!” *Falcon kicks lion in face*

The "babies off the cliff" claim is just a myth, Sparta didn't actually do that.

Loki: I have an army Tony: we have a hulk Obi Wan: I have the high ground Mat: well, we have Ezio

"There's only so far back you can go" (some years later) We're playing an Assassins Creed game as a cell

I'm relatively young (11) and I just randomly felt like researching about Greece and its myths. Anyways Greece is really cool. I admire their techniques.

While Sparta did reply “if” to king Phillip it’s worth noting they were a completely irrelevant backwater by that point. Their entire militaristic society was about being armed enough to stop a slave revolt, but by that point they were arming their slaves. Sparta, while cool, is severely over hyped.

“Assassin’s Creed Caveman Ages” Low LVL Weapon: Fists. High LVL Weapon: Rock

The thing I like about about game theory and film theory, is that it's not like other educational game channels. Matt Pat talks to you as if you are having a conversation with him. combined with some jokes it just makes this even more enjoyable (also the editing is very good for the amount of time they put in)

I love how this is basically history class (which I always hated) but really triggers a desire to learn about it. Gotta love it

Quick note: Sparta was a slave society that relied on slaves to take care of everything excluding the army, there slaves were often slaughtered under any suspicion of rebellion. I'm not sure if it's so honorable to throw away all the children whom may of become a great warrior just because they were a little bit weak as a child. Plus Sparta was not conquered by Alexander because Sparta was weak and in constant decline by the time Alexander was in power, he could have conquered it if he really wanted to, but it was way more insulting to the Spartans. Plus Sparta's reluctance to adopt bows and other modern invention's, is a weakness.

Opens Google "Who won the Peloponesian War" AND THATS JUST A THEORY

Athens : "If I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people and raze your city." Sparta : "IF" Behold, one of the world's earliest BURNs

Also the Spartans were prohibited from participating in the Pankration portion of the Olympics because it was actually a part of their daily life and were so skilled

I’m Greek and I love this game! I was also born and raised in Athens and I still live here. And for that reason I went with Athens in the game cause I’m actually Athenian irl.

Sparta was a army with a state, not a state with an army

"Spartans are more honorable!".... *THROWS TODDLER OFF A CLIF FOR NOT HAVING A FIT BODY*

I don't really see how a game that has the player explore memories, could employ choices and in turn, change the plot. If so, then the Animus was just a time travel device all along.

i thought he was gonna teach us how to wage and win a war

This Is Smarta

I think there's a reason no assassins creed game has had multiple endings before, it doesn't make any sense with the animus setup. If the animus makes you experience your ancestors memories, or a least a playable interpretation of them, then there isn't a way for the multiple endings to make sense.

I'm a simple man: I see assassins creed... I click

Turok: Dinosaur Assassin

Matpat, you get a like for the rainbow 6 siege reference. Keep up the good work lol

10/10 hanzo main joke

THIS IS GAME THEORY.....

How to win a war?? Easy Just ask Ezio Auditore and he will do the rest

Both boys and girls of Sparta were taught to fight because it was thought that Sparta was greater that its people, and if they were invaded, everyone would have to fight. Also, women who died during childbirth were buring honorable alomgside men who'd perished in battle- showing the battle of childbirth was equal to physical weaponry-fought war.

Next assassins creed is about dinosaurs clawing at each other

12:00 - For me, that fourth reason is that I spent most of my senior years in high school (here we call years 11 & 12, or sophomore and senior, our senior years) studying ancient Greece; specifically Sparta, Grecian wars and political figures. Literally adore Sparta after spending all that time reading about them and building them up onto the pedestal they now rule upon in my mind. Anyway, back to the video. *Scrolls back up to finish the video.*

The worst pains you can endure is 1.hangnails 2.stepping on legos 3.losing a pet 4.falling into lava with your best diamond gear in Minecraft 5.life

As a Greek citizen i have to say that there were a lot of historical errors but because people in the comments have spotted them too i wont write them again. Also i am really happy to see that so many people know about the history of ancient Greece (sometimes even better than Greeks themselves...)!! Soo, greetings from Greece to all of you guys!!😄❤

Assassin's Creed Neanderthal, where you play as a Neanderthal fighting against the aggressive humans as one of the last tribes of your kind. You fall in love with one of the humans and create the first assassin.

8:56 I once was an adventurer like you...Then i took an arrow to the knee

Whenever I kick something ingame I yell "THIS IS SPARTA"

MatPat, just because you have an elite fighting force of almost superhuman warriors does not mean that any mercenaries will be gainfully employed by you. History also tells us that Sparta was exceedingly wary of engaging in wars, and was actually a diplomatic powerhouse. Why? Slaves. Sparta had *a lot* of slaves, and were extremely worried that these slaves would revolt if their fighting force was ever preoccupied with battle anywhere outside of easy access to Sparta itself. I believe Extra Credits did a series on Thermopylae, where they talk about this.

PELOPENISIAN WAR shows picture of alexander the great...

I picked Athens because they were blue, that’s it

Well, so much for going against the way it is supposed to be. I did not know the history and picked to go with sparta because their flag looks like the assassin's creed symbol, and also i liked 300. Though i am not sure if there is a "can't turn back now" moment in the main quest, since i have been actively avoiding it since i got my ship. I have just been destabalizing and helping sparta conquer athen regions as i explore.

if you really want to talk about spartans "getting the girl," a good reason would be that in most greek cultures women were seen as sub-human and, comparatively, spartan women had the most rights and were actually granted full citizenship after turning 18, unlike in other greek cultures. they were expected to be educated and be physically fit and able to fight. spartan women were also the only women allowed to drink wine so, you know. that helps too.

It’s the Ancient Greek version of bloods vs. crips

This is my 2nd favorite Assassin's Creed game next to Assassin's Creed Origins! I always love learning some information from you MatPat about history!

“You either side with Athena, or Sparta, your family” Me who just kills everyone for the luls:

4:11 actually the Spartans gave rights to the woman there, unlike in Athens.

"If" i buy the game

this guy is so much better at history than me

6:45 Alexander the great did not try to conquer Sparta because he wasn't even born at that time, he was born 100 years after the war.

They trained in hunting, fighting, pain tolerance, and, most importantly, *singing*

The Spartans got the ladies because they gave them actual human rights and let them own property, not just because their awesome pecs (although I imagine that was also a factor)

Ι was reading a book about the battle of sphaktiria for a month... and you just spoiled the end in a few seconds.... never thought that history could be spoiled. Wow thanks XD

Sparta: The greatest warrior ever Me laughs in "Genghis khan"

4:43 THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR Shows a mosaic of Alexander the Great fighting Darius III

"what should we do with the funds boss?" "Not upgrade servers.. Oh and also sponsor matpat"

Turns out it doesnt matter what side you choose because you dont get to choose a side lmfao The game was still pretty good though.

I played for 3 hours and still I have not gotten a choice. Is there more time needed or is this exaggerated?

THIS. IS. GAME THEORY!!!!

Ever notice how mat never does a Ubisoft theory unless he's paid to.

I am Greek so i finally broke my record , I UNDERSTOOD ALL THE REFERENCES !!!

We came to learn about assassins creed, but we got one heck of a history lesson.

Uh...Athen's is more like the rich brat that thinks he's hot stuff and shoves their nose in EVERYONE's business, while Sparta is like his older brother who only bullies the 6 people who sit nearby him and wishes for his brother to NOT cause problems. Also, expansion was the LAST thing on Sparta's mind. They had a caste of slaves called "Helots" (supposedly killing one was required to be a full Spartan), and they were CONSTANTLY scared these helots would revolt, so at some point they stopped effectively all forms of expansion. Except their colonies. But that was back when people actually DIDN'T live in most places.

Plus they rejected you when you were a boy and then you return who knows how many years later and become like the best soldier in their ranks , that's badass

Sparta, the sires of the most badass power move in history. “If”

Game theory: this game is fantastic Game: microtransactions and grinding

I believe some things are being left out of the video, whether by time constraints or you just didn't think it was important. And I want to say what was missing because it will be annoying to me later on. Spartans were not stupid. The training put into a spartan soldier was not only physical, but also mental. They studied poetry and warfare as much as they exercised. Athenian democracy wasn't always the best when it came to thinking. I can imagine people saying that I am wrong, but I have the perfect historical example, Alcibiades. Alcibiades was an Athenian democrat who was so charming he convince the entire assembly to, instead of helping an ally on the island of Sicily, to invade the rest of the island. And also convinced them to expand their already massive fleet of ships to a more massive degree. While he was one of three guys in charge, Alcibiades somehow roped his way out of the eventually doomed force, who were killed to a man. Alcibiades came back after a few years to Athens and managed to kill the democracy and replace it with an oligarchy. A democracy can be fooled by one guy who was too good at sweet talk. Whew, that's a lot of typing for a video on the internet.

I usually love MattPat’s theories, but this one feels a little under-researched. I’ve studied the Peloponnesian War before, and this seems WAY too simplified. I know he can’t into every last detail in a 10 minute video, but Athens wasn’t just a city of thinkers - that’s just what they’re famous for because that’s what’s still relevant today.

Let’s hope mat like Norse mythology as much as Greek mythology because that’s what Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is about.

Matpat: Spartans will win the war Me: Why not world peace Everyone else:

Congrats, MatPat. Sponsored by ANOTHER big company. Well done. Now we just have to get DIET Coke to sponsor you... And yay, I'm early. (There, I fixed it. Happy?)

I’m joining the Spartans because of the whole geometry thing

Every assassin creed stealth Odyssey: warrior

I love listening to you talking about the most random stuff while I do my homework. I usually haven't even played the game or watched the movie you're talking about. Makes my day just a little bit better.

SoRrY mAtPat the best way to win a war is nuClear weapoNs

"IF" That is so badass it gives me goosebumps.

Sparta: *Biggus Dickus* Athens: *Smallus Peepeeyus*

You don't even get to choose what side of the war you want to side with in the game. You are just forced to ally yourself with both.

I started the game 2 days ago and I really find it hilarious that when you check the difficulty of both sides you see that if you fight with the athens against Sparta its "hard" but if you side with the spartains its "easy" lmao

Matt by the time Alexander inherited his fathers empire, Sparta wasn’t anywhere near as strong as they used to be. They win the Peloponnesian war, but the the oligarchs they place in charge of Athens and the general abusive power they hold over Greece doesn’t hold up well and eventually Philip II of Macedon just kind of walks over and destroyed them without much trouble, looking at it retrospectively. He even destroys the Sacred band of Thebes. By this time Sparta has already lost a significant number of their citizen soldiers, and the lands in Lacedameon they held as slave states had successfully rebelled, leaving Sparta without ample resources to keep up their previous lifestyle. That lifestyle entailed strict marriage between citizen men and Spartan women, infanticide if they kids they produced were “no good”, and strict training regimes. Because their numbers were reduced, they had to allow non-spartan citizens to join the military, which (while this view could be rather ethnocentric in favor of Spartans) diluted the previously heavily regulated spartan gene pool. Sparta never recovers after Philip takes over. Alexander didn’t even spare them a glance when they attempted to rebel when he came to power. And I don’t agree that they are ultimately the more “just” side of the war. Yeah, Athens has a lot of shady dealings, but they also united (most) of Greece. Yeah, they held the treasury and power, yeah they kind of brought up their victory against the Persians a lot (which you totally forgot to mention, that’s actually really important), and yeah they held their power like a leash on the other polies. But the Peloponnesian war resulted in a huge loss of Greek lives, resulted in political and military weakening of Athens (because Spartans were horrible at politics in comparison) and led to the deaths of thousands of Athenians under the tyrannical rule of Spartan oligarchs. P.S , Spartans also routinely committed genocide against their slaves in a systematic culling practiced by young Spartans who completed their trainig. They did this every year for as long as they had Helot territories, and they were encouraged to literally kill as many as possible. The Spartans are actually really horrible people. But anyway, Once Philip came through, they stood no chance. Just look to the Thebans to see how bad it was. Love ya Matpat, but I can’t forgive the Spartans for that. They headed their conflict as the side who fought for freedom against Athens (literally, that’s what they said), but they ended up becoming absolute tyrants. Plus, a lot of history surrounding Sparta is really romanticized. I’d encourage you to look at more recent research. They weren’t really that awesome. Plus their eventual fall under the rule of Nabis of Sparta is kind of pathetic.

The ancient world is my favourite place to hang out in. I know more about ancient history than I do about current history.

I love that this game tried the RPG elements. Im replaying the game because of quarantine and it still feels like Assassins Creed even with the different elements

Never give up the fight. The minute we do, we have lost

*Not so fun history fact* One time, Spartans, because they thought that their slaves might rebel, told them that they could be free if they wrote their name in a piece of paper and afterwards were given a “crown of olive leaves” like the one Olympic Game winners wore and they were made to run in circles around a temple to “honor the gods” when in reality they were going to kill them all and to separate them from Spartans they gave them the crowns of olive leaves. And they killed them all. To set an example. They were more than 100 innocent people that just wanted to be free.

Sparta didnt take out athens' food supplies, that would be a plague that infected the food and rampaged through athens.

when I’m watching this I’ve already Ed through a good portion of the game and this is pretty accurate