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Talking about mercenaries: This mod gives the ptol hero Ptolemy I the ability to actively convert mercenaries from the enemy for 250 metal each. So why is this mod called Midas you may ask? Because you have no choice. When you have metal left and an enemy merc is in his aura, the unit will convert until you have no metal left. mercenary-patreon.zip merc.mp4

So, let's talk about ships (and everything wrong about them). Naturally, I do as @Yekaterinasuggests! ;P Eventually my warship killed that fishing boat, but I watched at least five consecutive missed shots in a row which seemed to be a lot of misses. Frankly, I can't say anything about 'elevation bonus', 'launch height' and 'gravity'; so before the more knowledgeable people sort those out I start with two more basic things. First, this Quinquereme looks a lot more like a Trireme: Second, currently the projectile materializes out of thin air behind (!) the mast. On a quick look around the internet I didn't find anything reliable about the ranged capabilities of the (cart) quinquereme; maybe it's possible to add an onager on the ship's deck like in RTW? Hoping for fruitful discussions!

Sitting in design documents, there is ticket for naval warfare but no-one picked it up as far as i know

My suggestions: 1. Make Quinquereme projectiles more accurate 2. Allow Quinquereme and Triremes to switch between firing modes: stone, bolt or arrows. If a Quinquereme is fully garrisoned with archers, there is no reason why it cannot shoot arrows. Similarly for a Trireme with bolt shooters. Although Triremes probably cannot mount catapults on them that easily.

There is no such thing as physics. Projectiles themselves are delayed damage handlers working with rather straightforward linear transformations. There are purely visual actors accompanying them, but by all means, as far as game logic is concerned, they don't do anything. Actual ballistics, and projectiles as entities dealing damage on collision is an interesting concept. None of the math will be extremely complex, so maybe an experiment for modders. I don't think several hundred projectiles would be that big of a performance concern even for JS mods since projectile paths would be approximated. Also, while on the topic of ships and realism, there is also this, I don't know where the code is though.

It will be included in my next mod update. Right now it's in it's prototype phase, but it's already working as discribed below. Melee units have energy and automatically initiate a charge attack when they are close enough to their target. They consume energy at a rate while they are charging their target and deal bonus damage on the first attack if they had energy left when they reached the target (after a succesful charge attack the left-over energy will be consumed). Units that do nothing AKA idling will recharge their energy automatically. Rams will be able to charge aswell and have bonus damage/speed based on how many men are garrisoned inside it on the first attack. Rams only have energy equal to how many are inside though, that means 0 when they are ungarrisoned. Pierce damage receives the highest damage bonus, so that means pike and spear charges are stronger than sword charges.

I honestly think this would go hand-in-hand with a charging and running feature for land units. Same concept, just extended to ships. So, if someone were to want to add charging to soldiers, they could easily add it to ships at the same time with little essential difference between the 2, unless we wanted to add some kind of cool-down time between ram attacks (which we might want to add to soldier charging anyway too).

Yeah, that's where a ramming feature (essentially the same as a charging feature for land units) would be nice. I think originally, arrows were supposed to kill the enemy ship's crew, while the ram or siege projectiles would kill the ship.

If you switch view to observer, you will see progress is done on the foundation. Current issue with foundation is that they do not provide any vision by themselves so as long as you do not have sufficent vision on the object, what means your vision has to reach to the center point of the structure, you will see the mirrage of the object, what means last state you saw the object when you had vison on it.

Is there a way for an attack to trigger a special animation on the attacked unit? For example, could fire archers trigger a burning animation on buildings which they hit?

I guess the sandy beach is supposed to look like at the very top; all those rectangular areas below don't look very natural. (Pyrenean Sierra)

now that a25 has shadow draw distance, it need to be uncoupled from the zoom of the camera so that it's always based on the fixed point that the camera is pointed at for consistency.

Maybe nerf ships? They kill soldiers like crazy. I dont see why their arrows should make 35 damage...

Macedonia 39 - The Brahmin Rebellion (325 BC) In April of 325 BC, the Brahmin went into open rebellion against Alexander's forces. While the rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful, many of the Greek colonies suffered attacks and massacres. You have been dispatched by Alexander to help defend Sparta-on-the-Indus, a colony founded recently by veterans, mostly from the Peloponnese region. The colony is headed by Agis and his warrior wife, who will be at your service. Many of the veterans have married warrior maidens, who will also help in the defense. Our scouts report that two rebel armies are headed our way. Your job is to boost the defense of the colony and battle the attackers until they are destroyed. The first rebel army is expected to arrive in about a week (about 18 game minutes). There are several nearby trading posts that we can use for supplies in addition to gathering resources. To the south west, there reside a group of bandits which have recently stolen goods from the colony -- if we recover them, we should be able to build up our defense much quicker. The colony's militia will aid in the defense. You can "donate" soldiers to the militia by moving the unit behind the militia's outpost, right next to the militia camp in the back of the town. Good luck! AI Settings: All AIs should be set to Sandbox

Reminds me of that old Italian fellow with the different sized metal balls.

Snap team X Flatpak team

The problem is not the distro, is the forgotten PPA. Xtradeb have 'fixed' this. sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xtradeb/play (Ubuntu 20.04; Ubuntu 20.10; Mint 20.1) The flatpak in the software manager under mint is up to date.

A better way: use flatpak. Download 0ad flatpakref file from flathub sudo apt-get install flatpak sudo flatpak install <your flatpakref file> Even better solution: switch to arch or fedora

Macedonia 36 - Battle of the Hydaspes (326 BC) In May 326, the Macedonian king Alexander the Great and his ally, raja Ambhi of Taxila, battled Porus, a raja who had not been able to surrender himself to Alexander. There were heavy rains - the monsoon seems to have started early - and the river Jhelum, already wide in May because of the melting waters of the Himalayas, became very wide. Porus thought he'd have a chance, if only he could win time and keep the river between his own army and that of his enemy. What Alexnader needed was a surprise crossing, and the rain offered sufficient opportunity. Another element of surprise was that the Macedonian officer Coenus had brought the ships (which had been used to cross the Indus) all the way to the Jhelum. During a stormy night, Alexander and his army slipped away from the Jhelum through a hidden valley, out of sight of Porus. At dawn, Alexander crossed the Jhelum, a considerable distance upstream from his initial camp. Unaware of what had happened, and seeing a substantial part of Alexander's army (commanded by Craterus) still on the opposite shore, Porus could not believe the news that the Macedonians had reached the east bank. He sent his son to find out what had happened, but he was killed in action. The fact that it had been raining made it very hard to fight from chariots, a factor that contributed to the defeat of the prince. Alexander proceeded along the river, downstream, towards Porus' army. You, playing as Coenus, are in charge of elite cavalry units, as well as the Dahae horse archers. Alexander's officers advise that our left flank is vulnerably and may need assistance. You are to do anything you can to ensure we are victorious. Alexander and Coenus must survive, and in addition, if too many of our infantry perish, we may have no choice but to put a hold on our Indian expeditions. AI Settings: all AIs should be Sandbox. Reference image I used for the battle is the following: https://www.livius.org/site/assets/files/2552/hydaspes_map1.gif

yeah exactly it is a trade off between op and huge resource drain. So you need to maneuver him carefully or you will have no metal left. But as I said, this is more of a fun idea, probably to op.

Very good idea, but this might be a little bit OP and our metal is drained without our consent... What if I don't want that many mercs

Macedonia 35 - Taxila (326 BC) Taxila was the capital of a kingdom that was called Hindus (or Indus-country) and consisted of the western half of the Punjab. It was added to the Achaemenid empire under king Darius I the Great, but the Persian occupation did not last long. When the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great occupied Gandara and the Punjab in 326 BC, the Indian kingdoms had already regained their independence. King Ambhi of Taxila, who is called Taxiles ("the man from Taxila") and Omphis in the Greek sources, had invited Alexander in 329 BC, because he needed support against king Porus of Pauravas, a state that was situated in the eastern Punjab. To establish an alliance with Taxila against Porus, Alexander sent Hephaestion with an advance army to meet Ambhi and negotiate a deal. Taxila was more than happy to ally itself with Alexander. To seal the deal, Hephaestion agreed to advance to the town of Tarnawa, where Porus was expected to strike. As Hephaestion arrives, the news is bleak -- a large army of King Porus is on its way. Hephaestion immediately sends a messenger to Alexander to request backup while taking on the role as the town's defender. Objectives: Fortify the town of Tarnawa in anticipation of the attack. Nothing short of a full wall will do. Defend the town and wait for Alexander's cavalry to arrive. Intelligence Reports: Deposits of metal are extremely rare in this area. You will need to find trading partners to secure supplies. The locals speak of a trading post south to the town as well as one much further north. In addition, a friendly dock is positioned across the lake. North-west of our position, there lies a mountain with an abandoned siege shop -- perhaps we can secure some defensive siege equipment there. The town's farmsteads are east of town along the river. They will provide us with food for as long as they are safe. Porus' armies are poised to strike from the east and north. AI Settings: all AIs should be set to Sandbox.

Macedonia 34 - The Hiding Place (326 BC) After conquering the valleys of the Kunar and Swat, Alexander the Great crossed to the river Indus, probably through the Shang-La pass. He wanted to capture the last stand of the native population in this part of India, Aornus (the name translates to "hiding place"). A local myth told that a god, probably Krishna, had been unable to capture this rock, which is 1500 meters high; this was enough to make Alexander decide that he had to capture it. Ptolemy is currently occupying the Western summit while the Indians hold the Eastern one. You are to meet up with Ptolemy and help launch the assault on the Indian fort. Marching up the rock will be a challenge as the Indians have built a large number of towers and small forts. Your scouts have reported a sighting of an abandoned catapult in the area. The Indian defenders are numerous but your intelligence officers suggest you can severely limit their morale and ability to defend should we destroy the enemy's civilian houses (as they would be worried about getting their families out to safety). Primary Objective: Destroy the Indian civil centre within 25 minutes of meeting up with Ptolemy (note: taking longer will result in defeat!) AI Settings: All AIs should be set to Sandbox

Macedonia 33 - The Swat Valley (326 BC) Shortly after the Winter of 326 BC, Alexander the Great crossed into the valley of the Soastus (Swat). He entered this beautiful country along a small river, the Wuch, and prepared to lay siege to the ancient city of Massaga. After an Indian mercenary leader had been killed, his men surrendered. Negotiations started and Alexander ordered the mercenaries to occupy a nearby hill. However, during the cease-fire, Alexander ordered his men to attack the Indian mercenaries. Your initial objective is to destroy the mercenaries and their camp, after which the city is going to be under your command. Further up the river lie the fortresses of Bazira and Ora. You are to take them by force and establish a firm grip on the Swat Valley. Your scouts warn that Bazira relies heavily on supplies from Ora. Destroying Bazira's market, as well as taking the fight to Ora are a few strategies they suggest about dealing with the situation. Your scouts also report that nearby villages may be suitable trading partners. Finally, tribesmen from the mountain have heard of your arrival and will likely harass your forces every chance they get. AI Settings: Player 6: Petra, with a difficulty of your choice; all others: Sandbox.

After a brief hiatus, I am back with the next one. Only a few more to go! Macedonia 32 - A Band of Heroes (Part 1, 328 BC) After defeating Spitamenes' rebels, Alexander took some time to govern the newly founded empire. Alexander spent a few week in Maracanda (modern day Samarkand) to assemble his empire's administration and court. Anyone who was anyone was there, from Greek and Macedonian nobles, Egyptian warriors, Persian satraps who are loyal, even Indian royalty. One night (after heavy drinking), Alexander's court wakes up in disarray -- Alexander has been kidnapped! You rush outside the palace and there is chaos in the street -- the local guard is desperate to repulse the assailants. Playing as Alexander's most trusted warriors and guards, your job is to repel the attacks, find Alexander and free him! Hints and notes: - It is best to complete all "side quests" before proceeding with the attempt to free Alexander - You can trigger a conversation with the allied commander of Alexander's forces by walking near the camp's "mercenary camp" building. If you choose to wait, come back in a bit to trigger the same conversation. - After rescuing Alexander, you will need to destroy the enemy "mercenary camp" building to defeat them AI Settings: All AIs should be set to Sandbox.

Not sure I've said this, but keep up the great work!

Macedonia 30 - Bactra (328 BC) After the victory over the Sacae at the Jaxartes, Alexander had the opportunity to deal with the revolt of Spitamenes, the Sogdian rebel leader. Alexander headed south, to Maracanda which was beseiged by Spitamenes, but by the time he arrived, the siege was lifted and the Sogdian rebels were gone. During the winter of of 329/328 BC, Spitamenes, on the other hand, had moved on to Bactra, the capital of Bactria, and has captured several nearby settlements. You have been sent by Alexander to reinforce the Macedonian garrison and assist Artabazus, the loyal satrap of Bactria, in the defense of the city and the destruction of the rebels. Upon arriving, Artabazus offers his welcome and dispatches a dozen horse archers to be at your service. Your primary objective is to defend the town, build up your own forces and work together with Artabazus to conquer the nearby rebels. There are also neutral traders in the area who may be suitable trading partners. Artabazus suggests that you use your cavalry to disrupt the rebels' trade for extra loot. A workshop not far to the north-east of our town will likely be willing to sell you some siege equipment. Meanwhile, a dock on a nearby river has traders in search of stone who would be willing to give plenty of fish in return. As you finish discussions, all of a sudden there is chaos and mayhem on the streets of the city -- the rebels must have infiltrated the town and are not trying to take it from within. To arms! AI Settings: Players 2 through 5: Petra with a difficulty of your choice. Players 6 and 7: Sandbox.

Next up: Macedonia 29 - Battle of Jaxartes (329 BC) After securing Alexandria Eschatê, Alexander's forces continued to battle the Sogdian rebellion. The Sogdian leader Spitamenes was besieging Maracanda in the south; at the same time, an army of Saka mounted nomadic warriors appeared north of the Jaxartes, eager to join in the struggle and take away the loot. The Macedonian king sent an officer named Pharnouches south to confront Spitamenes, and personally attacked the Sacae in what was to become a sensational fight. The Jaxartes is wider than a bowshot, which meant that the Macedonians could board their hurriedly prepared ships and rafts in safety, but that they would enter the Sacaen field of fire halfway across the river. Your advisors suggest two strategies to pursue to cross the river effectively: 1) your rafts should make a landing en masse, and 2) use your siege equipment to provide cover fire -- we may be able to eliminate some of the archers before they realize their bows and arrows are useless against our catapults -- we just need to find a good spot for our siege equipment that can target their archers from our side of the river. Your ships and rafts already have some troops loaded but you may want to load additional ones as soon as you can. You can "signal" an order for all your vessels to automatically head to the other side of the river by destroying your outpost (click on it and click on the delete button). AI Settings: all AIs should be set to Sandbox