Sundiata

I was also inclined to mention that, but then you'd have those overly Hellenistic influences, which by this time-frame would have evolved into Byzantine/Sassanid architecture. Then again, we're just talking about placeholders, so it doesn't really matter that much anyway, for now. These questions and your delicious work on their units got me looking forward to a specific Umayyad structure set I guess I'll start reading up more on early Islamic architecture

@wackyserious, few examples: So yeah, I also forgot to mention Sassanid (Persian) influence

Hmmm, Umayyad Caliphate was vast... Their capital was Damascus, though, and would have looked very Byzantine, actually (lots of arches, pillars and domes)... In very superficial and generalistic terms, the Persian building set might be more representative for the greater region/countryside, maybe just use those Byzantine walls and military structures (Byzantine architecture is still extant across the Levant). Umayyads have a pretty dope mashup of styles... The Dome of the Rock for example features Corinthian pillars, many Byzantine features like the dome, and gorgeous Islamic calligraphy and geometric designs...

@elexis, I think anyone with any sense is eternally grateful (and amazed) for all the work you, the development team are doing and have done! Really! Maybe it's not said enough, but some of the coding guys are quasi-anonimous on the forum. A lot of the important work goes almost unnoticed by the greater community, but I can guarantee that tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of people are enjoying the sweet fruits of your labour, and are very thankful for it. I think people (including myself) were getting worried because what we first thought were "simple" bug-fixes, with a quick re-release, are turning out to be quite a serious problem. It's the uncertainty about what was happening that was getting people nervous. I'm sad that macOS turned out to be the problem. I use mac, but I'm completely useless with code, and don't think I can do much to help (I've never compiled anything), (maybe just testing release candidates, but I didn't even notice bugs in the last one). I really hope a competent mac developer answers the call. I have been trying to develop other skills to help in future development (not coding though), but if support for mac would be dropped, I'd be deeply saddened and probably unable to continue. The cross-platform part of 0AD is one of the big selling points (for mac and linux users at least).

Indeed, she a strong and independent Queen that don't need no King to rule...

@wackyserious, nice!

Wow, fantastic! Because the Kushite Queens of this era are always depicted as "big" women, I personally prefer the one on the left... Success!

Classical Sudanese musicians paying homage to their ancient heritage. Many beautiful shots, and the music is quite enjoyable as well. The first one begins with some funny historical dress/reenactment of Kushite royals passing their musical traditions to the modern generation, to the backdrop of the pyramids at Meroë (Begrawiya necropolis). It's not Hollywood level, but it's a commendable attempt nonetheless (pretty sure pharaohs' crown was orientated to the front, not the side, but oh well). The song starts getting real funky around min 2:30 . min. 3:20 Beautiful shot of a sufi shrine min. 3:37 Nile boats min. 4:00 An absolutely fantastic depiction of the mechanical workings of the saqiya (Sakia), an ancient waterwheel introduced during the Ptolemaic period, and paramount to farming on elevated banks. min. 7:15 More pyramids min. 7:56 Horsies What I love most about the video is the epic mass cavalry charge. I've never seen actual video of so many traditional Sudanese riders. They're wearing the Mahdist Jibba, a Sudanese cotton tunic with colored wool patches, dating to the Mahdist war of the late 19th century. min. 8:20 Statues of Napatan kings min. 8:47 The colossi of Tabo min 8:56 Statue of Taharqa min. 10:26 The house of boulders, a 20th century colonial thing min. 11:08 Back to Meroë min. 12:22 The faux cavalry charge continues The second video begins with some stunning shots of Jebel Barkal and the ruins of the Napatan temple complex. Then the throne hall of Old Dongola (Christian Makurian period), and Islamic period conical sufi tombs, followed by the New Kingdom Egyptian Temple of Soleb (still in use during the Napatan period). The rest of the video features many beautiful shots of the Western Deffufa, the central temple of ancient Kerma (capital of the first Kingdom of Kush). Other sites featured include the Sanganeb lighthouse, built by the British, as well as the Port of Suakin, an ancient trading port on the Red Sea, situated on a small round island. I'll just tag @OmriLahav, because you might like the music, and @elexis, because you might like the many stunning shots of the environment (map-ideas)

@Genava55 & @Lion.Kanzen, this whole thread is problematic... The OP passes off Celtiberian Castro Culture sites as Lusitanian, for example, without any nuance whatsoever... I get the hibigeebies from this thread for a number of reasons...

I'm pretty sure most people would drown. Have you ever swam with all your clothes on? We had to learn it during our swimming lessons, and man, I can tell you, swimming with clothes on is a good way to drown. Imagine trying to swim in armor, while panic-stricken... The only thing that annoys me about units dying when a ship goes down, is if it goes down really close to the shore, where other units can just stand in the shallows without a problem... Seems a little unnecessary. But I assume it would be really difficult to code...

I would really love me some Etruscans in 0AD... It's true that they peaked just before 500BC, but they lasted as an important power into the 3rd century BC, the last Etruscan cities being annexed by Rome around 100 BC. They were full on Iron Age, not Bronze Age, and belong in Vanilla, in my opinion. The Chimera of Arezzo, one of the finest artefacts of the ancient world, Etruscan bronze (c. 400 BC): I've been collecting some visual refs for the Etruscans for a while, so I thought I'd also share what I have so far (mainly architecture and some frescoes):

It would be complicated, but not a bad long term goal... Currently the Iberians are an amalgamation of the entire Iberian Peninsula. The Wonder and Temple are Tartessian... The rest of the architecture seems Celt-Iberian (Numantia). The units are a mix of Lusitanian, Iberian and Celt-Iberian... To date, nobody on the forum has been able to provide a full set of architecture- and unit-references for any one of those 4 distinct cultures (and there are other candidates as well, all minor players on the international stage). Separating them would make fleshing out each civ very difficult and make any semblance of historically accurate balancing nearly impossible from what I can tell. Tartessian architecture could potentially be done (there's a few interesting archaeological sites). Units are impossible, I think. Lusitanian units lack diversity, architecture would be underwhelming, and they lack a navy. Celt-Iberians and Iberians are more doable, I think, but would also be the least distinct (Without those iconic Tartessian structures, and the addition of Celtic, Phoenician and Greek influences, they would be rendered a little generic looking, compared to the already existing civs). And then we haven't even mentioned siege, and language..

How funny, I just came across this interesting place called Por Bajin, or Por-Bazhyn, an 8th century Uighur palace/monastery in southern Siberia: https://archive.archaeology.org/1011/etc/letter.html?fbclid=IwAR2h-oaOCPGDk_vtnwE67TDOlHyFFAENcG_RqJtMpAGZ-ip0CX2uMZ7VKVo Images:

Unless I missed something, Pyrogenesis is still a 3D engine, isn't it? 2D art with missing-texture-colors still look like missing textures. I get your point but I don't know if that's a good reason either. Sure it is. The heroes in 0AD were among the most badass people to ever walk the earth. I'm pretty sure they weren't prancing around in fuchsia shawls. Well, maybe Alexander the Great was, but that's a different story. I'm not saying you have to do it, or that it needs to be done right now, or even over the next year. Even if it takes a few years, I'd just like it to be noted that it's the wrong color, and should at least be changed to Tyrian purple. Who knows, I might even give it a shot if I can actually find the portraits. If the Thebans ever make it into the game, they'd actually offer a sublime excuse to have some bright fuchsia/pink colors. The Sacred Band of Thebes in particular would look fabulous with some fuchsia shawls. The real 300... Ironic that they were the ones to finally break the back of the Spartans. "It is said that the prancing Thebans were able to flank the Spartan army, and take them from the rear, overwhelming them with many powerful thrusts from their spears, their long shafts becoming drenched in the blood of their now submissive adversaries, begging and moaning for mercy..." (I'm sorry... I'm going to be quiet now...) ...

I agree that criticisms of facial features, make-up, eyebrows or whatever are misplaced, and the portrait itself looks terrific. I wish I could one day achieve that level. I admire the artist dMAthena, and I hope that she(?) continues to make these lovely portraits for other heroes as well! But, It's the wrong color... Fluorescent purple/purple-pink-red/fuchsia or magenta, whatever you want to call it, is not appropriate. I mean, color theory and color psychology are a thing, and that color should throw up all kind of warning signs... It clashes badly with natural colors... I don't think man-made fuschia dyes even existed before 1859. If you insist on using purple, at least use the correct type of purple. As mentioned before, Tyrian purple is more appropriate, at least in a Greco-Roman/oriental context (not in a Celtic one, but I'll let it slide). The second reason it's the wrong color is because 0AD is a 3D game with assets largely made in Blender. In Blender, as well as Unity, that color is used to highlight missing texture slots, because it's so offensively loud. It stands out like a sore thumb. It literally looks like a missing texture. Fuchsia is also an effeminate color, not right for those otherwise oh so manly heroes (yes, even Boudicca and Amanirenas are both described as "masculine"). In short, if you insist on using purple, at least use Tyrian purple, a color that actually existed at the time, instead of fluorescent looking colors. This doesn't just apply to Boudicca of course, but to all the hero portraits in-game.

Ah, wasn't he referring to Tyrian purple, mentioned by Genava, which was most popularly associated with Roman magistrates, some clergy and emperors? Tyrian purple isn't as bright either. It's darker. Isn't it more of an Eastern thing?

That's a pretty odd choice. I've never seen such a color in the context of Antiquity. Consistency with what exactly? Victor Rossi's Roman hero portrait didn't have that in your face purple either and i think it looks fantastic.

@dMAthena, if you don't mind, I also have a final suggestion. Instead of the bright purple, on her shoulder, you could put some Celtic looking fabric. Perhaps you were already planning to do that, in which case, feel free to ignore me

Those refs are quite decent. Some more South/Southern Sudanese for inspiration: Nastasen and Harsiotef were late Napatan rulers, so they offer a nice excuse to go for a lighter skin-tone, similar to modern Nubians/Northern Sudanese:

@Victor Rossi, if you do Amanirenas, don't be scared to make her a little chubby Strabo also says she was blinded in one eye, which is often interpreted/represented as a badass battle scar across that eye. He also says that she was "manly", although that may refer to her taking charge in the war, rather than a literal physical description. I wonder if she can be made a little chubby in-game (especially around the hips). Since all the heroes were sitting monarchs, you should try to use either a single or a double uraeus (rearing cobra crown), in combination with or without a golden skullcap. refs: Nastasen and Arakamani:

@Astrid, playing 0AD in the forest really sounds awesome... I've honestly entertained the idea, just never gotten around to it... I wish... The largest mammals I still see are a surprising variety of squirrels and the occasional mongoose. We have duikers and civet cats as well, but I never see them in the wild. They're super shy. I only see them being sold as bush meat by the road side as local delicacies... I really can't stand it when people eat locally nearly extinct species, just because "they like the taste". Eat a darn chicken already! People here seriously don't value wildlife. Most want to live like Westerners, or their confused impression of "Western lifestyle". Most people wouldn't be caught dead walking in the forests. They're scarred of ghosts/spirits and "tigers". Lol. it's so sad... The only thing we still have plenty is lizards, a crazy variety of snakes, and a lot of cool birds, ranging from petite sun birds to massive eagles, hornbills and even the occasional parrot and turaco. The intact pieces of forest are wonderful, almost like naturally manicured botanical gardens full of butterflies and a ton of wild orchids and other flowers. It's magical. But most people here want to just cut it all and flow concrete over it. It's like a sick obsession... There's a lot of "Christian" fundamentalism here, and they associate the forests with traditional religion and "juju", so they demonize it. It makes me cry. A lot of the "untouched" forests are either on steep hillsides difficult to exploit, or they're actually ancestral groves where royals/chiefs/kings are buried in unmarked graves. The only other forests are protected reserves. Our land is full of trees that we planted or encouraged to grow over the past 20 years. All sorts of thing grow here, and now its turned into a little oasis in the middle of a growing residential sprawl. Large amount of birds take refuge here. At least 4 species of squirrels also live in our garden.

+1

But why you send your units into battle with rolling pins and frying pans? Asking the important questions here...

@Nerwitz, it's the Napatan dialect of Ancient Egyptian mixed in with a little Meroitic. See: &

Hi guys, "I figured out the problem", lol It's not ranged units that's the real problem. It's actually the melee units themselves that are the problem! They don't have a directional defense, nor can they make use of shield walls. Many ancient armies fought in formations, especially heavy melee infantry formations were usually the core units in pitched battles. Because they often carry shields, they weren't as susceptible to missile fire as they seem in current games like 0AD. Let's face it, shields are purely cosmetic in 0AD, and as long as directional attacks and directional defence aren't developed, we're always going to run circles in this ranged vs melee discussion. An infantry unit (with shield) being attacked from the front by archers should be able to stand his own very well. But should be very susceptible to ranged attacks from the sides or from the back. This implies real tactics, not dancing units! Currently phalangites for example fight out of formation more than 90% of the time, and considering formations are broke, putting them into formation is a recipe for disaster. I don't need to stress how ridiculous this is.. Melee infantry will never properly come into their own until formations and battalions (and their implied benefits) are fixed and implemented, as well as directionality of attack and defence. I think it's frustrating that there are people who think dancing units are just fine, and there are people that think lack of battalion systems and decent formations isn't an important issue, especially with regard to these kind of discussions.