The wonderful open source RTS 0 A.D. [Official Site] has released the 22nd Alpha named Venustas and it includes a ton of new features.
They've got a rather swish trailer to show off the new version too:
Feature highlights:
Their new "STUN" implementation for online games should make it hassle-free to connect to anyone, in theory. Lots of games have some form of this, so it's great to see it in 0 A.D. too. Mix that in with the new buddy system, should make the whole online experience just better overall. They've also fixed some ways people could cheat in multiplayer games, so that's nice too.
For those who don't like to play online, the AI is greatly improved. It can better plan defence and offensive tactics based on the game mode and it's better at managing it's economy too.
See the full changelog here. It's truly huge, so give it a go and tell us what you think! Very impressed with this release, hopefully the next one will be just as full of goodies. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
They've got a rather swish trailer to show off the new version too:
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Direct Link
Direct Link
Feature highlights:
- Remake of many models, animations and textures, two new music tracks
- Configuration-free Multiplayer Hosting
- Capture the Relic Gamemode
- Aura and Heal Range Visualization
- Twelve new maps, including scripted enemies, rising water and a tutorial
- Espionage Technology, Team Bonuses and Hero Auras
- Petra AI Diplomacy and Attack and Strategies
- Summary Screen Graphs
- Cinema Path Editing
- Buddy System
Their new "STUN" implementation for online games should make it hassle-free to connect to anyone, in theory. Lots of games have some form of this, so it's great to see it in 0 A.D. too. Mix that in with the new buddy system, should make the whole online experience just better overall. They've also fixed some ways people could cheat in multiplayer games, so that's nice too.
For those who don't like to play online, the AI is greatly improved. It can better plan defence and offensive tactics based on the game mode and it's better at managing it's economy too.
See the full changelog here. It's truly huge, so give it a go and tell us what you think! Very impressed with this release, hopefully the next one will be just as full of goodies. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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5 comments
It's one of my favorite games on linux and it's great to see that they are continually updating it...
Can't wait to see the beta or the final version
Can't wait to see the beta or the final version
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GustyGhost Jul 27, 2017
It looks like there is actually a studio behind 0AD development which would explain the quality that is normally absent from open source games.
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Kimyrielle Jul 27, 2017
It looks like there is actually a studio behind 0AD development which would explain the quality that is normally absent from open source games.
This is indeed the only commercial-quality open source game I am aware of. Apparently it's trivial to find talented programmers willing to contribute work to a community project, but not artists. Most OSS games really look as if a three year old having no artistic talent tried out random buttons in Photoshop, while this one is a very welcome exception. I don't know why this is. I guess artists are much more obsessed with getting paid for their work and retain all the rights, that's the only explanation I have.
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This is indeed the only commercial-quality open source game I am aware of. Apparently it's trivial to find talented programmers willing to contribute work to a community project, but not artists. Most OSS games really look as if a three year old having no artistic talent tried out random buttons in Photoshop, while this one is a very welcome exception. I don't know why this is. I guess artists are much more obsessed with getting paid for their work and retain all the rights, that's the only explanation I have.
Sure, FOSS community has hackers’ overrepresentation, which makes finding good artists for FOSS games harder – and programmers in general like to code game engines, and not worry about details related to game logic and gameplay… Which makes in the FOSS world game engines overrepresented too.
But still there are at least few more commercial-quality games than just 0AD. Look at The Dark Mod (which, contrary to what name suggests, is a stand-alone game) or Battle for Wesnoth (sure, it is a 2D turn based strategy with oldish looks, but commercial-quality nonetheless), then there are a few supposedly good shooters or MMORPGs (Xonotic? Ryzom? PlaneShift? the last one has proprietary art – didn’t try any of them myself though)…
And then there are games like SuperTuxKart or MegaGlest which, surely, won’t compete with AAA titles but still are well better than many commercially sold indies. Well, SuperTuxKart IMO actually might if it added a few more more interactive maps, remade its campaign mode and added online multiplayer.
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Sir_Diealot Jul 28, 2017
I have to try this again. My Laptop was too weak to handle it, but on my new machine it will hopefully run smoother than this video. No idea whether it is any good as a game.
What bothers me since years is that there are hardly any artists for FLOSS games but on the other hand there seem to be tons of talented artists on Deviant Art and probably a hundred other places.
How can we get them together?
What bothers me since years is that there are hardly any artists for FLOSS games but on the other hand there seem to be tons of talented artists on Deviant Art and probably a hundred other places.
How can we get them together?
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