When comparing 0 A.D. vs BattleBlock Theater, the Slant community recommends 0 A.D. for most people. In the question“What are the best games on Linux?” 0 A.D. is ranked 16th while BattleBlock Theater is ranked 38th. The most important reason people chose 0 A.D. is:
Still currently in development, 0 A.D. is currently in Alpha stages and completely free. For those willing to wade through the multiple bugs, essentially testing the title, this game will scratch the itch of any RTS fan on a shoestring budget.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Free, Real-Time Strategy title actively being developed
Still currently in development, 0 A.D. is currently in Alpha stages and completely free. For those willing to wade through the multiple bugs, essentially testing the title, this game will scratch the itch of any RTS fan on a shoestring budget.
Pro Multi-platform support
The game will run on any Operating System, whether it be Linux, OSX, or Windows, which is great for people who dual-boot or use multiple OS's across their devices. No matter the OS used, one can install and play this game.
Pro Addictive Age of Empires style gameplay
This game can be seen as a spiritual successor to Age of Empires, thus it will provide similar gameplay to those who are familiar with the AoE series.
Pro Straightforward RTS gameplay
0 A.D. brings recognizable, straightforward, Real-Time Strategy gameplay to the players. With a mini-map in the bottom corner, resources shown in a bar at the bottom, and unit selection through double clicking, all of the major elements found in most RTS games is here, making for a very familiar game for those that are used to the genre.
Pro Code is open-source
Even if the current developer team chooses to no longer work on the game, others can keep contributing to the source code and modify it.
Pro Active development
By being in active development the game allows for frequent bug fixes as well as frequent new content. While it is still in alpha, the state of the game playability is pretty good with new features being added all the time.
Pro Co-op adds a completely new element of coordination to the gameplay
There is a modified co-op campaign that requires players to coordinate their actions to succeed. This makes it a fun couch co-op game due to the importance of communication (as well as how fun it is to grief your teammate in person).
Pro Thought-out presentation that balances style and humor well
The witty humor, enjoyable songs and cutscenes all demonstrate the high level of care and consideration that went into BattleBlock’s design. These things all add up to a game with polish that still stays unique enough to stand out.
Pro Good mix of co-op and PvP multiplayer modes keeps the game enticing
The 2-player co-op campaign is very similar to the single-player one, except that it requires cooperation between the two players. It can be played online or with 2 local players. There is also an arena mode with competitive levels that supports up to 4 players (local, online, or mixed). This gives a good variety of online and local play modes, which should keep the game fresh.
Pro No difficulty spikes, the game is very well balanced
The difficulty curve for Battle Block Theater is so evenly programmed that the player will barely notice things are getting harder. It really does an impressive job of training the player to handle any challenge the game throws at them.
Pro Endless replayability through the level editor and its easily sharable creations
The game has a built-in level editor, and levels (or level packs) can be shared through the Steam Workshop. This makes for a situation where there is an inordinate amount of content for the player to try out, or even create themselves.
Pro Sort of funny but not too much
Light hearted gaming that you can play with your significant other.
Cons
Con Currently in alpha
0 A.D. is an ongoing open source project that is as of yet feature complete.
Con Slow development
0 A.D. is an ongoing open source project that is as of yet feature incomplete. This game is still in Alpha version 23 Ken Wood as of September 2020.
Con Competitive play feels lackluster
Competitive play is not as enjoyable as the co-op modes due to stiff combat. The mechanics of this wear out pretty quickly.