Best Alpha release?

[Deicide4u]

Now that there will be no more alpha releases, it's time to declare the best alpha release we had.

The poll mentions some more significant alphas with major changes (but not truly old ones). You're free to vote in the comments for some other version.

I personally love A27 as I've been playing it the most, but will vote A23 as the last "old-school" version of 0 A.D. It has a specific feel that some later alphas lost. Even the artwork is "more serious" to me, personally.

Why I believe A23: Ken Wood stands out as the best release so far:

1) Much leaner on resources and disk size,
2) Artwork that stands out more, has that gritty feel that makes you want to stare at the icons,
3) Fortress produces "unique" champion units for most civs, while others have a special building for them,
4) Much tougher AI, that will end you if you're not careful. This is perhaps a consequence of it being able to produce champions earlier, without having to research a tech,
5) Named in honor of one of the founding members of the game,
6) Unit dialog screen introduced, allowing for more descriptive entities, etc.

Edited June 1 by Deicide4u

[Dakara]

Bonjour j'ai commencé A21 je suppose tellement impossible pour moi de voter

 

i liked when all civ didnt have ram etc. 

Edited June 1 by Dakara

[Deicide4u]

Hey @Dakara, I've edited the poll and added A21, as it is indeed a major release.

[Dakara]

Answering A21 would be pure nostalgia.. I don't want to spit on the latest features

so i go for A23 lol

[ffm2]

From 16 to 22 there was a game breaking unit that everyone agreed not to make (after a few month in the alpha). a23 felt "done". Now balancing started over again and when this model is "done" I fear a new model will be introduced (like historical) by new members that won't reach a mature state like a23.

 

11 hours ago, Dakara said:

i liked when all civ didnt have ram etc. 

I also like the more diverse civs like the old ptols with free houses that took long to build (although they were always a bit OP).

[Dakara]

On 02/06/2025 at 10:32 AM, ffm2 said:

From 16 to 22 there was a game breaking unit that everyone agreed not to make (after a few month in the alpha). a23 felt "done". Now balancing started over again and when this model is "done" I fear a new model will be introduced (like historical) by new members that won't reach a mature state like a23.

 

I also like the more diverse civs like the old ptols with free houses that took long to build (although they were always a bit OP).

 

Yes, these are effects of cycles and trends.

for house, Yes, it was a great advantage, but it had to be anticipated. Fortunately, they still have a difference from other civilizations, even if it's slight.

[Agne1940]

On 01/06/2025 at 7:17 PM, Deicide4u said:

Now that there will be no more alpha releases, it's time to declare the best alpha release we had.

The poll mentions some more significant alphas with major changes (but not truly old ones). You're free to vote in the comments for some other version.

I personally love A27 as I've been playing it the most, but will vote A23 as the last "old-school" version of 0 A.D. It has a specific feel that some later alphas lost. Even the artwork is "more serious" to me, personally.

Why I believe A23: Ken Wood stands out as the best release so far:

1) Much leaner on resources and disk size,
2) Artwork that stands out more, has that gritty feel that makes you want to stare at the icons,
3) Fortress produces "unique" champion units for most civs, while others have a special building for them,
4) Much tougher AI, that will end you if you're not careful. This is perhaps a consequence of it being able to produce champions earlier, without having to research a tech,
5) Named in honor of one of the founding members of the game,
6) Unit dialog screen introduced, allowing for more descriptive entities, etc.

 

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I totally agree with your choice - A23 really left a strong impression and still feels like a classic. It had a good balance between performance and atmosphere, and the AI improvements and unique champion units really added depth to the gameplay. For me, it's details like these that make a game feel alive and exciting. Sure, later alphas have added a lot, but that "old school" feel of A23 is really hard to replicate. Thanks for the great breakdown!