Silica News

Ready to explore the captivating aesthetics of Baltarus in your own unique way?

We've got just what you need! With our freecam feature, you can unleash your creativity and take full control of your experience.

Dive in and let your imagination run wild!

To use the free cam mode, follow the next steps:

1. Set Your Keyboard to English: Before anything else, ensure your keyboard is set to English.
2. Start the Game: and in the main menu, open the Console: Press the ` key (right under the Escape key) to toggle the console.
3. Enable Cheats: Once the console is open, type "cheats" to activate cheat mode.
4. Pick your map: In the console enter the map name, for example : Map riftbasin mp_sandbox.
All the other map names can be found here:
Badlands // CombatDome // GreatErg // MonumentValley // NarakaCity // RiftBasin

Pro Tips and shortcuts:

• Free-Fly Camera: Press the F key to enable or disable the free-fly camera.
• Access the Spawn Menu: Hit Backspace to launch the spawn menu. Use "-" and "=" to cycle through the menu, and switch between teams using "[" and "]".
• Spawn Units: Just press the number key associated with the unit to spawn it.
• Pause the Game: Press the Pause Break key to pause the action.
• Hide the HUD: Press G multiple times to fully hide the GUI (there are 3-4 layers of UIs).
• Change Time of Day: Hold down the "+" or "-" keys to adjust the time of day in-game.
• Adjust Field of View (FOV): Hold the mouse wheel button and scroll to change the FOV.
• Camera Binding: Right-click on any part of a vehicle or character to bind the camera to that point. Press it again to unbind. You can further tweak the camera smoothness in the options menu.
• Take Screenshots: Capture the moment by pressing PRT SCN or F12. If you use F12, your screenshots will automatically save via Steam.

Additional Recommendations for Enhanced Creativity:

• Disable AI: To prevent units from wandering off while setting up your scene, open the console and type ai to turn off AI.
• Disable Damage: Use the damage command to stop units from attacking each other during setup.
• Slow Motion: Hold the middle mouse button (third button) to put the game into slow motion for cinematic shots.
• Multiple GUI Layers: Press G 3-4 times to completely hide all UI elements.
• RTS to FreeCam: If you're using mp_sandbox, you can switch between RTS view and FreeCam with the "Toggle Strategy Mode" shortcut (default key: Right Enter). This feature is incredibly useful for preparing scenes, giving orders, and then recording.

Now you have all the knowledge to use the free cam functionality. We cannot wait to see your artwork so feel free to share them on our discord our on our social media.

Pro Tips for Conquering Baltarus from Our Ambassadors!

Whether you're a seasoned warrior or have just touched down on Baltarus, understanding the roles and mechanics of each unit can be a challenge. But don’t worry—we’ve got you covered!
Our ambassadors, LycanMB and LuchoGamingLB, have put together exactly the kind of tips you need to dominate the battlefield. Let’s dive into their insights!

Human and Alien Units: Who's Who on Baltarus?

Humans — From infantry units and tanks to utility vehicles and air support, the human factions of Centauri and SOL bring an arsenal of weapons and tools to seize control of Baltarus. Learn more about each playable unit and how to use them effectively in this video:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Aliens — Don’t be fooled by their primitive appearance! Aliens have a few tricks up their sleeves. With their incredible speed, organization, and adaptation to Baltarus' harsh climate, they’re a force to be reckoned with. Want to learn more about their unique abilities and strategies?

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Coop and what to do.

Now that you’ve got a grip on the basics, it's time to jump into the action! The INTRODUCTION MISSION is perfect for learning the ropes, whether you’re going solo or teaming up in co-op mode. It’s designed to give you all the tools and knowledge you need to become the ultimate soldier—or alien!
More information about this mission here: LINK

Looking for More tips ? 🎥

If you're feeling uncertain about what to do when you first land down on Baltarus, don't worry—LuchoGamingLB has you covered!
Check out his guide to master your initial steps on the battlefield.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

And if you’re flying solo but want to share the experience with others, join our community on Discord and find some active players to team up with!
See you on Baltarus, and stay tuned for more updates!

We’re thrilled to celebrate Bohemia Interactive's 25th anniversary with an exciting offer: Silica is now 20% off!
From September 12th to September 19th, seize this chance to dive into the intense battles of Baltarus.

If you haven't experienced the action yet, there's never been a better time to jump in, especially with our latest update that just released!

This update introduces a brand-new introductory mission, perfect for both new recruits and returning players.

You know what’s even better? You can enjoy this mission in co-op mode!

Find all the details about the update [HERE].



Looking for teammates to join you on the battlefield but don’t know anyone who plays yet? No worries! Join our community on Discord to connect with seasoned players and start your adventure together!

Don't miss out—get in on the action now!

"Look alive, Corporal! Colossal life form inbound. Prepare for heavy aerial assault. You are advised to converge fire on its central eye. Hang in there..."
-- Commander T. Sharp, Chronicles of B-Sector

Good afternoon citizens of Baltarus!

Another update just dropped, focusing on improved air vehicle AI, vastly increasing their viability. Work continues on AI at full-pace, as well as on the Sol structures, which we hope to release soon.

We also expanded the team to allow for greater development quality, pace and breadth.

What you can expect short-term from this is a new game mode coming in the next few updates, so stay tuned!

Lastly and most importantly, a new introductory mission has been added to help portray our vision for Silica 1.0, providing players a warm welcome into the world of Silica. This mission is possible to play cooperatively in multiplayer as well, and we encourage you to do so.

Thank you again for your support and welcome to those of you who just stumbled across the game. We truly do hope you have a wonderful weekend.

See you on Baltarus!




Silica V0.8.83:

Gameplay:

• Added: Introduction Mission to main menu
  
• Fixed: FPS view waypoint no longer fades out as much when looking directly at it
  
• Added: Rifle reload sound
  

Multiplayer:

• Added: Vehicles that are claimed can no longer be claimed by other players
  
• Improved: Network security, dropping packets from unknown sources or packets that are too large
  

AI:

• Fixed: Air vehicle AI would ram into target
  
• Improved: Aircraft flight behavior
  

Controls:

• Fixed: Input miss issue when mouse held down
  

A lovely late summer afternoon everyone!

Another build has gone up with numerous fixes, most importantly to the Harvesters which are now able to scale steep dunes just like a player. Additionally pathfinding info for each unit is heavily optimized and sent in a reduced form to each player on the team but in full form to the Commander (so he can see the path the AI will take exactly).

Lastly, the long-standing bug of annoying Barracks doors closing has been fixed as well.

The next update will continue to focus on AI, namely for alien expansion, so stay tuned!

Please enjoy and take care!

Gameplay:

• Fixed: Doors on clients would close after opening
  
• Fixed: Seemingly random null errors caused by optimization for object updates
  

AI:

• Fixed: Harvester gave up too early when climbing steep hills
  
• Fixed: Harvester docking correction algorithm would block it from docking backwards
  
• Fixed: Units could complete path early if there was just one waypoint
  
• Fixed: Harvester no longer gets stuck in Refinery while docking/undocking
  
• Fixed: Harvester could only deposit if the point was not claimed by another Harvester
  
• Fixed: Attacking units would recalculate pathfinding very often when target was moving
  
• Improved: Harvester docking algorithm better corrects for extreme angles and offsets from ideal path
  
• Improved: Commander AI builds Refineries based on needs
  
• Optimized: AI long range path is now only sent to players in the same team
  
• Optimized: AI long range path send is reduced to only the end point for non-commander players
  

Multiplayer:

• Fixed: When a player disconnected from the server it could leave it in an infinite loop of trying to disconnect the player
  
• Changed: Max packet buffer size from 2048 KB to 4096 KB