[Update] Silica V0.8.115 - New map: Polaris Outpost

Hello everyone!

The last major update of the year is finally here and brings a lot of exciting changes to the game.

New map: Polaris Outpost.

One of the key additions is the brand-new map: Polaris Outpost

Located at the extreme north pole of Baltarus, this map is drastically different from the hot and arid climate, usually iconic from the planet.

Crimson Peak now available in siege mode:

However, this new map is not the only new addition coming with this update.

The siege mode added in November is now playable on Crimson Peak our latest battlefield added to the game.

Beware soldiers, as this time you will be able to defend the base against relentless hordes of Aliens under the dark grim sky of the Centauri Homeworld!

Do you have what it takes to triumph?

Respawn selection in Strategy mode:

Lastly, respawn selection has been added to the Strategy game mode, allowing you to target more accurately your key objectives.

The life of a soldier has never been so cheap in the eyes of the commanders, so get ready to go back to the meat grinder in the bat of an eye!

Full patchnote:

You can find the detailed patch note of this update below:

Gameplay:

Added: Sandbox game mode (one player is the game master, the other play the scenario out)

Added: Polaris Outpost map

Added: Strategy game mode respawn selection

Added: Siege mode to Crimson Peak

Changed: Hover Bike spawn now has 1 minute timeout

AI:

Improved: AI aim offset based on skill now smoother

Improved: Harvester docking algorithm, preventing stuck harvesters

Fixed: Harvester stuck on the spot mining when the harvesting point was around 120deg to its side

Fixed: Harvester endlessly looping around a harvesting point when it was within its turning circle

Fixed: Harvester sometimes did not reach desired resource position when close by and was stuck on the spot

Fixed: Vehicles that are flipped and AI controlled wait to be unflipped

UI:

Added: Personal resources displayed in purchase menus

Added: Siege mode displays expected resources (income minus existing unit costs)

Technical:

Fixed: Camera console command to copy camera coordinates works with all keyboard layouts

Fixed: Small memory leak when wheeled vehicles checked if they were not driving off the navigation mesh

Multiplayer:

Added: Server chat message when a player enters/leaves commander role in Strategy

Added: 30s countdown for AI taking command after a player leaves commander role in Strategy

Fixed: Player-controlled vehicle turrets with target-leading aimed incorrectly on server/clients

What’s coming next?!

Unfortunately, the AI collision rework was not fully completed to be implemented in this update, but we hope to release it at the beginning of next year.

The point of this rework is to avoid vehicles (yes, Harvester, we are talking about you) colliding and getting stuck.

This change should greatly improve the gameplay experience and make the players’ experience smoother.

Yet again, thank you for your patience regarding the AI. We are looking forward to having it nice and perfected by the end of January/February 2025.

Your feedback is always appreciated and welcomed, so feel to jump on our discord, to interact with our team and make sure to not miss any major beats.

Finally, on behalf of Silica’s entire team,

We would like to wish you all a very wonderful end of the year, your support has been amazing all year long and we cannot wait to share more experiences with you for the upcoming year. Thanks for being part of this journey with us,

All the best,

See you on icy plains of Polaris Outpost!