Leaderboard

A 2v3 map, intended for 2 human players versus the AI. The 2 human players bases are very close together. Updates and other maps can be downloaded from my 0ad Maps GitHub repo. aa2020-1_0.0.1.7z

These are for the original 0AD civilisations in Alpha 23. I concluded the following from my personal experience playing 0AD. If you disagree then please comment below. 1. Athenians Strengths: Hero characters offer great technological gains Slingers and hoplites are decent in mass formation Navy can be excellent Weaknesses: Has access to neither rams nor elephants - this makes siege very difficult. The Athenians must rely on catapults and bolt shooters for crush damage. 2. Britons Strengths: Economic bonus Quick development in early phase - allows early rushes that hinder enemy’s development Decent melee troops - can easily destroy enemy siege weapons Buildings cost less and every structure can offer a small population capacity increase Can train unique war dogs that are effective at harassing the enemy Weaknesses: No archers Buildings are not very durable Only siege weapon is rams, and not very durable / damaging rams Unimpressive navy Too reliant on wood 3. Gauls Vastly similar to Britons with 3 key differences: 1. No war dogs 2. Gauls have access to a tavern which trains naked fanatics - they are very brutal 3. No Island settlement 4. Carthaginians Strengths: Extremely broad range of troops and siege weapons - allows for many different styles of play and strategies. Almost unstoppable in the late game. One of the best civilisations at naval warfare - the Cothon (unique to Carthaginians) can produce and heal quinqueremes (heavy warships). Embassy allows access to other factions’ units -great diversity. Has the strongest wall tower (Mijdil) at 12000 health points. Weaknesses: Slow development in initial phases. Lack of bonuses Swordsman can only be trained from embassy. 5. Iberians Strengths: Talented at defence: the Iberians are given free walls surrounding the civic centre; buildings are much more durable compared to other factions. This helps with surviving early attacks. Decent infantry - swordsman, spearman, slingers. Weaknesses: Only siege weapon is rams Inadequate navy 6. Kushites Strengths: Has access to every type of infantry unit, with their unique Nuba Clubman and champion archers. Also decent cavalry and elephants (especially the elephant hero) Siege towers filled with archers can be deadly Pyramids offer 10% faster boost for workers and soldiers - can be a huge advantage if deployed appropriately Weaknesses: No catapults or bolt shooter. Slow-developing economy to begin with 7. Macedonians Strengths: Access to siege workshop - this allows siege weapons to be produced extremely quickly from every corner of your territory, which can be deadly to your opponent. Has access to every single type of siege weapon Weakness: Economy develops very slowly, so may be quite vulnerable in early phases No swordsman - they only way of defending against enemy ram attack is use your own rams 8. Mauryans Strengths: Has access to worker elephants - if played well, the Mauryans can develop their economy extremely quickly. Excellent range of infantry The hero Chandragupta Maurya is an extremely durable elephant hero that can easily take down enemy structures without being killed. Population bonus of 10% Weakness: No catapults or bolt shooters Extreme reliance on food 9. Persians: Strengths: Has access to every type of cavalry Has access to both elephants and rams - this can be hard to defend against Can train hero, elephant and rams from separate buildings - this saves a lot of time Population bonus of 10% Weaknesses: No bolt shooter or catapults Huge demand for resources Very complex structure tree which is difficult to master for beginners 10. Ptolemies: Strengths: Farming bonus These buildings are for free: houses, farmsteads, storehouses. This can save up quite a bit of wood in the early phase, which can be invested in training soldiers instead. Ptolemies have one of the best navy in the game; Juggernaut is the single heaviest ship in the game; lighthouse can reveal all shorelines so you can know what the enemies are up to in real time Also decent infantry, cavalry and champions Weaknesses: In the village phase the only soldier available is pikemen. They walk very slowly and deal little damage. Extreme reliance on metal. The Ptolemies can be severely hindered on a map with little mineral Camel archers are only effective in large numbers Many important units can only be trained from a military colony. 11. Romans Strengths: Has access to entrenched army camp and siege walls, which can be built in neutral and enemy territory. This allows you to shower the enemy with an endless rain of rams and cavalry units Access to catapults and rams Strong navy Weaknesses: No significant weakness 12. Seleucids Strengths: Strong navy Elephants + catapults can be a deadly combination Player given a choice between reformed army and traditional army Weaknesses: Slightly slower economic development Relies on military colony for swordsman, archers and close quarter cavalry. 13. Spartans: Strengths: Women can build defence towers and sentries - saves some male workforce Allows for fast initial development Extremely strong infantry: Skiritai Commandos and hoplites from the Stoa are unstoppable Weakness: Population penalty of -10% Limited cavalry options. Personal opinions: Gauls and Iberians are the best civilisations for beginners, because they have a simple structure tree (easy to learn and master) and also are strong enough to survive any early attacks. Mauryans, Persians, Spartans, Ptolemies, Macedonians are good options for more advanced players. They require some practice to get used to but if played with the appropriate strategies they can be unstoppable. Seleucids and Romans are well-rounded civilisations with no dramatic weaknesses, so they are good for practising skills or strategies. I also make 0AD videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMfNFa4F-ml8KUDKn2sYspQ/playlists

Terra Magna Mod: 1. Han Chinese Strengths: Has the most manoeuvrable catapults in the game - the Chinese catapults do not need to be packed or unpacked, and their small size allows them to sneak through gaps between buildings. Furthermore, they do not have a minimum range. Wide range of infantry and cavalry, especially their unique crossbowman and crossbow cavalry. Their unique Government centre can train ministers (units with high capture attack and can boost workers) and research technologies. Chinese archers cost 40 wood and 50 food each - 10 wood cheaper than other civilisations. This saves you some wood and provides you with cheaper male workforce. Palace guard archers and palace guard swordsmen can convert their identities for minimal costs, which allows for more versatile strategies. Population bonus of 10%. Weaknesses: No rams or elephants - this makes siege difficult. However, their catapults can take on the role of rams, possibly more effectively than the Athenians. Does not have the best navy. Initial developments may be slow. 2. Zapotecs strengths: Full range of infantry. Initial development is quick Zapotec Battle Priest can offer a significant boost to your melee infantry. weaknesses: No cavalry Only siege weapon is rams Weak navy. 3. Xiongnu strengths: Can build anywhere, ignoring territories. All buildings can be moved. All Xiongnu women are archers, but weaker than their male counterparts. Initial development could be extremely fast. Buildings can serve more than one purpose, for example, their yurt can serve as both a house and a resource dropsite. Their farmstead is also a market. Weaknesses: Buildings are not durable and easy to capture. No defence tower, sentry, fortress, temple, wonder available to build - hard to defend their own territory. Xiongnu rams have half the health of other rams and a much lower crush damage. Devoid of navy and dock. Cannot farm - only food source is hunting animals, which is unsustainable.

It would be interesting to have a limit of possible characters so that it doesn't happen again.