Sturm

And more specifically - why not start with Brazil? When people think of ancient civilizations, they often picture grand stone cities and vast armies, and Brazilian indigenous groups around the 1st century don’t immediately come to mind. But here’s the thing: there were thriving, complex societies in the region, and some of them would make fantastic additions to the game. Take the Marajoara culture, for example. These people lived on Marajó Island and were anything but primitive. They built organized settlements, developed sophisticated agriculture, and produced some of the most intricate pottery in the pre-Columbian Americas. Imagine the stunning visual designs that could come from their artistic legacy! Another great candidate would be the Santarém culture (also known as the Tapajó people), who lived at the confluence of the Amazon and Tapajós rivers. They created elaborate ceramic art, had fortified villages, and developed complex social structures. And if you’re looking for a warrior society, the Tupi-Guarani peoples were already expanding across Brazil at the time, building palisaded villages and engaging in fierce territorial conflicts - perfect for a strategy game. Of course, the biggest challenge would be the lack of written records from these civilizations. But that’s where archaeology, anthropology, and even collaboration with indigenous communities could come in. There’s enough historical and material evidence to create a compelling and respectful interpretation of these societies, just like you’ve done with others in 0 A.D..

Currently, 0 A.D. features 14 playable civilizations: Athenians, Britons, Carthaginians, Gauls, Han, Iberians, Kushites, Macedonians, Mauryas, Persians, Ptolemies, Republican Romans, Seleucids, and Spartans. Of these, nine are European (Athenians, Britons, Carthaginians, Gauls, Iberians, Macedonians, Republican Romans, Seleucids, and Spartans), two are Asian (Han and Mauryas), and two are African (Kushites and Ptolemies). At this time, the game does not include any American civilizations. It is long overdue for 0 A.D. to introduce at least one civilization from the Americas. The game does a fantastic job of representing ancient cultures across Europe, Asia, and Africa, but it lacks a crucial element of world history: the civilizations that thrived in the Americas during antiquity. The inclusion of an American civilization would not only add diversity to the game but also introduce unique gameplay mechanics and architectural styles inspired by pre-Columbian societies. Several civilizations from the Americas around the 1st century could be great candidates for 0 A.D.. The Maya had already begun forming city-states with impressive architecture and sophisticated governance. The Zapotecs of Monte Albán in present-day Mexico had a thriving society with writing, trade networks, and military advancements. The Moche civilization of Peru was developing large ceremonial centers and a warrior-based society. Any of these could offer a fresh and historically rich addition to the game, making the world of 0 A.D. even more immersive and representative of ancient global civilizations.

https://www.khronos.org/news/press/khronos-drives-industry-support-for-expanded-3d-features-with-vulkan-roadmap-2024

{{adjusted}}

From https://trac.wildfiregames.com/changeset/27813/ps

And here we go, in the third round of suggestions. - Having a descriptive section of the game's soundtrack, with a mini bio of the people involved, graphics, and the possibility of downloading mp3 files; - Implement day and night shift changes inside a match; - Develop a game mode in which the player does not compete with other civilizations, but against nature itself. Wild animals, fire, food shortages, wood shortages. Hummmm... how feasible is it to implement rain/storms in Pyrogenesis?

In reality, what I meant is that there is a lack of context, images, and description (in addition to the 1-line explanation, which appears hidden when clicking on an option) in the selection of mods. Yes, in fact, the "download" thing is simple, if you already know the mods and know what you want... For the user who comes across this "new universe" for the first time, it's just a "bunch of letters" inside a black window. And then forgive me, but given the screenshot below, a new user has almost no understandable information. It would be important to automate the recognition of the compatibility of mods with the installed version, describe each mod, have screenshots, and even some kind of community evaluation. Try to think like an "outsider", a newcomer to the world of electronic games, not like an experienced RTS player who has been frequenting the 0. a.D. forum for years.

Another suggestion: in view of all the efforts to balance the different civilizations present in the game and the eternal dissatisfaction of some players, since they have different expectations due to their "game style", my suggestion is that there be the possibility of choosing "balance profiles" in the GUI of 0 a.D. The game could, in all its future versions, always seek a balance between civilizations, but at the same time offer the option of using other adjustment sheets, including the much-loved configuration of 0 a.D 0.23. From what I understand, these tweaks are like numbers in a spreadsheet, so it doesn't seem like a challenge to me to allow players to able to choose between some "balance styles", such: balanced play, more aggressive play, more AoE style play, and so on.

For the next alpha 0 a.D, I wish: 01 - Fewer maps! Yes, fewer! Curatorship is something basic in any project. the official version of the game should bring only the best of what has been done and improved over the years. Anyone who wants many (other) maps, community maps, etc. should look for them in repositories community/mods, etc. 02 - More scenery elements: ruins, trees, animals, corpses/skeletons, waterfalls... these are elements that enrich the game and do not pose a technical challenge for implementation, although they require work from artists and designers. 03 - Indication of Wikipedia articles that describe the element the text box is about. Whenever possible, the 0 a.D. text box that deals with a civilization, historical person, weapon, architectural element, historical map, etc. should end the text with something like "Read more about it here", with the word "here" being clickable and referring to the article of the thing itself on the English Wikipedia. It would be an excellent way to take advantage of the educational potential of the game. 04 - Deeper implementation of Vulkan and the latest versions of Spidermonkey. 05 - At least one Amerindian civilization from the southern part of the continent, although the documentation of these civilizations is scarce in the period in which 0 A.D contemplates. Still, it would be great, diverse, and exciting for tweaking and discussion in future versions. 06 - Redesigned menu for downloading mods. Install a mod on 0 a.D. remains a task for experienced players. What is needed is a more descriptive and intuitive menu, which does not assume prior knowledge of RTS games. 07 - More eye-candy, zoom, and GUI features. 08 - Dinosaurs! Alright, this feature can stay for version 0.29!

On September 1, 2022, Mesh Shading for Vulkan was released. Is this relevant for the upcoming Vulkan 0 ad version? - https://www.khronos.org/blog/mesh-shading-for-vulkan

SpirV version numbers are unclear. Which version is 0ad-spirv-0.27.14 in this table: https://www.khronos.org/spir/ ?

Pls, allow me one of those boring questions from non-developer people. Why not update Spidermonkey to even newer versions? Is this a very arduous task?

What happened to the Total number of tickets for Alpha 27?

Milestone: Alpha 27 10 hours late (Jan 10, 2023, 6:00:00 PM) Run Forrest Run! Jokes aside, I think it's interesting to readjust the expectations of launching new versions within 0 ad Trac.

Is it possible to make a map of the civilizations already inserted in the game? I know that the game's time frame doesn't help, but... South America seems to me to be totally unrepresented. Is there any civilization on this sub-continent (South America) with enough data to create a civilization in a game with a time frame like 0 ad?