ffm_simple_colors

[ffm2]

A minimal mod that replaces the default player colors with a more practical color scheme.
The Problem

The default player colors in 0 A.D. have several issues:

•     Too many similar color options (hard to distinguish enemies at a glance)
•     Colors are dependent of host settings (creates inconsistency)
•     Some colors are overly bright/neon (unrealistic, visually aggressive)

The Fix

This mod provides a clean, simplified color palette that:

•     Reduces color choices to only essential, distinct shades
•     Improves distinguishability - no more confusing similar blues or greens
•     Standardizes colors - consistent for all players regardless of host
•     Tones down brightness - realistic, non-aggressive colors
•     Changes nothing else - tiny codebase, easy to maintain across game versions

Why It Matters

Here's a real scenario that shows why this mod is needed:

You're playing as a blue-toned civilization. You're attacked by two enemies - one with a similar blue tone and one red. The red enemy holds 30% of capture points, the blue enemy holds 20%. You miss the blue enemy entirely because their color is too similar to yours, while the aggressive red tricks you into thinking the threat is only 30%. By the time you realize the real danger, it's too late.

Why not another color mod

There are several other color mods. Some offer 16 color changes, the more colors the less distinct they can be. Some touch areas one might not be interested in. I had issues with the others and ended up making this.

The python script is there if you want to replicate it with a different approach and a picture with the background blurred to show how I got the backgrounds. I started with the the tableau colors that I know and like from matplotlib.

Install by putting the zip in the right folder:

• On Windows (Vista or newer): C:\Users\{name_of_user}\Documents\My Games\0ad\mods\
• On OSX: ~/Library/Application Support/0ad/mods/
• On Linux: ~/.local/share/0ad/mods/ (may be found in GUI via Home/.local/share/0ad/mods/)

color_by_distance.py ffm_simple_colors.zip

Edited 1 hour ago by ffm2