Greetings, Operators,
It's time for another Behind the Scenes! This time, we're focusing on level design.
In a tactical FPS like Black One Blood Brothers, level design is one of the most important pillars of the experience. Every map is built like a tactical puzzle, offering diverse environments, multiple strategic approaches, and enough flexibility for players to tackle objectives in their own way, without compromising balance.
Driven by his passion for tactical games, military simulations, and documentary-style storytelling, Helios also works closely with a former French Commando Marine consultant.
“His feedback helps me understand what feels credible in the field and then adapt it into gameplay. I’m not trying to recreate reality 1:1, but to preserve its spirit, logic, and tension.”
While real-world operations serve as an important reference, game design comes with its own constraints, especially when it comes to time and distance. In reality, operators may spend hours covering several kilometers before reaching their objective. In a video game, however, that wouldn't necessarily make for engaging gameplay.
“You have to condense reality. Keep what creates tactical depth and remove what only slows the player down.”
Every map starts with a strong tactical scenario: infiltrating a villa, assaulting an enemy compound, creating intense CQB encounters, or offering meaningful opportunities for long-range overwatch and sniper gameplay.
From there, the environment is built to support and enrich that scenario. The goal isn't just to create a visually appealing location, but to provide players with more tactical choices: breaking lines of sight, bypassing enemy patrols, coordinating a fast assault, or finding unconventional routes through the environment.
That's why water, ladders, crates, rooftops, and terrain features are never just decorative elements. Maps are designed as three-dimensional spaces rather than flat layouts, filled with opportunities that can completely change how a mission unfolds depending on the player's preferred playstyle.
At the same time, level design must avoid becoming too predictable.
Years of FPS experience often teach players that reaching high ground is the ultimate solution to every problem. In Black One Blood Brothers, that's rarely the case.
“An elevated position usually provides better visibility, but it can also expose the player, limit retreat options, or attract enemy attention. A strong position should always come with trade-offs. If high ground automatically becomes superior to every other option, then the map loses tactical depth.”
Every advantage is intentionally balanced by a weakness, encouraging players to continuously assess risk versus reward rather than relying on a single dominant strategy.
Looking Ahead
As Black One Blood Brothers continues to evolve, so do its battlefields.
Over the past months, player feedback has played a major role in helping identify opportunities to improve navigation, sightlines, environmental storytelling, and tactical options across several maps. Combined with the capabilities unlocked by Unreal Engine 5, these insights have allowed Helios to revisit and refine existing locations while pushing the visual and tactical quality of future environments even further.
The following screenshots offer a first glimpse at some of the map improvements and upcoming evolutions currently in development. From enhanced terrain and environmental details to new tactical opportunities, these changes aim to make every operation more immersive, believable, and rewarding to approach from multiple angles.
Take a look at what's coming next.
In the second part of this Behind the Scenes series, we'll dive into the hidden secrets of Black One Blood Brothers' maps and explore how Unreal Engine 5 has influenced the way levels are designed.
Which map has been your favorite so far? Let us know in the comments.