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I was thinking -- With the advent of 0ad getting out of the alpha phase, would it be a good idea to finally place an official listing on Steam after beefing up the servers or using steam's own servers?

This isn't the first time software that claims to be free has been commercialized; it's not a matter of personal opinion but a legal one. US laws, along with international agreements on intellectual property and trademark use, allow you to use and distribute it for profit or non-profit purposes, and this game is distributed under those terms, whether we like it or not. Anyway, I agree with Stan. Trying to sell an open-source project on a massive platform like Steam should have at least been discussed with the development team or the lead developer, not for legal reasons but rather ethical ones. For example, I would have talked to the Wildfiregames studio and proposed a mechanism of paying for DLC while the game is free to download, and splitting the profits between the developers and the publishing team (myself), who is also in charge of advertising and other tasks. This would have created a mutual benefit where none currently exists, and it would have benefited everyone. I think that would have been the right thing to do. But I mention again, the 0AD project license is already defined and that license allows anyone to distribute the software and sell it as long as they hand over the source code: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney And in https://play0ad.com/ says: The message on the official website is clear: if someone is selling 0AD, you can still download it for free. However, this doesn't mean that someone can't be selling 0AD, or that they're a bad person or the devil for putting a price on something that's free. In the case of Steam, people are free to pay to maintain the convenience of using 0AD on Steam, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, compatibility with community-created controllers, using the Steam social network to share games, etc., or they can simply download it for free from the official website and deal with dependencies, manual updates, Wayland scaling issues, and so on. People will still be free to choose. This is similar to a sales scenario where a bag of flour at the market might cost you $1, but at the store across the street, it might cost $4. The store owner isn't being exploitative; you're simply paying for the convenience of not having to travel almost two hours to the market, paying tolls and spending money on gas while the sun beats down on your skin. The $3 difference isn't for the product's value, but for the convenience of having it right at your doorstep. In this case, having 0ad at a reasonable price wouldn't be considered theft. The price isn't for the software itself, but for the work involved in publishing it, paying Steamworks, and completing all the paperwork. I really hope that Wildfiregames will release it on Steam someday, but if someone else does it and charges for it, I won't judge them; on the contrary, I'll congratulate them. Remember the case of nexuiz, xonotic and the 2012 steam version, when the leader of the classic PC nexuiz project sold the rights and thanks to the fact that the game was published under a gnu gpl2 license (just like 0ad) they were able to create two forks, one called xonotic that is still free and another modified by the company illfonic implementing cryengine and that launched on steam and charges for each download. What would scare me a bit is if Microsoft claimed some patent issues with the game mechanics (similar to Age of Empires). Since it's a free game, there's no way to make a legal claim because there's no malicious intent, but if it's sold, that's a different story. By example: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8882594B2/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070207844 https://patents.google.com/patent/US20030008696A1/en

It’s probably an issue with a public IP or port settings. I really hope that in the future the game will be released on Steam with proper, fully functional multiplayer for everyone, because after a year and a half my friends and I came back to 0 A.D. and once again found ourselves trying to figure out how to join the lobby — using VPNs, Radmin, and other tools just to play normally, which doesn’t really help.

As far as I know, the developers of 0ad themselves have allowed in their legal guidelines that anyone can sell it, as stated in the GPL2 and Creative Commons licenses. As long as the source code is publicly available, there is no legal or ethical impediment to selling 0ad with or without modifications. If they don't want it sold, then they should change the license; using the GNU GPL doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have to pay for the free version. I think people who install 0AD from Steam won't care if it's alpha or beta or has campaigns; as long as they can play a single-player game, that's enough. If you don't do it, someone else will, whether by changing the logo, name, and so on, but keeping the same engine and assets. People don't want perfection; they just want to play. And if the game is open source, then modifying and selling it is completely free and allowed. Richard Stallman must be turning in his grave because Steam prevented a game from being sold under his own license. If 0ad was removed from Steam it was only due to ignorance, but it is completely legal if the correct steps of Steam's guidelines are followed, and if the official studio doesn't do it, someone else will someday.

I am trying to run 0ad downloaded from package manager and it starts without a GUI. I can see the icon on my taskbar and btop, but no window of any kind appears at all. The command line logs: $ 0ad FILES| Main log written to '/home/rena/.local/state/0ad/log/mainlog.html' FILES| Interesting log written to '/home/rena/.local/state/0ad/log/interestinglog.html' Sound: AlcInit success, using OpenAL Soft FILES| Hardware details written to '/home/rena/.local/state/0ad/log/system_info.txt' FILES| UserReport written to '/home/rena/.local/state/0ad/log/userreport_hwdetect.txt' Please find attached the relevant logs. There are no error reports anywhere. userreport_hwdetect.txtsystem_info.txtmainlog.htmlinterestinglog.html In order to eliminate the possiblity of pacman hosting broken packages or system libraries at play, I built A28 from source and the same occurred. This is why I suspect something is wrong with my GPU driver. However, all other applications run fine: Ollama AI deployments, Steam games ... Let me know if any other system files are needed.

Hey, someone is/was selling 0 A.D. on Steam! There are tons of comments on how someone posted 0 A.D. and is charging for it. Is this old news? Or does someone need to solve this? Here is a link to the page: https://steamcommunity.com/app/2158440.

I'm not entirely sure how to post bug reports on the Git but I tried anyway, but I'm posting here as well in the hopes of it being seen sooner. I've downloaded the latest build from https://play0ad.com/ for Windows; I did not use the SVN, and one thing to bring up is I'm missing the Actor Editor. It's okay, though, as I can still develop the game without it (but would love to still have it.) From there, my .dae files for custom structures (NOT Infantry) specifically is causing crashes in the Atlas Editor. All except for one; the Barracks model. I will include two .dae's below, and what will happen is, one will cause the Atlas Editor to crash, and one won't. I will also include the crashlog. I'm using the latest version of Blender as provided by Steam as well to make these .dae models. Specifically, the blacksmith one will be the one that causes a crash, and the barracks one won't. Interestingly, none of my custom infantry has caused the map editor to crash; it's only been structures. As a result, I've been testing my art in-game by doing consecutive skirmish matches over and over and over, and making saves/loads/etc.; while taking screenshots of my units in the Atlas Editor for previews and thumbnails. It would be nice to be able to use the Map Editor to make scenarios with my custom civilization, but this is actively preventing me from doing so. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated! avian_barracks.dae avian_blacksmith.dae logs.zip

One additional point: these kernel parameters combined with some experimental kernels (namely CachyOS BORE) will stress the GPU to the extent of becoming unstable. It is somewhat likely to crash your entire OS mid-game if you stress your GPU too much. You can switch to Linux-LTS for more stability at the cost of some performance. But if you don't want to change kernels, my advice: 1. Make sure your GPU cooling is sufficient and temperatures are low. You might need to manually adjust the fans (I kept it at 100% while gaming and the crash didn't happen; the default fan curve was not ideal) 2. Throttle the maximum fps in your game settings options: Vsync = on Menu maximum fps = 60 Game maximum fps = whatever your screen offers, or 120fps (generally enough). 3. Cancel overclocks or turbo mode for stability. 4. Some AMD cards draw more power than a PCIE power supply is designed to give. If it has 2x 8-pin connectors, plug in 2 different PCIe cables from the power supply, not from the same one cable with a splitter. 5. If game still crashes on Vulkan, lower graphics settings. Fortunately, 0ad is not a very big GPU destroyer. Some Steam games when run with proton crashes the system in just a few minutes.

Yes, a Steam release would be strategically very beneficial for 0 A.D., provided the game reaches a stable release.

Maybe we should adjust the answer to the corresponding FAQ. IMO: Abandoning the alpha-versioning doesn't mean the community is resilient enough for a murderous increase of players and need for moderation due to a listing in Steam etc. I take over the 'disgusting place'-argumentation of @Seleucids. Have you used the search function of the forum software with the query 'steam'? There are many more arguments than the ones stated in this thread.

I am not involved with the team, so this is me talking out of my backside. I believe it makes no sense to push for Steam until the game gets a decent single player campaign and fixes lag in the late game (it's getting there).

Strangely, I downloaded some games to test, and all of the Alt + Tab worked fine. The following is the list of games I tested. SuperTuxKart (Edit config.xml in configuration folder and change "gl" to "vulkan" for the "render_driver" setting.) Dota 2 Unturned (In Steam, enter "-force-vulkan" in the launch options under Unturned's properties.) Veloren War Thunder (In Steam, enter "-driver:vulkan" in the launch options under War Thunder's properties.) Yes. With OpenGL + GPU skinning, everything works fine. ChatGPT suggested that I check the Windows Event Viewer. After the crash, I found two errors there. I copied the contents of the two errors into the attached file below. (issue2)Event viewer.txt

it WORKS omg now the game is a gif on pentium steam machine not a power point

I agree to @borg- that 0 A.D. stands out for being a much less frenetic game compared to titles like Age of Empires II (aoe2) or Age of Mythology (aom). its more deliberate strategic focus where there are no constant micro battles that force players to perform hundreds of clicks per minute (except in high level games, but usually pro players like borg or vali doesnt overtask other players, tho they can do it perfectly) to manage individual units or special abilities. In 0 A.D., victory is built through macroeconomic decisions and largescale tactics, significantly reducing the number of actions needed to control standard matches. Micro plays are ofc very important, i usually like to do some 5 - 8inf minirushes to kill some wumen or counter rushes. I fully support the argument that the clicks required to play effectively are fewer here. While aom or aoe2 demand near surgical attention in every skirmish, 0 A.D. prioritizes planning and resource flow, making it more accessible to players who prefer strategy over reflexes. But ofc, as more reflexes and apm more advantage. Ipropose two key adjustments: -Increase the base game speed to 1.15x, to streamline mid-game phases without sacrificing tactical depth. -Reduce unit training times by 15 or 20%. With this two things micro would be much important and the rest of the tactics remain the same. Additionally, it’s important to highlight that 0 A.D. is designed for armies of 200–300 units, compared to the 100–150 of its competitors. This difference demands a less chaotic design but could also be leveraged to make large-scale battles more dynamic without overwhelming the player. Anyway 0 A.D. doesn’t need to copy the frenetic pace of other RTS games, but it could optimize its rhythm to enhance its unique identity. I support @borg’s ideas and hope the developers consider these changes. Also i think 0ad needs a face-wash and make a better UI and PLEASE GO TO STEAM. 0 A.D. IS BETTER THAN MUCH OF ITS COMPETITORS, only needs few things and more players

For one reason or another, 2025 has started off as the year where I get back into that most nostalgic of genres - good o' real-time strategy. First came the replaying of classics like Age of Empires, then trying out some new promising indie titles (Eyes of War being my most interesting find - just classic skirmish with a gimmick that lets you play in 3rd person and fight with your army, very cool during sieges), and then it just continued... Age of Darkness was another find, but the latest is 0 AD. Since most of my game consumption is a direct funnel from Steam (or GOG for all my DRM-free purchases), I guess gems like this are even harder to discover unless you hear from it by word of mouth - same as we did back in the day. That's what makes it even more endearing and kind of bitter-sweet because of how nostalgic this whole gaming period feels for me. Where do I start and end with 0 AD? It's absolutely astounding that someone released a free game of this scale and caliber. It's perhaps the closest to being a spiritual successor to the original Age of Empires while also having its own personality. And this was being developed all the way back from 2010? Needless to say, I've dipped just a bit into it and already have to shout praise in its direction. Just so glad whenever I see love being shown (and in such quantities too!) to this overshadowed genre. Consider this my love letter if nothing else <3

Hi Justin, it's great to see you having a very good experience! Thank you for your feedback regarding 0 A.D. on gaming platforms. The idea of adding our beloved game to platforms like Steam, GoG, Microsoft Store etc. has been discussed many times. Most results of the discussions consisted of "Won't do it". If you are interested in the arguments, check our search function for the forums (results for 'steam'). Best wishes, obelix

Performance very good running on Windows 7 64bit with CPU (4-core 4Ghz) and fast GPU (Nvidia gtx 1080ti). OpenGL (v4.6) and Vulkan (v1.2) both 60 fps with settings maxed out. (I tried previous Alpha 26 before and it had performance issue with many units on map in OpenGL) Maybe try to bring Release 28 to Steam Gaming Platform? It will give greater audience...

I was searching 0AD in steam, I got this, will 0AD be released on steam?

Just asking, why you arent moving this game to steam maybe? It might getting more players and the development can increase.

On game stores like Steam and GOG, this is actually tiny. People used to buy games there won’t back down due to the game size.

There was a post on twitter asking for some logs while running the game on Valve's Steam Deck portable console. Attached is an archive of logs and config from my quick run of about 5 minutes clicking around in tutorial. 0ad.zip

The thing is, we have several competing ideas of what constitutes Alpha, Beta, Early Access, et al. And what exact milestones are necessary for each of those terms. i think for the longest time, the idea was that to come out of "alpha" to "beta" would require a working full-featured single player campaign and surely a multiplayer environment where we're no longer arguing over what constitutes cheating or not (the mods). Also, where the civ designs are rather solid and complete and the tech tree not in flux. Then with Beta, we can balance all of those things and fix anything that crops up. That's an older view of game development, but the industry has moved on to a more "perpetual development and balancing" environment, in an odd way meeting Wildfire Games where it's at with its development of 0 A.D. So, I'd advocate we get rid of the old view and embrace where the industry and gamer expectations are at today rather than how we wish they'd be or where they were 15 years ago. Having said that, I'd still like to tunnel down and get some things ready to go before officially boosting the game to Beta. I'd still like a single player campaign even if it's not full-featured and "complete," and I'd like to get the rest of the civs differentiated on the level of the Athenians, Romans, and Spartans are in Alpha 27. And lastly, we need to get the multiplayer community under control before we can legitimately go to Steam or wherever we can go after claiming we're in Beta or Early Access. So, I'd say let's make Alpha 27 the final "Alpha", and after that change our mindset and goals toward the next release being "Beta 1" or whatever we decide to call it.

To maximise N, we need to maximise exposure of the game. Ads, appearance on Steam, GoG, Origin, Microsoft Store (these are disgusting places but are quick to get views). More involvement in alternatives.to, appear more on recommended lists etc. For example you can advertise as free alternative of AoE f1 is quite big imo, the media to the outside world does look attractive. We just need to make sure the description is pristine in every software store: Gnome Softare, KDE Discover, Flathub, Snap, ... f2 can be increased by making the download easier. I think in the main website, the https download llink could be made more obvious. You can even put the https download link in the first homepage with big attractive button around it. Maybe more modern design as well to make it look like a well maintained legit project. Also the download size is way too large, 1.32GB! Can we cut that down a bit? E.g. on Linux we separate the data from the base engine, can we do something similar in Windows? f3 is small and is something we can work on. I think the pregame page could be redesigned to guide new players better, e.g. by having large buttons for tutorials and guides in the middle to really emphasise where someone should click. The tutorial could use some improvement, for example not too much text. It really tests the patience of players. Use short sentences, 1 thing per page. We can even break up the tutorial into bits. The default settings could also be improved. The AI is set to medium by default. Petra is too aggressive. By default, it should be Easy + Defensive to ensure that the new player has time to explore before getting smashed. Experienced players know how to adjust settings so it's really not a problem for them. f4 is really dependent on how well f3 is received and whether the individual is into the RTS style. Not much we can do. But we can always say something like "there is so much more that you can explore!" f5 -- at the end of some hard campaign we can recommend them to join the lobby. Or, after they smash the very hard AI for the first time, we can do a popup message that says "Congrats! You have passed the trial, now you are ready to play with other humans!" f6 - we can add some social guidance on the lobby page. Some comforting messages like "try your best" "enjoy" "it's ok to loose" "don't give up" "have fun" , not the current harsh ones. Also it's important to explain to them not to try to join OP TGs on their first game as it won't be fun for anyone. q can be minimised by fixing some bugs and other problems. But that's really another story

Sure, I think distributing 0AD through GOG or Steam would help with the visibility of the game. Most pc-gamer are still on Windows. I don't see how it's a problem that not every platform supports different OS at the moment. It should be possible on Steam. For all the Linux users, it would help to have the latest release version in the repository of some major distros. Before the WFG team decides to do this, they should appear to be more active. I know you are more active, because I'm here in the forum and I've had a look at gitea/svn/trac. It would help if the web site didn't look like the project was abandoned if you only posted an update once or twice a year. And at the moment the revision log doesn't work either (I checked it because of this post, usually people don't look there when deciding whether to try a new game). You could easily just post smaller development steps, or when new art is implemented. Just when it's done, not before. Like you did with the Vulkan post or the git migration. That might also help to find some new contributors if you advertise it. But before that I think 0AD really needs a campaign or a campaign tutorial or at least some more interesting single player content. Petra Bot is fine, but after a while, when you know how it behaves, it gets boring, even when you are not winning.

The question would be how many Linux users are using these stores like gog or steam? ++++ https://www.gog.com/forum/general/some_statistics_on_linux_and_mac_on_gog I found something here. And... Some related. https://docs.gog.com/linux-guidelines/ By the way.