Arma 4 and Arma Reforger aren’t all Bohemia Interactive is currently working on. The Czechs have just announced Silica, an interesting mix of RTS and FPS.
Bohemia Interactive announced Silica – an intriguing combination of real-time strategy and shooter gameplay. This is another title from the Czech developer (in addition to new installments in the Arma series), which is developed on the team’s proprietary Enfusion engine.
The title will be available “soon” as part of Steam Early Access, in which it will remain for 9 to 12 months. Meanwhile, the game will cost 19.99 euros, and after leaving Early Access, the price will go up to 24.99 euros. The trailer for the project has been released below.
The story of Silica would have started in… 2008 with the idea of a man. The idea for the game was born in the mind of Martin “Dram” Melichárek almost a decade before Bohemia Interactive published the first project created under his supervision: the simulator Take on Mars.
It took until the creation of the Bohemia Incubator division (dedicated to experimental games) for this unusual idea to become possible.
Fight for resources in FPS or RTS formats.
Silica’s action takes place in the future (more than 300 years from now), on a planet thousands of light-years from Earth. It was here that Balterium was discovered, an extremely energy-efficient resource that could become the key to the conquest of space. Only that the surface of the planet Balterus hid another (extremely hostile) secret. On top of that, the previous unity of humanity is broken when it comes to dividing the Balterium deposits.
This story will be the background of the game, which will consist of 3 game modes, each allowing you to play in strategy or FPS mode as humans or insectoid aliens. In Silica we will find more than 20 units, and we will be able to command them all as in a typical RTS, or control them personally (usually from the first person point of view, but some units will use a TPP view).
Something to delight strategy fans… Source: Bohemia Interactive.
The developers also decided to abandon the “separate” tech tree: in RTS mode the available units are related to what we have on the map. Thus, if the enemy destroys a building related to the heavy infantry upgrade, we will lose access to it in the barracks until the structure in question is rebuilt.
This applies to both playable sides, although they also share many differences. Not only are the units different, but also the buildings (smaller and easier to hide for aliens, tougher for humans) and the resources used.
As mentioned, Silica offers three game modes: Strategy, Prospector and Arena. The first is the flagship hybrid variant, which allows players to join the conflict on up to three sides (the aliens and two human factions) as a real-time strategy commander or an infantryman straight out of a shooter game. the first person (or TPS). in the case of some units). ).
…and something for FPS fans Source: Bohemia Interactive.
The other two modes are strictly shot-based. Prospector focuses on human cooperation, while Arena is a ruthless and, quote, “unbalanced” battle royale.in which you choose one of more than 20 units and eliminate the rest of the players (or at least try to do so).
The idea of combining strategy with a shooter is not entirely new. The old-school Dungeon Keeper (and, albeit to a lesser extent, the early SpellForce) allowed for a view of the map from a minion perspective, and the concept of a multiplayer mix of RTS and FPS was made, among others. , Natural Selection 2, and even older Savage: The Battle for Newerth (even the fan-made Savage XR).
How Bohemia Interactive will handle this task will be revealed “soon”. April 20 will also see the first presentation of the game of Silica.