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Hello from a free/libre games enthousiast


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Hello all

I discovered 0 AD maybe on alpha 15 or something like that and played sometime to see how things are going. I'm generaly intrested in free software (even coding for some) and pay particular attention to games since a few years.

0 AD is one of my favorites, as it is ambitious, fully original, and truly alive :) It's also a study case for project management and business model on free games.

I'm now working at a game center in France and try to push free softwares there. I already made a few LAN introducing free games and recently ran one dedicated to 0 AD. We were 8 players and there wasn't even enough unused PC for everyone to play :S (previous events gathered 3 or 4 people)

Even if the game was laggy they all enjoyed the games and are demanding for more (fully aware that 0 AD is still in alpha and performance issues will be addressed on time). I'd love to see a local community of players being built on the long run.

I'm trying to "contribute" in some way, I'm relaying some announcements on Diaspora* (in French), "learn" (actually play) the game to be able to introduce it to new players and ease the learning curve. I think I should be more attentive on bug reports, testing an such, as I don't think I'll have much time for coding (I already have too many projects)

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The next LAN in Lille is now scheduled this friday evening. Depending on how things are going (release wise) it will be an alpha 17 or alpha 18.

I expect to have 4 to 6 players for 3 hours of play, it is just enough to set an introduction game, a "use what you learnt" game and a final real one. If I get the players that came two week before I hope they will engage some exciting games.

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If you mean why I don't play on the lobby when I'm alone it is mostly because I don't really play. I'm mostly driven by studying the game and making other people to play. I won't mind playing a good game thought but I don't really have much time for it (and when I have, there isn't always a good game to join, regarding my criterias). Maybe I could do the same as I did with Xonotic, setting a date for us to play together connected through a Mumble server.

If you mean why I don't create online games with local players, it's because I consider all the interest of organizing such an event is playing together and be able to throw the mouse to your oponent (well, it never happened).

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  • 2 weeks later...

It has been a while and I now take time to say a bit of how it went.

For this second time we started with 4 players on alpha 17 with one who came on the previous LAN and one Starcraft II player who wanted to check what this game was. We ended with 6 players including myself (once I could spend some time with auto-management against a newcomer while explaining things to other).

All of them liked the game and the mood was very pleasant. There were only 1vs1 game to reduce the lag but it was still noticed (I know and told them this was a known and worked on issue which will reduce with further versions). After one or two games and a few tips like balancing food and wood, the "never idle" soldiers, batch train, mixed army and ctrl attack… they were expanding, rushing and enjoying conflict zones.

So it was a cool event, most of them are seduced or at least impressed of the quality of the game even if I don't thing they will play alone or online. It really stand out of the other games played in the game center by it's gameplay.

The next event is scheduled for this friday. I'm late on the announcements because of a very busy week-end and week-start. I think I'll switch to Battle for Wesnoth or an other game for a beginners' session and put 0AD on more self-animated sessions (my efforts should be more dedicated to arcade events).

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It has been a while and I now take time to say a bit of how it went.

For this second time we started with 4 players on alpha 17 with one who came on the previous LAN and one Starcraft II player who wanted to check what this game was. We ended with 6 players including myself (once I could spend some time with auto-management against a newcomer while explaining things to other).

All of them liked the game and the mood was very pleasant. There were only 1vs1 game to reduce the lag but it was still noticed (I know and told them this was a known and worked on issue which will reduce with further versions). After one or two games and a few tips like balancing food and wood, the "never idle" soldiers, batch train, mixed army and ctrl attack… they were expanding, rushing and enjoying conflict zones.

So it was a cool event, most of them are seduced or at least impressed of the quality of the game even if I don't thing they will play alone or online. It really stand out of the other games played in the game center by it's gameplay.

The next event is scheduled for this friday. I'm late on the announcements because of a very busy week-end and week-start. I think I'll switch to Battle for Wesnoth or an other game for a beginners' session and put 0AD on more self-animated sessions (my efforts should be more dedicated to arcade events).

There is a great chance 0ad A18 will be released this week though :)

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I must get rid of my old playing habits of "no micro" and get used to the new role of ranged units before enjoying alpha 18 and be able to show it to the other.

I played some few games but still have alpha 17 in mind and I'm not enjoying myself for now. Maybe next month... I have to check the changes of Wesnoth 1.12 for tomorrow.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Back again after some games on alpha 18 with the video tutorials from Alekusu.

The Wesnoth sessions were a total fail with no attendee (at least a few people saying they like the game and should play it again). It was a bit like with Warzone 2100, with more popularity.

I'd like to grow a local community around the game, and around free software games in general. I'll try to still make some LAN on 0AD but it will be more difficult than before (the PC area is almost always full). Maybe I'll start organizing online games with Mumble.

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Bonjour Karamel,

I share your views on the game and have thought about doing the same in my area. I haven't taken action yet, but it's inspiring to see others who are doing it. I've come to discover 0ad because I've switched to free software almost exclusively for over ten years now. I come from an art background and dream of learning how to rig and animate the units someday. For now I'm mostly learning to play. What is the ctrl attack btw? It's the first time that I've heard the term.

I used to play battle for Wesnoth years ago and even drew a handful of sprites (none were officially used, but I had fun creating them).

Keep us posted, I think that community is an essential part of free software movement.

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Why that is not automated? It would cause more lag?

works in other way, when you press Ctrl the units attatck all units these are in the path , if you press Attack move targeting Enemy CC , they attacked everything in its path pausing for each enemy they find.

If you only attack CC , they ignore the enemy in its path and only focus in destroy the CC

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Why that is not automated? It would cause more lag?

No, it's not about performance, but rather choice. You might want to move your units to an important battle site, in that case you would not want to delay them by having them attack every single unit on the way. Sometimes you do want to attack everything in your way, sometimes you're better off not. And that's why it's a choice :)

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No, it's not about performance, but rather choice. You might want to move your units to an important battle site, in that case you would not want to delay them by having them attack every single unit on the way. Sometimes you do want to attack everything in your way, sometimes you're better off not. And that's why it's a choice :)

That clarifies my question and i suppose you are right, but it would be cool to experiment with that in the stances, instead of pressing a key, i mean Violent stance for units could do that, while they move to a certain point they attack everything that crosses their path and Aggressive stance just don't, they march to the point without attacking anything else. Just a thought

Edited by Skhorn
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Hotkeys are easy to modify in the settings.

But if you have a proposal for a more standard hotkey set, that's always welcome.

Instead of hotkeys, could not be in included in the stances? "Violent stance for units could do that, while they move to a certain point they attack everything that crosses their path and Aggressive stance just don't, they march to the point without attacking anything else. Just a thought"

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