Why You Should Watch 0 A.D.'s OpenSource Spectrum Among the F2P RTS

Moin, dear strategy fans! This week the long-awaited Anno117 Pax Romana went online, about which I Gamescom in August I've written before, but the genre has other pearls to offer in addition to such graphic highlights.

Hand on heart: Who among you hasn't had countless hours in titles like Age of Empires or even the cozy-complex Anno Row sunk? We know the feeling: Build a base, boost the economy, push armies. But what if I tell you, there's an open-source secret tip that brings together the best of these worlds and does it completely? free and ad-free?

TL:DR today in advance: If ‘Anno 117 Pax Romana’ is expensive for you, please read on.

Enter: 0 A.D. (pronounced: Zero-Ay-Dee), Wildfire Games' real-time strategy game. Even though it's technically still in the alpha phase, it's already a real treat for those who love the ancient battlefield.

What is 0 A.D.?

Imagine a time travel between 500 BC and 500 AD. You take command of one of currently twelve historically inspired factions, from the Romans and Greeks to the Carthaginians and Mauryans. Your goal is classic: Collect raw materials, expand the city, explore technology and bring your opponents to their knees militarily or economically.

But 0 A.D. is more than just an AoE clone. Developers value historical accuracy (as far as gameplay is concerned) and have built in some unique features that make the game refreshing.

The heart: Citizen Soldiers and Territories

Here's the first big difference to genre sizes:

Citizen Soldiers – No lazy villagers!

In most RTS games, you have a strict separation: Civilian workers collect wood, food and stone, while military units only fight.

In 0 A.D. it's different! Your regular infantry and cavalry are Civilian Soldiers (Citizen Soldiers). This means: They can not only fight, but also collect raw materials and build buildings. Only the civilian population cannot build military facilities.

The highlight: This creates a whole new dynamic. You have to constantly weigh: Should the spearbearer just chop wood to strengthen the economy, or should he be on the front line? If you attack an enemy, you directly weaken its economy by attacking its ‘workers’!

Zones of influence – Get out of the base bubble!

Each of your main buildings (like the Civic Center) radiates a Zone of influence off. Within this zone, you can build new buildings and your troops will receive bonuses.

• This forces you to expand. You can't just camp in the corner of the map.
• When you enter an enemy zone, you can slow down enemy buildings. conquer (Conquest by Culture). Send in more units than the defender! This is a super exciting element that puts the battle for territory at the center.

0 A.D. vs. Anno: What are the differences?

If we're 0 A.D. with a heavyweight from the construction genre like Anno Compare, we immediately see that they pursue different goals, but both hit the strategy nerve:

feature	0 A.D. (RTS)	Anno (building strategy)
Main focus	Military conquest & real-time battles	Detailed economic cycle & urban planning
Pacing	Fast, hectic micromanagement battles	Comfortable, focused on long production chains
military	Central to Victory, Citizen Soldiers	Mostly secondary, used for defense or island conquest
economy	Simple (wood, stone, food, metal), means to an end	Highly complex (need pyramids, logistics)
commodities	Collected (often exhaustable)	Mostly inexhaustible (or via trade/islands)

In short:

• Do you love the thrill of quick decision-making and troop management? Then there is 0 A.D. Your game. It's the perfect mix of base building and action-packed war.
• Do you love optimizing complicated logistics chains, meeting needs and perfecting your islands? Then you'll probably stay with Anno.

Other highlights you should know

• Historical diversity: Every civilization plays differently, has its own units, buildings and technologies. The Romans, for example, have a temple that heals wounded troops – a real advantage!
• Technology phases: Similar to Age of Empires, you progress from the village to the city to the metropolis phase, unlocking new units and structures.
• Formation and siege: Your units can march in historical formations such as the Phalanx or the Testudo, which brings bonuses (and drawbacks). Siege weapons need to be packaged before they can be moved – this adds weight and strategy to the attacks.
• Free and open source: That's the best! There are no in-game purchases, no ads, nothing. The game is developed by a community that you can support – or you can even contribute code yourself!

My conclusion for you

0 A.D. is a vibrant, ambitious project developed by strategy lovers for strategy lovers. Yes, it's still an alpha, and sometimes the performance stutters a bit at big battles (especially in the late game). But the developers regularly provide updates and improvements.

If you have a heart for antiquity, love real-time strategy and are looking for a fair, complex and free alternative to the big names, then you should Download 0 A.D. today.

Antiquity is waiting for you and here even without spending a cent! Have fun conquering!