I've fooled around in sandbox for a bit, lost my first game against a single bot, and I have to say I do see potential here. I'm not entirely sure the direction, but if not here, it's still an excellent stepping stone for a niche I've grown fond of, and is terribly underdeveloped for. Of course, it's never easy to say so soon if this will end up perfectly balanced in the end; I, myself, only put in an hour or two. Good luck where-ever this idea takes you regardless.
This sort of concept is something I've pondered over myself a few times in the past, not in the least inspired by other forms of cellular automato and the thoughts of surviving in a https://dancingdots.itch.io/abstractia-worlds-like environment. I'm interested to see where you take this, and how it pans out if ever it manages to accumulate a proper crowd.
I noticed your profile lists a link to your projects' community, and I think this game especially would greatly benefit from such a dedicated place to share recordings, tactics, and interesting moments. Mind throwing it in here, or perhaps making another dedicated place?