0 A.D. vs Sid Meier's Civilization III
0 A.D.
0 A.D. is a really unique game not because it is possibly one of the most well-made, open-source, historical real-time strategy games we've ever seen; the game started off as a mod for Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings but ended up being a standalone game with its own game engine and everything. This is a pretty huge feat and puts 0 A.D. on the same level as other successful mod-turned games like Garry's Mod. However, the game may lose out a bit when it comes to popularity mainly because it's not available on Steam, which happens to be the current largest PC gaming platform, and partly because there isn't a lot of promoting from established gaming media, or marketing, even.That said, the game is incredibly impressive for an under-development and completely free game. You can play as a number of civilizations that has their own graphics and models to set them apart. There are also citizen-soldiers who like in real-life, can switch between gatheirng resources like a civilian and fighting as a soldier depending on need. Unlike certain RTS games that allow you to unlock every branch of the tech tree, this game offers technological tradeoffs between two equally important tech, forcing you to really consider your choices and pick one that fits your play style.
0 A.D. also tries to be as historically accurate as possible, conforming its 3D models and maps to actual historical depictions of the people and land back in the day. The effort into making game realistic is astounding, but of course, the devs have mentioned that if they had to choose between having a feature that's historically accurate or playable, they will definitely choose playable every time... naturally, since this is still mainly a game and all.
So, if you're interested, know that you can get the game for free on their site.
Sid Meier's Civilization III
Sid Meier's Civilization III is a compilation of the third iteration of the award-winning grand strategy game franchise, Civilization, as well as all its associated DLCs, namely the updated and enhanced multiplayer expansion in Civ 3: Play the World and new civilizations, scenarios, and features in Civ 3: Conquests. The game definitely improved on its predecessor by a mile, providing players with basically more ways to play. Due to this, the game has a depth that surpass the other games the franchise has produced.However, its multiplayer has been suspended but if you like, you can still play the game on LAN. Not to mention, many other aspects of the game, like the graphics and some of the features, are becoming rather dated as well. So, unless you plan on playing only single player or on LAN, you might want to grab a slightly newer version of the game if a deeper gameplay is what you crave.