User:GLaDOS ta potato/sandbox

= Silica = Silica is a game that blends FPS and RTS into a seamless experience where up to three factions can be controlled to try and dominate the vast landscapes found

on the planet Baltarus. This game allows you to either lead from above as a commander, allowing you to build structures and set orders for the infantry to follow, or, if FPS is your play style, take control of one of the many playable characters or vehicles and charge into battle against either aliens or humans. Either way, the amazing handcrafted maps and great graphics will provide a unique view for any mission and create even better backdrops for your inevitable battles.

As of 17/05/2023, the game is in early access and yet provides astonishing gameplay. It regularly receives updates and tweaks, all in accordance with user responses. With this game having a one-man dev team, Martin Melicharek has repeatedly put himself out in the community of Silica to listen and receive criticism and ideas that he soon implements into the game if it follows his vision. This game has also been backed by Bohemia Interactive, who have decided to stay out of the game's creation, giving complete freedom to its creator.

RTS mode
The RTS mode has the player looking down upon the map from a bird's-eye perspective and gives the player the ability to place structures and manipulate their units. In this mode, you will start off with a base of operations which allows you to place structures, a handful of currency, and some units. From here, you will have to place and instruct your harvesting units, either shrimp or harvesters, to build up your currency that you can then utilize to place barracks or lesser spawning cysts to spawn more units. In the beginning, your view over the map will mostly be shaded in darkness, so exploration with your units is key to both finding resources to harvest and locating the enemy.

Research is a key part of the game for all teams, and working your way up through the research should be a key activity. This will unlock new units for you to create and new structures, allowing you to create bigger and more impressive beasts or vehicles. Most unlocks in the game are done by upgrading a research structure, either the Research Facility or Quantum Cortex. However, some structures and units can only be created once other buildings are constructed.

Commanding your units is also a key part of the game. By highlighting a unit, you can control where it moves or whom it attacks. If attack commands aren't given but they come in contact with enemies, the AI will attack those units for you while still proceeding to your commanded location. Some units, like the harvester and the shrimp, can be set up and left to do a job continuously, whereas most attacking units will only move when commanded to and stop once they reach their allocated location.

FPS mode
The FPS mode has you start out as the most basic unit for each faction, either the Crab or Scout. You then have the ability to become a better unit via the psychic Link for the aliens or the Barracks for the humans. Humans also gain the ability to jump into vehicles that the commander creates. As these units, you will gain their abilities or skills, whether it be a secondary attack or a speed boost. Each unit has its place, and as the FPS player, you have the ability to control all of them.

When no commander is active, an AI will take over the command. It will build structures and allocate instructions to you and the other infantry. This AI will slowly work its way up the technology tree, eventually gaining the ability to create the peak vehicle or flagship of their faction.

How to win
No matter how you play, the goal of the game is simple: wipe out the enemy team or teams. To do this, your objective is to destroy all enemy structures. As for how that is done, that is for the player to decide. Once all the structures have been destroyed on one team, the game will end, and the server will restart. As of this post, there is no official victory screen.

Gameplay arena game mode
This game mode is a simple FPS shooter where you can choose from a range of combat units and jump in to start shooting at either your friends or AI opponents. When you die, it's as simple as choosing another class and respawning. There is no official end to this game mode.

Development and release
The game was released on May 3, 2023, under the publisher Bohemia Interactive, with its development being handled by the Bohemia Incubator team. The game's development itself is made up of a one-man team. Martin Melicharek has stated in interviews that he plans on keeping it this way until the 1.0 update, but he plans on asking for help primarily with map creation in the future. Martin Melicharek has been the coder, game designer, and music director on the game since its creation. He stated that this game has been a work in progress for many years, even before joining under Bohemia.

During the creation of the game, Martin Melicharek has employed the assistance of a few people to help bring his vision to life. He used Barbora Huckova to help create the maps, Gndrej Binar to assist with the game's UI design, and Scott Buckley to assist with the music. And while Bohemia Interactive will not have a direct impact on the game's development, they will be producing advertising for the game and providing some funding.