Hey Everyone,

Welcome to Dev Brief #145!

Some long awaited great news this week as we go live with Patch 16 and Sneak a Peek at the M1942 Frogskin Uniform.

Patch 16 is Live!

An early Developer Brief to start the week with the exciting news of P16 releasing Tuesday. (see below). We have been working very hard on this patch and are hoping that you will find it well worth the wait. Many improvements have been made.

Also for console related updates like the open beta rolling out soon and other news check out our social platforms in the links at the end of the brief.


Stalingrad Fanart by [TC] Sgt Remeriz

Patch 16 Changelog
After a lot of work on many fronts we are pleased to announce the release of Patch 16 our long awaited ‘Optimization’ patch. We are very excited for how this patch will perform especially on the eastern front. As we have mentioned previously a lot of work and thought has gone into this update to improve upon many aspects of the Hell Let Loose experience. Below you can see a small list of some noticeable items with the full (8 page) changelog in the link at the end of the list.

- Extensive optimization pass on Stalingrad
- Switched from a fixed streaming pool size to being based on a % of available VRAM across all maps
- Continuous optimization pass on a large number of in-game assets (Far too many to list)
- Reduced frame stutter occurring in Kursk and Carentan caused by PhysX
- Holding [F] while bleeding will immediately equip a bandage and begin bandaging
- Added a “Streamer Mode” which hides player name, garrison locations and server information from all HUD elements
- FPS is now capped to 60 in the Main Menu to prevent 100% GPU usage
- Improved server stability
- A vehicle's component health is now displayed to the player repairing the vehicle
- During overtime if the Attackers capturing progress reaches 0% the match will now end.
- Critical/Downed players no longer block spawns.
- Vehicle components now repair in the following order: Engine > Tracks > Turret > Hull
- Improved the reliability of VOIP connection and the ability to reconnect using the reconnect feature

Read the full changelog list here: {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/HLLPatch16

This Weeks Sneak Peek

A stylish way to get your stealth on with these camo variants of the M1942 Frogskin Uniform design.

M1942 Frogskin Camo Uniform Front


M1942 Frogskin Camo Uniform Back


War Correspondent, Content Creator and Community HLL Videos
Time for some more community highlights from the below creators

We highly recommend giving them a watch.
If you see a Video you like make sure to post in the Discord #hll-videos channel.

REAL STALINGRAD on ULTRA GRAPHICS - HELL LET LOOSE - WarfareGaming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esbD0ZkZ0jY

Hell Let Loose Gameplay (PC UHD) [4K60FPS] - Throneful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8-xD5VNaSA

Hell Let Loose - Spectator - Battle For Scar & Jacob's Barn - Tatum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWAPv-pr30Y


Don’t forget that if you haven’t checked out the other Hell Let Loose socials you should do so. Like our discord you will find them great places for information and community interaction.


Join the Discord here https://discord.gg/hellletloose

Our other social platforms can be found here:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HellLetLoose/
Twitter https://twitter.com/hell_let_loose
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/HellLetLoose
Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/HellLetLoose/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hellletlooseofficial/
Steam http://steamcommunity.com/groups/HellLetLoose

An early dev brief? Does this mean more news coming later in the week?? Well, it's time to wrap up today's Dev Brief. See you all on the frontline!

Hey everyone,

Welcome to Dev Brief #144!

This week comes bearing great news as we announce the Patch 16 release, extended playtime for PS5 Beta participants and a sneak peek at an upcoming addition to the German armour lineup.



Patch 16 Inbound!
Work is nearing an end as we’re in the final stages of internal testing for Patch 16 which brings a number of QOL changes and large improvements to optimization for both Stalingrad and game-wide experiences. We are very happy with the progress and think you will all find it well worth the wait when it deploys next week on Tuesday the 14th!

The overall optimization process has been quite involved and we decided that a slight extension of coding and testing was warranted to ensure the best performance possible. During this period we were also able to identify additional in-game QOL issues that while we had HLL on the workbench we also looked to address.

With Patch 16 being wrapped up, production towards Update 11 is in full force with the team hard at work on a number of highly anticipated additions that we can’t wait to get into the hands of the players. Keep watching this space as we’ll be covering some of these additions in future Dev Briefs but for now, please feel free to lay your eyes upon this week’s sneak peek of what’s to come.



Sneak Peek Of The Week
Have to say we think this week's Sneak Peek deserves pole position in today's brief. We'll let the pictures do the talking here.


German Panzer IV: Front


German Panzer IV: Side


German Panzer IV In Action



PS5 Closed Beta Continues
After the initial promising start the PS5 beta is still live. Due to the nature of the server fixes that are being deployed it has been decided to leave the beta running to allow us a greater ability to troubleshoot and remedy them.

That aside, the gameplay itself has been received really well by players and we are very optimistic that it will be a smooth transition to console to help widen the audience of Hell Let Loose to those that prefer the console platform. We urge you to continue helping on the testing front and also look at picking up the game on launch.

A lot of people have been asking about Xbox and yes, we can confirm that a release on this platform is coming, you won't be left out. Due to in-house limitations however we have only been able to run this Beta test for the client on the Playstation platform at the moment.



War Correspondent, Content Creator and Community HLL Videos
Time for some more community highlights from the below creators

We highly recommend giving them a watch.
If you see a Video you like make sure to post in the Discord #hll-videos channel.


EASTERN FRONT - Hell let Loose (New Update) | THE HUMANITY! - Nano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upq78Ris-o4

Is Hell Let Loose Worth Buying in 2021? [Hell Let Loose Review] - Gorlami14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9gXiAoxsIE

It's not everyday you come across a play like this!
We don't usually delve into individual plays on Hell Let Loose as often there are so many. However when you come across one like this from Shaka Zulu you just can't ignore it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LYDPJPIpNA&lc=UgxhyzFwM82AjfzZg0h4AaABAg



Don’t forget that if you haven’t checked out the other Hell Let Loose socials you should do so. Like our discord you will find them great places for information and community interaction.


Join the Discord here https://discord.gg/hellletloose


Our other social platforms can be found here:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HellLetLoose/
Twitter https://twitter.com/hell_let_loose
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/HellLetLoose
Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/HellLetLoose/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hellletlooseofficial/
Steam http://steamcommunity.com/groups/HellLetLoose


Short and Sweet this week, it's time to wrap up today's Dev Brief. See you all on the frontline!

Hi everyone!

After a few weeks of rigorous PTE testing with a heavy focus on performance and optimisation we want to thank the community for your patience, support and feedback during this time.

We are currently doing our sign-off of our latest build, for the patch to be dropped within the next two weeks. Along with other bug fixing, we have seen some very promising performance increases across the board, but especially in Stalingrad where there is potential for more improvements.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of the community that took the time to join in the PTE environment and help us test. We are hopeful that you will all see the fruits of these efforts when the patch drops.

You may also have noticed that the Developer Briefings have been a little bit shorter the last few weeks, as we have been very busy working on Improvements for the upcoming patch. Moving forward we are excited to show and discuss in more detail some great new features and content for Hell Let Loose.

Touring Hell Let Loose - Over The Real Life settings

Although a lot of us lately have been confined to our homes or with very limited travel. It seems community members [1AD] -=Medusa=- NL and Xymox have managed to do some touring of the eastern front.

Their most recent creation of the ‘HLL Stalingrad Tour’ also incorporates period specific aerial photography to again enhance the similarities between the game environments and reality itself.
Take a look at these well made videos of some comparisons to the theatres depicted in Hell Let Loose and how they look in reality.


HLL stalingrad tour - Dave Rabelink
Created by [1AD] -=Medusa=- NL, Xymox


Hell Let Loose: A tour of all iconic maps- Dave Rabelink
Created by [1AD] -=Medusa=- NL, Xymox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NzFgDn629U


PS5 Closed Beta Round Up

It has been a promising start to the PS5 Closed Beta testing this week. We are aware of the server issues and have prioritised major efforts on all fronts to rectify.

That aside, the gameplay feedback has been very positive from all those involved. Many people were very pleasantly surprised with Hell Let Loose on console and a lot have promised to continue helping on the testing front and also look at picking up the game on launch.

We are very humbled by such positive feedback and server issues aside, we will continue to look forward to making both the PC and Console products as best as they can be. A lot of people have been asking about Xbox and yes, we can confirm that a release on this platform is coming, you won't be left out. Due to inhouse limitations however we have only been able to Beta test the client on the Playstation platform at the moment.


Sneak Peek: RA Cape Plash-Palatka - Poncho

The Soviet Plash-Palatka was a common means for all on the eastern front to stay dry during times of inclement weather during WW2. A simple design made from canvas, it could be utilised as a poncho, ground cover or even a small tent.

In 1791 the first variant of these actually came into use. Then later on they were modified in 1894 and finally in 1936 they came up with a finalized product.The Plash-Palatka has not really changed ever since. In WW2 the only change that was made to it was that in 1942 the colour scheme was in some cases altered to make them in camouflage.


The Soviet Plash-Palatka: Back


The Soviet Plash-Palatka: Front


The Soviet Plash-Palatka: Front


War Correspondent, Content Creator and Community HLL Videos

Time for some more community highlights from the below creators. We highly recommend giving them a watch. If you see a Video you like make sure to post in the Discord #hll-videos channel.

Hell Let Loose - Invasion maps are BEAUTIFUL - Alpine Sniper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCKYUGDNQkE

Hell Let Loose - Tiger Tank Crew Holds Flank - The Fresh Baked Goods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPYRNKECS9Q

I'M CLOSE TO UNLOCK MY FAVORITE WEAPON - Hell Let Loose Gameplay - FriendlyNikolai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rMq-WMAa-w

Don’t forget to follow us on our socials and join us in Discord!


Join the Discord here https://discord.gg/hellletloose

Our other social platforms can be found here:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HellLetLoose/
Twitter https://twitter.com/hell_let_loose
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/HellLetLoose
Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/HellLetLoose/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hellletlooseofficial/
Steam http://steamcommunity.com/groups/HellLetLoose

Short and Sweet this week, it's time to wrap up today's Dev Brief.

See you all on the frontline!

Hi everyone

PTE will be starting at approximately 2pm BST 26th August.

This will be one of, if not the last PTE for the upcoming patch. So it's super important we try to fill the server as soon as the PTE goes live to get to the highest player count we can.

Please if you are available jump in with us as soon as the server is up!

We have made some major progress in regards to optimisation and would like to kindly ask the community to again jump into the PTE.

ICYMI - The progress has been very promising and those who participated in previous PTE’s recently would have noticed decent improvements in performance. We would like to expand on this optimization work before we deploy it live so we can ensure everyone gets the best experience in the game. If you can pass the message on to those who may not keep an eye on the day to day communications, we would really appreciate it.

For this PTE we have adjusted the map rotation to include a wider range of the eastern front maps and included some more familiar western front maps.

Maps:
SMDM_W
Stalingrad_Off_GER
Foy_W
Kursk_Off_US

So please if you are available, consider helping us stress test the server & join us!

Once you have played, help the team by filling out the feedback form here:
https://forms.gle/CisCprpSd7jxRsWW7

A small glimpse at some noteworthy changes coming in P16:

Markers now display a timer on the Tactical Map representing their lifetime
Players can now equip and begin bandaging with a single hold of the [F] key
Aligning the compass to the orientation of the Tactical Map
Displaying component HP to the repairer of a vehicle
Improved Tanking experience with finer controls for the Gunner and more reliable shell collision
Improved reliability of VOIP connections
Over 400 bug fixes including a number of fixes that had been on our hit list since the early days

Full PTE Changelog here: {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/3zfWMxM


CONSOLE CLOSED BETA

We Need You! (and your console skills)

Sign up for a chance to be one of the first to play Hell Let Loose on PlayStation 5 in our Closed Beta if you haven't already. With your help and feedback, we will make the game the best it can be.

Requirements:
To reside in the EU or USA
To be 18 years old or older
To have a PlayStation 5 console
To speak English to provide feedback to the development team.

Please keep in mind that if you are invited to the Beta you will need to sign an NDA and be unable to discuss the contents of the Beta with anyone outside of it.
Sign up for the PS5 Beta test here: {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/HLLConsoleBetaPS5

Join The DISCORD - https://discord.gg/hellletloose
As we are starting our first console BETA Test this week. We have added some new channels dedicated to console (PlayStation) for information, general chat and feedback relating to Hell Let Loose.

You will need to opt into the PS5 role to see these channels. You can do that at the bottom of the #readme-rules channel.

Other channels
#ps5-beta-info
#ps5-general-chat
#ps5-feedback

If you are a console owner involved with the testing of the console version, we would like to invite you to join these channels.

This first BETA Test will be held on the Next Gen PlayStation 5 from today, to the 31st of August 2021.

If you live in a region outside of EU or USA you won't have missed out as there will be a Global open Beta soon. So feel free to join these channels in preparation for that in the near future.

If you have a PlayStation 5 and wish to participate and have not done so already, please **SIGNUP** Here for your chance to attend -->> {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/HLLConsoleBetaPS5


Console Beta Mini FAQ:

Q. The sign up page says Europe and USA only, is this correct? - Yes at the moment this ‘Closed Beta’ will be region locked to EU and USA residents only. There will be a global open Beta very soon.

Q. Can I join if I have an Xbox? - At the moment this closed Beta is only for PlayStation 5 consoles.

Q. When do I get the key to download it?- Keys will be sent out. Just make sure you signed up!

Q. What would I do if I didn't get a key? - The demand for keys has been high and the numbers are limited. If you missed out you will definitely get a chance to play with the open Beta coming soon.

Q. Do I need to own Hell Let Loose to participate in this Beta? - No, this console beta is open to all.

Q. Is this the full game? - The Beta test client is a test client, not the full game. The full game will be released separately.

Q. How long is this Beta for? - This Beta will run until August 31.


Sneak Peek Of The Week

Not all weapons were long range during the battles of WW2, aside from sub machine guns and hand held weapons, the trench gun was a popular feature for close quarters. Nothing beats a bit of ‘up close and personal’ during combat so we thought we would share an upcoming weapon that will help those who love fighting shoulder to shoulder with the enemy. Lots more interesting items like this will be coming in Update 11 so keep an eye out for more information on this and other items throughout our future developer briefings.


M97 Trench Gun

WC, Content Creator and Community HLL Videos

Time for some more community highlights from the below creators. We highly recommend giving them a watch. If you see a Video you like make sure to post in the Discord #hll-videos channel.

Firearms Expert Reacts To Hell Let Loose’s Guns - Gamespot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K81e5Q6aY3g

Welcome to Stalingrad - Hell Let Loose Gameplay - BreakTheVices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4xgmo9fuTo

A Squad Player's Impressions of Hell Let Loose - Gorlami14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTdsZYDl_U

Don’t forget that if you haven’t checked out the other Hell Let Loose socials you should do so. Like our discord you will find them great places for information and community interaction.

Join the Discord here - https://discord.gg/hellletloose

Our other social platforms can be found here:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HellLetLoose/
Twitter https://twitter.com/hell_let_loose
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/HellLetLoose
Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/HellLetLoose/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hellletlooseofficial/
Steam http://steamcommunity.com/groups/HellLetLoose

And that’s all for this Dev Brief. Have a great weekend and see you on the frontline!

PTE & CHANGELOG

Hi everyone!

Focus remains on the next patch right now. We will be having a PTE today, starting at approximately 2pm BST.

PLEASE JOIN IF YOU CAN! Not sure how to join? Jump into Discord. This will be slightly earlier than last week, giving us a good time slot for the end of week.

Again we are looking at performance and optimization. Please if you are available, consider helping us stress test the PTE server!

{LINK REMOVED}Here is the updated Changelog for the upcoming patch and what will be in today's PTE.
It was tested at full capacity last week with good results. We are still working through feedback.

We really appreciate your participation and feedback again. See you there!

Cheers,
The HLL Team


Fanart Competition

A few weeks ago we launched a fanart/screenshot competition for the community. We have had some stellar submissions from many various entries.

Thanks to all that took the time to create, submit and join in the Showcasing of Hell Let Loose in a creative way. These were done in the form of sketches, drawings, paintings, original screenshots and reworked screenshots that were instantly recognizable as Hell Let Loose.

We have decided that the lucky winners listed below in random order will each receive a Hell Let Loose exclusive limited edition 82nd Airborne Helmet DLC.

Again our thanks to all who participated. If you feel you missed out, stay tuned for future events for your chance to snap up the limited edition 82 Airborne Helmet. Winners will be contacted directly in Discord.


Image by [82AD]VeryBadMoon

Winners (in random order):
B_17G
Brezz
[WTH] Sgt.exe
TOTENKOPF1902
Harrison2142
TW Red
Captain Higgins
[TC] Sgt Remeriz
Martin Freeman
LOKI95
[82AD]VeryBadMoon
|||™ BimSekai
[2.FJg] iAn
[2.FJg]bn.hall
Alpine Sniper (credit Header image for Dev Brief)
Scum
[fll.fi] Tuomainen


Hell Let Loose Discord Hits 50,000 + members

We are extremely excited to have passed the milestone of 50,000 members for the official Hell Let Loose Discord. Thanks to the entire community for getting us here!



Don’t forget that if you haven’t joined, to do so already as the HLL discord is a great place for information and community interaction. Well done to all that helped us pass this awesome community milestone.


Sneak Peak

Along with the ongoing optimisation and programming works our artists have also remained busy.
Here is a sneak preview of a new Soviet Navy Uniform the Telnyashka.



War Correspondent, Content Creator and Community HLL Videos

Time for some more community highlights from the below creators

We highly recommend giving them a watch.
If you see a Video you like make sure to post in the Discord #hll-videos channel.

Insane Tank round in Hell Let Loose - Monoespacial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3qZ0rkz0iM

Hell Let Loose - NOT a great start but by the end it was a Scramble for Victory - Alpine Sniper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqLpRRM_Mvs

Hell Let Loose || Stalingrad Sniper Duel. - Wolfpack345
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL8H41RGVhk

Russian Infantry VS German Puma Gunner! - OperatorDrewski
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMfHEbEs2wY

Thanks to everyone involved in creating such entertaining material for us all.

That wraps up this week's Dev Brief!
Have a great weekend and see you on the frontline.

Hey everyone,

Welcome to Dev Brief #140!

This week we're sharing more on our upcoming optimisation efforts, including special focus being given to Stalingrad, a first look at some upcoming free customisation DLC and highlighting some cool Hell Let Loose content that caught the attention of the team.

Let's get stuck in shall we!



In case you missed it, last week we talked briefly on optimisation and how we plan on tackling performance across the game, especially on Stalingrad. If you haven’t read this yet, you can check it out here -> Dev Brief #139

The main purpose of this week's early Dev Brief is to kindly ask the community to jump into the PTE if at all possible. In addition, if you can pass the message on to those who may not keep an eye on the day to day communications, we would really appreciate it.

We will be aiming to have the PTE on Thursday the 12th of August, starting at approximately 4pm BST. This will be later than the usual PTE start time, as we feel it will be easier for the community to fill the servers during this period. This will also mean it’s more suited for the different EU/US time-zones.

The focus of this PTE will be performance and optimization. We understand that this may not be as exciting as testing new content, but there is a benefit to the entire community if we get this tested. The sooner we get it tested at full capacity, the sooner we can deploy the patch. We prefer not to be in a situation where we have to patch again because we missed something crucial.

So please if you are available, consider helping us stress test the server & join us!

Once you have played, help the team by filling out the feedback form HERE.



We also want to quickly mention and give the community a heads up that soon we will be running our first console Beta. If this interests you, please keep an eye out for communication on how to be a part of it.

If you or someone you know has a PlayStation 5, we would love for you to join the DEVs in being one of the first to try Hell Let Loose on next gen consoles.

We are very excited to test this with the community, and will follow up with further details on how to apply for the BETA in the next week or two.

We are curious to know how many of the community have a next gen console, so if you do please take a minute to fill out this quick poll.

Next Gen Console Poll



We will be highlighting more and more of the fantastic HLL content we are seeing on a daily basis. We highly recommend giving them a watch. Below are a few recent videos we enjoyed, and we will share a few every Dev Brief, or as often as we can. If you see a Video you like make sure to post in the Discord #hll-videos channel.

Thanks to everyone involved in creating such entertaining material for the world to see:

AUTHENTIC WORLD WAR 2 COMBAT - Hell Let Loose Gameplay - FriendlyNikolai


Hell Let Loose | Random Moments 5 (Update 10: Soviet Time) - DarkLiberatorZone


Hell Let Loose - The Tiger Tank Is Still Great (Update 10) - The Fresh Baked Goods


Tips for New Players - Hell Let Loose Hints and Tips - Terrydactyl Gaming






After seeing the community enjoying the limited Silver Vanguard DLC we showcased on the release of Version 1.0 we've taken a minute to sneak a preview of some of the future free cosmetics currently in the pipeline.

Like the other forces, the Soviets will receive a line-up of equivalent unlockable uniforms to celebrate newly acquired role levels. Check out the Ameba Winter Uniform and Ameba Camo Autumn uniforms below.

Ameba Winter Uniform -



Ameba Camo Autumn Uniform -






Submission by: |||™ BimSekai


Submission by: RenanM

Showcase HLL in a creative way. This can be a sketch, drawing, painting, original screenshot or reworked screenshot that is instantly recognizable as Hell Let Loose.

Simply submit your linked art image, along with your Discord name and ID. Please make sure you are in the official Discord so we can contact you directly.

Join the Discord here.

We will be giving away a few HLL Keys, and an exclusive helmet to our favourite pieces. We will highlight this art across our channels and in the Discord.

This screenshot competition will run until Friday August 13th. So feel free to use the latest U10 Eastern Front content.

Please only ONE submission per person.

We look forward to seeing them - HLL Fan Art/ Screenshot submission form


That wraps up this week's Dev Brief!

If you join us in the PTE, thank you! We really appreciate it!

See you on the frontline.

Hi everyone!

Thanks for jumping into our release of Update 10 and fighting across the Eastern Front!
We were thrilled to see such a large number of players grab the game for the first time.

We want to thank you - the community - for being so welcoming to all the new players. We know that large influxes of new players are wonderful because the community grows, but that there are also teething issues as people learn the game for the first time. It’s always a tricky balance to manage and we greatly appreciate the welcoming environment that you’ve made the game - both on our social channels and in-game.


We also want to explain to all new players that during the development of Hell Let Loose we post a weekly “dev briefing”. This weekly post tends to focus on one area of development - be it a new weapon, vehicle or feature, or it may look at a map, a technical change within the game or put a spotlight on community activity. We tend to post them on Thursday or Fridays - depending on the course of development. So far we’ve posted one every week for more than 130 weeks and will be continuing this into the future.


We know that optimisation has been an issue on Stalingrad - resulting in a stutter occurring on specific hardware. We spent a long time profiling this, as the correlation between the stutters and in-game activities were hard to trace. Each time we’d look at what may be causing it (explosions, or spawning, or throwing objects), the profiling would show acceptable results. We were also aware that this was only occurring on specific machines, and it didn’t seem to be universal to any spec of machine (meaning that some machines at each end of the spectrum suffered from it).

We can happily report that with the extremely hard work of our wonderful QA team, tech artists and programmers, the issue has been found - namely a texture streaming issue on specific hardware that locks up the machine temporarily on the game thread.

As a result of this, we’re currently running several PTEs to ensure that the fixes made give a considerable frame boost to Stalingrad especially and eliminate stutter.

• The micro stutter should be fixed across all maps on GPUs with 3GB+ of VRAM.
  
• These optimisations should increase FPS in all maps, but we have focused our testing on the Eastern Front.
  
• You should expect to see a major general FPS increase in Stalingrad.
  
• The physics stutter was removed from Stalingrad in PTE in the most recent PTE, and similar work is currently being done on Kursk.

We appreciate the patience as we continue optimisations across different areas of the game as quickly and methodically as we can. We are working very hard to make sure players have the best experience possible, cheers.


Thanks to all those who jumped in the most recent PTE to test the latest build. We’ve seen some promising improvements with the latest round of optimisations, but still need to stress test this with more players. The feedback is that players are getting significantly more frames on Stalingrad (with reports between 10+ to 30+ FPS) and elimination of stutter.

To help us totally put this issue to bed, we’d love you to assist us by jumping into the PTEs that we’ll be hosting over the next couple of weeks before deploying Patch 16. We’ll attempt to give as much notice as possible, and will consider alternate & more flexible timing across the different timezones. Please checkout the discord, for the latest PTE information.


Description:

Dan Carlin - the man behind the fantastic Hardcore History podcasts - talks with Max about Hell Let Loose, the genre, its development, growth and challenges through the broader context of wargaming, ethics and depiction of history.




Incase you missed it, we’re excited to present an incredible player guide that has been put together by some brilliant contributors. Even in its early stages this unique concept impressed the team and we were very excited to see it progress from start to finish. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to the people involved for making it possible:

Authors: Dbl0Douche, General T, Inchon, Nuc1e4r, Oddball, Xiang_Ganger.
Editor: Dashthirty
Art and Design: MoscaTnT


You can Download the New PLayer Guide PDF here: {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/HLLNewPlyrGuide
We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did!



This will run for approximately 1 more week. So please consider U10 Eastern Front content.
Showcase HLL in a creative way. This can be a sketch, drawing, painting, original screenshot or reworked screenshot that is instantly recognizable as Hell Let Loose.

Simply submit your linked art image, along with your Discord name and ID. Please make sure you are in the official Discord so we can contact you directly.


Submission by: JT1902


Submission by: [BST2] El CaMaRaDa

Join the Discord here - https://discord.gg/hellletloose

We will be giving away a few HLL Keys, and an exclusive helmet to our favourite pieces. We will highlight this art across our channels and in the Discord.

Please only ONE submission per person.

We look forward to seeing them!
HLL Fan Art/ Screenshot submission form - https://forms.gle/4rkW2ZGJsKWjRcuv6


And that’s all for this Dev Brief. Once again thanks for all the support, have a great weekend and see you on the frontline!

Hey everyone,

We hope you all had a great weekend on the frontline!

Today we're humbled to share with you a truly amazing community created guide that can only be described as 'The Ultimate New Player Handbook!.

This fantastic guide combines top tier knowledge of the frontline with fantastic artwork and design to create something truly special.

Before we dive into the guide we'd like to highlight the frontline heroes who together planned, designed, wrote and created what you're about to read:

Authors
Dbl0Douche
General T
Inchon
Nuc1e4r
Oddball
Xiang_Ganger

Editor
DashThirty

Art and Design
Moscatnt

If you see any of these damn fine soldiers on your team be sure to say hi and make sure they get a seat on the transport truck!

A Message From Inchon

This guide was created to help improve the quality of gameplay for new players, help clarify some items for veteran players, and maybe even provide something for those of us with thousands of hours in game. I would like to thank the team from around the globe that helped put this together and especially Mosca whose cartoons and presentation made an otherwise dull product look like an actual used World War II soldiers guide. Thank you to DannyArt and the Black Matter team for providing the in-game icons and their factual review of the guide before presentation.

We do plan to keep this updated as the game changes and possibly move onto an advanced guide as there was many things we cut out in order to make each page roughly a 2 minute read. We hope you enjoy!
















NOTE: If you require a version with a larger page / font size, or would like to chat with the creators of the guide you can do both over on their Reddit post HERE.

That wraps up today's post, we just had to share this fantastic community project with you and we hope you find it equally entertaining and informative.

You really are an amazing community - thank you.

We'll catch up with everyone in a few days as part of our weekly Developer Briefing, so speak to you again soon!

See you on the frontline.

Hey everyone,

Thank you all for your amazing support so far with the arrival of Update 10 and our launch out of Early Access.

The team are already working hard going through everyone's feedback, comments and bug reports as we move towards our first post-launch steps. More news on that will be coming soon!

With Update 10 came with it a swathe of new and returning players to the frontline, which is awesome! To you we'd like to say welcome, it's great to have you with us!

To aid those of you who are fresh to the front we thought we'd share an awesome video guide created by veteran player and Community Bastion, Monoespacial.



The video below is Mono's complete guide for beginners, covering everything from tanks, Roles and the metagame to spawn points, use of supplies and strategic understanding of the game.

These next 20 minutes are well worth your time:


Knowledge is power!

If you're looking for specific information from the video we've grabbed some timestamps for you below -

Intro & Content Guide
Team Comp & Important of Supplies
Squad Basics
Role - Medic
Garrisons & Outposts (Spawn Points)
Commander Abilities
Role - Machine Gunner
Role - Anti-Tank
Role - Engineer
Role - Armour & Recon Basics
Capturing a Sector & Winning
Communication
General Tips
Artillery
Tanks
Closing Comments

If you learn something from Mono's video and appreciate his welcoming information, give his video a like and maybe even drop him a subscribe to keep up to date with his Hell Let Loose content.


That wraps up today's post!

If you haven't yet be sure to download the free Silver Vanguard DLC, you've only got until August 10th to claim it before it goes...

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1647960/Hell_Let_Loose__Silver_Vanguard_DLC/

We'll see you on the frontline.

Hello Community,

The day is here!

Our Early Access period has been an extremely busy one for the whole dev team. When we released the game in June of 2019, we knew that there were several key pieces of tech under the hood that were either unfinished, or needed a serious rewrite if they were to stand the test of time. Even basic functionality, such as vaulting and leaning was not yet in the game. We had two vehicles, no progression system, no customisation system, no Commander abilities, no nodes and a single game type. In short, we had our work cut out for us!

Over the past two years, we’ve worked hard to build out and rewrite much of the necessary core infrastructure to make sure that working on Hell Let Loose into the future is a far easier experience, and that we can maintain a standard level of quality across the project. We want to thank you all for supporting us during this period - offering feedback and following the project as it’s progressed. It means a huge amount to us.



We also want to welcome all the new players who’ve just picked up the game - whether in the last month or on our release. We’ve opened up some new channels in our Discord overhaul to assist you in getting into the game - be it asking questions or finding a unit to play with.

Lastly, we want to thank our original Kickstarter backers. Your support was what enabled us to begin this journey almost four years ago. We know that crowdfunded projects are always a huge risk - more often than not failing to materialise at all. We want to thank you for taking a chance on us, and we’re excited to continue fulfilling our mandate.

Roadmap 2021/2022

Leaving Early Access can best be described as the end of the beginning. With that in mind we’ve put together two roadmaps for you to take a look at.

The first shows the journey we’ve been on - to bring you up to speed, and the second shows you the future ahead for the coming year and a half.



We’re committed to continuing to deliver our usual large scale updates, but will be working to balance these with smaller and more critical patches to solve urgent issues. We’re very excited to continue to polish and expand Hell Let Loose.



Obviously, we’ll be watching feedback immediately after the launch to determine any changes that need to be made, and we’ll also strive to add greater detail by releasing smaller roadmaps with more information as updates are released and if priorities change.

We hope you’re as excited by the future of Hell Let Loose as we are!

DLC

Keep an eye out for the release of our free Silver Vanguard DLC, as well as an optional paid cosmetic DLC - “Lethal Tide”. The best way to learn how to acquire the Lethal Tide DLC is to follow our social channels, as it will be available to purchase on the Steam Store as well as other unannounced locations.

Unlock access to join the Silver Vanguard and take to the front lines with an array of unique helmets and uniforms. Roll up your sleeves and get stuck into the thick of it with the German

forces, blend into the background in the Soviet “Ameba” camo helmet or take to the US tanks and show off the “Hell on Wheels” jacket!


Free for all current Hell Let Loose owners, or anyone that plays Hell Let Loose before the 10th August 2021.

Please note: This will become available to download at 5pm BST / 6pm CEST on July 27th.

Silver Vanguard pack contains:

• German Forces – "Rolled sleeves" uniforms for 11 roles.
  
• US Forces - “Hell on Wheels” jacket for Tank Commander’s and Tank Crew
  
• Soviet Forces - SSh-40 Covered Ameba helmet

Early Backers

If you are an early backer, expect an email with your DLC key bundle over the next few days! This will include the Italian camo for the Major backers reward and the Lethal Tide DLC free as thanks for your early support.


Disclaimer:
There were 1500+ tracked changes to the game for Update 10. We’ve tried to include absolutely everything we can below with regard to them, and had to summarise smaller changes to fit within the word count. Any oversights are entirely accidental and not intentional.

Eastern Front

• Added Stalingrad map
  
• Added Kursk map
  
• Added Katyusha Strike Commander ability
  
• Added RUS uniforms
  
• Added ZIS-2 AT-Gun
  
• Added Soviet Artillery Piece
  
• Added RUS vehicles including:
  
• T-34 medium tank
  
• IS-1 heavy tank
  
• Ba-10 recon vehicle
  
• ZIS-5 truck
  
• Added RUS weapons including:
  
• DP-27
  
• Mosin Nagant 1891
  
• Mosin Nagant M38
  
• Mosin Nagant 9130
  
• Mosin Nagant 9130 Scoped
  
• SVT-40
  
• SVT-40 Scoped
  
• PPSh-41
  
• PPSh-41 Drum Mag
  
• PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle
  
• Nagant M1895 Revolver
  
• Tokarev TT33 Pistol
  
• RDG2 Smoke Grenade
  
• RG42 Frag Grenade
  
• Satchel Charge
  
• PMD-7 AP Mine
  
• TM35 AT Mine

Western Front

• Added Sainte Marie du Mont v2

Meta

Removed resource cost from vehicle roster spawns - Vehicles that are automatically spawned will no longer consume resources. This is designed to remove the uncontrollable Fuel cost to the Commander, to create greater strategic impact on vehicles spawned and resource handling.

Nodes provide a flat rate income of +10/min per node - Based on feedback from the community, the additional gain of resource income that came with the control of enemy sectors was tipping the scale too far in one direction, resulting in a steamroll.

Change to an ambient resource gain of +10/min - Because teams don’t have control over what sector they’re required to capture, it never really made sense to delegate specific resources to a sector. Resource gain tied to sector control created a compounding imbalance the further the attacking team pushed the defenders back, causing a steamroll.

When a sector is captured the team capturing gains 25 of each resource, the team losing loses 25 of each resource. This represents a non-compounding benefit/loss to the gaining or losing of a sector to prevent steamrolling but still reward victory or defeat in a sector.

Changed the Encouraged ability to double ambient resource generation for 5 minutes - This was required to bring the ability in line with the resource changes.

• Changed Offensive mode active sectors from 2 to 1
  
• Balanced starting resources
  
• Increased Commander ability costs
  
• Reduced team limit on nodes from 4 to 3
  
• Increased manpower bleed during overtime from -1 to -5 to reflect new resource values

Armor
For an in-depth explanation on the following changes read here: {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/DevBrief135

• Added a new hitbox collision system
  
• Added a new vehicle physics system
  
• Added an Engine component to all vehicles
  
• Tracks do not transfer damage to the Hull unless the shell continues to hit and penetrate the Hull armor
  
• Refactored the armour weapon/ballistics system
  
• The switch seat duration for tanks is now dependent on its class
  
• The enter/exit duration for Tanks is now half the switch seat duration
  
• Removed collision from tank barrels
  
• Added smart material system for all Russian vehicles
  
• Adjusted Armor collision behavior
  
• Adjusted Armor health values
  
• Adjusted Armor damage values
  
• Reduced muzzle smoke from tank barrels when firing
  
• Increased repair speed of Blowtorch & Repair Station
  
• Improved FX for penetrating, non penetrating and ricocheting shells
  
• Improved reliability of projectile Impact/Ricochet FX
  
• HE shells can now damage tank tracks

Tweaked HQ automatic vehicle spawns to the following:

HQ#1
Light Tank
Transport Truck
T-34/76 (RUS ONLY)

HQ#2
Medium Tank
Supply Truck
Transport Truck

HQ#3
Recon Vehicle
Transport Truck

Gameplay/Features

• Re-enabled bullets traveling the direction of the weapon’s barrel
  
• Enemies marked by the Recon plane/vehicle are now displayed to the Support role.
  
• Removed the ability to hip fire Machine Guns without bracing.
  
• Artillery dispersion increased to 2m-20m
  
• Satchel Charges can now be placed in friendly HQ sectors
  
• Updated Field Manual and Hints
  
• Reduced the height and density of foliage
  
• Updated Controller mapping for Infantry
  
• Added new Controller functionality
  
• Added a new Gun Crewman loadout to the AT role containing the AT-Gun
  
• Reduced the size of OPs and added a shine effect
  
• Improvements to Ultrawide support
  
• Slightly reduced crouched run speed
  
• Continued game-wide optimisation passes
  
• Optimised bombing run explosion
  
• Optimised TPP muzzle flash
  
• Optimised multiple VFX
  
• Increased Satchel Charge damage
  
• Removed distance limitation on AT-Guns
  
• Updated GER manpower nodes with authentic pattern
  
• Allowed reloading while falling to fix irritating bug when stepping off small steps while reloading.
  
• Adjusted Kar98k’s front sight
  
• Disabled the ability to reload Launchers while sprinting
  
• Improved the reliability of placing fortifications on certain terrain

Animation

• Introduced a TPP flinch animation when a player is shot
  
• Improved the TPP vaulting animation

HUD/UI

• Added the server name, gamemode and map name to the scoreboard (Can be toggled in settings)
  
• Redesigned the Main Menu UI
  
• Allowed players to mouse over a locked loadout to see its contents
  
• Spawn location list numbers start at #01 instead of #00
  
• The vote kick interface now uses the same pop up style as the invite to unit notifications
  
• Commander abilities are displayed in the Text Chat with their location when used by the Commander
  
• Added a keybind for dismissing Hints
  
• Updated tank component icons
  
• Updated sector icons
  
• Updated Controls options UI
  
• Updated the in-game loadout background
  
• Leaving a server now returns the player to the Enlist screen
  
• Enabled zooming in on the character in the Barracks
  
• Recolored Garrison and HQ map icons for better readability
  
• Added a “Ping” visual effect that highlights the player’s location when opening the tactical map

SFX

• Added new SFX for multiple weapons
  
• Added new SFX for multiple vehicle engines
  
• Added SFX when vehicles collide with an object
  
• Added SFX when entering/exiting a vehicle
  
• Added SFX when switching seats in a vehicle
  
• Added SFX for Coaxial and Hull mg reloads
  
• Added SFX to Outposts and Garrisons
  
• Added SFX that signals the final 30 seconds of the match
  
• Improved SFX for penetrating, non-penetrating and ricocheting shells
  
• Lowered the volume on truck horns
  
• Replaced steady aim inhale sound with exhale sound

Visual Improvements

• Updated the Community AA to produce a sharper image
  
• Reworked weapon Scopes to eliminate visual jittering (This is WIP and will continue to be improved upon in upcoming updates)

Trucks

• Machine Guns are now able to damage Trucks
  
• Strafing Runs are now able to damage Trucks
  
• Improved ability to climb steep terrain

Localization

• Fixed many instances where a word or phrase was not localized in non-english languages
  
• Implemented localisation for achievements and rich presence

Server Administration

• Added an icon to display the player’s location while using the Admin Camera
  
• Added the ability to adjust movement speed while using the Admin Camera (Scroll wheel by default)
  
• Added the ability to zoom in/out while using the Admin Camera (Q/E by default)
  
• Locking on to a vehicle in Admin Camera now places the camera higher behind the vehicle

Bug Fixes
[Fixed] MG34 and MG42 are missing default zoom when ADS
[Fixed] Players receive no damage when in the Artillery seats from Tanks' MG/Coaxial weapons
[Fixed] German Recon Vehicles’ Coaxial MG34 firing VFX is misaligned with the barrel
[Fixed] Player's are not awarded XP points if multiple level 0 ghost structures are upgraded to level 1 within the 60 seconds XP cooldown
[Fixed] Placing small ammo, explosive ammo, or medical supplies box on any team uses the German Satchel placement animation
[Fixed] On offensive mode, attackers are unable to place a garrison once the Defenders HQ becomes the active sector
[Fixed] Certain projectiles have no collision with players who are seated in trucks
[Fixed] From TPP, the cannon of the Tiger tank jitters when rotating
[Fixed] Player can cancel a reload on the MG34 and Walther P38 by switching weapon
[Fixed] Machine Gun reload animation does not play when leaving deployed state after beginning a reload
[Fixed] The engineer can dismantle friendly HQ repair stations
[Fixed] The speedometer of light tanks can be stuck between 6-11km/h
[Fixed] The acceleration audio for the light tanks is incorrect if the user quickly shifts up gears whilst driving
[Fixed] After initiating a vote to kick, pressing twice the "Y" or "N" button counts as a second vote for the vote initiator
[Fixed] The placed airhead icon slightly overlaps with the dropping airhead icon
[Fixed] AT-Gun scope is offset
[Fixed] The title may crash when quitting the game after after a natural map transition
[Fixed] If the player enters the Admin Camera while prone on the front of the tank causes the vehicle to fly
[Fixed] Running over / Colliding with players in a vehicle causes a short repeated SFX / audio issue
[Fixed] Multiple issues present on MG42 animations while bracing
[Fixed] Multiple visual issues with the M1A1 Thompson weapon
[Fixed] Accepting the request to join a unit after changing teams will put the player in the squad of the enemy team
[Fixed] Supply Trucks are observed to slide slightly when on an angled surface and standing still
[Fixed] Social media links are not appearing on Front End menu
[Fixed] Changing stance to prone or crouched after vaulting can cause US players to appear standing when viewed in TPP
[Fixed] When leaning using the M1 Carbine, player's hand goes through the gun
[Fixed] Amount of aim offset for a Tank changes when the tank is at an angle
[Fixed] Players are unable to place satchel charges on the treads of the enemy tanks
[Fixed] The external cargo on the US Heavy 75 and Heavy 76 tanks have no projectile or bullet collision or passthrough functionality
[Fixed] Locking on a vehicle while the vehicle is being destroyed, locks the camera inside the vehicle until the user unlocks it
[Fixed] The "unlock from target" Admin Camera button has no functionality when the targeted vehicle is destroyed.
[Fixed] Toggle Clip button "J" has reversed functionality for Admin Camera
[Fixed] The Admin Camera HUD does not display the Sector Progress Bars
[Fixed] The player still has collision with vehicles while using the Admin Camera mode
[Fixed] The US Small Ammunition box, Medical Supplies box and Explosive Ammo box have identical models when held in hand
[Fixed] Player can become stuck inside assets/terrain when revived in certain conditions
[Fixed] Placing a deployable no longer takes priority over movement
[Fixed] The satchel will float when placed on the front of the German Medium Tank
[Fixed] Animation issue present when leaning and having a Bazooka or Panzerschreck equipped
[Fixed] Various Player created structures are observed to not award any combat score when dismantled
[Fixed] Spamming the "Join" button and spamming "Y" when popup message appears, on a locked Squad in the deployment screen can cause the player to crash the game
[Fixed] Inconsistent level requirement for the "Raider" loadout in the Assault role between teams
[Fixed] Blood VFX on player models has been observed to noticeably flicker
[Fixed] The Enlist screen is inconsistent when referring to the US team
[Fixed] Unit member names for Infantry Units are misaligned when displayed on the in-game HUD
[Fixed] Map does not open with an "On Press" instead it opens with an "On Release" when using the default Map key
[Fixed] Unable to switch off "Show chat for new message" toggle
[Fixed] UI icon for favourited servers does not remain highlighted when selected on the 'Enlist' screen
[Fixed] Pressing the default open map key [M] during an open text chat will open the in-game map
[Fixed] Occasionally the user is unable to change the Fullscreen Resolution
[Fixed] Redeploy Button is still accessible when dead on the KIA screen
[Fixed] Enlist screen sometimes shows 'Text Block' placeholder when servers have not yet loaded
[Fixed] When changing role from "Officer" to "Commander" without leaving your unit, the "Leader Settings" button remains on the deployment screen.
[Fixed] Opening the "Barracks" for the first time after playing a game with one of the factions, the loadouts presented in the initial page are inverted for each role.
[Fixed] The 'Deploy' button will remain red after selecting a new spawn point during the deployment countdown
[Fixed] Switch Team button is usable for a split second when Team Switch is on cooldown
[Fixed] Players will not receive the "Failed to Deploy" message when the spawn they are attempting to deploy on is destroyed
[Fixed] Some Hints and Field Manual entries display debug text
[Fixed] Hints will be interrupted if a newer hint is triggered
[Fixed] Strong Point icons do not go grey when the sector is contested
[Fixed] Text chat becomes non-functional if pressed and re-pressed while aiming down sights
[Fixed] Changing a keybinding removes the player's ability to return to the frontend via the [Esc] key
[Fixed] Many situations which should trigger hints do not
[Fixed] [TPP] The satchel charge can clip through the player model when performing a climb animation
[Fixed] [TPP] The US Supply Crate is clipping through the player model when performing vault/climb animation
[Fixed] [TPP] The German and US resupply boxes are clipping through the player model when performing climb animation
[Fixed] [TPP] The German Supply Crate is clipping through the player model when performing vault/climb animation
[Fixed] [TPP] The animation for the Support Role holding the Supplies is misaligned with the Player's left hand
[Fixed] [TPP] As Support, the Supplies placement animation is misaligned with the character model

Utah
[Fixed] An instance of misaligned foliage textures

Hill 400
[Fixed] A rock which can be exploited to see through
[Fixed] Several trees clipping through a stone fence

Foy
[Fixed] A barbed wire asset with missing functionality
[Fixed] An asset displaying a pink texture when viewed from a distance
[Fixed] Multiple misaligned assets

Omaha
[Fixed] Invisible collision present in a specific area
[Fixed] Multiple floating assets on the beach
[Fixed] Multiple assets clipping into objects or terrain
[Fixed] Multiple misaligned mudbanks
[Fixed] A roof of a shed clipping through the side of the house next to it

Carentan
[Fixed] Z-Fighting visible on Brick wall texture
[Fixed] Multiple clipping fences
[Fixed] Gaps visible between Brick wall assets
[Fixed] Multiple assets clipping into objects or terrain
[Fixed] Section of misaligned dirt track
[Fixed] Area on the map that vehicles can all get stuck on
[Fixed] Deployable equipment can’t be placed on Sidewalk / pavement

Hurtgen
[Fixed] Multiple floating/misaligned assets
[Fixed] LoD transition issue with a building row asset

Sainte Mere Eglise
[Fixed] Multiple locations where the player was able to become stuck

Purple Heart Lane
[Fixed] Multiple floating/misaligned assets
[Fixed] Multiple assets clipping into objects or terrain
[Fixed] The edges of certain parts of terrain are visible
[Fixed] Invisible collision present in multiple areas of the map
[Fixed] LoD issue present on the ground in areas with very shallow water

Known Issues
Below are known issues in U10 which have already been fixed in the upcoming Patch 16:

• The supply crates in the back of Supply truck have no bullet collision
  
• [SMDM-O-GER] Defenders can push until they reach the attackers' HQ if the first point is not captured.
  
• [SMDM-O-US] Defenders are unable to access the entirety of the first initial HQ strongpoints.
  
• [FOY-O-GER] Attackers Commander is unable to spawn vehicles on the right-side HQ
  
• Some performance hitches can occur on the Stalingrad map depending on density of location and specific hardware.
  
• Marine Uniform sleeves have a stretching issue in FPP.

We will be fixing the following with a new method for U11:

• Sniper scope reticles can become misaligned with the scope during certain animations

We also want to reiterate that armour physics and driving experience is still a work in progress and will be subject to additional polish.

Game Articles

We have had some great articles and reviews of our Full release during a sneak preview with NME, and Gamestar.de

You can read these and a few others below.

NME
https://www.nme.com/reviews/game-reviews/hell-let-loose-review-2999404

GAMESTAR
https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/hell-let-loose-shooter-test-review,3371944.html

ScreenRant
https://screenrant.com/hell-let-loose-game-review/

PCGamesN
https://www.pcgamesn.com/hell-let-loose/review-10


Thanks to the entire community for the support during Early access!

See you on the Eastern Front o7