how much is the game finnised?

[Soty]

To be honest, I'm not that into playing itself. So I don't really care about playability that much. What I just want to do is to creating some nice landscapes and taking screenies

Yes I know that's not the purpose of RTS games, but hey, I just like it...

[Kimball]

Ah, yes. Scenario design is quite fun. Even if it doesn't serve a purpose, like when used for eye candy shots.

[Soty]

like when used for eye candy shots.

And that's exactly what I want to do!

So is there any possibility to get any version of the game?

ONLY FOR EYE CANDY SHOTS!!!

[Aeros]

In the future we'll be launching something called the Design Group / Wildfire Design where you can do just that, along with other things and still be an internal member.

I dont know when we'll do this though as we're short on manpower and time at the moment, but as the game progresses we plan on inviting a group of modders, story tellers, and scenario designers to create a new community. atleast, we like the idea so far but getting it to happen is alot of work.. We'll see how things go.

[Justinian]

I'm rubbing my hands and licking my lips already.

nothing suss...

I'm just amazed that there haven't been many more:

is it done yet

when will it be done

i want 2 pawn some n00bs (man I need more WoW and COunterstrike.)

i will kill you all if you don't have it complete in the next six months.

So without further adieu:

isitdoneyetwhenwillitbedoneiwant2pawnsomen00bsiwillkillyouallifyoudon'thaveitcompleteinthenextsixmonths.

sorry I just had to

[Kimball]

Truth is, the word of 0 A.D. really hasn't made it past RTS communities and the random Google search. Promote your new favorite game and send a link to all your friends!

And you can take this with you!

[url=http://wildfiregames.com/0ad][img=http://xs120.xs.to/xs120/07430/0aduserbar.gif][/url]

[MythicRuler]

Will there be servers that allow for multiplayer online connection during this game?

[Aeros]

We really hope so and think this'll be very likely, but something like that will be figured more clearly when we aproach completion. Currently we're doing directIP on a virtual network to play some of our first multiplayer games.

[astralith]

If I may offer a suggestion regarding the completion of 0 A.D., i've seen other developers/modders post a progress meter or counter for their work. Of course it couldn't be 100% accurate but it might stifle all the "WHEN'S IT DONE!?" posts. Such a meter can be proken up by phases of the work, maybe even a single progress bar with assorted colors per phase (like the Windows defrag progress bar uses color to show file types).

[Aeros]

Yeah I was thinking of doing something like this a few months ago, we've held off for now since we don't know just how accurate its going to be. Design and tasks are in flux constantly, but eventually we'll have some way of denoting progress. We used to have some of our revision (build) history on the site but that got taken down after a server move and some complications... Its not a bad idea to get it back once some of our resources free up.

[Tilanus Commodor]

If I may offer a suggestion regarding the completion of 0 A.D., i've seen other developers/modders post a progress meter or counter for their work. Of course it couldn't be 100% accurate but it might stifle all the "WHEN'S IT DONE!?" posts. Such a meter can be proken up by phases of the work, maybe even a single progress bar with assorted colors per phase (like the Windows defrag progress bar uses color to show file types).

Of course, this is how mods usually do it. I'm in the modding community of Age Of Empires III and in our section we've a so called Mod Database. If you click on the link you can see images for every different state of progress. What I suggest for 0 A.D. is a similar method just for every big field/aspect of the game, for example a progress bar for Textures, Research, Coding, Planning etc.

[Kimball]

Although I understand the simplicity behind the process (and I've seen it it use at AoE3H), it might be difficult to sum up everything that can be done. While it may give the community a better scale of progress, I don't think it's a good idea to gauge our work like that.

[Scutatus]

Technically the game should be Called AD 0 (the AD comes first).

Although of course there was no AD 0, (it started at 1) because AD 0 would actually have been 1 BC.

I have a headache.

Progress seems to be going very slowly. This is understandable for a game being made in your free time without wages for the crew. (How on earth are you doing that anyway?). But like everyone else, after years of development (four? More?) I am wondering if the game is now due in months or still in years. The tantalising glimpses we are getting might suggest months. But then I don't know how many bugs you are chasing. If there are many and you are being thorough (which you seem to be) that could mean years.

Bummer.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Bug squashing is a time consuming process, made even more time consuming by the fact we're all on different time zones and different work, school, and life schedules.

Right now the graphics engine is in a mature state. It doesn't have KEY features yet, like terrain conforming decals and 2 dimensional sprites that always face the camera, among other things, but we could conceivably release the game with how the graphics engine renders things at this point. I emphasize that we wouldn't WANT the graphics engine released at this stage, because we want to make the best engine we can, but if we HAD to, we could. A lot of what needs to be done is gameplay scripting and GUI scripting, as well as creating audio assets. Not to mention we'll need a fairly robust testing phase to iron out, first, programming bugs, and second, gameplay issues. So in short "months" is not possible.

[Justinian]

Technically the game should be Called AD 0 (the AD comes first).

Although of course there was no AD 0, (it started at 1) because AD 0 would actually have been 1 BC.

No to be most accurate it would be Either CE 0 (Common Era = AD) or 0 BCE (Before Common Era = BC). Historians now use these as offending other peoples religions is bad . The dates are the same just not the names.

[Kimball]

CE and BCE are the most ridiculous interventions I've ever heard. What was wrong with mentioning a specific person on whom we happen to base the calendar switch anyway? If you don't believe he was the son of God, at least recognize that he was a genius, and an incredible public speaker, very much deserving of such a title.

And to be most accurate, you'd call it 0 AD. because that's the name of the game. AD. 0 or anything of the like doesn't sound quite as compelling.

[Scutatus]

CE and BCE might be the politically correct thing to do but it's hardly commonly accepted. For all it's "rightness" many people recognise it for what it is - a meaningless farce. The dates remain the same and everyone knows what is really meant by CE, so why bother? AD is still alive and well, even amongst historians and historical authors.

It is not in any way at all any kind of slur against the different faiths and cultures in the world (it's not intended to be anyhow). It's just the accepted form of dating in the western world.

We still use irrelevant hang ons from past languages and religions, from Latin, Greek, French, Norse and German to name but a few. No English man takes offence that we still use latin so much - even if we don't realise it, it's more common than many might think. Nor do we worry that we've understandably "borrowed" so much from the French language. We don't fret about so many of our words originating from Ancient Greece or that so many of our towns have Norse sounding names. It's our history, our heritage.

For many our dating system is just one such hang on. Most people don't even stop to think what the AD really means. In fact in this day and age I wonder how many do actually know any more?

It's not personal, and if one does take it personally then maybe they are being just a tad too insecure? If other faiths want to use CE then that's fine, no problem. I understand "in the year of our Lord" might be a little antagonizing to other faiths. But for those that don't have a problem with it there is no need for an enforced white wash.

Traditional hang ons aside, try to remember that for some people (I.e Christians) it is the "year of our Lord". We don't go about demanding other faiths change their calendar to suit us - they are free to date however they wish - so why should we have to change ours for them? Christianity is a legitimate faith too you know. Why do people not worry about offending Christians?

Let it be both CE and AD.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Scutatus

[Kimball]

Oh I know. I just don't like the fact that someone felt the need to try and change it, regardless of just how well that worked.

AD: Anno Dominius, the year of our Lord.

I've got nothing against you or Alemanus, or anyone who prefers to use CE over AD. I've just recently grown to become more annoyed by all this political correctness stuff.

[Ramus Crudelis]

@The Purple People Eater

Anno Domini*

not Dominius. Since the word dominus (=lord, master) is in the genitive case because the Lord (grammatically) possesses the Year, and in Latin the first group (words which end with -us) get an -i when in the genitive case

SINGULAR

1st case dominus

2nd case domini

3rd case domino

4th case dominum

5th case domino

PLURAL

domini

dominorum

dominis

dominos

dominis

got it?

Edited January 19, 2008 by Ramus Crudelis

[Scutatus]

I'm impressed Ramus. I can only dream of such a mastery of latin and marvel at your display of linguistic ability.

Thank you.

Oh, and welcome by the way. With your knowledge you will be a great asset here, I'm sure.

Edited January 19, 2008 by Scutatus

[Scutatus]

@Mythos Ruler: Thank you for your honest and comprehensive reply. I appreciate that you wish to do the best possible job and don't want to rush it. Personally, I find that refreshing. It's almost unheard of these days. So often now games are rushed to meet an enforced unrealistic schedule. The result is that, even though games are often incomplete and/or bugged to hell they still hit the shops. Game companies just shrug their shoulders and say "whatever, we'll just patch the bugs post release, after everyone has bought our faulty product". As if that's perfectly ok.

We wouldn't buy a car or vacuam cleaner the same way, so why is it ok to sell faulty products in the games industry?

Thank you for actually trying to do a proper job before release. Years more huh? Fair enough. I'm not going anywhere.

And also, I feel I must apologise. I appear to have inadvertently hijacked the thread with my O AD comment. Doh!

Edited January 19, 2008 by Scutatus

[Ramus Crudelis]

I'm impressed Ramus. I can only dream of such a mastery of latin and marvel at your display of linguistic ability.

Thank you.

Oh, and welcome by the way. With your knowledge you will be a great asset here, I'm sure.

Why thank you, ask anything about Latin language and a little Ancient Greek (not too much, now , just kidding) (for the admins: mailto -> ramon.vastmans@hotmail.com for any question concerning latin and greek)

I also applied for translating the game into Dutch and German, which I would find a great honour, to do this for 0 A.D.

I might even help out with the French translation, but I bet there are better people for that job, since I'm still studying French

Edited January 20, 2008 by Ramus Crudelis

[mooseman99]

Im hoping this game comes soon

I have been waiting so long

I remember the good old days when I saw the first glimpse of OAD on mythos ruler's siggy on AOM heaven

and the enticing 2006 - early 2007 release date

sadly i guess i will have to wait

are you thinking early 2009 maybe?

[Kimball]

Eh, late 2009 at the soonest. The beta testing period is going to be a long one. We want to squash every bug before claiming 1.0.

That's the goal at least. We realize we'll miss a few, but we want to get most of them.

[Scutatus]

Well that's not so far away in the great scheme of things. We're in early 2008 now after all. It's amazing where the time will go. (Wildfire Games staff suddenly have a collective heart attack as the realisation sets in)

Did I just put that "earliest" back to 2010?

Edited January 24, 2008 by Scutatus