History VideoGame / ZeroAD

* WarElephants: Available to Carthage, Egypt, Persia and India. They tend to be very expensive but also quite powerful and hard to counter. Plus, unlike the [[''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' game source]], these elephants can actually move pretty fast.

The first installment, called Empires Ascendant, features civilizations between 500 B.C. and 1 B.C., and includes [[UsefulNotes/AncientGreece Athens, Sparta, Macedonia,]] Britannia, Gaul, Iberia, [[UsefulNotes/PunicWars Carthage]], [[UsefulNotes/PersiansWithPistols Persia]], [[AncientRome Republican Rome]], [[UsefulNotes/{{India}} Mauryan India]], [[UsefulNotes/MacedonianSuccessionWars Ptolemaic Egypt, the Seleucids]], [[AncientAfrica the Kushites]], and the UsefulNotes/HanDynasty as playable factions. The planned second installment, Empires Besieged, will focus on the following five hundred years of history.

* ElaboratedEqualsEffective: The units you can hire will usually start with paltry equipment and lack of armor and decorations. If they survive long enough to level up, they'll sport cuirasses, helmets and better-looking equipment. Champion units usually start up already more armored than their worker counterparts.

* WeaponOfChoice: As a whole, units for each civ can be categorized in several groups, weapon-wise:
** ArcherArchetype: Archers can attack enemies from a long distance away, but the farther the enemy is, the weaker/less accurate their attack will be.
** AnAxeToGrind: Axemen are rare, but they deal both slashing and crushing damage in melee, making them good against armored units.
** BladeOnAStick: Spearmen tend to be pretty common and usually deal three time as much damage to cavalry units. Mounted spearmen will deal bonus damage to other cavalry units as well, but not as much as infantry does. Pikemen wield weapons so long and cumbersome they'll be slower than most troops, but compensate by dealing devastating damage, especially to cavalry, and by be thougher in melee.
** CarryABigStick: Macemen are even rare than Axemen but deal crushing damage like Slingers, allowing them to bring the pain and damage even buildings.
** CoolSword: Swordsmen tend to specialize against other infantry troops rather than cavalry. Some of them, such as the Iberian or Mauryan ones, can pack quite a punch.
** JavelinThrower: Javelineers and Slingers lack the sheer range of archers, but have more accurate attacks. Cavalry Javelineers are more common than Cavalry Archers.
** SufferTheSlings: Slingers are common infantry units for some but not all civs. They have longer range than Javelineers but not as much as archers and deal crushing damage.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To the ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' series, taking heavy cues from the first game while greatly expanding all mechanics and customizing each civ.

The first installment, called Empires Ascendant, features civilizations between 500 B.C. and 1 B.C., and includes [[UsefulNotes/AncientGreece Athens, Sparta, Macedonia,]] Britannia, Gaul, Iberia, [[UsefulNotes/PunicWars Carthage]], [[UsefulNotes/PersiansWithPistols Persia]], [[AncientRome Republican Rome]], [[UsefulNotes/{{India}} Mauryan India]], [[UsefulNotes/MacedonianSuccessionWars Ptolemaic Egypt, the Seleucids]], and [[AncientAfrica the Kushites]] as playable factions. The planned second installment, Empires Besieged, will focus on the following five hundred years of history.

The official site can be found [[http://play0ad.com/ here.]] The current release is [[http://play0ad.com/download/ Alpha 25b: 𐎹𐎢𐎴 Yaunā (Ionia)]]. Downloading and playing is, and always will be, completely free.

** The Mauryan Maiden Guards are the only female elite troopers and, being elite, are stronger than common soldiers.

** Walls and Gates can be garrisoned with soldiers, so that they can unleash javelins, darts and arrows on incoming soldiers. However, unlike the soldiers garrisoned in towers, these soldiers are more exposed to enemy fire and can be easily eliminated by attackers.

* CarryABigStick: A type of Mauryan elite infantry is equipped with metal clubs to deal extra damage in combat.

* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Champion units are specialized for combat and will generally be stronger than regular units, but they are much more expensive and are unusuable as civilians, thus they can't gather resources nor build stuff.

* SiegeEngines: Like all other units, these are specific to each civilization with the exception of the Mauryans and Iberians who don't use any. Some civs have simple siege weapons such as battering rams at least, more sophisticated ones will field scorpions (good against units, less so against buildings) and catapults and siege towers. Civ with access to WarElephants can use them as an organic substitute, while Iberians have a special type of mounted javelineer armed with flaming spears.

* SufferTheSlings: Slingers are common infantry units for some but not all civs. They have longer range than Javelineers but not as much as archers and deal crushing damage.

* WeaponOfChoice: As a whole, units for each civ can be categorized in four groups, weapon-wise:

** BladeOnAStick: Spearmen tend to be pretty common and usually deal three time as much damage to cavalry units. Mounted spearmen will deal bonus damage to other cavalry units as well, but not as much as infantry does.
** CoolSword: Swordsmen tend to specialize against other infantry troops rather than cavalry. Some of them, such as the Iberian ones, can pack quite a punch.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Walls and Gates can be garrisoned with soldiers, so that they can unleash javelins, darts and arrows on incoming soldiers. However, unlike the soldiers garrisoned in towers, these soldiers are more exposed to enemy fire and can be easily eliminated by attackers.

%%* CommandAndConquerEconomy

* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Elite units are specialized for combat and will generally be stronger than regular units, but they are much more expensive and are unusuable as civilians, thus they can't gather resources nor build stuff.

* KukrisAreKool: Iberian troops can hire swordsmen armed with the deadly falcata sword. With the right upgrade they can become a force to be reckoned with.

* HeroUnit: Each empire has three specific historical heroes to send into battle.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: all of the hero units, which includes the likes of Alexander the Great, Cyrus the Great, Hannibal, Scipio Africanus, Viriato, and Vercingetorix. Aside from being very strong, Heroes can grant massive bonuses to all troops or to nearby troops, and by putting them inside a squad of soldiers or a building, you can increase the bonuses.

* EliteAreMoreGlamorous: Elite units are specialized for combat and will generally be stronger than regular units, but they are much more expensive and are unusuable as civilians, thus they can't gather resources nor build stuff.

* WarElephants: Available to Carthage, Egypt, Persia and India.

%%* ActionGirl:
%%** The Mauryan Maiden Guards.
%%** One of the Britonnic heroes is Boudicca.

%%* EasyLogistics

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: all of the hero units, which includes the likes of Alexander the Great, Cyrus the Great, Hannibal, Scipio Africanus, Viriato, and Vercingetorix.

%%* RidiculouslyFastConstruction
%%* SiegeEngines: Like all other units, these are specific to each civilization with the exception of the Mauryans who doesn't use any.%%And they're examples how?
%%* SpiritualSuccessor: To the ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' series.

The official site can be found [[http://play0ad.com/ here.]] The current release is [[http://play0ad.com/download/ Alpha 24: Xšayāršā (Xerxes)]]. Downloading and playing is, and always will be, completely free.

The official site can be found [[http://play0ad.com/ here.]] The current release is [[http://play0ad.com/download/ Alpha 23 Ken Wood]]. Downloading and playing is, and always will be, completely free.

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: It's possible to plant and harvest crops on snow covered maps and in the desert sands.
* ActionGirl:
** The Mauryan Maiden Guards.
** One of the Britonnic heroes is Boudicca.

* CommandAndConquerEconomy

* EasyLogistics

* [[ArrowsOnFire Javelins On Fire]]: The Iberians have access to mounted javelineers that throw flaming projectiles. Their extra anti-building damage compensate for the Iberians' lack of siege weapons.
* [[MolotovTruck Molotov Boat]]: The only 'warship' available to the Iberians is the Fireship, a fishing ship that is on fire.

* RidiculouslyFastConstruction
* RightHandAttackDog: The Britons train war dogs.
* SiegeEngines: Like all the units, these are specific to each civilization with the exception of the Mauryans who doesn't use any.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To the ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' series.

* VeteranUnit: Not only will they improve their stats through combat experience, but also their looks with better armor, shield and weapons.