New elements introduced in the next major update of Black One Blood Brothers. The different forms of water and underwater movement take center stage in this article, serving as a first taste of the upcoming previews for Black One Blood Brothers Early Access 2.10.
Let’s dive in!
While water has always been present across various maps in the game, until now it was merely part of the scenery, with no possible interaction outside of aquatic insertion cinematics. For Helios, however, it was only a matter of time before this aspect became a true gameplay element. “In a tactical infiltration game, every element should be able to create new opportunities, and water is clearly one of them.”
That said, the entire system had to be designed so that water interaction would go far beyond being just a gimmick. Making the AI functional, creating the animations, adjusting underwater pathfinding, and adapting many maps around this feature to provide new strategic options for players all required a solid technical foundation.
That is why the migration to Unreal Engine 5 proved decisive. “As soon as the migration to Unreal Engine 5.7 was complete, I started integrating the new water system and modifying many existing maps to prepare them for underwater movement. Adding water was only the beginning: I also had to rethink certain areas so this new mechanic would have real strategic value. That means creating access points, areas where players can enter or exit the water, alternative routes, but also designing situations where using water can genuinely change the way a mission is approached. Depending on the map, it can be used to avoid confrontation, discreetly approach an objective, bypass defenses, or simply offer more freedom in how an operation is planned.”
Adding such a complete system naturally comes with its own set of challenges, especially since water is a fluid environment where characters must move in a coherent and realistic way while respecting the natural motion of waves and surfaces. “In a game like Black One Blood Brothers, characters cannot simply float or move in an approximate way. Animations, transitions, body positioning, equipment, height management relative to the water surface, ultimately the entire general behavior must remain believable for both the player and OPFOR. On top of that comes the complexity of AI behavior around this new element. There is no miracle solution: you have to test the concept, iterate, fix, and adjust constantly until you are satisfied.”
Sometimes, game development also leads to questions you do not immediately think about, especially when it comes to equipment. “With this new strategic element, I had to think about how the mechanic would integrate into mission preparation. That is how the ‘Scuba Gear’ kit came to life. It allows equipped operators to stay underwater much longer without needing to surface as frequently as a non-equipped operator. This kind of addition also impacts the pacing of the game. You have to balance the freedom given to the player with the necessary constraints that keep the experience interesting. The goal is not to make every underwater infiltration easy or automatic, but to provide an additional option that is useful in certain situations and coherent with the equipment selected.”
Whatever your playstyle may be, this addition should provide new ways to have fun, create increasingly complex plans, and embrace an undeniably cinematic side of the game. Underwater infiltration is not only strategically impactful, it also carries its own unique atmosphere. Without replacing other approaches, it becomes an equally compelling option. As always in Black One Blood Brothers, freedom of approach remains the most important aspect.
“The addition of swimming opens up many possibilities for the future, whether in terms of gameplay, level design, or tactical situations. Future maps will make greater use of this mechanic, but I would rather not go into details for now in order to preserve some surprise. For the moment, however, the main objective is to continue improving the feature throughout the next updates. Like many major systems in the game, the first integration serves as a strong foundation, but it is meant to evolve: movement feel adjustments, AI behavior improvements, refined transitions, better equipment integration, and of course overall optimization. I want this component to gradually become a key part of the gameplay, not just a one-off feature. It will therefore continue to be reworked and refined over time, based both on my own testing and on player feedback once they have had the opportunity to use it in real gameplay conditions.”
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Kane, out.