Ask new city builder mode in 0 ad

[Adàhy]

hello everyone,
i have been playing 0 ad for a few years now and i must say i really like it i am really happy with it despite being alpha code. Since in the last years you see a lot of city builder rts I was wondering if it would be possible to add some of their concepts to 0a to make it not only a real time strategy but something more.
By this I don't mean that you have to distort the game or anything like that be clear. I am the first to thank the community and the developers for their magnificent work that continues to give me excitement.

In fact if possible I would propose this update as if it were an official mod or game mode 

I also found something existing maybe useful unfortunately they seem to be stationary projects 

* https://github.com/azayrahmad/0AD-City-Builder

* https://wildfiregames.com/forum/topic/25273-0ad-economy-simulation-mod/

* https://wildfiregames.com/forum/topic/26701-city-building-mod-a23-a24/

* https://github.com/eserlxl/Arch-AI ( ca be funny for update petra ai)

* https://github.com/PhiGei2000/CityBuilderGame

I think this game may also have a leg up on recent titles in the field such as Manor Lord , Stronghod, Cytopia, , lincityNg but taking some ideas from them or some good concepts might be a good way to give the game a fresh twist 

 

Edited November 5 by Adàhy

[Lion.Kanzen]

Stronghold is what suits 0 AD best.

3 hours ago, Adàhy said:

In fact if possible I would propose this update as if it were an official mod or game mode 

This is also good. Game mode.

[Adàhy]

volevi solo essere un esempio 

Avendo giocato a Stronghold posso dire che ogni versione include una modalità o meglio una campagna economica.

Aggiungere un concetto di costruttore di città più una campagna economica potrebbe essere carino, soprattutto perché l'obiettivo non sarebbe quello di distorcere il gioco ma di arricchirlo aggiungendo qualcosa che lo renda più affidabile dal punto di vista storico, si costruisce un insediamento urbano con tutti i suoi problemi e ci si concentra anche sulla conquista.

quindi non dovresti solo conquistare ma anche gestire il tuo popolo e il tuo insediamento nel miglior modo possibile, il che, secondo me, rappresenterebbe un valore aggiunto.

e ripeto sono grato e contento di quanto fatto finora ed è proprio perché credo in questo progetto che propongo ciò.

potrebbe anche essere una modalità di gioco simile al sandbox, o un tipo di campagna o una mod, quindi o ti piace e la usi o giochi come al solito e ti diverti 

 

Edited November 6 by Adàhy

[Adàhy]

looking in the game I saw that currently petra ai in sandbox mode also tries to be your ally and trade with you you could also add a small modification here to also create social economic leagues with their own independent social economic status and as a team. So you would create an economic and alliance system that one would be functional to the game plus it would give more realism to the battles both in signle player and multiplayer.

this context also would be nice in both versions of 0 ad either city builder mod / economic mod or the current rts implementation of 0 ad

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

[Lion.Kanzen]

The level of complexity of the problems in a city builder and an RTS is complicated, the ideal is to add new mechanics, such as hunger, employment, happiness, diseases.

[Adàhy]

Yes i think same

[Adàhy]

I contacted the developers of the mods above informing them of the idea and to perhaps update their mods for the current version. It would be nice to know if there are others who would like to see this for 0 ad

[Adàhy]

I also found these resources that can help us accomplish something like this 

https://github.com/bvschaik/julius

https://github.com/Keriew/augustus !!

https://github.com/dalerank/caesaria-game !!

the last two look very interesting to me , they are all open source and free projects also seem to have a lot of what we are looking for.

 

[Adàhy]

i also pinged Akhenaten for try to start this idea

https://github.com/dalerank/Akhenaten/discussions/159

[Adàhy]

# City-Building Game Proposal

Hi everyone, 

I hope I’m not out of place here, but I’d like to share an idea that I’ve been thinking about for some time. For the past few years, I’ve been playing **Akhenaten**, **Caesaria**, and **0 AD**, and I’ve come to appreciate the strengths of each of these games. But more importantly, I’ve also noticed that there are features in each one that could complement each other in interesting ways. I’d love to propose a concept where we could combine elements from all three games to create a new city-building experience that integrates the best aspects of each.

I should clarify that this is just an idea at the moment—there aren’t any repositories or official plans to implement this yet—but I think it’s a direction worth considering, especially given the dedication of the communities behind each of these titles.

## The Core Idea

At the heart of this idea is using **0 AD** as the base for the game engine. 0 AD already provides a solid foundation with its extensible graphics and mechanics, such as resource gathering, building construction, unit recruitment, research, and expansion. These are core aspects of any good city-building game, and 0 AD does them well.

However, I believe we could enhance it by integrating some key elements from **Caesar** and **Pharaoh**, particularly their more complex city-building mechanics. For example, we could add new parameters like hunger, employment, happiness, diseases, and the arrangement of buildings into city zones and work zones. These dynamics would make the player’s role as a ruler even more engaging, as they would have to balance not only economic growth but also the well-being of their citizens.

## Borrowing Elements from Caesar and Pharaoh

The idea would be to incorporate the economic and administrative systems found in **Caesar** and **Pharaoh**—two games that really shine when it comes to the intricate dynamics of managing a city.

In **Caesar**, you have key factors like Prosperity, Culture, Benevolence, and Peace. Each of these factors could be used to create a system of checks and balances in the new game. For example, if a city becomes too poor, the people might riot; if the culture is neglected, happiness might decrease; and if peace is threatened, the city could suffer from external invasions or internal strife.

Similarly, **Pharaoh** introduced the idea of complex infrastructure, where certain buildings needed to be placed in specific ways to meet the needs of your citizens. In the proposed game, we could extend that idea by incorporating agricultural systems, like building farms on the fertile banks of the Nile or requiring fields of laborers to support the agricultural economy.

But the innovations don’t stop there. **Pharaoh** also required players to build complex monuments, such as obelisks, pyramids, and the Sphinx. These could be important quests or objectives in the new game, pushing players to work toward large-scale goals while managing the day-to-day needs of their city.

## Why This Could Work

What’s great about **0 AD** is that its engine and graphics are flexible and extensible. By using a mod or integrating these new features directly into the core code, we could expand 0 AD into a more complex, multi-faceted city-building game without losing the fast-paced, real-time strategy mechanics that make it enjoyable.

Since 0 AD already has a system that is quite similar to that of **Pharaoh**, adding some of the city-building mechanics from **Caesar** and **Pharaoh** could feel like a natural progression rather than a radical departure. You could still build your military and fight battles, but now you’d also need to balance the management of a thriving, prosperous city.

## How I’m Approaching This

As a young developer, I’m still learning the ropes, but I’m very interested in exploring how to make this vision a reality. I’ve started reading through the source code for 0 AD, Caesaria, and Pharaoh, and I’ve even opened a post on the 0 AD forums to gather feedback and suggestions from the community.

Here are some of the resources I’ve been exploring, and I’d love for anyone interested to check them out and possibly collaborate:

- [0AD City Builder GitHub](https://github.com/azayrahmad/0AD-City-Builder)
- [0AD Economy Simulation Mod - Forum Thread](https://wildfiregames.com/forum/topic/25273-0ad-economy-simulation-mod/)
- [City Building Mod (A23/A24) - Forum Thread](https://wildfiregames.com/forum/topic/26701-city-building-mod-a23-a24/)
- [Arch-AI (for Petra AI updates)](https://github.com/eserlxl/Arch-AI)
- [CityBuilderGame GitHub](https://github.com/PhiGei2000/CityBuilderGame)
- [Julius GitHub](https://github.com/bvschaik/julius)
- [Augustus GitHub](https://github.com/Keriew/augustus)
- [Caesaria Game GitHub](https://github.com/dalerank/caesaria-game)

- [akaethan](https://github.com/dalerank/Akhenaten)

There’s still a lot to figure out, but I think this concept has a lot of potential. I really respect the work the communities of these games have put in, and I don’t want to distort the core ideas of any of these titles. Instead, I hope this can be seen as a proposal for improvement and collaboration, a way to expand upon what already exists while staying true to the essence of each game.

I’m not looking to step on anyone’s toes or reinvent the wheel, but I think that combining these elements could create something really exciting for the city-building genre. If you’re interested in collaborating or just want to share your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing your feedback!


this is and updated idea