Servo

AIs are easy to beat especially maps with treasures. You raid a bit and some units are drawn into your camp to get slaughtered. I played against 2 very hard AI before at 250 pop cap(+50 max) the game lags and only .1 speed works. Now I'm limiting my pop to 200 and seems to work up to .5 speed. My pc is decent(Alienware 17, 2.0 mz, 8 GB memory). Never lag on 7 AI on other RTS games. I think the AI should be able to make market and build merchant/s with limit. 1 for sandbox, 2 for very easy and so on up to max 3 then max of 3 merchants each thereafter every market/dock built. There are times that too much merchants get bogged down into tight spaces especially the AI build buildings (houses) too close to each other thereby hindering trade outputs. As in the dock the markets should have a toggle to lock it prohibiting usage. The walls should be improved too if necessary to have a toggle to be locked if you don't want AI allies to use it. One observation I found on the team game was that if you garrison your unit on AI buildings it gets lost (you click on AI building and you can't see or remove your unit) while the AI can enter/heal on my CC. Another thing is the AI/human on single player mode should not be able to build a new CC too far outside its/allies boundaries until another technology would allow. I think about half the diameter of the original is reasonable. This would allow the AI from having closer defense units/buildings from the main base. If not aggressive factions could easily beat and destroy a CC without much resistance. Another thing I notice if Iberians have walls in the beginning it has no gates. I haven't tried the hardest but now I'm playing to have a team game 2v2 very hard AI with iberians as allies. I set it to medium coz I doubt they will build a market if I set it to sandbox. The map is very nice, Tuscan Acropolis and it's very enjoyable.

If you're playing single player and allied with Spartans how can you train spartiates? It's team bonus already implemented?

Deforestation occur but my point is there should be reseeding. Plants and trees just grow because you cannot just eliminate everything so that a previously fertile land can't regrow things. There were no nukes then. Even volcanic effect can't perfectly eliminate any living things. Don't tell me during those wars they cut all the trees along the way?! Now you're telling me that RTS is accurate that's BS! i enjoy the game but not playing multi. I toy with the hardest AI and not chopping trees that would disfigure my base. I just chopped the shrubs that gives me wood and relocate my woodcutters far from my CC. I don't even kill animals and chickens and just gather cows since I can reproduce it. This case I'm forced to choose maps that have treasures and water/fish to gather to at least keep pace with AI. So far I enjoy playing two maps, the Mediterran cove and Caledonia which I could build my empire that will last maybe thousand hours without total denudatiion. I try not to even gather the stone and metal near my original CC and still enjoy the game.

I think there is a contradiction on this. Most of the RTS games allow you to build infinite buildings one specific is barracks or stable or siege factory. Players get used to it so there not much additional learning. Spamming more combat units easily to win or lose war. Same patterns of most RTS games no extra learning. In 0AD or AOE the buildings or units don't even increase in cost and you can build similar militarily buildings side by side. I wish I knew these games will be developed when I was young so I could take up programming or video game development and I can make my ultimate RTS game. All mechanics of my dreamed RTS game are already in place but are scattered throughout The games I like. The question of this might create difficulty among developers is not really an issue if you want to be the best. In fact in 0AD you have limit on building number of forts! I like the idea of having defensive buildings be created distant appart too. I sorted through some water maps and found out some islands are too small to hold onto rather than a strategic naval base after gathering all resources. Yes barracks troops gives you some additional units but if you notice ships can carry more additional troops. A CC and a dock may just be enough for any other purposes. Is it really hard to win the game with limited military buildings/units or the game becomes boring beacause it takes longer time to finish the game? For me I play for fun and play with AI mostly because i found the game becomes messy in the later stages when I play multi. So I don't care if I spend infinite hours on one game as long as I enjoy it.

Regenerate resources or reseeding even in small amount in random areas, Capture enemy units. More realistic unit actions. Assasin mode. Roads. Women militia upgrade. Champions coming from fully promoted units upgraded upon entering champions building. Regular foot and mounted archer units in every civs. Weapons building. Limited barracks, stable and siege factories (1 per CC or fort). Limited caravan/merchants. AI that can micro manage. Upgrade buildings for farms, stone and metal production (adding more buildings to CC/fort is more pretty).

Now in 21?

Most AI don't build walls. For single player type of gamer what's the use of siege tower?!

I think the most important thing to do testing is the unit/s counter whether one can kill/defend or the specs of a unit is really credible for what it was designed. For example a range unit should be able to kill any other unit if the target doesn't move and how long. A targeting unit must also be tested without moving against a moving target like melee as well as another range unit with lesser range. Melee units should be tested against another melee doing head on battle. I know that simulation can do the job to verify but it doesn't mean it is accurate enough to conclude. That's why we need to test. Economic wise there's not much accurate conclusions you can have if the economic benefit of a civ really shows much difference when you test it. A player speed would never be the same every time you test though you can make a couple of test and get the average. One thing that needs to be tested on clear and level terrain is the unit speed. I was surprised my cavalry skirmisher was able to run to safety against a Roman cavalry. One hit by the Romans did not happen having more than 60% HP, 3-4 units difference in speed compared to my skirmisher cavalry who is severely wounded. Caravan may play a very important role in the game but it looks like there's no accuracy or real benefit a player should have. I like caravan/or merchants but sometimes it doesn't make sense to have a lot and amazingly able to do barter even if there's no resource activity between two destinations. For example you have two merchants running back and forth between two CC without and resource gatherers and still produce resources for the player! It's ok with me because I play with AI alone and I want it to produce resources to make armies once resources are depleted. I don't even care how much they carry and provide the players, percentage of what the origin has?! The best caravan/merchant RTS for me so far is Civ5/6. There are citizens in the City and it trades with city states.

I rather have AI combat intelligence like not chasing beyond their line of sight, creating healers, marching in formations and attacking methodically like disciplined sieging etc.

Making technologies and economic upgrades more expensive will force the player to play more strategic. Economic upgrades IMO should matter most in phase 3 when its benefits (trickle) maybe be of use but not much felt. I observed in RoN almost all pros don't make mill, granary and smelter until closing on to gunpowder(I know 0AD not like RoN) when more armies start to battle. Making towers very expensive would do the same.

I only play single player and my favorite is the Athenian. I think it has more buildings and type of units than any other civs. I don't even need to chop any trees or kill the animals around my base as long as there's a treasure to collect and can still beat the hardest AI. Though I mostly play the game in very low resources. I hope someday a very expensive and slow tech could be optioned in the setting too. When it comes to how many units I can produce in a given time it really doesn't matter because I rather beat the hardest AI and all my barracks or CC units are fully promoted. When it comes to champions I rather have a fully experienced units promoted to champions by garrisoning it to appropriate buildings and upgrade/promote than buying it. I think to be called a champion it should gain experience and not just directly buying it. Even heroes, they just don't pop out from nowhere they have experience.

I would be excited in bribing combat units but this development is better for future revisions. I like to collect each opponent units (max players) and parade them.

Though the environment is not much real but the game mechanics seems real. Will follow this one too. Mounted units dismount! Nice.

The thread starter mentioned about highlighted units hard to distinguish. I found it hard or may take a few extra move to exclude the women from being caught in clashes when you highlight the units in the area. Can't we have a toggle to turn on/off to highlight just military units when you are selecting units in an area? Say for example there is a raid and you have mixture of women and military units working you can do micro but is it easier to just highlight everything but only military units will be selected to respond to an attack.

Some spear cavalry animations may need some changes. 1. Is throws the spear like a frisbee sometimes. It should establish position and minimum distance before it can throw a spear otherwise it should animate like a melee in below minimum distance. It must have another melee attack though should inflict very low damage like knife armed or something. 2. When capturing buildings like a Gaia tower it just stood there but the building hit or capture points keep diminishing. Same as some Athenian champion units range or melee. I ordered them to capture building but just stood there and the building is getting captured.

Citizen soldier is really nice what I'm trying to point is if a soldier gathers it should be converted to a maybe a man with less HP, armor, attack etc but with better HP, attack etc and you have to trigger it. Same as women from 1st phase up to 3rd phase I think it's specs did not improve much. They should be improved like becoming a militia and increasing its attack and HP. I pointed out couple of days ago I think 5 women should be able to kill an archer but not enough to kill an armored unit. If you can improve it to say a militia another strategy can be exploited.

Pretty much Zita. And the different nice looks of the units. Maps are much better too and some setting configurations. I just discovered the scenarios that looks awesome too! Honestly the best game for single player mode I have ever encountered. One thing that I don't like with the citizen soldier is it auto gathers and auto soldier and maintain same military specs. Well for simplicity sake it's fine. Strategy wise the more you add behavioral feature the better IMO. I will just enjoy my choice:)

Can it be made with better base because they look like stick if you don't zoom. Like the Persians they look beautiful but looking like a stick zoom out.

Nubians is now my favorite nation when I play multiplayer in RoN. It has merchants and caravan bonus and can trade resources with discounts. Nice to use in team games. Good archers too.

I just watched some pro games and they are quick. iNcog and Borg. With the type of gameplay I will just enjoy playing the AI. If I want to play multi I'll just go to RoN. Someone modding RoN and was tested by Sergio and is working. Hellenistic kind of thing with beautiful buildings. So far I haven't played AOE2 in a while and been waiting for Civ6 to lessen price too. I think I will stay with 0AD on single player. As long as it's playable the game is very promising on single player. It's nice to play the game on lower speeds up to .75 max and very low resources. I will just toy with the Hardest AI.

Lion this maybe off topic but first again I like AOE2 and watch the pros play the game. I played AOE3 and AOE too but AOE2 is the best. When the pros play it averages almost 30 mins. The reason is too much concentration on resource gathering resulting in producing so much armies then the battle begins in age 2. All civs have its own bonuses but all players end up advancing age 2 with very little strategy but making sure you gather. Skirmishes are very few just a couple of militia and the scout activity. There's not much complexity to the strategy other than maintaining your economy and produce massive armies at constant rate. if you happen to play RoN in standard settings which the pros normally do you will see so many types of gameplay and strategy for each and every civs that the gamer has to employ in order to gain advantage, coming back from disadvantage and/or be in the same economic and military levels. Most games end less than 30 mins and finish mostly in medieval age. You don't need to be in the same age always to win but rather how you maintain your gameplay in any prevailing situation so that you stay in the game and win. Annoying raids, border push, massive complex raiding using the generals ability, countering units and avoiding losing military unit early, building invasion armies and maintaining economy etc. There's so much activity that the most you can build is like 5Heavy infantry, a couple archers, a couple of heavy cavalry and light cavalry to defend horse raiders and a catapult for sieging. There is the fear of losing capital and give the sacking player the sack bonus. Well l can't say all. But what I noticed those who don't like RoN are mostly those who can't really play it's complexity. This is the game in which you have to think, guess and analyze the events and not to commit mistakes. If The_Viper play RoN he can become top in a few months because he is fast that is if he has interest of playing on a game with 21 nations with different bonus. i watch 0AD plays on YouTube but haven't came across a good player or video showing massive strategy. Zero Empire did an interesting one that's why I happen to know 0AD. if you want to watch some interesting RoN pro games watch Rise of Nations by Manuel S, Generals Gentleman, RoN EE. i know that this game is patterned from AOE with more reality, nice units though the difference in uniqueness are offset when massive armies collide, walls, rotatable map, maps and many more features. There are few pro gamers in Stronghold but the game is very pretty except that they don't have unit promotions, no nice historical units, and not better maps. If they have these 3 I won't be playing anywhere. The moats, the weapons maker, the resource gathering, the units taking, the AI marching and attacking style etc. I just don't like instant build of structures and walls. If Civ5 and 6 are not turn based I could put all my unit to more than level 7:)

That's why l like to play this game in very low. In RoN the best popular settings nowadays is nomad, very low resources and very expensive technology. There are more strategy to be applied to win and finish the game. Raiding, organized sieging, teamwork and many more. With resources harder to get more strategy are needed and game is more interesting. Games seem to take long but not really. With better gameplan execution game is finished even before age 3.

My point is not really reforestation but more on the massive deforestation. It's ok around the base but not the entire map! Plants and trees grow naturally as long as the land is not barren. I don't think there was no landscaping during that period so those beautiful trees that were seeded to beautification of the civic center should not be choppable. There should be trees that are really specified for resource gathering and should take longer time to consume. It may be difficult for players but games like this needs familiarization. Here's the scenario. To train 1 hoplite you need 50 food and 50 wood. For wood consideration it will take 5 women chop-trip to produce now assuming the soldier is born to 2 person(man/woman). The age of conscription is 20 this should require only 20 wood and 20 food or maybe some stone and metal. It may not be the case in reality but just put it this way for consideration. At least you reduce the amount of resources needed to train a soldier thereby you can also reduce the amount of resources needed to train them. That percentage of reduction in cost if applied to a couple (man/woman) to raise a warrior it will at least reduce the number trees chopped. I know most gamers hate RTS because it takes time to finish it. They just want to get army asap and do battle even in a messy way. With the current popular RTS games like AOE2 or maybe RoN or anything the game has seriousness only in the beginning but when armies are easier to produce they become like crap and scrap. All hell hell just break loose and disorganized. I was walking more wooded area of the map sa AI won't chop it it's evident on the green portion of the minimap.

Regeneration of animals is possible. Lion, replanting may not make sense but but better than nothing. I am sure I'm the only one playing like there's no ending but I'm just stating reality. If fact if the trees does not get chopped quickly it adds deterrence to reckless moves. I hope this game should not have same feature like AOE2 that AI quits. I noticed as long as it has merchants (rediculous infinity numbers allowed) the AI can still produce same huge army even it has no more access to non regenerative resources. Deforestation happens but not to this extent seriously. There are maps named after real places and you play the game deforesting it almost entirely?

Not a problem with few trees at the start of my first CC at all as long as sufficient enough to sustain until a better location for next chops, CC and/or phase. Youre right I play long hours call me crazy but average of 6 hours every work days and 12 hours every weekend days. In fact I'm playing same game for almost 5 days already. Finding a better location for your border push doesn't necessitate abundance of trees or resources unless your playing a game like RoN that just need to have a better amount of timber or mountain which you only need to fill the spots. But border push are necessary to gain leverage for battle primarily and resources production is secondary. This game in multiplayer means war and boomers seldom win over aggressive ones at even skills. But in single player it's either practice or fun. I choose fun. Although this game has better safeguard against rush but not safe for raiding.