Silica News

A wonderful afternoon everyone!

We just released hotfix update 0.8.78 which fixed a new issue regarding Harvester pathfinding that popped up in the latest build.
A few other improvements regarding Harvester AI have also been included.

Take care!

Fixed: Pathfinding looped when final destination was off-navmesh
Fixed: Harvester could stop and stay on the spot when harvesting due to constant completion of path bug

Improved: Harvester prefers resource cells that are in front rather than to random sides
Improved: Harvester keeps mining arms going as long as resources are nearby
Improved: AI Commander builds more refineries

Greetings everyone!

We have just released an update focusing almost exclusively on multiplayer networking both in terms of stability and scalability. We have moved from the old Steam Networking API to the new Steam Networking Sockets API. This was a massive change requiring a significant time investment, requiring the AI overhaul to be put on hold. With this done, AI takes the top of the priority list again, so expect to see big improvements in this regard very soon.

Additionally, numerous performance optimizations have also made it in, further improving framerate.
In any case, a list of changes is detailed below. Again, thank you for your support and especially patience. Silica is a complex work of passion that takes a ton of work to polish and we are all looking forward to the day we release a perfected 1.0.

Take care and see you on the surface!

Silica V0.8.76:

Gameplay:

• Added: Aim compensation for Siege Tank and Armed Transport
  
• Added: Chat, TeamChat and ServerChat console commands
  
• Added: Structure rally points
  
• Changed: Siege Tank projectile now has ballistic arc
  
• Changed: Squid may use both speed boost attack and explode attack at the same time
  
• Fixed: Crab stop/start/stop motion on lower FPS
  

Multiplayer:

• Added: Sending packets through lanes, separating reliable and unreliable
  
• Changed: Overhauled Steam networking layer to use Steam Networking Sockets
  
• Fixed: Server advertised only once fully loaded
  
• Fixed: Trying to connect while loading could result in not being able to join again
  
• Fixed: Net Update packets were being sent as reliable (should be unreliable)
  
• Fixed: Messages remained in the read buffer, allowing them to build up
  
• Fixed: When connection is ended but not informed, disconnect client/server if sending a packet returns no connection
  

Controls:

• Fixed: Input stuttering from noisy devices
  
• Fixed: Commander unit selection window not cleared on open menu
  

Performance:

• Optimized: CreatureTurret LOS check uses batched raycasts
  
• Optimized: Soldier LOS check now uses batched Raycasts
  
• Optimized: AI pathfinding calls spread out over time
  
• Optimized: Damage synchronization
  
• Optimized: Use poll group for client connections on server for faster reading
  
• Optimized: Network traffic based on load for damage and pathfinding paths
  
• Optimized: Unreliable packets not sent for a while if the send buffer is full
  
• Optimized: Projectiles multithreading
  
• Optimized: Soldiers and aliens no longer use animated colliders, using a custom algorithm
  

Balance:

• Changed: Squid explode damage from 2500 to 3500
  
• Changed: Dragonfly Health from 200 to 300
  
• Changed: Dragonfly speed from 35 to 45
  
• Changed: Dragonfly latch on force from 3.5 to 5
  
• Changed: Wasp Health from 200 to 300
  
• Changed: Wasp latch on force from 3.5 to 5
  
• Changed: Fighter magazine size from 100 to 40
  

"Commander, this is [REDACTED] reporting in. Several incoming hostiles detected, approaching fast, requesting backup... Holy sh... Mayday! Mayday! Unit [REDACTED] just took a hit and is going down! Need immediate assistance! Several squid-like bogies are closing... [SIGNAL LOST]"
-- Last transmission of the Aerial Covert Ops team

A pleasant morning or afternoon to you all!
An update has just been released focusing on optimization as well as the addition of the Squid, a kamikaze alien unit that is intended to counter human air units, though serves the purpose against ground units as well.
Some balancing changes have also made it in while the focus shifts to the planned, sweeping overhaul of AI. This will continue for some time, so stay tuned!

Without your support the game would not be half of what it is today, so a very personal thank you from the team.

Take care and see you in the skies of Baltarus!

Gameplay:

• Added: Squid alien unit
  

Technical:

• Added: Linux Dedicated Server support
  
• Changed: Upgraded to Steamworks.NET version 20.2.0 and Steamworks SDK 1.57
  
• Fixed: Movement values were normalized leading to reduced turning speed in vehicles
  
• Fixed: AI pathfinding could get broken when soldiers decided to go for cover
  
• Fixed: Linux-related screen size issue caused console spam and broken build
  
• Fixed: AI Commander did not use human air units
  
• Fixed: AI Commander did not use alien air units
  

Controls:

• Added: Support for alternate keybinds and validation
  
• Added: Sneak key to alien air
  
• Changed: Resetting binds uses global binds as defaults if they exist
  
• Changed: Bind validation revamp
  
• Fixed: Various input related bugs
  
• Fixed: Alt shift no longer resets sensitivity
  

Performance:

• Optimized: AI Commander construction placement raycasts multithreaded
  
• Optimized: Fog of war textures for non-player teams only created when needed
  
• Optimized: Team losing target no longer causes frametime spikes in unit/structure heavy scenes
  
• Optimized: Character controller spherecasts multithreaded
  
• Optimized: Update FPS hand animations only for the locally controlled soldier
  
• Optimized: Turret aiming raycasts multithreaded
  
• Optimized: Hovered vehicle jets only modulated when closer than 100m
  
• Optimized: Air vehicle jets and vfx only modulated when closer than 200m
  
• Optimized: Check risk of friendly fire algorithm
  
• Optimized: Animator deactivation on distance
  
• Optimized: GetBaseGameObject, GetHighestParent and GetDamageManager now uses cached results
  
• Optimized: Cached AIAgent, UnitCameraController and CrosshairInfo in Units automatically
  
• Optimized: Camera, CrosshairInfo and AIAgent precached references to all units
  

Multiplayer:

• Fixed: Player score incorrectly incremented by number of players
  
• Fixed: Day/night cycle switching to day suddenly when a player joined
  
• Fixed: Players remained on a team at the end of a Strategy game restart
  
• Fixed: Voice chat no longer worked at the end of a match
  

Balance:

• Changed: Fighter bullet range from 4000m to 600m
  
• Changed: Fighter bullet speed from 800m/s to 1600m/s
  
• Changed: Dropship bullet range from 2500m to 1000m
  
• Changed: Gunship bullet range from 2000m to 1000m
  
• Changed: Thorn Spire targeting range from 500m to 650m
  
• Changed: Hive Spire targeting range from 300m to 450m
  
• Changed: Hive Spire shots range from 800m to 550m
  
• Changed: Dragonfly side-strafe speed to 25% of forward
  
• Changed: Dragonfly rearward speed to 50% of forward
  

FX:

• Improved: Light Quad engine sounds
  
• Improved: Heavy Quad engine sounds
  

Dear Silica Community,

Summer has arrived in the scorched deserts of Baltarus, bringing with it the Steam Summer Sale. Get Silica for 20% off for yourself or your friends and experience the unique crossover of FPS and RTS, where up to three factions battle for control over the battlefield.

This offer is available from now until July 11th.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1494420/Silica/

Already have Silica? Why not try other discounted games from Bohemia Interactive?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/221100/DayZ/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1874880/Arma_Reforger/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/107410/Arma_3/

And if you are a fan of DayZ, don’t forget to wishlist the newly announced expansion, Frostline:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2968040/DayZ_Frostline/

"I was there; I had seen it. The lining of the cyst burst to reveal a creature of horrific visage. No eyes to behold, yet a lust for violence to match the greatest of gladiators. It strode through the biotic mass from whence it came, then turned directly towards us. There was but a moment's pause, then; carnage. Without warning, a powerful beam eviscerated Corporal Adrian, borne of the monster's prominent posterior. We fled, but the Behemoth persisted. I recall a violent impact, and then... nothing. But I was fortunate; crushed beneath a mound of dirt and rock, I remained concealed while my detachment was devoured in the night. By daylight, I had made it back to base..."
-- Captain Geiger, lone survivor of the Advanced Forward Reconnaissance Team

A warm summer welcome to everyone!
Today's update introduces numerous fixes, improvements and importantly, a new control keybinding system. Additionally, the Behemoth has received a much needed rework, bringing it in line with other units that have received such. This was a side-step to the current, main focus of improving respawn mechanics and AI collision avoidance, but was highly requested.
Several recurring multiplayer issues have also been addressed, as well as further improvements to performance.

Thank you again for your support and have a wonderful week!
See you on the surface.

Gameplay:

• Added: Full controls keybinding system
  
• Changed: Behemoth appearance including the addition of a tail-like appendage
  
• Changed: Behemoth now fires a beam instead of ball-insects
  

Balance:

• Improved: Scorpion acid ball range increased and AI aim calculation fixed
  
• Improved: AI will fire on Scorpion when its tail is visible over an edge
  
• Improved: AI will fire on Shocker when its tail is visible over an edge
  

Performance:

• Fixed: Memory leak related to deleted units staying in memory
  
• Fixed: Pathfinding memory overhead for units that are destroyed but not deleted
  
• Optimized: Precomputed terrain physics material indices for all maps - Stops the huge up to 10s spike at the start of every match
  
• Optimized: Impact decals now fade on GPU instead of CPU
  
• Optimized: Animated units use lower quality animation when far from the camera and completely disable animation when very far
  
• Optimized: Terrain pixel error settings increased on lower terrain detail settings
  
• Optimized: Harvester pistons updated only on change
  
• Optimized: Balterium decals disabled all at once instead of individually
  
• Optimized: Audio effects' volume and pitch changed only for audible sounds
  
• Optimized: Vehicle ground particle FX updates limited to 100 instances per frame
  
• Optimized: Clearing of map team layer changed to Array.Clear() instead of a loop
  
• Optimized: Caching of construction site values, updating on change instead of per frame
  

Technical:

• Fixed: Don't cull BaseGameObjects when the camera is inside them
  
• Fixed: ServerSettings.xml could not be saved bug that could occur while it was being read
  
• Added: Server communication ports now in ServerSettings.xml
  
• Added: GameSettings.xml and ServerSettings.xml may also be placed into game files root folder and are used from there, if present
  
• Added: Logging of large, unexpected changes in day time
  

Multiplayer:

• Fixed: Player names were sent as part of initial player list packet, filling it up when max bytes was reached
  
• Fixed: Server did not consider connecting players for maximum, allowing more than maximum number to join
  
• Fixed: When server or client receives any data from client or server, heartbeat is considered received, fixing some disconnects
  
• Added: Logging of player name change/init on server
  
• Added: 'Spawn' console command now has optional input team and position/rotation (use 'Camera' command for current cam data)
  
• Fixed: 'Spawn' console command flooded packet when called on admin client to server
  
• Fixed: New server log naming did not work on Windows, failed to create log
  

Debugging:

• Added: 'Lights' console command to toggle hiding of lights on game objects for debugging purposes
  
• Added: Logging of floor area (in m^2) when logging navmesh recalculation times
  
• Changed: Server.log now renamed to Server_YY_MM_DD__HH:SS.log to ensure dedicated server history is maintained
  
• Fixed: Stream Writer did not log the calling function