Yekaterina

I tried to run the development version of Alpha 24 in Visual studio on Windows and encountered this problem. The game booted but was stuck on the loading map screen. I am not sure if I have done something stupid or is there a dependency missing. It was stuck on this screen and refused to choose a map. This problem did not occur on Linux; the Linux version is completely fine.

Here is a complete guide to downloading 0AD Alpha 24 in Linux distributions made by my friend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-prK21m2XDI Then if you do not know how to set up Linux you can either search for a installation tutorial on YouTube or, alternatively, you can install it in VirtualBox. VirtualBox offers a virtual environment in which you can experiment with the software. Check out my friend's tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfvNtiak9yI You can download the Linux Mint ISO file from this website: https://linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=286 Linux is generally lighter on hardware than Windows, so you can expect more frame rates. The performance of the VirtualBox machine will definitely be much worse than in real life. But if it is already acceptable in VirtualBox, then you are definitely set for real life installations. The performance of a Linux system depends highly on the desktop environment you are using. The desktop environment provides the graphical user interface that you interact with. Some desktop environments are designed to look pretty with cool animations, but this will increase the hardware demand (e.g. Gnome). Other desktop environments look less appealing but saves up much processing (e.g. XFCE, LXDE) so you can use these processing power on your games. Most Linux distributions allow you to install multiple desktop environments and switch between them as you like. I would recommend you to choose Linux Mint with XFCE desktop as it is the lightest yet fully functional desktop. Different distributions also use different package managers (a bit like Apple Store or Microsoft Store). Linux Mint and any other Debian based distributions use apt. Manjaro and Arch derivatives use pacman. Fedora uses dnf. In terms of installing the game, I would recommend going to the terminal and type sudo apt install 0ad This is the command to install 0ad Alpha 23. For Alpha 24 please refer to the first video. Tell me if you would like to know what this command means; I can explain Linux in more detail if you want.

I would believe that the requirement for GPU has increased significantly. The demand for CPU would also rise as there will be more buildings and content. However, if you can run the game smoothly now (30fps) then it also should be able to run smoothly in Alpha 24, maybe at around 25 fps. The optimisations are good though, which reduces some load. I think any decently modern hardware should be able to handle it; my pc from 2017 can run it well, another laptop from 2013 with integrated graphics can also run the game smoothly at low graphics. The best solution is use a lightweight Linux distribution with the appropriate drivers. I would recommend Mint XFCE or Manjaro XFCE for gaming. The stress on your hardware really depends on your setting and the number of units you have trained in gameplay. Fighting units will massively decrease framerate, while idle units do not require much rendering. Hope this helps.

I also tried to run it in a virtual machine playing against AI. It run quite smoothly even when there are 300 units in the game in total. However, I was using minimum graphics settings at 4k resolution. The average frame rate was about 20 to 25 fps.

My personal experience with Alpha 24 is that graphics are more detailed and models are more refined, so it has better appearance than Alpha 23. However, this may put more stress on your GPU. I think there are more graphics tweaking options to lower the hardware demand. However, I have encountered malfunctioning shadows at low settings; the game starts with regions being completely black, which will eventually load after a few seconds but this may be a drawback for pro players who allow no idle time. I have also noticed a change in sound effects and more civilisations speak their own native language instead of Greek. The attack sounds are also quite different. Finally I think the pathfinding for rams is yet far from perfect; they can become stuck if surrounded by a few units. However, catapults are almost perfect for now, so I am very impressed with the developers.

Try this setting for graphics: Also check if you have the newest GPU driver installed. Disable power limits if you are using a laptop. Perhaps use a lower screen resolution while gaming. Low population does help; smaller maps reduce the load.

Thanks for your reply. Do you know where I can download the development version of the mod? I cannot seem to find it on mod.io and it is not in the repository of mods neither. Also, I would like to try out Alpha 24 but I can't find where to download it. Can you point me to where you can download it please?

I have tried out Delenda Est. I think the idea of hiring slaves is interesting, but it increases the length of gameplay as well because it takes longer to enter phase 2 from phase 1. I have noticed that they added Thebans, Chinese,Epirotes and another Roman. I would say that in general the civilisations are much more balanced in Deleda Est. There is no more tier ranking in my opinion, although some factions do retain their specialties.

Another key building of the Chinese faction is their government centre. Government Center: They become available since town phase and can train ministers and research certain technologies for free (although they do take 90 seconds each). I would recommend building this as early as possible and then get the free upgrades as these can really help you get through town phase and also influence your later games. Civil service (Guanliao): All technologies and and buildings -10% cost -10% build time or and research time. Higher levels of civil service take more and more time off. This tech is definitely worth researching to at least the first level, because it will save you much resources and time later or especially when you are building fortresses and civic centres. Being able to build faster than your enemy is an advantage. Civil engineering: All buildings -10% cost and time to build. Quite similar to civil service. I recommend taking advantage of the free level one but there is not much point to go for level 2 and 3. Ceremonial administration: Ministers and healers take -20% time to train and +20% health. The free level is recommended as ministers and healers are less susceptible to enemy attacks, so they can boost your army for longer. Also, your healers can join the action more promptly than your enemy's healers, which is an advantage. For short games, this tech is not worth taking to level 3 because it does cost resources later on. However, if resources are plenty and you are planning to play a long lasting game then it is worth getting all the upgrades. Nationalised industries: Level 1: gather rates increase by 10% but markets take twice as long to build. Level 2: +20% gather rates but trading is 20% less profitable Level 3: + 25% gather rates but bartering is 20% less profitable. I would recommend building a market before researching this. If your territory is abundant in natural resources then level 2 is worth it. However, if you depend on trading or if your opponent wants to set up a trade route then do not research this. I do not recommend level 3 because you may need to barter for resources at some point. Only research this if you are absolutely sure that you will not ever run out of any particular resource. Sun Tzu's Art of War: heroes -75% train time and fortresses and barracks -50% cost. This saves up a huge amount of stone for you and enables you to afford twice as many fortresses, but at the cost of 1000 metal and 1000 food. In late games food won't be an issue but 1000 metal is a large sum. If you are not short of metal and you are on a large map then this is for you as being able to spam out fortresses massively increases your defensive ability as well as faster supply of champions or siege weapons. Worth considering if you will expand your territory. Two other techs: counterintelligence and espionage - same as any other factions. Ministers: If a minister is garrisoned in a building that researches technologies, then all techs decrease by 10% in both cost and time. This is perfect for garrisoning in a blacksmith or the government centre. Gatherers and builders within 40 metres get an efficiency boost of 10%. Ministers can only be garrisoned in a Chinese building The cost to train a minister increases by 20% for each new minister.

I will do some analysis of the 3 new civilisations added in Terra Magna Mod, as well as some of the potential strategies. In the first few posts I will focus on Han Chinese as they are so unique and have a very complicated structure tree. Han Chinese: Has many unique units, structures and technologies to research. High dependence on farming and stone. Can consume a huge amount of resources but also very powerful if played with the right strategies. Village Phase: Player start with 1 archer cavalry and the rest are just the classic 2 ranged, 2 melee and 4 women setup. Player cannot train any cavalry from the civic centre in village phase. Spearman cavalry can be trained from barracks in village phase. Archer cavalry need to wait until town phase. Archer cavalry is poor at hunting so players would rely on gathering fruits and farming. There is no farming bonus though, which is a weakness. Chinese archers cost 40 wood as opposed to 50. This gives you cheaper male labour force than other factions, but archers are poor at fighting. It would be recommended to use them for gathering resources and garrisoning in towers. Chinese women have much higher health points than average at 75 (2 times higher than Spartan women and 3 times higher than the rest), this makes them less vulnerable to raids and no need to research the loom. If you enemy is playing as the Chinese they think twice before you attack their women. Strategy for village phase: Focus on building farms and 1 farmstead. Research Iron Plough technology to boost your farming speed. Send about 20 to 25 women on gathering wood. You need about 7 fields before town phase. Let archers train in barracks while phasing up. them use them to gather minerals as they can run quite fast. Town Phase: Send archers to collect minerals, while keep training women and a mixture of spearmen and swordsmen to defend your territory. Prioritise gathering stone than metal. Normally you would want about 15 men on stone and 10 men on metal. Send idle units to building defence towers. Build the government centre once you can afford it. Get a market up before you research nationalised industries. You may want to place a minister near where your workers are. Protect your archers with melee infantry if you are under attack. City Phase: Get fortress up as quickly as possible. Get the hero and then aim to get 10 catapults. In the mean time if you are under attack by rams or ballistas then hack them down with swordmen cavalry and palace guard swordmen. If your enemy has elephants then use champion cavalry spearmen or war chariot. In any case you can spam out regular swordmen, and spearmen infantry to take down enemy siege. Build defence towers, fortresses and civic centres near your front line to take down enemy infantry. Civic centres can upgrade into a fortified civic centre at which point it is more invulnerable than a fortress, so they can be built on the edge of enemy territory. Use catapults to knock down enemy structures close to you. Build civic centres or fortresses to push back their border. For a full scale attack, point 7 catapults at their civic centre and send in 2 siege towers with 10 archers in each to protect your catapults. On land use more infantry and cavalry to cover your siege engines from enemy fire. I would recommend taking down their fortress before targeting the civic centre. Build temples and research healer upgrades. Mixing a few highly trained healer into a crowd of infantry can significantly strengthen your attack.

I am afraid I do not quite agree with Valihrant. I do not think Britons and Gauls are strong civilizations because they lack variety of units and their rams do less damage than Persian or Roman rams. Their ships also cannot garrison catapults and are not on par with Carthaginian ships in firepower. Their warships are no more durable than Roman Quinquereme. However, they do develop pretty fast, so they are strong in the early phase.

Terra Magna and Millennium AD

Millenium AD mod: 1. Anglo-Saxons: Quite similar to Britons and Gauls Strengths: Very proficient at farming, so could boost the initial population quickly Cavalry can be trained from cavalry stables, which are quite cheap. This allows a continuous supply of cavalry troops. All buildings offer a population capacity increase Village phase buildings cost wood only. This saves up stone and metal for later use. Weaknesses: Only siege weapon is ram. Buildings are not particularly durable. Weak navy. 2. Byzantines: Quite similar to Romans Strengths: Full range of infantry The Byzantine galley can train more ships armed with catapults form itself. This could be useful when your ships are far from your dock. Weakness: Compared to Romans, they lack a bolt shooter and Quinquereme (heavy warship) Compared to Roman rams, the Byzantine rams offer less damage. 3. Carolingians Strengths: Can supply units very quickly Decent combination of infantry, cavalry, rams and Trebuchet All buildings offer a population capacity increase Weaknesses: Longhouse (Barracks) only become available in Town Phase, but if only costs wood so can save you some stone. Weak navy. 4. Norse Strengths: Initial development could be very fast if played well All buildings offer population bonus Can train women and Axeman directly from houses. Can train heroes, champion and rams directly from Jarl's Hold (civic centre), which has more health than typical civic centres. Strong women (triple the health of Celtic women and offers a 10.0 hack attack) Their medium warship not only has the most health (4000 points) but can also train other ships. Incredibly strong infantry Houses can serve as storehouses and can be garrisoned. Weaknesses: Each Norse player can only have a maximum of 10 houses - this makes housing your population difficult. No defence towers - weak defence. Barracks only available in Town Phase No fortresses or Wonder - this places much stress on the civic centre to train units and siege and upgrades. Only siege weapon is ram. 5. Umayyads Their buildings look almost identical to those of the Seleucids Strengths: Rapid initial development Decent combination of infantry and cavalry. Can build civic centre and military colony and military camp - allows for rapid expansion and continuous supply of units. Weakness: No siege / crush weapons at all. This cripples the Umayyads as they can only capture enemy buildings, which is especially difficult if they are garrisoned. The only unit similar to a ram is Arab tribesman, which is similar to Kushites' Nuba Clubman. Weak navy. Their best ship is Byzantine Galley at only 800 hit points. Personal views: The Norse is quite similar to Xiongnu and Scythians, and can be quite a threat if played well. Byzantines are a slightly weaker version of Romans, but with archers. Umayyads are incompetent when facing another faction in 1v1 due to the lack of rams. However, if they could capture the catapult or bolt shooter of another faction then they would be stronger. Also, in a team game, Umayyad units combined with Macedonian siege weapons could assemble a formidable invasion force.

Terra Magna Mod: 1. Han Chinese Strengths: Has the most manoeuvrable catapults in the game - the Chinese catapults do not need to be packed or unpacked, and their small size allows them to sneak through gaps between buildings. Furthermore, they do not have a minimum range. Wide range of infantry and cavalry, especially their unique crossbowman and crossbow cavalry. Their unique Government centre can train ministers (units with high capture attack and can boost workers) and research technologies. Chinese archers cost 40 wood and 50 food each - 10 wood cheaper than other civilisations. This saves you some wood and provides you with cheaper male workforce. Palace guard archers and palace guard swordsmen can convert their identities for minimal costs, which allows for more versatile strategies. Population bonus of 10%. Weaknesses: No rams or elephants - this makes siege difficult. However, their catapults can take on the role of rams, possibly more effectively than the Athenians. Does not have the best navy. Initial developments may be slow. 2. Zapotecs strengths: Full range of infantry. Initial development is quick Zapotec Battle Priest can offer a significant boost to your melee infantry. weaknesses: No cavalry Only siege weapon is rams Weak navy. 3. Xiongnu strengths: Can build anywhere, ignoring territories. All buildings can be moved. All Xiongnu women are archers, but weaker than their male counterparts. Initial development could be extremely fast. Buildings can serve more than one purpose, for example, their yurt can serve as both a house and a resource dropsite. Their farmstead is also a market. Weaknesses: Buildings are not durable and easy to capture. No defence tower, sentry, fortress, temple, wonder available to build - hard to defend their own territory. Xiongnu rams have half the health of other rams and a much lower crush damage. Devoid of navy and dock. Cannot farm - only food source is hunting animals, which is unsustainable.

These are for the original 0AD civilisations in Alpha 23. I concluded the following from my personal experience playing 0AD. If you disagree then please comment below. 1. Athenians Strengths: Hero characters offer great technological gains Slingers and hoplites are decent in mass formation Navy can be excellent Weaknesses: Has access to neither rams nor elephants - this makes siege very difficult. The Athenians must rely on catapults and bolt shooters for crush damage. 2. Britons Strengths: Economic bonus Quick development in early phase - allows early rushes that hinder enemy’s development Decent melee troops - can easily destroy enemy siege weapons Buildings cost less and every structure can offer a small population capacity increase Can train unique war dogs that are effective at harassing the enemy Weaknesses: No archers Buildings are not very durable Only siege weapon is rams, and not very durable / damaging rams Unimpressive navy Too reliant on wood 3. Gauls Vastly similar to Britons with 3 key differences: 1. No war dogs 2. Gauls have access to a tavern which trains naked fanatics - they are very brutal 3. No Island settlement 4. Carthaginians Strengths: Extremely broad range of troops and siege weapons - allows for many different styles of play and strategies. Almost unstoppable in the late game. One of the best civilisations at naval warfare - the Cothon (unique to Carthaginians) can produce and heal quinqueremes (heavy warships). Embassy allows access to other factions’ units -great diversity. Has the strongest wall tower (Mijdil) at 12000 health points. Weaknesses: Slow development in initial phases. Lack of bonuses Swordsman can only be trained from embassy. 5. Iberians Strengths: Talented at defence: the Iberians are given free walls surrounding the civic centre; buildings are much more durable compared to other factions. This helps with surviving early attacks. Decent infantry - swordsman, spearman, slingers. Weaknesses: Only siege weapon is rams Inadequate navy 6. Kushites Strengths: Has access to every type of infantry unit, with their unique Nuba Clubman and champion archers. Also decent cavalry and elephants (especially the elephant hero) Siege towers filled with archers can be deadly Pyramids offer 10% faster boost for workers and soldiers - can be a huge advantage if deployed appropriately Weaknesses: No catapults or bolt shooter. Slow-developing economy to begin with 7. Macedonians Strengths: Access to siege workshop - this allows siege weapons to be produced extremely quickly from every corner of your territory, which can be deadly to your opponent. Has access to every single type of siege weapon Weakness: Economy develops very slowly, so may be quite vulnerable in early phases No swordsman - they only way of defending against enemy ram attack is use your own rams 8. Mauryans Strengths: Has access to worker elephants - if played well, the Mauryans can develop their economy extremely quickly. Excellent range of infantry The hero Chandragupta Maurya is an extremely durable elephant hero that can easily take down enemy structures without being killed. Population bonus of 10% Weakness: No catapults or bolt shooters Extreme reliance on food 9. Persians: Strengths: Has access to every type of cavalry Has access to both elephants and rams - this can be hard to defend against Can train hero, elephant and rams from separate buildings - this saves a lot of time Population bonus of 10% Weaknesses: No bolt shooter or catapults Huge demand for resources Very complex structure tree which is difficult to master for beginners 10. Ptolemies: Strengths: Farming bonus These buildings are for free: houses, farmsteads, storehouses. This can save up quite a bit of wood in the early phase, which can be invested in training soldiers instead. Ptolemies have one of the best navy in the game; Juggernaut is the single heaviest ship in the game; lighthouse can reveal all shorelines so you can know what the enemies are up to in real time Also decent infantry, cavalry and champions Weaknesses: In the village phase the only soldier available is pikemen. They walk very slowly and deal little damage. Extreme reliance on metal. The Ptolemies can be severely hindered on a map with little mineral Camel archers are only effective in large numbers Many important units can only be trained from a military colony. 11. Romans Strengths: Has access to entrenched army camp and siege walls, which can be built in neutral and enemy territory. This allows you to shower the enemy with an endless rain of rams and cavalry units Access to catapults and rams Strong navy Weaknesses: No significant weakness 12. Seleucids Strengths: Strong navy Elephants + catapults can be a deadly combination Player given a choice between reformed army and traditional army Weaknesses: Slightly slower economic development Relies on military colony for swordsman, archers and close quarter cavalry. 13. Spartans: Strengths: Women can build defence towers and sentries - saves some male workforce Allows for fast initial development Extremely strong infantry: Skiritai Commandos and hoplites from the Stoa are unstoppable Weakness: Population penalty of -10% Limited cavalry options. Personal opinions: Gauls and Iberians are the best civilisations for beginners, because they have a simple structure tree (easy to learn and master) and also are strong enough to survive any early attacks. Mauryans, Persians, Spartans, Ptolemies, Macedonians are good options for more advanced players. They require some practice to get used to but if played with the appropriate strategies they can be unstoppable. Seleucids and Romans are well-rounded civilisations with no dramatic weaknesses, so they are good for practising skills or strategies. I also make 0AD videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMfNFa4F-ml8KUDKn2sYspQ/playlists