Hello, Vultures!
Apologies for the radio silence. We’ve been carefully reviewing all the feedback from the first Steam Alpha Playtest and mapping out the road ahead. Rather than rushing out an update, we wanted to take the time to absorb everything you shared and respond with clarity and intent.
First and foremost, thank you to everyone who joined us during the test! It was an early build with plenty of rough edges, but your presence and passion helped bring Black Vultures to life in a way we’ll never forget.
Your responses, both in-game and through the survey, have already helped shape the next phase of development. We’re now preparing for a second playtest currently scheduled for late September, and we’re excited to share a preview of what’s to come!
New Map: BLACKBURN
SNAFU gave us a strong foundation, but we know variety is key. Our next map, BLACKBURN, is set in a desert oil facility and designed for faster, more intuitive engagements. It offers a different tempo and layout that should challenge your tactical thinking in new ways.
We’re also adjusting lighting and visual elements to improve character readability and make map elements easier to interpret during combat.
Party Up and Play Together
One of the most common requests during the first test was a party system. We heard you loud and clear.
In the next test, you’ll be able to add friends and form squads directly in-game. We’re also working on player search, friend list management, invites, and improved communication tools so you can drop in as a team and coordinate your approach from the very start.
Our long-term goal is to build deeper co-op features that highlight the importance of teamwork in Black Vultures.
More Meaningful Progress and Rewards
We’re introducing a ranking system tied to your play data to bring in competitive motivation and long-term goals. At the same time, we’re adjusting our reward structure to ensure players who fall short of extraction still feel like they’ve earned something meaningful.
We want to make every match feel more rewarding, regardless of how it ends.
Refining Combat and Character Identity
We’re keeping the core combat feel you responded well to, but we’re making targeted balance adjustments. This includes tuning sniper performance and improving weapon-swap behavior during fights to make actions feel smoother and more responsive.
We’re also adding passive abilities to characters, giving each one a bit more personality and utility. This should allow players to make more strategic choices about which operator fits their style or the current mission.
Performance and Anti-Cheat
We’re optimizing graphic presets and improving performance across the board to ensure smoother play, even on lower-end systems. In parallel, we’re strengthening our security features with both EAC and our own internal measures to protect against cheating and ensure a fair environment for everyone.
The first test was an incredibly valuable experience for us. We’re taking what we learned and using it to deliver a more refined, smoother version of Black Vultures for the second test in September.
Making the Game More Accessible
It became clear during the first test that while many of you understood the core rules, the flow of the mission and the ticket system weren’t always easy to grasp at the start. We’re working on a short tutorial video that will play as you enter the game, giving a quick overview of the Cargo Rush mission and core game structure to lower the entry barrier.
We’re also improving the readability and clarity of UI elements like the loadout and respawn screens to reduce confusion during gameplay.
And finally, we’re expanding language support to help players around the world enjoy the game more comfortably.
We’ll have more details to share in the coming weeks, but for now, thank you again for helping us take this first step together!
▸ The THISMEANSWAR Dev Team