Non Playable factions?

[plumo]

I was wondering, there are going to be six playable civilizations in the game. Will non playable factions be included? For example when the Romans are fighting in Britain, will there be Picts to fight them?

Or Numedians in Northern Africa as non playable factions?

[feneur]

We've had some discussions on this, but in the end it comes down to how much time and people we have available, so while it's an interesting idea we cannot guarantee anything.

[plumo]

You could add this by "changing" the indian settlements from AOE3 to For example a numedian settlement in O. AD.

When you build a watch tower in the middle of their town, you could get bonuses.

For numedians that would be= the carthaginians can recruit Numedian cavalry.

And as a hero you can add massinissa.

And as special you can ( when fighting romans) employ Jugurtha to fight the romans ( numedian armies spawn attacking the romans when in AFRICA.)

what say you

[Mythos_Ruler]

Whether or not we add non-playable civs, it will be ridiculously easy for a modding team to do it after we ship the game.

[Silver]

I like the aspect, but it also makes me want to play those civs and then I can't

[plumo]

And when will the game be shipped ?

[feneur]

I like the aspect, but it also makes me want to play those civs and then I can't

Well, while it would take some work it would just be for you to make it into a real faction, so it's not a huge problem. Only thing would be that if we add non-playable factions they would most likely not have the same number of units etc as an ordinary faction, so it would not be a very balanced game play unless one changed some more We'll see what happens.

And no matter how much I'd like to I'm not able to answer that question about when we'll ship the game. There's too many unknown variables, and I'm not a professor in math or something in the first place

[plumo]

2 unique units for each Non playable faction seems enough to me , and 1 neutral faction for each homecountry of the six civilizations.

f.e.

Rome => Sabines ( Sabine Hoplite)

Carthage => Numedians (Numedian Cavalry, ...)

Celts => Germans ( Fanatic/Naked Spearman)

Hellenites => Thracians (Hillmen)

Celt-iberians => ...

As you can see im filled with ideas

[Apomonomenos]

I like the idea, and maybe we could also have them as mercenaries like in AoEIII

[Apomonomenos]

Also (this is sorta of topic) will there be Eastern Factions in at least Part II like China and Huns and Mongols (my fav other then Hellenes)

[MrBlack103]

I like it how the non-playable factions are being organised in TLA. Perhaps you could make 0 A.D. similar in this aspect.

[Mythos_Ruler]

There are no NPF in 0 A.D. Part 1 as planned. However, this may change once the art is all finished for the game and the artists have a bunch of time on their hands. I think it has less to do with the programming aspect than with the fact that it takes time away from finishing the game. However, I would count on "extras" being added, post game release, in subsequent gameplay patches. We hope to release little extra tidbits with each game patch as an incentive and reward for downloading the latest patch. This could conceivably include NPF. But don't dwell on that too much. We'll "do what we can". Can't do any more than that!

[Apomonomenos]

So it'll be like patches?

[feneur]

There'll be patches for 0 A.D. yeah, did you expect us to deliver a perfect game without no bugs or features to add?

Seriously though, yeah official add-ons will come in the form of patches

[Justinian]

If you had capturing enabled you could make NPF's and have the Player take the "town center" thereby subjating said peoples and giving you their UU.

Just a suggestion.

[plumo]

I prefer the Age of Empires 3 method.

For example, when Alexander the Great (Hellenes) invaded modern Turkey ( Persia), the West coast of Turkey had Greek settlements, and they were actually greek phalanx mercenaries fighting for the Persians.

In a map, you could add some greek buildings, around a port (milete, ephese). When the Persians construct a Watch tower in the centre, they can recruit Greek Hoplites.

When Alexander moves south he encounters the Phoenicians. When you build a watchtower in their ports, you are able to craft strong triremes and ships.

And so on for.... Parthians, Germans, Picts, Numedians, Medes, Nubians, Egyptians, .........

[Caesar]

The problem with factions in a game that covers such a vast period of time (come on, 500 years for one part is a rather long time) is whether or not to go with states or nationalities- for example, the Greeks could be considered a single nationality or culture, but between 500 BC and 0AD there were many states within that nation, the Athenians, the Spartans, the Thebans, Corinthians, Epirotes, Macedonians ect. ect., which rose and fell within that period. Or it could go the other way where within one state there were many nations- within the Persian Achaemenid Empire there were Perisans, Medes, Arabians, Turks, Thracians, even some Indians and Greeks.

0ad seems to have gone for a combination of both.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Well, for a game of this scale and in order for us to finish it before 2012, we have to make compromises and boil down the game to its essential elements. We can always (and will) add things later after the game is released.

[Justinian]

So it's due for release between now and the London Olympics... sweet .

[Apomonomenos]

Well, for a game of this scale and in order for us to finish it before 2012,

Let's hope it's not like the Politics during the election of that year, were most polititions don't keep their promises (No offense to either party)

I prefer the Age of Empires 3 method.

In a map, you could add some greek buildings, around a port (milete, ephese). When the Persians construct a Watch tower in the centre, they can recruit Greek Hoplites.

Yea, I like that way better then the AoE III Hometown version/bar (In the WC expack) and the Warcraft 3 way, were you have to have a Hero stand next to a Merc building (All of them look the same, regardless of what units are being trained) and the guy just spans there for gold.

If you had capturing enabled you could make NPF's and have the Player take the "town center" thereby subjating said peoples and giving you their UU.

I like that Idea, but what about their buildings? should they be able to build them or start and stay with what they have? And are the buildings rebuildable if destroyed?

Edited June 13, 2008 by Alexthegod5

[plumo]

To make it very easy to understand:

Think of a settlement of American natives in Age of Empires 3, Replace the buildings/units/techs and build a "watch tower" instead of a "trading post".

I know this won't be included in 0. AD' s release, and I dont want to be blamed for pushing the release date to summer 2017