MegaGlest
The game
MegaGlest is an entertaining free (freeware and free software) and open source cross-platform 3D real-time strategy (RTS) game, where you control the armies of one of seven different factions: Tech, Magic, Egypt, Indians, Norsemen, Persian or Romans. The game is setup in one of 17 naturally looking settings, which -like the unit models- are crafted with great appreciation for detail. A lot of additional game data can be downloaded from within the game at no cost.
Gameplay
A game of MegaGlest takes place on a map of varying size, such as large plains and fields, with terrain features like rivers, mountains, seas, or cliffs. Players must establish settlements to gain resources, defend against other players, and train units to explore the map and attack enemies. Different resources have to be gathered by every faction. This can be energy, food, gold, housing, stone and wood. Choose a faction and create its different units and buildings while developing its unique abilities over the course of the game. But beware: micro management and strategy matter, so chose wisely when deciding which units to use when and where if you want a chance to beat the enemy.
Platforms
While the game is officially supported on Linux and Windows, community contributed builds exist for several other platforms, too. Up to eight players fight in cross-platform multi-player games (over Internet or LAN) against each other, or against CPU (A.I.) players of various fine grained difficulty levels.
History
MegaGlest is heavily based on the widely known Glest, which it forked from in early 2010. In early 2012, MegaGlest has started replacing Glest in major Linux distributions. Like its predecessor, MegaGlest is available under liberal licensing terms and can be downloaded and played free of charge.