0 A.D.

0 A.D. (pronounced “zero-ey-dee”) is a free, open-source historical real-time strategy game developed by Wildfire Games, a global group of volunteer game developers. Players lead an ancient civilization, gather resources, raise a military force and compete to dominate their opponents.

Ancient warfare

The project emphasizes historically researched units and buildings, including names in languages such as Greek and Latin. Its setting explores hypothetical encounters between civilizations at their prime rather than reproducing a single historical conflict. The project overview describes a broader ambition covering 500 B.C. to 500 A.D., with the first edition focused on the final five centuries B.C.; this is project scope, not a promise that every planned civilization is already implemented. Playability sometimes takes precedence over historical accuracy.

Free software

The developers state that the game is free to download, with no freemium model or in-game advertising. The software can be redistributed and modified under the GPL; the art and sound can be reused under CC BY-SA subject to those licenses.

Development and macOS distribution

The project began in 2001 as a mod concept and moved to a standalone game in 2003, using its Pyrogenesis engine. The official overview describes it as still under development and warns that some features are missing. Homebrew currently records version 0.28.0 and supplies a native Apple-silicon DMG, with a separate x86_64 artifact for Intel Macs.

Sources

• Official project overview
• Official source repository
• Homebrew cask