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Hello, fellow 0 A.D. players. I write to share (belatedly) the news that my peer-reviewed (academic) tutorial "Teaching History and Languages with a Strategy Computer Game: 0 A.D. in the Classroom" was published in the open access journal Programming Historian: https://programminghistorian.org/en/lessons/teach-history-and-languages-with-strategy-game The Programming Historian has an open peer review process on GitHub. All publications are released with the CC BY 4.0 license. If you might like to discuss anything in the tutorial -- or anything else, I suppose -- please feel free to reply in this thread. I am following. Thank you for making a beautiful, brilliant, and fully libre real-time strategy game.

Olá a todos, gostaria de compartilhar algumas novidades sobre o meu projeto World Rising. Nas últimas semanas, enfrentei vários desafios ao tentar modificar o layout do jogo. Ainda não consegui implementar tudo exatamente como planejei inicialmente, mas estou progredindo e aprendendo mais a cada dia. Como parte desse processo, redesenhei completamente o logotipo , criei novas imagens de fundo e, sinceramente, estou muito feliz com os resultados até agora. Também corrigi alguns bugs que estavam causando problemas — e, como sempre acontece no desenvolvimento de jogos, novos surgiram pelo caminho haha faz parte da jornada. Meu próximo objetivo é me concentrar um pouco mais na IA do jogo antes de voltar a criar novas unidades, tecnologias e edifícios. Estou muito animado para lançar uma versão jogável para vocês testarem em breve. Por enquanto, aqui estão algumas imagens mostrando o progresso recente. Espero que gostem!

Hey there, I've recently finished a map. Feel free to edit it and share in the forum. Regarding the map: It's Skirmish with 8 players. Players 1, 2 and 3 should be in one team, while the remaining players can be either put into teams or not. That's up to you :) I'll still put some screenshots in here. Have fun! Three Empires Second Version.pmpThree Empires Second Version.xml

I hope this gets you as excited as me: https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/pulls/8614 (please don't judge my sense of humor )

There is a new RC at https://releases.wildfiregames.com/rc/ Two languages where added and some issues are fixed. Among them an issue in the new Germans' sandbox map. While there are hopefully no new ones introduced.

New updates on the World Rising project! Textures I’ve recreated many terrain textures at 2048×2048, significantly improving ground quality and visual fidelity. I plan to apply this standard to all terrain textures, making the environments even more detailed and realistic. I’ve also started working on Japanese fauna, beginning with soil and ground textures, and I’m reworking building textures to push realism even further. Destruction Buildings now show visible damage as they are attacked, gradually deteriorating until they are fully destroyed, adding more impact and immersion to the gameplay. Buildings I’ve added new upgrades and new buildings, expanding strategic options and gameplay depth. Technologies I’ve also implemented new technologies, further enhancing progression and overall game complexity. Bug Fixes Several bugs have been fixed along the way. Right now, my main focus is on fine-tuning and reworking building textures, refining every visual detail. Thank you to everyone who’s following the project. I hope you enjoy the updates and keep sharing your feedback. Thanks for the support!

Screencast from 2025-12-20 22-10-37.webm Screencast from 2025-12-20 21-52-26.webm More organic formation movements for 0AD!

I am 78 years old and started playing 0.ad I can play empire earth 2 ok and Civ 4 but I have real trouble with hotkeys in this game, that I don't have in the other 2 I look at the hotkey chart and I am lost because Ctrl can do 20 different things . It is odvious that you have to click or select something first then apply the hot key but I just wish this first function was put in the hotkey chart . I don't understand some games where you're attacked and your military units just sit there This is not realistic to real life at all . If a printed manual was more complete the game would be more fun for someone my age . Regards Bob Forrest

Hello everyone! I’d like to share the latest updates from the project as we wrap up the year. I’ve redone many textures and improved several in-game structures. At the moment, I’m reworking all terrain textures, developing the building damage system, and refining many core gameplay mechanics. I hope you enjoy the updates and continue following the development. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

The pull request has been merged by @Vantha. Thank you very much for reviewing Vantha and @wowgetoffyourcellphone!

For the case that the "capture the wonder" will victory condition will be included someday, I spent some thoughts on the "game type" menu, which is somehow counterintuitive imo: For the game speed and ceasefire, there's the category on the left, with the options on the right. For the victory condition, there's no category, instead the options are on the left, with the on/off buttons on the right. The "No"s are also kind of confusing. So what I was thinking of: 1. Put the category to the left: "1. Victory Condition" 2. Add a dropdown at the right to choose from all possible victory conditions 3. Add a second "2. Victory Condition" with the option "none" 4. For every further victory condition that is selected from the dropdown, add another victory condition with "none" This way all unused victory conditions are hidden in the dropdown. Since the victory conditions only appear after the previous one is chosen, at the first look it will be less text, so less overwhelming for beginners. This would allow to add more victory conditions in the future without overcrowding. Options for each victory mode could be shown directly under each one, not at the end like it is now. Also the logic between the victory conditions are clearer, as all conditions right now are alternative, not additive, ways to win. Later a button could be added to define for each condition whether it is necessary or non-mandatory to win. This could look like this: This could be the layout for the options:

Buenos días o tardes; -Estaba pensando en crear unidades cartaginesas con un aspecto más púnico ya que ahora las facciones Auxiliares (Númidas, Mauretanos,Libios etc) ya existen en el mod como facciones propias y otras ya existen en el juego per se (íberos e itálicos)y se vería como una pobreza cultural en la facción de Cartago. -Ya creé un catálogo de edificios más únicos ,con nuevas texturas y nuevos edificios culturales : -¿Tienen alguna idea para unidades puramente cartaginesas? @Genava55 @Stan` @wackyserious @wowgetoffyourcellphone @Ultimate Aurelian Disculpen las molestias*

You should really bake ambient occlusion on your models. https://stan.wildfiregames.ovh/tutorials/bake-ao-pyrogenesis/ Video version

In two tutorial files, the text states "Civilians gather vegetables faster than other units" but there are no "vegetables" as a resource type in the game Files/Lines: binaries/data/mods/public/maps/tutorials/introductory_tutorial.js line 6 binaries/data/mods/public/maps/tutorials/starting_economy_walkthrough.js line 40 Suggested fix: Change "vegetables" to "fruit" to match actual game mechanics. For sake of completion I found these two vegetables: plant_medit_artichoke.xml and olive trees. I can't comment on plant_medit_artichoke.xml, but the olive tree can only be gathered for wood.

The Seleucid Empire emerged as one of the largest successor states to Alexander the Great's conquests, playing a pivotal role in disseminating Hellenistic culture across the Near East and beyond. Founded in 312 BC by Seleucus I Nicator, it initially spanned from Thrace and Anatolia in the west to the Indus Valley in the east, though eastern territories were soon ceded to local powers like the Mauryan Empire. At its height under Antiochus III (r. 222–187 BC), it encompassed the eastern Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, and parts of Iran and Central Asia. The Seleucids governed a multicultural populace through a formidable military - featuring innovative units such as Indian war elephants for shock tactics and heavily armored cataphract cavalry - alongside claims of divine kingship and the establishment of Greek-influenced cities, such as Antioch-on-the-Orontes, which evolved into a vibrant cultural hub. However, the empire grappled with internal dynastic conflicts, protracted wars against the Ptolemaic Kingdom (the Syrian Wars), and challenges in administering remote provinces. By the mid-third century BC, regions like Bactria (c. 250 BC) and Parthia (c. 247 BC) seceded, initiating gradual fragmentation. A major setback came with defeat by Rome at the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BC, followed by the Treaty of Apamea (188 BC), which stripped away western Anatolian holdings and imposed heavy indemnities. Persistent civil strife, rebellions (including the Maccabean Revolt, 167–160 BC), and incursions from Parthia and Armenia further diminished its power, culminating in Roman annexation of the remaining Syrian core in 64 BC by Pompey. Despite its eventual collapse, the Seleucid Empire endured for nearly 250 years and left an enduring legacy by blending Greek and Near Eastern traditions, influencing art, governance, and trade routes that shaped the Hellenistic and subsequent eras.

UPDATE: Version 0.11.0 Added calendar (bonuses to gathering speed depending on the season and month of the year) A separate bot with support for new features has been added to the mod ( bot PETRA Expert Volatile Market) More details in the first post

Samurais

Maybe it's better to focus on smaller changes first. Like implementing a "special attack" mechanic by giving some units either passive or active special abilities. These are even described on some documentation pages, but they're still not implemented. Perhaps the most famous is the ability of Hastati to throw pila at nearby enemies, before going into melee.

https://interactivepasts.com/civilized-barbarians-in-0-a-d/ Another article.

Is it just me, or do these people above have bot-like names?

In this game Persian guy had also a Seleucid ally (me) and the build times look about right after taking into account the -30% construction time team bonus from Seleucids. I don't know about the other building bonus.

A similar issue was recently addressed: https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/issues/8580 https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/pulls/8589

I've been gone for long, last played in 2021 and I'm ready to make some new moves in this game, Do people want tournaments with cash prizes still cause i'd be willing to host them again

The 0 A.D. Main Branch has over 1.6k issues. I was looking through some of the older ones and I noticed there are quite a few that are either outdated or not relevant anymore either while the view of the game has shifted, or they don't really apply. There are also some that would be really trivial for even the non-technical users. I wonder if we could go through some and quickly discuss and see if they're really necessary or should be done real quick by someone. For example, here's one that suggests that lower health units could move slower. It's an interesting idea, but one I'm not exactly sure is one that 0 A.D. is ever going to have. https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/issues/2091 Here are a few others that could be possibly closed or done really quickly. This issue is about "deciding on whether to have land unit fishing" This is another one that could be decided really quickly, closed, and if we wanted to add it later no harm really. https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/issues/1437 Creating a 0 A.D. war story may have been useful in 2006-2007, but in the year of our Lord 2025 (soon to be 2026) we have YouTube so having a war story isn't really as needed, we could still make one eventually, but having an issue for it right now doesn't seem needed. https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/issues/66 This issue here is just for "adding more victory conditions" which personally I think is a bad issue because it doesn't really give us a goal to work for (and we could be doing this forever. I move for closing it and opening new issues for the specific conditions. https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/issues/1649 This is an issue to add metadata to the soundtrack. I 100% agree this should get done, but even a non-technical user could get it done in less than an hour if Omri didn't have to. https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/issues/3619 Then there are some tickets about adding cliffs to 0 A.D. which I am almost am certain exist in 0 A.D. (so maybe some issues people forgot to close?) I could be wrong, of course. https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/issues/993 Finally, there are a LOT of issues about atlas which either A) seem already implemented (like this one) or B seem a little outdated if atlas is being moved in game. https://gitea.wildfiregames.com/0ad/0ad/issues/571 let me know what you think closing these issues and if the devs are ok with cleaning the issues I'll post more that we could go through.

I'd like to have a grid underlay for the line charts in the summary. Also it would be cool if "battles" were shown, like in AoE. So when a certain percentage of the total kills happen within a few minutes, the spot is marked on the graph.

Nova massa (2).zip

Is that a custom model for the body? Looking specifically at the skirt length. These are really well done btw.

Oh hey! Can you make that "half skirt" female model available for the base game? I'm thinking it could be used for Persians and potentially Nomads (Scythians, Xiongnu, Huns).

I don’t see why it couldn’t be added to tips and tricks . as for the wording I think maybe fruit and crops (fruits being the date, banana , and berry bushes and crops being the wheat / rice / whatever else is added eventually)

I suppose since the patch contains engine changes, for that you'd currently have to build the game locally... but that version would be incompatible with any other releases or patch releases. If you don't want to do that and are working on a campaign, I recommend you to finish it without the dialogues for now and to just note them down instead. When the PR is merged, the feature will be part of the nightly builds where you can then embed the dialogue and test it.

While translating I noticed a historical inaccuracy. Somewhere r28 contains the following sentence as part of a string: According to Wikipedia that battle happened 338 BC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chaeronea_(338_BC)

I just installed 0 a.d. and have a problem with the graphics. The units are practically see-through, only their weapons and headgear are visible. My system: Lenovo Thinkpad T450s Video card: Intel 5500 I searched this forum and didn't find any hints, I also tried different graphics settings, but nothing helps. Any advice?

https://archaeology.org/news/2025/12/12/new-thoughts-on-denmarks-ancient-hjortspring-boat/ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0336965

The Italian translation should be fixed now, so starting with the next nightly build and release candidate translations for Italian should show up properly again.

In the meantime you can toggle diplomacy colors, e.g. via the button left below the minimap.

As a player, I'd like to share a few opinions based on personal experience. Battalions are interesting and well suited for large scale battles; however, for smaller border conflicts, they're probably not suitable. The same applies to scouting, and lightning cavalry assaults probably require more flexibility and speed than a tightly packed group of soldiers. Historically, it's also more suitable for Rome, Greek city-states, and some civ around the Mediterranean; I find it less suitable for other civ. Therefore, I think it would be more appropriate as an option rather than the default. I'm new to this forum despite playing this game for 7 years, so I'd like to thank the developers and the community for creating and contributing to this game. I hope you all find more common ground and further improve the game.

Couple thoughts: Other factors contributing to snowballing: Promotion feature--this makes it very hard to fight back even if you have equal numbers. This is especially true if there are healers, which aren't much a factor in this alpha but have been in the past. Weak defensive building--I think this is the biggest factor in the current alpha. The current alpha has weak defensive buildings. As a result, players have a more difficult time going back to their safe space to regain strength. Cav dominance--cav are the dominate meta for a lot of reasons. But it's difficult to repop with cav because of cost, slow train times, and the likelihood of continued harassment. I would focus efforts on mitigating the factors that contribute to snowballing. You're right that it has a snowball effect but I don't find it to be problematic. This seems to be one of things where the advantage is earned. It is also most pronounced in early/mid game, which I am fine with since it is hard to kill a CC before p3. I don't find this a problem at all. It's relatively low numbers. (I actually think loot should be a bigger part of the game) Agree. Without commenting on the merits of these two, I think these are entirely separate proposals that may or may not have some impact on snowballing. You should also consider that, while these will be available to defending players, they will also be available to attacking players, so the snowball effect may become greater with them too.

I'd like to revisit this topic to see if there are some ways to limit snowballing. Obviously, if you gain the advantage, it's rightfully yours, but the opponent should have more opportunities to win it back. And I think there would be more fun/creative play by increasing these opportunities. Here are some mechanisms that contribute to snowballing: Citizen soldiers: This means that gaining a military advantage is often accompanied by a proportional economic advantage. Also, by training economy units from military buildings (and military units from the CC), the military infrastructure is largely the economic infrastructure, and vice-versa. Loot: Resource and experience loot leave the victor with a military and economic advantage. However, promoted units are somewhat slower to gather, which partially counteracts the other advantages. There are other features that could arguably contribute to snowballing as well, like preventing construction with ranged units, but these contribute much less. Ideas to reduce snowballing: Unit diversification and counters: by implementing more sophisticated relationships between the units, we can decrease snowballing by allowing smaller armies to beat larger ones if they have a better composition. we will need to vary more factors that are often held constant for whole unit classes in 0ad, like price, train time, and HP. Shift economic contributions more towards civilians (formerly women): This would benefit 0ad by partially deblurring the line between military investment and economic investment, and by decreasing the economic opportunity cost of sending citizen soldier (CS) units to battle. Alternatively, a new eco unit could be introduced to complement civilian gathering abilities, such as a more metal/stone specialized gatherer. Unit-specific technology tree: By providing players ways to selectively buff particular units, strategy will emerge in the prioritization of "teching into" certain units based on the civ matchup, map, and resource availability. Developments in this area will compound nicely with unit diversification. feel free to comment some thoughts and suggestions.

Will you add the balloons as well?

Since today I am working on that, see PR #8593.

When I join an already running game I see the text: Which kinda implies that I had previously been in the game. I don't know if the intention is that this should only appear to players who are named participants in the game, OR if we can just change the translation. Line 366 in gamesetup_mp.js If it just needs a change to the translation to change rejoining to joining please point me at how translations are done and I will have a go myself.

Dude, who do you think you're talking to? lol You know nothing of code, let alone the code of any of these games. You mentioned TW, so I riffed off of that. I've always said that it would be closer to BfME2. I've been talking about and debating the subject for like 15 years now. You assumed the motivation to include battalions was for "cosmetics." I gave examples of how it would not be merely cosmetic. Battalions are a holistic approach. What you are talking about is a half-assed approach. Yes. I've met this challenge before in very in-depth and well-debated discussions dating back years. The pathfinding already needs significant work, and if battalions were taken as a new feature, then that work would go towards making battalions (formation fighting) work, instead of making mosh pit fighting and formation fighting work (your suggestion). ^This guy says I underestimate ramifications... ... I've been a part of the development of this game for 21 years. I understand perfectly what's feasible.

0 A.D. is changing stereotypes!

Merged the posts.

NNNNOOOO BBBBAAAATTTTAAAALLLLIIIIOOOONNNNSSSS!!!! Believe me, I have seen how battalions ruin 0 A.D. @Exodarion added them for Hyrule Conquest, and they ruined it. They made weaker units feel like cannon fodder that's only purpose is to march to their doom, and stronger units feel less unique, as having a group of Champion units (which, in HC, are often monsters or demons) looks like they are overwhelmed by armies of battalions. I think Battalions could only work in vanilla 0 A.D. if they simply are an updated version of Formations (which are, in a way, just Battalions).

Olá a todos! Trago excelentes notícias e atualizações significativas sobre o desenvolvimento do meu projeto, World Rising! Tenho trabalhado arduamente para aprimorar a experiência de jogo, focando em mais realismo e detalhes. Confiram as principais mudanças: Artes e Gráficos Ícones de Unidades Mais Fiéis: As artes dos ícones das unidades estão sendo completamente refeitas para refletir de forma mais precisa cada tipo de unidade. Texturas de Unidades Renovadas: As texturas das unidades também foram refeitas, garantindo um visual mais detalhado e imersivo. O estilo de textura também foi refeito deixando numa única imagem. a pele, roupas e acessórios, facilitando a criando e diminuindo o numero de props. Construções, Tecnologias e Edifícios Novos Edifícios e Tecnologias: O jogo conta agora com a introdução de novos edifícios e um conjunto inédito de tecnologias. Detalhes dos Edifícios: Refizemos alguns edifícios e adicionamos NPCs dentro deles, tornando as construções muito mais realistas e "vivas". Sistema de Upgrade Aprimorado: Desenvolvi uma nova tecnologia de upgrade que permite evoluir todos os edifícios de um mesmo tipo simultaneamente, agilizando o desenvolvimento da sua civilização. Novo Modo de Jogo e Papéis de Gênero O modo de jogo foi modificado para introduzir uma distribuição de tarefas baseada em gênero, com o objetivo de simular uma divisão de trabalho mais historicamente plausível para a época: Mulheres: Não constroem mais e nem coletam recursos pesados. Elas se dedicam à coleta de alimentos, cuidado com a lavoura, coleta de água e prece. Homens: São responsáveis pela coleta de recursos pesados (madeira, cobre, argila, pedra, etc.) e por todas as construções. Transição de Era Dinâmica A mudança de era está agora mais impactante: Evolução Automática de Aldeões: Ao avançar para uma nova era, seus aldeões são automaticamente transformados com novos atributos, texturas e acesso a novos edifícios de construção. Progresso das Culturas Cultura Jomon: Está aproximadamente 80% finalizada! Próxima Etapa: Focar na parte naval, criando upgrades para as canoas, evoluir as docas, criar upgrade para o centro comunitário, criar novas tecnologias, finalizar as novas texturas das unidades, criar destroços das construções e por ultimo acrescentar mais npcs nas construções com animações próprias . Espero que gostem destas novidades! Deixarei algumas imagens para apreciação. Comentem e me digam o que acharam!

We don't expect mayor issues any-more. So we built a release candidate. It can be downloaded here.

Fancy Variant. It's not that I don't want to add props, but polycount is quite high already.