In June 22nd 1941, a force of 190 german divisions started their lightning strike towards the East, opening the Eastern Front.
German forces had meticulously planned their advance along the front, and with their prior combat experience, efficiency of logistics, tactical planning and almost impregnable Luftwaffe, the german high command was confident with regard to the initial swift attack with successful results. Although all german marshalls disproved attacking the mighty USSR and warned Hitler of the mistake, the Führer underestimated the Soviet ability to upgrade their outdated army, the Soviet generals and the weather conditions, and was convinced the Blitzkrieg would prove devastating success one more time. As per Hitler's judgement, the USSR had valuable resources such as wheat and oil, and there was the tenacious need to expand the Lebensraum and eradicate communism.



At Brest, located in Bielorussia, stood the Brest-Litovsk Fortress. This solid citadel held over 300 families guarded by the 6th and 42nd rifle divisions as well as the NKVD 17th frontier guard and medical detachments . The German plan was simple, after intense artillery shelling, a deadly strike would breach the fortress and eliminate any resistance. To prevent the enemy from setting up any solid defense, utilising the solid infrastructure of the fort, german Brandenburger commandos would dress in Russian uniform and order a full scale retreat from the complex. Generalleutnant Schlieper, in charge of the entire operation, estimated the fortress to fall within a dozen hours. The reality was, the Soviet defense lasted for months.

The debut of the Russian campaign will immerse the player into the first massive battle where the Wehrmacht was proven to be hammered back. The defense of the Brest Fortress is a story left untold on many descriptions about the start of operation Barbarossa, and the bravery of the few Soviet soldiers who held the citadel until their inevitable defeat was a glimpse of what the Germans were to expect as they advanced into the USSR.



Of course we did spend our resources in creating the fortress environment. Dedicated models are just a part of the experience of the scenario, but they have to be there to be able to convey the feel for atmosphere, autenticity, and sense of place. Each single model accurately portrays the real one, equally the map itself is historically placed and worked around.
On next week we will discuss the battle more in-depth and show you the first ingame teases.



HD link

Take care and see you in the forums!

In June 22nd 1941, a force of 190 german divisions started their lightning strike towards the East, opening the Eastern Front.
German forces had meticulously planned their advance along the front, and with their prior combat experience, efficiency of logistics, tactical planning and almost impregnable Luftwaffe, the german high command was confident with regard to the initial swift attack with successful results. Although all german marshalls disproved attacking the mighty USSR and warned Hitler of the mistake, the Führer underestimated the Soviet ability to upgrade their outdated army, the Soviet generals and the weather conditions, and was convinced the Blitzkrieg would prove devastating success one more time. As per Hitler's judgement, the USSR had valuable resources such as wheat and oil, and there was the tenacious need to expand the Lebensraum and eradicate communism.



At Brest, located in Bielorussia, stood the Brest-Litovsk Fortress. This solid citadel held over 300 families guarded by the 6th and 42nd rifle divisions as well as the NKVD 17th frontier guard and medical detachments . The German plan was simple, after intense artillery shelling, a deadly strike would breach the fortress and eliminate any resistance. To prevent the enemy from setting up any solid defense, utilising the solid infrastructure of the fort, german Brandenburger commandos would dress in Russian uniform and order a full scale retreat from the complex. Generalleutnant Schlieper, in charge of the entire operation, estimated the fortress to fall within a dozen hours. The reality was, the Soviet defense lasted for months.

The debut of the Russian campaign will immerse the player into the first massive battle where the Wehrmacht was proven to be hammered back. The defense of the Brest Fortress is a story left untold on many descriptions about the start of operation Barbarossa, and the bravery of the few Soviet soldiers who held the citadel until their inevitable defeat was a glimpse of what the Germans were to expect as they advanced into the USSR.



Of course we did spend our resources in creating the fortress environment. Dedicated models are just a part of the experience of the scenario, but they have to be there to be able to convey the feel for atmosphere, autenticity, and sense of place. Each single model accurately portrays the real one, equally the map itself is historically placed and worked around.
On next week we will discuss the battle more in-depth and show you the first ingame teases.



HD link

Take care and see you in the forums!

Through the last weeks, we have been working on many aspects such as the Interface, conceptual map experimentation, skies, etc. As well as the classic 'run of the mill' modelling, animating, designing, etc…

Although we don't have an actual fixed theme for today's devblog (but there is an interesting one coming next week for 2-3 entries) there is a rather humorous find that took place a few days ago that does deserve being shared.



Through the last 1-2 months there has been a lot of movement behind the scenes going on to collect WWII resources for GoH-use that will become apparent later on, and we will feature in upcoming entries. Stating the obvious, we must stress the military equipment, emblems, etc. are strictly for project development use.

Overlooking the mass of resources that were collected revealed a good number of documents, letters and posters, of which there is a featured leaflet called "A guide to Australia" published by the US Army and USN for information purposes to be dispatched to the pacific front. While it has no direct relevance with the initial release theme of GoH, it is nonetheless very entertaining, and I believed it would make a good debut for the 2016 Devblog entries.


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We also have uncovered fantastic copies of the original composition of Shostakovich’s Symphony Nº 7, which was dedicated to Leningrad in it’s suffering during the Axis siege of the city (we likely will publish scans of this on FB/VK). This will surely be more attractive to the Russian-speaking community than a US leaflet trying to tell their soldiers that Australians aren’t aliens!



And that’s as far as this entry will go. We have gameplay videos around the corner to be released in the near future.

Take care and see you in the forums!

Through the last weeks, we have been working on many aspects such as the Interface, conceptual map experimentation, skies, etc. As well as the classic 'run of the mill' modelling, animating, designing, etc…

Although we don't have an actual fixed theme for today's devblog (but there is an interesting one coming next week for 2-3 entries) there is a rather humorous find that took place a few days ago that does deserve being shared.



Through the last 1-2 months there has been a lot of movement behind the scenes going on to collect WWII resources for GoH-use that will become apparent later on, and we will feature in upcoming entries. Stating the obvious, we must stress the military equipment, emblems, etc. are strictly for project development use.

Overlooking the mass of resources that were collected revealed a good number of documents, letters and posters, of which there is a featured leaflet called "A guide to Australia" published by the US Army and USN for information purposes to be dispatched to the pacific front. While it has no direct relevance with the initial release theme of GoH, it is nonetheless very entertaining, and I believed it would make a good debut for the 2016 Devblog entries.


HD link


HD link


HD link


HD link



We also have uncovered fantastic copies of the original composition of Shostakovich’s Symphony Nº 7, which was dedicated to Leningrad in it’s suffering during the Axis siege of the city (we likely will publish scans of this on FB/VK). This will surely be more attractive to the Russian-speaking community than a US leaflet trying to tell their soldiers that Australians aren’t aliens!



And that’s as far as this entry will go. We have gameplay videos around the corner to be released in the near future.

Take care and see you in the forums!

This Devblog entry will be in fact, the last one of 2015. Next week the team will be on vacations, equally we will leave the readers to kindly celebrate the upcoming new year with friends and family.


Time and effort has been invested in producing a realistic tank mobility system. We have simulated true acceleration and braking systems for tanks, of which their mass, horsepower, traverse speed, etc is all considered. You will feel when a tank is heavy. Our next step is to model the mobility capabilities over different terrain, to give a huge advantage to going through solid ground and the drawbacks of going cross-country. I’m sure you will think twice about buying a heavy tank on a rainy autumn muddy map. It will have an important impact on gameplay, especially within the competitive community. It will be one more factor to take into account to buying units, which also is map-specific depending on the terrain. And for those that question the importance or historical accuracy of this feature in a WW2 game, I’ll just point you in the direction of this Wehrmacht soldier who has many beautiful things to say about Russia when it gets muddy.




We have designed the playstyle of urban areas to be played as much outside as inside the buildings or ruins. This will differentiate the urban maps from any others in the fact that cover, intricate wall parts, etc can be used to hide and ambush the enemy, ensuring the player can prove himself in close quarters like never seen before. You will value every inch of land you secure within the debris, plus you must become proficient in assessing when (and where) the enemy will try to flank you, to play ahead of the game. It’s either you or your enemy who will fall into the trap!


HD link


And that’s as far as we will take it this year Folks. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year, and we will see you back on 2016!

This Devblog entry will be in fact, the last one of 2015. Next week the team will be on vacations, equally we will leave the readers to kindly celebrate the upcoming new year with friends and family.


Time and effort has been invested in producing a realistic tank mobility system. We have simulated true acceleration and braking systems for tanks, of which their mass, horsepower, traverse speed, etc is all considered. You will feel when a tank is heavy. Our next step is to model the mobility capabilities over different terrain, to give a huge advantage to going through solid ground and the drawbacks of going cross-country. I’m sure you will think twice about buying a heavy tank on a rainy autumn muddy map. It will have an important impact on gameplay, especially within the competitive community. It will be one more factor to take into account to buying units, which also is map-specific depending on the terrain. And for those that question the importance or historical accuracy of this feature in a WW2 game, I’ll just point you in the direction of this Wehrmacht soldier who has many beautiful things to say about Russia when it gets muddy.




We have designed the playstyle of urban areas to be played as much outside as inside the buildings or ruins. This will differentiate the urban maps from any others in the fact that cover, intricate wall parts, etc can be used to hide and ambush the enemy, ensuring the player can prove himself in close quarters like never seen before. You will value every inch of land you secure within the debris, plus you must become proficient in assessing when (and where) the enemy will try to flank you, to play ahead of the game. It’s either you or your enemy who will fall into the trap!


HD link


And that’s as far as we will take it this year Folks. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year, and we will see you back on 2016!

Last week we talked about the possible inclusion of prototype units. The response has been mostly clear and direct, Gates of Hell cannot turn the slightest into an experimental unhistorical game! This was what most of us developers also agreed on, and it is comforting to see that the players also understand our vision. The purpose of the appeal was to have the users' definite response towards the controversial topic and seal it for the future player base to come. Once again we are shaping the game alongside our people, and perhaps you can consider it a benefit of being the early adopters/followers... Or maybe a benefit of being stuck to the screen on friday evening, thinking "When on earth will the devblog come out?".



We made a thread in our forums to report any unhistorical detail that lets some people down, especially the history fans. here. We have already received some messages to change certain aspects of the uniforms and such, just from a small glance in the screenshots. This is the place to post them. By all means we try to make the assets as close to the real thing as possible, and towards some claims we have been clearly able to prove otherwise, so discussions are allowed (to let numerous historians debate) and the claims must come with photographic evidence.



We would now like to address a minority of people that claim the Devblog to be meaningless. The devblog was created to be something a step further from the developers towards the community, something for the players to look at - more engaging than the usual FAQ but more attractive and characterful than a developer post in the forums. So we would like to ask those people, mainly coming from the Russian-speaking sites, what would you like to see on the next entries? What specifically do you feel should change? Of course this also applies for anyone who believes it can be improved and we will always take in constructive criticism.

Last week we talked about the possible inclusion of prototype units. The response has been mostly clear and direct, Gates of Hell cannot turn the slightest into an experimental unhistorical game! This was what most of us developers also agreed on, and it is comforting to see that the players also understand our vision. The purpose of the appeal was to have the users' definite response towards the controversial topic and seal it for the future player base to come. Once again we are shaping the game alongside our people, and perhaps you can consider it a benefit of being the early adopters/followers... Or maybe a benefit of being stuck to the screen on friday evening, thinking "When on earth will the devblog come out?".



We made a thread in our forums to report any unhistorical detail that lets some people down, especially the history fans. here. We have already received some messages to change certain aspects of the uniforms and such, just from a small glance in the screenshots. This is the place to post them. By all means we try to make the assets as close to the real thing as possible, and towards some claims we have been clearly able to prove otherwise, so discussions are allowed (to let numerous historians debate) and the claims must come with photographic evidence.



We would now like to address a minority of people that claim the Devblog to be meaningless. The devblog was created to be something a step further from the developers towards the community, something for the players to look at - more engaging than the usual FAQ but more attractive and characterful than a developer post in the forums. So we would like to ask those people, mainly coming from the Russian-speaking sites, what would you like to see on the next entries? What specifically do you feel should change? Of course this also applies for anyone who believes it can be improved and we will always take in constructive criticism.

After two weeks of intense voting, here are the results of what the community wants for a Multiplayer map on the release debut:

(A) Berlin in April 1945 - 53 votes.
(B) Tannenberg line - 28 votes
(C) Warsaw in the 1944 uprising - 33 votes
(D) Kursk - 35 votes
(E) Stalingrad Fallen Fighters square - 69 votes
(F) Stalingrad grain elevator - 53 votes

Stalingrad Fallen Fighters was an extremely popular choice, especially within the russian side of the community. Warsaw Uprising was also a popular choice amongst the ‘western’ Facebook users, but did not match the number of votes assembled for Fallen Fighters. Work will begin soon!


This is a topic we would like to engage you with. Being a realistic and authentic project, we are reluctant to introduce prototypes and/or one-off units in the game. Many have asked from the player base, and some of our team members have drafted some prototype tanks, so we want to ask - What is your opinion? Should they be introduced? To what extent? Should they only be usable for the users in the editor to have fun?



HD link


Today we want to centralise the devblog publishing on Steam (previously entries were mirrored in VK). To show our support to the russian community, we will also translate and post the russian version below.

After two weeks of intense voting, here are the results of what the community wants for a Multiplayer map on the release debut:

(A) Berlin in April 1945 - 53 votes.
(B) Tannenberg line - 28 votes
(C) Warsaw in the 1944 uprising - 33 votes
(D) Kursk - 35 votes
(E) Stalingrad Fallen Fighters square - 69 votes
(F) Stalingrad grain elevator - 53 votes

Stalingrad Fallen Fighters was an extremely popular choice, especially within the russian side of the community. Warsaw Uprising was also a popular choice amongst the ‘western’ Facebook users, but did not match the number of votes assembled for Fallen Fighters. Work will begin soon!


This is a topic we would like to engage you with. Being a realistic and authentic project, we are reluctant to introduce prototypes and/or one-off units in the game. Many have asked from the player base, and some of our team members have drafted some prototype tanks, so we want to ask - What is your opinion? Should they be introduced? To what extent? Should they only be usable for the users in the editor to have fun?



HD link


Today we want to centralise the devblog publishing on Steam (previously entries were mirrored in VK). To show our support to the russian community, we will also translate and post the russian version below.