The reason I did this was because when I started making the mod just for myself I used realistic, and it would be far too time consuming to go back and replicate the changes to the other difficulty levels. Each difficulty level must be individually modified in the game files, and the only difficulty I modified was Realistic. This mod is intended to be played on the 'Realistic' difficulty level. Many ops suits have been modified, optics have been modified, additional playable characters and suits are available and gameplay has been tuned and tweaked in countless areas. There are more options available now than the original game ever offered - I've done my best to expand customization, balance weapons and gadgets to make everything useful.
Hostile guards are sharp and deadly, and enemy commandos are a force to be reckoned with. You'll have to use a much wider range of tactics to evade and eliminate hostiles rather than striking from the shadows over and over - preparation is key. A fully stealthy approach is even more difficult than before, and getting spotted can give you a quick end if you're unprepared. You'll find it's much harder for the player to control the battlefield and track enemies. The Special Ops mod aims to open up Blacklist to the player, giving you many new options for tactics and customization, while removing many of the handicaps that made the game easier and less rewarding.