This guide presumes you'll be using Windows as an operating system, as I am unfamiliar with Linux and cannot provide specific instructions for getting NBlood working under Linux distros.

(On Linux, the NBlood developer refers to checking the EDuke32 wiki[wiki.eduke32.com] for instructions how to build from source (As NBlood is based on EDuke32). If anyone makes or finds a good guide to getting NBlood running under Linux, feel free to comment a link and I'd be happy to share it here)

https://github.com/NBlood/NBlood/releases



The latest release is highly recommended as it includes improvements and great quality of life features introduced in newer versions (Such as custom difficulty settings, optional powerup timers, support for loading custom .MAP files in-game, among other things), so even if you've already downloaded NBlood before, I recommend grabbing the latest updated version.

The version to grab for most users will be the "_win64_" (64 bit) release (If you're still using 32 bit windows for some ungodly reason... I wish you luck in that struggle).
The other downloads are for other adjacent NBlood projects, you'll want just the NBlood .7z archive.

The downloaded archive/file should be in .7z format, which you'll need 7zip to open if you don't already have that installed (Again, very likely the "64-bit x64" version):

https://www.7-zip.org/



With the necessary files and prerequisites out of the way, let's get started.

From your steam library, navigate to Blood: Fresh Supply.



Right-click on the game, go to "Manage", then "Browse local files"



From here, you'll be in the main install folder for Fresh Supply, to get to the DOS folder with the included copy of One Unit: Whole Blood, path to the following folder:




This is all of the included DOS files, as a full install of the fully patched version of One Unit: Whole Blood (OU:WB for short. The final version of DOS Blood, with the Cryptic Passage and Plasma Pak (Post Mortem + etc.) DLCs included out of the box).
Also included are:

• The cutscene movie files in \movie, already in the correct format for NBlood (Thus, cutscenes should work perfectly out of the box, and play as expected upon starting/ending episodes).
  
  
• The original main menu .DEM (demo) files (Some old releases didn't include these IIRC, newer versions of NBlood plays them in the main menu like the OG DOS release).
  
  
• CD/Redbook audio files for listening to the CD music (In .ogg format, loose in the folder, for use with source 'ports'. Personal taste if you want to use them, I personally don't care for the CD music. Details on how to enable the CD audio while playing through NBlood can be found in the "Recommended Default Settings" > Sound Setup section later in this guide).

• 1.
  You can simply extract the NBlood files directly to this folder, alongside the DOS files (The readme.txt from the NBlood .7z is named the same as blood's original README.TXT, you can simply rename it to something else if you want to keep the original intact and not have it replaced. Personally, I just renamed the original file).
  
  
• 2.
  You can copy the \BLOOD folder with the all the DOS files to another, separate folder on your PC, if you only care about having a copy of the original game, and don't care at ALL about Fresh Supply. From there, you can extract the NBlood files into said separate folder.

Of the two options, I personally prefer the 1st one since it's easier to setup NBlood to run natively through steam (Details on how to do that later), but for those who simply want a legal copy of the DOS game files, Option 2 is a viable choice as well for picky or advanced users.

This guide presumes you'll be going with Option 1, since IMO it's the easier option for running the game natively through steam.

Proceeding with Option 1, extract the files from the .7z archive from the NBlood Github releases page to the \Blood\DOS\C\BLOOD directory:
(For convenience's sake, from now onward i'll be referring to the main DOS files folder as \BLOOD, allcaps)





Your \BLOOD folder should look like this, with the "nblood.exe" and "nblood.pk3" in the same folder as the DOS files.

With that done, NBlood is installed and ready to go, you can run "nblood.exe" to boot the game via the NBlood launcher. The following section will show in detail how to setup steam to run NBlood natively, allowing tracking played hours and enabling the Steam Overlay for NBlood.

One brief note however, Steam Achievements are only a feature in the original Fresh Supply executable itself ("anuket_x64.exe" in the install folder), you cannot get them through a source 'port' like NBlood, they're exclusive to the Nightdive KEX engine "remastered" port.



(I recommend keeping "Always show this window at startup" in the launcher checked, as it makes swapping to the DLC and Map Packs/Custom Campaigns easier later on. It's also the main way to boot into the Cryptic Passage DLC with NBlood, so if you ever want to play that you'll have to either boot it through the launcher, or feed NBlood the -ini argument through terminal/command line/a shortcut with: "-ini CRYPTIC.INI")

This is actually a trick I've learned from setting up Daggerfall Unity to work through steam's version of TES: Daggerfall natively, I'm not sure many people even know this is a thing you can do, it's pretty neat.






Under "Properties... > General > Launch Options", you'll want to enter the following in the launch options box:

• <GAME DRIVE> being the drive you have Fresh Supply installed.
  
  
• <STEAM> (Or SteamLibrary) being dependent on where you've installed the game (easy way is just using the "Browse local files" trick from earlier to get the exact place you installed the game).

The path of which you'll have to copy based on where your Fresh Supply install is located, an easy way to do that in Windows is copying the path from the top bar in Explorer, or Right-Click and use "Copy address as text":



From there, in the "quotes", add the path, and to the end (after \BLOOD), add:

Once you've copied the path to "nblood.exe", paste it into the Launch Options box, and close out the settings. Boot up the game through steam, and see if it correctly opens NBlood, if not, CHECK YOUR PATH, it needs to be the exact path to the executable ("nblood.exe") to run.

Your path/launch options should look something like this (But with the path substituted to the location of your own Fresh Supply folder):

Once this is done, NBlood's launcher should open when Fresh Supply is launched through steam, and from there you can boot the game normally through the "BLOOD.INI" option in the launcher. "CRYPTIC.INI" is for booting up the Cryptic Passage DLC in NBlood itself.




This method works for tracking hours and enabling Steam Overlay while in-game (However, as mentioned in the previous section, Steam achievements can only be earned by playing the game with the original Fresh Supply executable), but it comes with a minor consequence/side effect:





Additionally, the "Play Cryptic Passage" and "Launch DOS Blood: One Unit Whole" options don't work either, due to steam booting the game with extra launch arguments internally (Even with this method), which confuses NBlood and causes it to fail to open (Even then, all 3 still try to open "nblood.exe" anyway).
Due to this, I recommend checking "Always use this option" on "Play Blood: Fresh Supply"/the 1st option if you don't want to have the steam prompt to open every single time you run the game.

For the curious:
"Play Cryptic Passage"

-addon "addons\Cryptic Passage\"

(NBlood doesn't recognize the -addon argument and closes ; The addons folder is for Fresh Supply itself, how it finds and runs the DLC in the remake port)

"Launch DOS Blood: One Unit Whole"

-conf .\dosbox_blood.conf

(-conf is for specifying dosbox config files, but NBlood still doesn't recognize the argument and still closes)


To be able to re-launch/play the original Fresh Supply port again using this method (To play the Nightdive port for it's specific features such as Steam Achievements), you'll have to clear the launch option arguments from the game (In "Library > Preferences > Launch Options", as shown above) to run the Nightdive port again.

If you don't like this happening, you can use Option 2 instead, by just copying out the DOS game files to another folder and installing NBlood there, and either run the game outside of steam, or add "nblood.exe" as a non-steam game. This won't allow tracking your hours in steam, however.

Setting up NBlood to play custom .MAP files, or to play custom campaigns/map packs such as the excellent Death Wish is pretty straight forward, along with modding the game itself through this port (Which I will briefly cover in this section as well).


In the \BLOOD folder where you installed NBlood, or the root folder for Fresh Supply, create a folder inside, you can name it anything, but I recommend "maps" as the name just for convenience. Put any custom user .MAP files into this folder (For tidiness' sake).



Boot up the game and navigate the menus to "New Game", then "User Map", and select the folder you made earlier, then the specific .MAP file in question through the file browser that you'd like to load.





From here you can warp into user maps directly, without too much issue (The above example I created the "maps" folder in the Fresh Supply's root instead, to make finding it a bit easier).



The "Enable "autoload" folder" checkbox in the launcher is how you can load/run actual/proper mods for NBlood, by creating an 'autoload' folder in the game/NBlood directory, checking the enable autoload box, and putting the mod's .zip/.7z archive into the autoload folder. Very easy, but as usual, refer to the install instructions per mod to see the intended way to install just to be safe.

Such mods installed in this manner that I would personally recommend (If you're into modding the game):

• Blood Voxel Pack (To mimic Fresh Supply's custom voxels, but in a better overall way, and in a superior port)
  
• Blood SC-55 Music Pack[sc55.duke4.net] (For higher quality music that sounds even better than the original MIDI tracks)

(More info on the SC-55 music pack in the "Recommended Default Settings" > Sound Setup section below)

There's many other quality mods available on ModDB setup to work for NBlood as well.


(I'll actually use Death Wish itself as an example here, since it's one of the best campaign mods/map packs and is absolutely worth playing for experienced, new players wanting more BLOOD after finishing all the original episodes, or vets that somehow have been living under a rock for the past 10 years and never heard about it)

Download the Campaign in question you wish to play, for the example, I'll be installing Death Wish, the latest version of which can be found on it's ModDB page:

https://www.moddb.com/mods/death-wish-for-blood/downloads



From the downloaded .zip, extract the contents of the "Death Wish" folder. The install instructions can vary from mod to mod, so make sure to read the instructions or readme on how to properly install the mod (Or see if it's even compatible with NBlood, but at this point most major mods/custom content already is, NBlood is also pretty accurate so most stuff works perfectly out of the box).

In the case of Death Wish, you're supposed to directly extract all the files into the \BLOOD root folder (Where the blood DOS files and "nblood.exe" are located ; Using CTRL+A to select all files in 7zip can help with making sure all of them get moved over):



(Side note: The .zip of Death Wish includes an official walkthrough ("DW Walkthrough.txt"), with spoiler-free (Purely directions/path through levels) and complete (Includes secrets, and how to get to the many different secret levels) walkthrough sections, it's a worthwhile thing to check out if you play through the mod, very impressive)



Side Note: Technically, you can also install Death Wish by simply extracting the "Death Wish <version>" Folder from inside the .zip to the NBlood/Blood game files directory as shown in the above image, and renaming the included .ini for Death Wish from "dw.ini" to "blood.ini", and select the "Death Wish <version>" folder under the "Custom game content directory:" dropdown box in the launcher. Boot the mod using the normal "BLOOD.INI" option in the launcher (This method can also be used to play older, legacy vanilla "Asset Replacing" blood campaigns as well IIRC).

A con to doing the install this way however is that renaming the .ini seems to desync the vanilla demos that play on the main menu (Due to starting w/ the wrong map with Death Wish installed), along with other potential issues.
For those reasons I recommend following the mod maker's instructions instead for most users.

Once installed, to boot into the Death Wish campaign itself using the normal mod author's recommended install instructions (Installing the DW files loose, alongside the blood game files), boot up the game itself, and in the launcher, select the .ini file of the mod in question (For Death Wish, this is "dw.ini") in the launcher.





If installed correctly, the new episodes should show up under "New Game", and in the case of Death Wish, the snazzy new intro cutscene should play upon selecting the 1st episode ("In Cold Blood"), and you'll load into it's first map.

It's a pretty easy process to do, but the instructions vary from mod to mod, this is just the instructions for Death Wish itself, always make sure to RTFM and check the specific install instructions by the original mod/map pack creator (Along with checking if said mods/campaigns are even compatible with NBlood, or if there's fixed versions setup for modern source 'ports', as is the case with very old blood campaigns).

(For updating Death Wish, you simply replace the same files in the root directory (Or replace the folder, if you did the other install method, and rename the .ini again), so when/if Death Wish ever updates in the future, that's how you update the mod files).

Out of the box, newer versions of NBlood are actually configured pretty sensibly out of the box for most users, with the default configuration/keybinds being pretty good, but here's some optional recommended settings to change (In my opinion) for most users:

• Slope Tilting: Off (A vestigial leftover from keyboard/classic mouse aim support, very disorienting. NBlood should have this off by default, but just in case, it's worth checking)
  
  
• Auto Aim: Never (Autoaim is technically a preference, but for weapons like the Tommy Gun's alt-fire they're better with Autoaim on, but for blood IMO it's really better to have it off, just causes too many issues most of the time. More for playing with classic mouse (Or keyboard) aiming, with no vertical look (Akin to DOOM). If you actually want to use this setting and classic style mouse aiming, you can toggle mouse aiming/no vertical look on with "U" by default (Can be rebound) while in-game, for the most purist playstyle possible, but it's not worth it IMO in modern ports)
  
  
• Auto Run: On (In blood, if you're not sprinting around 24/7 in open combat, you WILL be turned into swiss cheese)
  
  
• Equip Pickups: Never (This is preference but IMO worth turning off, it can occasionally get you killed from auto-equipping something like, a Napalm Launcher pickup when you're melee'ing something close range like a zombie (Speaking from experience))
  
  
• Strict Vanilla Mode: On (I'm not 100% sure what this setting actually does, but it seems like something worth having on. If anyone has insight to what this actually does for NBlood, let me know in the comments)
  
  
  Display Setup:
  
  • Crosshair: On (You'll really want this on IMO, blood really benefits from a crosshair, unlike other classics like DOOM)
    
    
  • Level Stats: Automap Only (Can set it to "On" to have it show up always (In the bottom left corner of the HUD, good for going for 100% kills/secrets), but this setting is a bit cleaner, and has it only show up when you open the Automap ("Tab" by default), akin to ports for other shooters like DOOM. Very handy for being able to see your level stats and secrets mid run, the fact that Fresh Supply itself doesn't have either one as an option is criminal)
    
    
  • Powerup Duration: On (A feature added in newer versions of NBlood, this is very handy for telling when powerups wear off, such as Invincibility/Death Masks (Can be a problem in classic blood knowing when powerups are about to wear off). It's technically not really authentic/original, so if you prefer purist settings you can turn it off along with level stats, but personally I recommend keeping it on)
  
  All the other settings in this section are down to preference, such as Color Correction, Video Mode (Where you can change resolution, renderer, V-sync, framerate limit, etc. Boomer shooters with buttery smooth high FPS and refresh rate feel SO good), FOV (The default of 90 is fine, I believe this setting was defaulted lower in older NBlood versions and especially DOS, adjust to your preferences), etc.
  
  The Polymost Setup settings are fine at their defaults AFAIK.
  
  
  Sound Setup:
  
  • Redbook Audio (optional): <On/Off> (This is where you toggle on the CD music, if you wish to play with the CD version's soundtrack (Only plays CD music on some, but not all levels). They're definitely an... acquired taste, so it's up to the player if you want to turn them on or not, just pointing the option out for reference's sake)
    
    
  • MIDI Driver: System MIDI (You might notice by default the game's music sounds off if you've played before, as newer versions of NBlood default to "OPL3(SB/ADLIB)", which IMO sounds worse (Although it may be more authentic, not sure however, not an expert on these sorts of things).
    
    
  • There is an option however, to use custom .sf2 soundfont files if you're a MIDI nerd and want to use different kind of MIDI playback/instrument bank: ".sf2 Synth", and select the .sf2 file in question to use with "sf2 Bank", which opens a browser to the game directory to locate any valid files (Only an option on newer versions of NBlood).
  
  
  
  For newer versions of Windows where the built-in synth may be changed to something different, to achieve the same "authentic" Windows crust some may prefer, you can use a .sf2 soundfont mimicking the windows' sound, like the soundfont I suggested in my Fresh Supply improvement guide ("RLNDGM.SF2"):
  https://musical-artifacts.com/artifacts/724
  
  For a good SC-55 soundtrack replacement (What blood was originally composed for/with, according to some sources) via modding NBlood with a music pack instead of using a .sf2 soundfont, there's the excellent SC-55 Music Pack:
  https://sc55.duke4.net/games.php#blood
  
  (Recorded from actual Roland hardware. Download the .ogg pack zip (Smallest size, and sounds fine IMO, but NBlood supports all 3 packs IIRC), make an 'autoload' folder in your NBlood directory, put the .zip archive in there (unextracted), and check "Enable "autoload" folder" in the launcher, akin to installing other mods for NBlood)
  
  (The TimGM6mb.sf2 pictured is the default .sf2 file Fresh Supply itself uses, if you're curious, you can find more information about it, and other soundfonts in general in my other guide)
  
  
  
  Player Setup:
  This section just lets you change your name for Multiplayer/BloodBath matches, can ignore this section entirely for most users. You'll likely want to be using the NBlood fork NotBlood[github.com] for multiplayer anyway.
  (Here's a good video guide to setting up multiplayer in that fork if that interests you)
  
  
  Control Setup (OPTIONAL):
  These are all pretty sensibly bound by default, so you really shouldn't need to change any of these, but here's some of the ones I personally change out of the box:
  (To unbind keys in the controls menu: Hover over the key in question you want to unbind and hit the "Delete" key)
  
  
  • Inventory Use: "F" (Default is "Enter/Keypad Enter". Unbind or change: "F" (Map Follow Mode). Easier to use items, and helps with tricks like using/"canceling" the diving suit underwater to extend the duration)
    
    
  • Inventory Left/Right: "Z" and "C" (Default is "[" and "]" respectively. Unbind or change: "C" (Crystalball; Only an item in multiplayer). Much easier to swap items with these buttons.
    I recommend also changing: Weapon Special Fire: "X" (Unbind/change this to keep from accidentally wasting ammo))
  
  Everything else not covered above in any of the sections can can be set to your own preferences, or as needed.
  
  For adjusting the HUD Size (Either to the full, original HUD with giant beasts and all, or the even more minimalist options of only numbers w/o background, or even no HUD at ALL), you can use the "+"/"-" or Keypad "+"/"-" keys (By default, can be rebound) while in-game to adjust the HUD/Screen Size, similar to other classic FPS games.
  
  

That should cover the overall information on getting NBlood going with a clean install of Fresh Supply, along with other useful things of relevance.

Compared to Fresh Supply itself, NBlood as a port overall feels like it plays far cleaner, and seems to have far less glitches, or weird little lingering bugs with it, along with other nice features such as:

• Easily changeable soundfonts (.sf2 files can be changed in-game via menus, unlike Fresh Supply)
  
  
• Easy game modding (With the "autoload" folder feature built into EDuke32/NBlood it's much easier and cleaner, Fresh Supply modding very often requires replacing the port's original game files, or running batch scripts to replace files)
  
  
• Proper level stats display (Why isn't this a feature/toggle in Fresh Supply, Nightdive pls).

Along with many other benefits. Additionally, NBlood still gets updated every so often by Nuke.YKT (The developer of NBlood), meaning it's unfortunately still the overall superior way to play modern blood in my opinion.

(Proper Fresh Supply updates stopped around ~2019, when Nightdive handed the port back off to Atari (Blood IP owner/publisher), who've been basically radio silent with the port ever since)

However, with the steam store's de-listing/removal for sale of the original One Unit: Whole Blood release, buying Fresh Supply currently is actually a pretty decent way to (Legally) acquire the original DOS game files for Blood, along with the potential option of playing the newer port as well (I'd say it's worth giving Fresh Supply a chance, even if it's still not as good as the other port options out there. The achievements are fun to go for as well).

Regardless of whichever port you use, it's a worthwhile experience to play the boomer shooter masterpiece that is BLOOD, in a nice, modern package.




If you're interested in trying to improve Fresh Supply itself to be better/more playable, and get it closer in parity to quality ports such as NBlood (As much as possible, anyway), see my other steam guide:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3485026687

CRUDUX CRUO MARANAX INFIRMUX IT BURNS IT BURNS IT BURNS AAAAAAAAAAA
also RIP monolith :graveyard: 💀