Black One Blood Brothers News

A small corrective update that will notably change an important aspect of the game: textures. Some had a resolution that was too high for rendering needs. This improvement significantly reduces the overall game size and enhances game and level loading times.

Cheers,
Helios

[PATCHLOG]
- Improvement: A lot of textures with very high resolutions have been reduced to optimize many level load times
- Fix: Landscape geometry on "Enila Islands - Tanavia" map
- Fix: Flickering of certain textures on the "Lost Island" map
- Fix: Some AI errors
- Fix: Some Steam Achievements

Attention, Operators. Black One Blood Brothers Early Access Update **"Western Forces"** is now live. Let’s deep dive into what you can expect from this update:





Time to head to the squad editor: the Western Forces are here! This update brings a wide array of new equipment, weapons, and gear inspired by Western nations. From new backpacks, gloves, and tactical pouches to grips, suppressors, barrels, and base weapons, you now have the tools to shape your squad exactly how you envision it. Will you opt for a fully realistic approach, or craft a unique mix-and-match setup using your favorite components? The choice is yours!





Your feedback has always been our priority, and improving AI is at the core of this update. Enemy NPCs now feature new resting stances when idle, adding a touch of realism to their behavior. Alongside their existing animations, discussions, and poses, they can now patrol with flashlights, scouring every corner for signs of your operators at night. No stone will be left unturned. Pay close attention to their actions: enemies will now take cover more intelligently, adapting to their environment in smarter ways. Additionally, squad improvements have been made to enhance teamwork. Squadmates now exhibit a better, faster, and smarter understanding of complex environments, allowing them to follow their leader more efficiently.





Helios has listened to your feedback, and several changes have been implemented to refine your experience.

- Improved Loading Experience – We know the first load after an update can be confusing. Starting now, game loading will include animations to help distinguish between normal behavior and potential issues.
- Operator Presets – Jump into action faster with the addition of operator presets, which let you fine-tune personnel selection alongside squad presets.
- Map Optimization – Enila Island and Al-Jan Province have been resized for a smoother experience, while Burnwood Mansion and Jin-Shu Temple exteriors have received upgrades.
- UI Updates – The interface has been tweaked, with noticeable changes in menus and pre-mission designs.





Capture the moments that matter. With the new photo mode, you can pose your squad before deployment, whether for a keepsake or to commemorate their camaraderie. Customize their stances to make each photo unique—whether it’s a smile before the mission or a tribute to a fallen brother.



And that’s just the beginning. Dive in now to explore the full range of fixes, improvements, and features included in this update. Stay sharp, Operators. And Read the full release notes here:



FEATURED
- Overhaul: Enemy Faction Modeling
- Addition: Asynchronous Game Loading System
- Addition: Photo Shoot Feature
- Addition: New Weapons and Attachments
- Addition: New Gear and Clothing
- Addition: Two New Firearm Resting Stances
- Addition: Enemies Can Use Flashlights During Night Missions
- Addition: New Weather Options
- Addition: Official Operator Presets

WEAPONS AND ACCESSORIES CONTENT
- Addition: Firearm - Assault Rifle - Predator A15
- Addition: Firearm - Assault Rifle - V4 Next Gen
- Addition: Firearm - Assault Rifle - V4 Proto
- Addition: Firearm - Submachine Gun - VP7
- Addition: Firearm - Sniper Rifle - WATO 3
- Addition: Barrel - VP7 - Short
- Addition: Barrel - VP7 - Long
- Addition: Magazine - VP7 - 30 Rounds
- Addition: Magazine - VP7 - 100 Rounds
- Addition: Magazine - VP7 - 200 Rounds
- Addition: Stock - VP7 - I
- Addition: Stock - VP7 - II
- Addition: Stock - VP7 - III
- Addition: Stock - VP7 - IV
- Addition: Stock - VP7 - V
- Addition: Stock - VP7 - VI
- Addition: Muzzle Flash - VP7
- Addition: Suppressor - VP7
- Addition: Stock - Versatile - IV
- Addition: Stock - Versatile - V
- Addition: Stock - Versatile - VI
- Addition: Stock - Versatile - VII
- Addition: Handguard - Assault Rifle - IV
- Addition: Magazine - Assault Rifle - IV
- Addition: Bipod III
- Addition: Laser Pointer - IR
- Addition: Holographic Sight + Magnifier
- Addition: Magnifier V
- Addition: Suppressor V - Assault Rifle
- Addition: Muzzle Flash IV - Assault Rifle
- Addition: Muzzle Flash V - Assault Rifle
- Addition: Muzzle Flash II - Sniper Rifle
- Addition: Suppressor II - Sniper Rifle
- Addition: Suppressor III - Handgun
- Addition: Scope X
- Addition: Scope XI
- Addition: Clamp Foregrip IV
- Addition: Foregrip X
- Addition: Foregrip XI
- Addition: Foregrip XII

INVENTORY AND CLOTHING CONTENT
- Addition: 4 new camouflage patterns on clothing
- Addition: New Helmet - Ballistic helmet with open bulletproof visor V1 (29 camos)
- Addition: New Helmet - Ballistic helmet with open bulletproof visor V2 (29 camos)
- Addition: New Helmet - Beret (29 camos)
- Addition: New Helmet - Beret II (29 camos)
- Addition: New Guillie - Stalker (3 camos)
- Addition: New Backpack - Ops (29 camos)
- Addition: New Backpack - Assault (29 camos)
- Addition: New Backpack - Reco (29 camos)
- Addition: New Backpack - Operator IV (29 camos)
- Addition: New Backpack - Traveler IV (29 camos)
- Addition: New Glasses - Tactical III (29 camos)
- Addition: New Glasses - Tactical IV (29 camos)
- Addition: New Gloves - Ops I (29 camos)
- Addition: New Gloves - Ops II (29 camos)
- Addition: New Tactical Groin - Protector III
- Addition: New Tactical Groin - Ops III
- Addition: New Tactical Groin - Ops IV

GENERAL CONTENT
- Addition: Squad preset - Multicam II
- Addition: Squad preset - Multicam III
- Addition: Squad preset - Forest II
- Addition: Squad preset - Desert II
- Addition: Squad preset - Winter II
- Addition: Firearm preset - Predator A15 - Versatile
- Addition: Firearm preset - Predator A15 - Marksman
- Addition: Firearm preset - VP7 - Close Combat
- Addition: Firearm preset - VP7 - Close Combat II
- Addition: Firearm preset - WATO 3 - Sniper
- Addition: Firearm preset - SA-42 - Assault
- Addition: Firearm preset - SA-42 - Assault II
- Improvement: All Squad presets



GAMEPLAY
- Addition: Animations for switching fire modes
- Improvement: "Enila Islands - Talmio" map has been reduced in size and optimized for missions
- Improvement: "Enila Islands - Talmio" map features more varied and better-positioned enemy spawn points
- Improvement: "Al-Jan Province" map has been reduced in size and optimized for missions
- Improvement: "Al-Jan Province" map features more varied and better-positioned enemy spawn points
- Improvement: "Enila Islands - Tanavia" map has been reduced in size and optimized for missions
- Improvement: "Enila Islands - Tanavia" map features more varied and better-positioned enemy spawn points
- Improvement: Level design of the "Jin-Shu Temple" map exterior
- Improvement: Level design of the "Burnwood Mansion" map exterior
- Improvement: Operational skills can be reduced to a minimum of 5 instead of 20
- Improvement: Text and sound notification when a hostage or an agent is killed by the enemy
- Improvement: Position of the objective marker when it has not yet been located
- Improvement: Door frame is not destroyed when the door is destroyed
- Improvement: Number of objectives to complete during a dynamic campaign based on the campaign's progression
- Improvement: Objects in thermal view are not highlighted when they are inactive, such as alarms or scramblers
- Improvement: Operator randomization sets operational skills based on equipment
- Improvement: Algorithm for random operator generation
- Fix: Artillery objectives could not spawn correctly on the "Lost Island" map
- Fix: Player-controlled operator who was dead or injured could experience collision issues and fall through the ground when the player switched characters
- Fix: A captured enemy could not be healed
- Fix: Some enemies might not appear under the correct faction
- Fix: Numerous obstacle traversal errors depending on the map being played and the player's position
- Fix: Numerous obstacle traversal errors occurred when a character's feet were in water
- Fix: Collision errors of bamboo platform
- Fix: Stop conditions for enemies' ambient animations
- Fix: Collision of concrete blocks on "The Mines" map
- Fix: The campaign-ending experience gained may not have been correct



AI
- Addition: New algorithm to determine enemy cover selection
- Addition: Two new firearm resting stances can be used by enemies
- Improvement: Enemies now choose their cover positions much more effectively
- Improvement: Optimization of cover position selection
- Improvement: Enemy corpses no longer trigger an alert once they have been spotted at least once
- Improvement: Suicide bombers are much more dangerous at close range
- Improvement: Suicide bombers trigger their explosives from longer distances
- Improvement: Collision system between characters
- Improvement: Squad subordinates now follow the leader much better and regain formation more quickly in complex environments
- Fix: Enemies could choose a cover point where the path might pass close to the player
- Fix: Switching control to an injured or dead operator could accidentally teleport the character
- Fix: Collision issues and fall through the ground
- Fix: A character could struggle to move through a corridor area if another character was in front
- Fix: Suicide bombers might not detonate properly when an operator was near them


RENDERING
- Addition: AA Method option
- Addition: New map thumbnails
- Addition: New blood rendering on surfaces (walls, floors...)
- Addition: Natural ambient animations for characters' arms and torso
- Improvement: Camouflage effectiveness on firearms
- Improvement: Trigger conditions for operators' ambient animations
- Improvement: Underwater environments
- Improvement: Level design of the deployment cinematic
- Improvement: Lighting rendering of the campaign HUB
- Improvement: Collision system for rain and snow on the environment
- Improvement: Animations for operators and prisoners during the mission debriefing
- Improvement: Design of the remaining time for an injured operator before succumbing
- Fix: Radios on the operator's equipment had unwanted illuminated indicators
- Fix: Blood might not display correctly on surfaces depending on the geometry
- Fix: Sky viewed through the thermal vision caused excessive lighting
- Fix: Some visual issues in prisoner of war cinematic
- Fix: Some textures were flickering on the training map
- Fix: Flashlight beam could pass through walls and be visible on both sides

SOUND
- Addition: New specific sounds for switching fire modes
- Addition: New specific sounds when the weapon runs out of ammunition in the magazine
- Improvement: Some adjustments to weapon reload sounds
- Fix: Weather sound effects error at the start of the mission

UI
- Improvement: New weather menu
- Improvement: Ranks and awards menu
- Improvement: Radial selection of operators
- Improvement: Briefing design
- Improvement: Campaign Intro design
- Improvement: Operation Titles
- Improvement: Colors and fonts of various menu titles
- Improvement: Multiple tooltip texts for difficulty settings
- Fix: Several French texts
- Fix: Difficulty categories in the campaign menu could be duplicated by mistake

Greetings, Operators,

The wait is almost over. Helios is thrilled to announce that the Early Access 1.52 "Western Forces" update is set for release on February, 3rd, 18:00 GMT +1. To make the wait easier, here’s a sneak peek at some of the most anticipated features coming to Black One Blood Brothers. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, and we truly hope you’ll enjoy this update!





For the first time, this update has a name—Western Forces. Moving forward, certain aspects of each update—especially gear, weapons, and equipment—will be inspired by real-world forces. You’ll be able to create your dream squad, customizing uniforms to build a deeper backstory around your team. Of course, for legal reasons, these forces won’t be explicitly named—but you’ll recognize the essence.



We’ve been listening to your feedback, and we know how crucial immersion is to your experience. Good news:

Revamped Enemy Factions – Enemies now have distinct uniforms and unique appearances, allowing you to recognize them at a glance. This provides better battlefield clarity—and helps avoid any... unfortunate friendly fire incidents.
New Weapon Resting Stances – AI operators now have two additional idle stances, making their weapon handling feel more natural.
Enhanced Night Missions – Enemy NPCs will now patrol with flashlights, actively searching for intruders.

And that’s not all—the Devil is in the details, so keep an eye on how enemy AI takes cover.





What’s an update without QoL enhancements? Thanks to your feedback, Helios has introduced fixes and new systems to refine your gameplay experience.

Optimized Game Loading – We know that shader compilation after a major update can take time, and that the first load into the home screen can be anxiety-inducing—Is it frozen? Is it still loading? With the brand-new loading system, you’ll instantly know whether you need to worry or just be patient.
New Operator Presets – Customize and switch between operator presets quickly, making squad assembly smoother and getting you into action faster.
On going changes in the AI and diverse improvements.




Whether you feel like you’re part of a family, or brothers in arms, or a fearless squad, don’t forget to take a picture before going in. We’re excited to introduce a new part to the photo mode, in which you can control the poses of your operators. For some, it’s just a smile to the camera, for others, it’s their very last memories with a brother. Let’s get creative.

There’s still much more to reveal, so stay tuned for the official patch notes. Until then, stay sharp and stay safe, Operators.

Greetings, Operators.

We are excited to announce the release of the "Operator Handbook" series, a mini-guide on Steam and Reddit to help new players to get into the game and understand in a quick way the mechanics of Black One Blood Brothers.

You can read the first one, based on the use of the Tactical Map (TacMap) here.

If you would like to see other handbooks, or if you need specific guides to be released, feel free to let us know in the comments or on the Discord, and we will provide you with insights.

As usual, stay safe, happy weekend ahead, and thank you for your support!

Kane, out.

Hello everyone,

First of all, I wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope 2025 brings you health, happiness, and success!

I want to thank you for your unwavering support for Black One Blood Brothers. Whether through your feedback, encouragement, or simply by being here, it means the world to me. Developing a game solo is a constant challenge, but you help me move forward every day. Thank you!

Today, I’m sharing my “roadmap” for the game, highlighting the different aspects I’ll be working on to continue enriching and improving Black One Blood Brothers in 2025.



A significant technical milestone on my end: I’ve acquired a Mocap Suit! This tool will allow me to create much more realistic and varied animations. It will take some time, but the goal is to greatly enhance immersion for operators, enemies, and cinematics.





New weapons, accessories, outfits, and equipment—exciting content is coming this year!

Western Forces: Inspired by Western special forces, featuring a variety of weapons and equipment.
Eastern Forces: Bringing an Eastern flair, with unique styles and gear.

These additions will provide even more customization options for your squads.





I’m also working on improved operator customization. Soon, you’ll be able to modify their body shapes and adjust their facial features. I hope this new feature helps you make your squad even more unique.



Two new maps are in the works:
Psychiatric Asylum: A tense, tactical map designed to feel oppressive.
Ancient Temple: A more open area featuring buildings and strategic points.



This year’s focus will be on refining gameplay!

AI with more precise and adaptive behaviors.
Revised sounds to enhance atmosphere.
A more intuitive user interface for smoother navigation.
And, of course, bug fixes.




I’m continuing to work on immersion and narrative elements in the game. This includes more polished cinematics, refined animations, and new voiceovers. These are small steps, but I hope they make a big difference for you.



Before all these updates, here’s what’s coming in the next 1.52 update:

A photo mode to capture your operators in their best moments.
New weapons and accessories.
Even more outfits and equipment.
Resting weapon postures to diversify animations.
Enemies using flashlights during nighttime missions.
New weather options for greater variety.
An improved enemy cover selection system.
Stronger faction identities with more diverse outfits.
Thank you again for supporting the game with such enthusiasm. Feel free to share your feedback or ideas. Join us on the Discord server! Your input helps the game evolve.

See you soon,
HELIOS