I was a very active programmer on the 0 A.D. team for a few years, but before the birth of this modern engine. The team is extremely high-quality, and the team leader/founder is very passionate about the project.

0 A.D. has been in development for over seven years (it is a very ambitious project). It does seem that over the past few years progress has slowed a bit. However, this is a very professional, modern engine which I highly recommend you take a look at! Programmers have even developed some of the more boring components such as level editors, converters for 3D Studio Max, etc., which are more rare to find in custom engines.

Here is the 0 A.D. home page, since it was not linked to earlier: http://wildfiregames.com/0ad/

Two problems, both personal:

I love Real Time Strategy games and this looks like something (more ambitious than) the Civilization family of games ... which cost me two years of my early adulthood.

I write software and I'd want nothing more than to see something like this "happen".

... I have a wife and kids, now. I'm going to have to pretend I never clicked that link.

If nothing else, they got a great name (good candidate for showing up first in any alphabetical list)

This is an interesting problem.

You're right. They'd be the Aardvark.

I remember looking for a movie that had a number in the title at a local movie rental place ten years ago (both the name of the movie and the place escapes me). I expected to find them in front of the "A" movies only to discover that they had alphabetized assuming the number was spelled.

Sad to say, the movie was probably something along the lines of "10 Things I Hate About You" being spelled Ten Things I Hate About You, but as a geek and a man, I am unwilling to admit that.

Put in some preceding exclamation points and some spaces for good measure and they'll live in infamy in (almost) every usenet newsreader.

>but as a geek and a man, I am unwilling to admit [watching a chick flick].

I downloaded a couple of "Next Top Model" and "Project Runway" seasons for my girl friend.

If I get one of those extortion letters, I will pay without going to court! :-)

(I think it isn't illegal to d/l TV where I live, but they change the laws around.)

A great move. 0 A.D. has been hyped for years and years, and with what seems like a dwindling user base (who can wait 8+ years?), open sourcing 0 A.D. will give them more coverage and momentum. Hopefully some new developers will join the team and get this thing finished and playable.