Civ "Pers" -> "Achae"

[Genava55]

3 hours ago, Sturm said:

It makes sense historically, but it creates a bit of a usability headache. What the game actually represents is the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great and expanded by Darius I, so calling them “Achaemenids” is definitely more precise and avoids mixing them up with later Persian empires. The problem is that 0 A.D. is still a game, not a history textbook, and “Persians” is instantly recognizable while “Achaemenids” sounds like something you have to Google mid-match.

It is the not really the name of the civ the topic, but the nomenclature used to name the files.

For the in-game name, Achaemenid Persians or Persians (Achaemenids) could be used.

[Thalatta]

4 hours ago, Sturm said:

There is also a consistency issue. If we start going down the hyper-accurate route, then why stop there? Should we also rename everyone else into their specific dynasties and political phases?

But we already said that the game is already doing this, with the Han and the Maurya for example, and the Maurya didn’t even last 150 years. I don’t think it’s about being hyper-accurate (the game is far from that :P), but calling the Achaemenids “Persians” is a charged simplification. I think eventually any other inconsistencies will be sorted out, if possible (I have my doubts with the name “Germans” for example, I agree more with authors not preferring this term).

 

4 hours ago, Deicide4u said:

After all, the most I've learned on medieval history was not in school, but as a teenager playing Age of Empires 2.

The first AoE cemented my interest in ancient history. High school history was shamefully boring, that's why I try to push for accuracy whenever I can, and many really look for this and nitpick on games (and movies) having errors. It's not just that educating and motivating is important and commended, but about being careful not to introduce or repeat misconceptions, which with some things it’s hard to do because one has to fill the voids with something, and it's a game after all, even books can be biased.

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

On 30/04/2026 at 12:14 PM, Genava55 said:

For the in-game name, Achaemenid Persians or Persians (Achaemenids) could be used.

In the pull request, they are simply called "Achaemenids" because of the current 1-word nomenclature for civs in the base game. I would like to change this where applicable (specifically when using dynasties for distinction as is the case for Achaemenids), but that's a different Pull Request and requires some discussion. 

[Obelix]

FYI Pull Request #8881 (Persians to Achaemenids) got merged 11 hours ago (5268cb62a6).

[ittihat_ve_terakki]

This is honestly one of the worst change ideas I’ve ever heard here. The only other one that comes close was removing the “woman” unit and replacing it with that weird unisex version. People still call it woman anyway. The same thing would happen here, don’t change something people are used to and that already works. If you really want it that badly, you can always recreate every historical detail on your own with a historical mod. There’s no need to constantly tamper with a game people are already comfortable with.

Edited 19 minutes ago by ittihat_ve_terakki

[Lopess]

Changing the name is a great idea; honestly, I would prefer something like "Achaemenids (Persia)" as an educational approach.However, this should be extended to other civilians who are currently appointed by dynasties. My personal opinion is that everything depends on the approach being taken and following it.For example, I see that the vanilla version of 0AD follows a more focused approach to Civs, more specific periods, and with dynasties and historical facts boxed into that period.

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

17 minutes ago, ittihat_ve_terakki said:

This is honestly one of the worst change ideas I’ve ever heard here. The only other one that comes close was removing the “woman” unit and replacing it with that weird unisex version. People still call it woman anyway. The same thing would happen here, don’t change something people are used to and that already works. If you really want it that badly, you can always recreate every historical detail on your own with a historical mod. There’s no need to constantly tamper with a game people are already comfortable with.

The game is still in development. In fact, change is part of the experience with the game. Embrace it.