0 A.D., the open-source RTS game that could radically alter the gaming scene on Ubuntu when it’s completed, recently reached another milestone with its third pre-alpha release. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s playable yet in any meaningful sense. But it has come a long way since we last checked in with the project in March 2010, so here are some updates.

When we spoke last spring with project leader Erik Johannson, 0 A.D. was in a period of transition. Its developers were testing new strategies for attracting programming help and other assistance for the project, which has been active since 2001 and had been in a bit of a stall.

Fast-forward to the present and several things have changed.