Game info | 0 A.D.

Overview

0 A.D. (pronounced “zero-ey-dee”) is a free, open-source, historical Real Time Strategy (RTS) game currently under development by Wildfire Games, a global group of volunteer game developers. As the leader of an ancient civilization, you must gather the resources you need to raise a military force and dominate your enemies.

History is Yours for the Taking

“0 A.D.” is a time period that never actually existed: In the usual calendar, one goes from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. and skips zero. This reflects the historical fiction in the game: Who would have won if all the factions were pitted against each other when each of them was at its prime?

We intend to portray some of the major civilizations over the millennium of 500 B.C. to 500 A.D. (Hence the midpoint, zero.) That is an ambitious prospect, so in the first edition of 0 A.D. we focus on the last five centuries B.C. Perhaps in future expansion packs, more civilizations will be added, along with additional gameplay features.

We put a strong emphasis on historical accuracy while developing 0 A.D. We plan all our units and all our buildings based on reconstructions of how the units and the buildings might have looked like in the ancient world. We even name them in the original languages, such as Greek and Latin. But it’s worth remembering that any game should be fun to play, so, in many cases, we preferred playability over historical accuracy.

0 A.D. is Free of Charge

0 A.D. is completely downloadable at no cost and always will be. No “freemium” model, no in-game advertising, no catch. This is our iron-clad guarantee.

Although you might find some people selling copies of 0 A.D. on physical media, remember, you will always have the option to download 0 A.D. gratis on the internet, directly from the developers.

0 A.D. is Free as in “Freedom”

0 A.D. is freely licensed software, because we believe everyone should have access to great games, and that everyone can learn from developing them. You can redistribute and modify the game as long as you abide by the GPL. And you can even use parts of the art and sound for your own projects as long as you abide by CC BY-SA.

0 A.D. is Still Under Development

Work on 0 A.D. began in 2001, first as a mod concept for Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. In 2003 development moved to a standalone game with its own engine, Pyrogenesis. In 2009-2010, the game was released as free, open-source software and and much of the codebase was rewritten. Learn more about the story of 0 A.D. »

Currently, 0 A.D. is still in alpha phase, which means an early experimental phase. It is playable, and you can already download and test the game, but some features are still missing. When will 0 A.D. be released? It is very hard to predict. Even after we are done implementing all the features, we will want to conduct extensive beta testing, which can take a while. Information about release dates will be released at the appropriate time.

Features

0 A.D. (pronounced “zero ey-dee”) is a free real-time strategy (RTS) game of ancient warfare. Lead a civilization set in the imaginary year of 0 A.D., develop a thriving city, raise a mighty army and contend with rivals for hegemony of the world. History is yours for the taking!

Check out some of the most exciting features in 0 A.D.:

Intense Gameplay

Cross-platform: 0 A.D. is set to run on Windows, Linux and OS X.
Unique civilizations: In 0 A.D. each civilization is unique in its appearance and gameplay, including units, structures, and technology trees.
Citizen soldiers: Some infantry and cavalry units can not only fight, but also gather resources and construct buildings, making them substantially more versatile than in typical RTS games.
Combat experience matters: The more time your citizen soldiers spend fighting your enemies, the higher they go up the ranks. With each rank, they become stronger, but they also get worse at civilian tasks.
Technology tradeoffs: Some technologies are arranged in pairs, and within each pair, you can only research one technology at most in each game. This choice is irreversible, so choose carefully!
Unit formations: Arrange your units in historical battle formations from the Phalanx to the Testudo and gain bonuses, such as increased armor. However, beware the costs that may come with them, such as lower speed! (As of August 2012, this feature has not been implemented yet.)

Realism and Authenticity

Real world map realism: Random maps are based upon real geography of the ancient world with realistic plants, animals and terrain.
Authentic historical details: Designs of units, buildings and technologies all reflect the hallmarks of each civilization. We even give them names in the original ancient Greek, Latin, Punic, Celtic, etc.
Planned lifelike naval warfare: Ships will be on a much larger and more lifelike scale than seen in other games. They will move more realistically and even be able to ram other ships.

Make the game your own

Translation and locale support: Play 0 A.D. in over a dozen languages.
Powerful map editor: Draw landscapes with a palette of hundreds of terrains, build majestic cities and set the position of the sun in the Atlas Editor, your tool to design intricately detailed maps in 0 A.D.
Excellent moddability: From new computer opponent behaviors to extra civilizations, easily create your own modifications (mods) of 0 A.D. by editing game files, all freely available in standard, open formats.

Factions

History and civilisation bonuses

Screenshots

All screenshots

Behind the Skenes
A Valley of Queens
Egyptian Morning
Colossus of Rhodes by nifa
Brythonic Broch
From Afar
Give Them A Volley
Gaul Wonder

Trailers

YouTube

Play: Alpha 27 Agni trailer

Playing loads it from youtube-nocookie.com.

Alpha 27 Agni trailer

Play: Alpha 26 Zhuangzi trailer

Playing loads it from videos.pair2jeux.tube.

Alpha 26 Zhuangzi trailer

Play: Alpha 25 Yaunā trailer