Solo Operations & Team AI - Major Update #15

Operation Athena — Solo Operations & Team AI Update #15

Version 0.7.5

Hello Operators,

Update #15 is here, and Version 0.7.5 delivers several major additions focused on expanding and improving the single-player experience in Operation Athena.

This update introduces the long-awaited Teammate AI system, the new Athena Teamlead single-player class, player vaulting, and a new IR flashlight system for night vision. Version 0.7.5 also includes important networking improvements, AI fixes, content adjustments, map polish, and other bug fixes.

Major Addition: Teammate AI V0.1

Solo players can now deploy with a commandable AI squad in Operation Athena.

Team AI gives players greater control over each mission. You can direct the squad, prepare coordinated entries, hold positions, and fight alongside your teammates.

This is an early version of the system, and teammates will not always behave perfectly. We will continue improving their movement, decision-making, combat behavior, and responsiveness in future updates.

Lead the Squad

Players can issue several commands throughout a mission:

• Follow — Keep the squad together and moving with you

• Hold Position — Order the squad to remain at its current location

• Move To — Send the team to a selected position

• Stack Up — Prepare teammates beside a doorway (Using Move To)

• Open Door — Order a stacked teammate to open the door

• Breach and Clear — Breach the door and push into the room

• Flash and Clear — Use a flashbang before entering

These commands allow solo players to prepare their approach and control the pace of an entry.

Coordinated Combat

Once contact begins, teammates can engage enemies, reposition, and use nearby cover.

The squad is built to operate with the player rather than charging ahead or wandering away from the mission.

Persistent Orders

Your squad remembers its current command.

Temporary actions such as fighting enemies or clearing a doorway do not permanently replace the squad’s main order. Once the immediate situation is resolved, teammates return to what they were previously assigned to do.

Tactical Door Commands

Players can stack teammates beside an entrance and choose how they should handle the door.

The squad can open the door normally, use a breaching charge, or throw a flashbang before entering. This gives solo players several ways to approach enclosed spaces without having to perform every action themselves.

Built for Solo Tactical Play

Team AI brings squad commands and coordinated room entries to players who prefer to play alone.

Position the squad, prepare the entry, and lead your teammates through the mission.

New Single-Player Class: Athena Teamlead

Single-player now uses a dedicated class called Athena Teamlead, replacing the four multiplayer classes when playing solo. The existing Team Leader, Medic, Support, and Breacher classes remain available in multiplayer.

Athena Teamlead combines the equipment and weapon access normally spread across those roles into one flexible loadout designed specifically for single-player. All primary weapons from every multiplayer class are available, and most weapons can also be equipped in the secondary slot rather than the slot being limited mainly to pistols. This allows solo players to create a much wider range of weapon combinations.

The class also includes four heals, four grenades, four flashbangs, and breaching charges, consolidating the equipment needed to handle missions without relying on other player-controlled classes.

Athena Teamlead helps make single-player feel like its own experience rather than simply multiplayer without other players. Its expanded loadout works whether you are operating completely alone or bringing Teammate AI into the mission, while multiplayer retains its class-based structure.

Athena Teamlead also has its own independent appearance customization slot and save, separate from the four multiplayer classes.

IR Flashlight System

Version 0.7.5 adds a new IR flashlight system for night vision gameplay.

Players using night vision can now use IR illumination to light up dark areas without relying on a visible flashlight. This allows players to identify threats, navigate dark interiors, and clear spaces while maintaining a lower visual profile.

This is a major step forward for night operations and gives night vision equipment a more meaningful role during missions.

Player Vaulting

Another long-requested feature has been added: player vaulting.

Players can now vault over certain low obstacles that looked like they should have been passable before. This is mainly intended to make movement feel more natural and reduce moments where small barriers or pieces of cover stop the player when they visually seem like something you should be able to get over.

General Additions & Changes

• Grenades and flashbangs can now be thrown through glass windows, breaking the glass on impact

• Changed the Homebase map selection order to improve the Day and Night selection visualization

• Changed player FOV setting to a range of 80-110

• Increased the explosion intensity for placed door breaching charges along with new sounds to compliment it

• Added new Team AI and Multiplayer Class learning materials, giving both new and returning players clearer guidance on how to use these essential mechanics effectively.

• Major Optimizations across all levels and hundreds of assets, not only improving framerate and lowering VRAM usage, but also reducing the installed game size

Adjustments & Bug Fixes

• Fixed vehicles and road setup on Drug Bunker to better reflect the correct UK driving standards

• Adjusted several textures and collision issues on Drug Bunker

• Fixed an issue on Sandridge Isle where the player could get stuck near the helipad

• Fixed an issue where clients could load into missions with the wrong weather type

• Fixed an issue where triggered enemy AI would continuously shoot at hostages in Hostage Rescue

• Updated attachment and weapon names to make them more unique and less generic, while cleaning up incorrectly named weapons and attachments

• Fixed an issue where the door lockpicking UI and the player’s distance from the door did not always match

• Fixed several issues with the optic attachment system

• Made adjustments to the AI cover system

• Adjusted red dot optic glass that was incorrectly colored with a blue tint

• Fixed a collision issue where power breaker interaction boxes could block projectiles

• Fixed an issue where enemy AI could become softlocked in their Investigation state until they regained line of sight on the player

• Fixed a bug where the Medic healing animation could break if the healing key was quickly tapped

• Adjusted levels where Teammate AI were spawning when they were not supposed to

• Fixed a network bandwidth issue that could cause grenades, doors, and players to appear choppy even on good connections

• Updated the Homebase lobby sign to reflect that the upstairs area now contains operator appearance lockers instead of weapon lockers

• General optimization and artistic lighting adjustments to Federal Building

• Fixed an issue where doors weren’t being opened in spectator mode

• Adjusted lighting on Hospital and Federal Building

• Metal Knockdown targets on homebase no longer go down when shot from the back and instead just play the metal hit sound effect

• Adjusted elevator floor alignment on Art Gallery and Drug Bunker

• Fixed issue where quickly swapping primary/secondary could cause animations and gun mechanics to break

• Various minor adjustments, fixes, optimizations, and polish

Thank you for continuing to support Operation Athena.

Version 0.7.5 is a major step forward for single-player, giving solo Operators more control over their loadouts, the option to deploy alongside an AI squad, and several new tools for navigating and approaching missions.

Teammate AI is still only at the beginning of its development, and we will continue expanding and improving both it and the wider solo experience over time.

See you in the field, Operators.