Silica needs more time in the oven, even for an early access game. Originally only planned to be in a year of early access, it's been a year and ten days, yet it still has core issues that shouldn't exist anymore. As much as I want to recommend this game, even at the $20 price tag, it feels more like a playtest of a tech demo right now. It's so frustratingly close to being recommendable.
I am happy Martin pushed the release date from May 2024 to sometime in Q4 2024 to address performance, AI, and balancing issues, and continues to provide consistent updates. However, it’s the foundational gameplay mechanics that need to be solidified before layering the additional content such as new units, maps, and customization options from the roadmap.
The game lacks the core fundamentals required for a FPS and RTS game. The unit control from RTS games like Homeworld, StarCraft, and Company of Heroes, and the FPS and third person controls for infantry and ground and air vehicles from PlanetSide 2 would complete this game in such a meaningful way, that if also properly translated to the aliens, would put Silica into a league above all other games. But I fear the game maybe developing in the wrong order of steps, focusing on everything else rather than fixing fundamental issues.

My Reasoning and Feedback for the Developer:
The game was released in early access too soon, lacking the basic core functions of an RTS and being barebones as an FPS. While it's very impressive as a tech demonstration, there's barely any game. I do not want to discredit what the developer has achieved here—his work is hugely impressive. However, before adding, balancing, and changing more units, he might want to consider addressing the following three critical areas first:
1. Unit Controls for RTS: We need more unit controls on the RTS side. Look at other RTS games like Homeworld, StarCraft, and Company of Heroes. Develop a robust unit cover and formation system, drawing inspiration from Homeworld and Company of Heroes. Provide basic commands like patrol, move, attack, hold position, hold fire, etc., as seen in StarCraft and other RTS games. Currently, we only have basic right-click move commands. While the ability to hold shift to make units run or hold ctrl to make them sneak is nice, there needs to be more. We should be able to attack-move to locations so units either stop and attack (for artillery) or attack while moving (for other units). Implementing these fixes, even just the basic ones seen in the RTS games of the 90s, would easily change my review to recommended, especially at the $20 price point.
2. Netcode: The game needs better netcode. How is it that a game with such barebones gameplay requires a better network than Homeworld, StarCraft II, CoD, or even Armored Core 6? Those games run fine in multiplayer at my house, the local university, etc., but Silica always finds a way to introduce ghost damage issues, even when connected to someone in the “same region” as me. Rarely, players lag out so badly they become invisible to everyone on the enemy team because, according to the server, they haven’t left spawn, yet they can still deal damage across the map.
3. AI Improvements: The AI, especially for resource collectors, needs significant improvement. Harvesters should not get confused, lost, stuck, or cluster together instead of harvesting. Aliens should not get stuck on rocks they can climb over. How does this even happen? I saw 36 shrimp stuck on one rock on the Monuments map. Flying units with ranged attacks should never touch the ground, especially since they take damage for doing so. Given the scale of the maps and the world, things should be more automated, especially since this is a selling point for the game, facilitating easy swapping between FPS and RTS modes. Fixing these issues and those mentioned above would make me willing to pay triple the current $20 price tag and buy it for friends.

Further Suggestions:
The following are areas that are also hurting the game, but not to as great a degree as the previous 3:
• Core Units, Structures, and Research: Flesh out the core units, structures, and research components. Add more researchables, make researching feel more rewarding, and include upgrades for harvesters and foragers. Add weapon and armor upgrades for all units, starting with the basic units for both races. Build out those RTS features. Expand on the FPS features, adding grenades (perhaps as a tech research) and melee combat for the humans.
• Infantry Improvements: Human infantry needs a buff, as the basic alien units are very strong while the human infantry are quite weak. Consider giving them sidearms, melee options, and grenades. Add a cover system similar to Company of Heroes, as you already seem to have the basics for one. Instead of training only one single unit at a time, consider treating them like Zerglings in StarCraft, producing multiple units at a time for the cost and build time of one. Add the Transport truck from the arena to the strategy game and include a toggle for auto-deploying the infantry troops at a destination. They are far too slow for the scale of the game to not be able to tag along on any vehicle without player control. This would make heavy units and commandos more useful, as you can craft a whole squad, load them into the truck, and send it in much faster than they could travel alone. Alternatively, allow infantry not controlled by a player to use teleporters. This could be another useful feature for the transport truck: deploy it like a PlanetSide Sunderer, and teleport barracks units to it automatically, similar to how shrimp and harvesters pathfind to the nearest resource location.
• Building Nodes for Aliens: Building nodes for aliens is currently very tedious and time-consuming. Most players don't see the benefit and miss out on having shrimp, resource nodes, and bio caches nearby. To fix this, allow building queuing. The system already indicates buildable locations that are out of range. Let the player place a beacon or similar marker, and as soon as it becomes buildable, construction starts. This would incentivize scouting resources and building nodes and silos.

My Conclusion:
Silica has the potential to become a defining RTS and a captivating FPS. However, it must first perfect the core mechanics that form the heart of each genre. A task I do not envy. That being said, I eagerly await the game’s evolution and the day I can wholeheartedly recommend it to friends. Martin’s solo development journey is impressive, and with the right adjustments, Silica would be my game of 2024. I really want this game to do well, I want that to be apparent and do not want to discourage Martin from continuing to work on it. I also hope this review doesn’t scare off future players, but rather serves as a message to wait until it gets there. Most of the issues here Martin is already working on, I just feel that it may perhaps be in the wrong order.

Silica needs more time in the oven, even for an early access game. Originally only planned to be in a year of early access, it's been a year and ten days, yet it still has core issues that shouldn't exist anymore. As much as I want to recommend this game, even at the $20 price tag, it feels more like a playtest of a tech demo right now. It's so frustratingly close to being recommendable. I am happy Martin pushed the release date from May 2024 to sometime in Q4 2024 to address performance, AI, and balancing issues, and continues to provide consistent updates. However, it’s the foundational gameplay mechanics that need to be solidified before layering the additional content such as new units, maps, and customization options from the roadmap. The game lacks the core fundamentals required for a FPS and RTS game. The unit control from RTS games like Homeworld, StarCraft, and Company of Heroes, and the FPS and third person controls for infantry and ground and air vehicles from PlanetSide 2 would complete this game in such a meaningful way, that if also properly translated to the aliens, would put Silica into a league above all other games. But I fear the game maybe developing in the wrong order of steps, focusing on everything else rather than fixing fundamental issues. My Reasoning and Feedback for the Developer: The game was released in early access too soon, lacking the basic core functions of an RTS and being barebones as an FPS. While it's very impressive as a tech demonstration, there's barely any game. I do not want to discredit what the developer has achieved here—his work is hugely impressive. However, before adding, balancing, and changing more units, he might want to consider addressing the following three critical areas first: 1. Unit Controls for RTS: We need more unit controls on the RTS side. Look at other RTS games like Homeworld, StarCraft, and Company of Heroes. Develop a robust unit cover and formation system, drawing inspiration from Homeworld and Company of Heroes. Provide basic commands like patrol, move, attack, hold position, hold fire, etc., as seen in StarCraft and other RTS games. Currently, we only have basic right-click move commands. While the ability to hold shift to make units run or hold ctrl to make them sneak is nice, there needs to be more. We should be able to attack-move to locations so units either stop and attack (for artillery) or attack while moving (for other units). Implementing these fixes, even just the basic ones seen in the RTS games of the 90s, would easily change my review to recommended, especially at the $20 price point. 2. Netcode: The game needs better netcode. How is it that a game with such barebones gameplay requires a better network than Homeworld, StarCraft II, CoD, or even Armored Core 6? Those games run fine in multiplayer at my house, the local university, etc., but Silica always finds a way to introduce ghost damage issues, even when connected to someone in the “same region” as me. Rarely, players lag out so badly they become invisible to everyone on the enemy team because, according to the server, they haven’t left spawn, yet they can still deal damage across the map. 3. AI Improvements: The AI, especially for resource collectors, needs significant improvement. Harvesters should not get confused, lost, stuck, or cluster together instead of harvesting. Aliens should not get stuck on rocks they can climb over. How does this even happen? I saw 36 shrimp stuck on one rock on the Monuments map. Flying units with ranged attacks should never touch the ground, especially since they take damage for doing so. Given the scale of the maps and the world, things should be more automated, especially since this is a selling point for the game, facilitating easy swapping between FPS and RTS modes. Fixing these issues and those mentioned above would make me willing to pay triple the current $20 price tag and buy it for friends. Further Suggestions: The following are areas that are also hurting the game, but not to as great a degree as the previous 3: • Core Units, Structures, and Research: Flesh out the core units, structures, and research components. Add more researchables, make researching feel more rewarding, and include upgrades for harvesters and foragers. Add weapon and armor upgrades for all units, starting with the basic units for both races. Build out those RTS features. Expand on the FPS features, adding grenades (perhaps as a tech research) and melee combat for the humans. • Infantry Improvements: Human infantry needs a buff, as the basic alien units are very strong while the human infantry are quite weak. Consider giving them sidearms, melee options, and grenades. Add a cover system similar to Company of Heroes, as you already seem to have the basics for one. Instead of training only one single unit at a time, consider treating them like Zerglings in StarCraft, producing multiple units at a time for the cost and build time of one. Add the Transport truck from the arena to the strategy game and include a toggle for auto-deploying the infantry troops at a destination. They are far too slow for the scale of the game to not be able to tag along on any vehicle without player control. This would make heavy units and commandos more useful, as you can craft a whole squad, load them into the truck, and send it in much faster than they could travel alone. Alternatively, allow infantry not controlled by a player to use teleporters. This could be another useful feature for the transport truck: deploy it like a PlanetSide Sunderer, and teleport barracks units to it automatically, similar to how shrimp and harvesters pathfind to the nearest resource location. • Building Nodes for Aliens: Building nodes for aliens is currently very tedious and time-consuming. Most players don't see the benefit and miss out on having shrimp, resource nodes, and bio caches nearby. To fix this, allow building queuing. The system already indicates buildable locations that are out of range. Let the player place a beacon or similar marker, and as soon as it becomes buildable, construction starts. This would incentivize scouting resources and building nodes and silos. My Conclusion: Silica has the potential to become a defining RTS and a captivating FPS. However, it must first perfect the core mechanics that form the heart of each genre. A task I do not envy. That being said, I eagerly await the game’s evolution and the day I can wholeheartedly recommend it to friends. Martin’s solo development journey is impressive, and with the right adjustments, Silica would be my game of 2024. I really want this game to do well, I want that to be apparent and do not want to discourage Martin from continuing to work on it. I also hope this review doesn’t scare off future players, but rather serves as a message to wait until it gets there. Most of the issues here Martin is already working on, I just feel that it may perhaps be in the wrong order.