For fans of classic real-time strategy games, 0 AD is an absolute must. The fan project, which has been growing for more than 20 years, not only has the real “Age of Empires” feeling, but also has many of its own ideas and is also completely free.
0 AD – The free alternative to Age of Empires
The fan project 0 AD When it comes to Gampelay, it lies somewhere between Part 1 and Part 2 of Age of Empires. As far as the factions are concerned, most of them, at least currently, come from ancient times. Of course, you start with a main building and some workers, collect the four resources food, wood, stone and metal and build new buildings.
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Although your people do not advance in the era, as with AoE, you have to advance to new phases of your settlement in order to unlock more units, buildings and technologies. There are now 14 peoples each with unique troops and their own architecture.
Own game mechanics
However, 0 AD also has a few noticeable differences from AoE. Almost everyone can do that Combat units also collect resources and build buildings at the same time. This is not historically far-fetched, because there weren't as many professional soldiers in ancient times and even in the Middle Ages as films and video games sometimes lead us to believe. Even the Roman legions were anything but “lazy in construction”.
Another difference is territorial boundaries on the map. Many buildings can only be built within your own borders, but these can be expanded. You take neutral territory by building a new city center. If you occupy enemy territory, loyalty gradually shifts to you and you can take over enemy buildings.
What exactly is 0 AD and how can you play it?
As already mentioned, 0 AD is a free fan project that even follows an open source model. So everyone is free to develop and develop the game themselves. You can download the game on the official website. The 26th Alpha has existed since September 24, 2022, which, among other things, introduces the Han Dynasty as a new people.
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A quick overview of the Alpha 26:
If you're looking for a little change from Age of Empires, you definitely can't go wrong with this fan project and it's worth checking out the development progress regularly.