Hell Let Loose - Wombat Medic
Hey everyone,

We are pleased to announce that the next update to Hell Let Loose will be released on the 5th of April! This week, we’re diving into the further optimizations coming in U13.5, as well as sharing a first look at the new German Heer DLC.

The team is also excited to share that the complete 2023 roadmap for Hell Let Loose will be arriving ahead of Update 13.5. To join us for the reveal, make sure to stay tuned and follow Hell Let Loose on YouTube!

Continuous Improvements

U13.5 is the first of many health updates to land this year, with a focus on increased stability across all platforms. The new team have prepared further fixes for a range of performance-related bugs, as well as begun updating the overall Hell Let Loose experience. This includes animation optimizations, new rigging in preparation for the upcoming DLC uniforms, and a focus on updating existing content throughout the year.

Game Notices, Error Codes, and Haptics

While the final changelog will outline all platform fixes in more detail, a range of visual bugs and connection errors, as well as haptic feedback issues, have also been addressed in U13.5, aiming to provide better stability for console players, which you can read more about {LINK REMOVED}

Investigating Other Known Issues

Although not addressed in Update 13.5, the team is looking into some of Hell Let Loose’s existing known issues, including:

Loadout Bug
With the addition of the new game analytics in U13.5, the team is hoping to further understand how this issue occurs, in order to successfully address it in a future update.

Grenade Bug
Similarly, the new game analytics should now provide data to better understand how some players experience difficulties with launching grenades.

Hit Registration
Reported issues of inconsistent damage dealt when firing at an enemy player are continuing to be investigated.

Wavy Lines
Previous observations of wavy line artifacts across some assets are also being investigated.

Weapon Firing & Missing Audio
The team is keen to further understand issues where some weapons temporarily do not fire, as well as instances of the Karabiner 98k missing the bolt action sound.

Reworking Reload Animations

Alongside optimization and stability improvements, Update 13.5 will also see the initial efforts to bring parity to the first and third-person reload animations. The team has begun improving the overall feel of some animations by introducing a more detailed style, better representing how these weapons are handled in real life.

M1 Garand
The United States Army standard issue M1 Garand reload animations have been updated to reflect using the side of the hand to keep the thumb clear of the mechanism, avoiding Garand Thumb.


M1 Garand first-person perspective reload animation.


M1 Garand third-person perspective reload animation.


M1 Garand third-person perspective prone reload animation.

MP40
The base pose of handling the MP40 has now been updated to match that of the third-person pose, which is the more commonly used grip for the weapon.


MP40 first-person perspective reload animation.


MP40 third-person perspective reload animation.


MP40 third-person perspective prone reload animation.

Tokarev TT33
The reload animation for the Tokarev TT33 has been improved to feel more tactile and have more intent behind the action.


Tokarev TT33 first-person perspective reload animation.


Tokarev TT33 third-person perspective reload animation.


Tokarev TT33 third-person perspective prone reload animation.

Locomotion Improvements

The team have also begun improving base locomotion, which players can expect to see in a future update. Efforts have been made to ensure sprint and crouch sprint will match a player’s actual speed, as well as make the crouch sprint feel more controlled and natural.

Further work has been carried out to increase the fidelity of character skeletons, enabling better-quality animations to be created in the future. New methods have been introduced which will allow the team to reduce the performance impact of characters.

Aim Offsets
New aim offsets have been created so that when the player is sprinting and looks up and down, it does not affect the whole body and distort them into unnatural posts in the third-person perspective. It will now be more natural, with the looking up and down mainly coming from the head, with a small amount of chest movement.

Battle Scarred DLC

Surviving the frontlines and wearing the scars to prove it, these new German uniforms tell stories of close calls and hard-fought battles.

Heer Veteran Jacket
Arriving with Update 13.5, the Heer Veteran Jacket reflects the realities of war, and commands respect from new infantry soldiers who can visibly see the wounds of battle, worn proudly.


Initial modeling of the Heer Veteran Jacket.


The unbuttoned jacket has seen better days, with worn material and missing buttons, complete with a neck scarf.

Heer Shirt
The intense and unwinding pressure of the campaign is apparent in the more casual Heer Shirt, as it provides relief from midsummer's stifling heat.


Initial modeling of the Heer Shirt.


The German Heer Shirt sees the jacket fully removed, displaying the Heer cotton shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a disheveled neck scarf.

A New Story To Be Told

As part of the team’s wider updates to the game, a brand-new cinematic character selection frontend menu has been designed. Offering a nighttime farm-building scene with a distant artillery bombardment, this features all-new visual effects, from the smoking wreck of the Panther to the explosions over the horizon.


Updated Frontend Teaser

Community Content

In support of the Wounded Warrior Project, BR1 Gaming Inc. will be kicking off their annual Veteran Charity Campaign, Road to D-Day, on the 4th of April!

Their first Hell Let Loose event, Operation Jubilee, will be held on the 14th of April. For more information, please visit br1gaming.com.



War Correspondent, Content Creator and Community HLL Videos

Tempted to try the Commander role? Check out these tips on playing Commander by Gebatron Gaming!
https://youtu.be/NymDZBveRsU

After visiting Carentan last year, Hazlr has created a comparison between Carentan in real life, and Carentan in Hell Let Loose:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yc938GO34U

Get eyes on this preview of The Breaking Point Band of Brothers Reenactment by Chimera OCE and edited by Das:
https://youtu.be/wSt7bL6FiLk



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

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


With not long left to wait until the future plans for Hell Let Loose are finally revealed, you’ll soon be seeing us on the frontline!
Hell Let Loose - Wombat Medic
Hey everyone,

In our last developer briefing, we were excited to announce that Hell Let Loose is now fully supported with a new dedicated studio, allowing us to prioritize quality of life improvements ahead of launching new content.

Today we want to go into more detail surrounding the first health update, which will be released across all platforms early next month.


New Game Analytics

With a key focus on supporting the player experience, we’ve begun implementing in-game analytics. This provides crucial data to the development team, allowing them to better identify and understand player pain points in real-time, directly improving gameplay.

This addition will also help the team understand issues that are hard to reproduce, making bug fixing faster and more efficient, with an effort to get fixes to players quicker.

This first implementation of game analytics will provide insights into server health. Additional processes are being designed and implemented to further support performance testing across all content.

Our team is made up of dedicated gamers and as such, player privacy is of utmost importance to us. Personal data will not be collected without the express permission from players, and we are designing all analytics processes to follow strict GDPR guidance. For further information about how we address personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Improving Stability & Performance

After the release of Update 13, Burning Snow, several stability and performance issues were raised and identified. This initial health update aims to address many known issues, including performance related concerns. Subsequent updates will see continued optimization adjustments as the team focuses on quality of life improvements.

While a full changelog will be supplied upon release, some notable updates include:

VoIP Functionality
Working closely with VIVOX, we’ve made improvements to how VoIP operates, which aims to increase the comms stability and reduce disconnects.

Server Stability & Performance
In response to latency issues experienced by some players, new IP routing has already been implemented for all official South American Hell Let Loose servers on PC.

After further investigation, we’ve identified some server stability issues surrounding HLODs which have had an impact on machine memory on all platforms. We’re now optimizing the stability and overall performance of HLOD settings across multiple maps.

Kursk
This update will see Kursk back in rotation across all platforms. We’ve addressed issues concerning misaligned terrain and collision performance, as well as lighting and LOD issues, aiming to increase performance and stability.

Stalingrad
Some environmental misalignment and LOD issues present on Stalingrad are getting resolved in this update. We’ve also addressed an issue with unlocking the Defender of the Motherland achievement after playing Stalingrad five times. Some known instances of the players becoming stuck will also get resolved.

Carentan
You can expect to see continuous LOD improvements across Carentan, as well as fixes for items missing and presenting incorrect textures, asset clipping, and some outpost deployment issues.

Other Maps
More detail regarding optimization within the update of the following maps will be detailed in the final changelog:
  • Hill400
  • Sainte-Marie-du-Mont
  • Sainte-Mère-Église
  • Purple Heart Lane
  • Purple Heart Lane Night
  • Omaha Beach
  • Remagen
  • Kharkov
  • Utah Beach
  • Hürtgen Forest
  • Hürtgen Forest Night
  • Foy
Known Issues Post U13

This update will also address bug reports from Update 13, including, but not limited to:

Gameplay
  • Issues with the MG42 firing after being reloaded
  • Instances of MGs disappearing when mounted
  • Player model occasionally T-posing when deploying ammo
  • Barricades becoming invisible after 300m and not protecting the player
UX/UI
  • Player uniform preview defaulting to Preset #1 even if Preset #2 has been selected
  • Hovering over the Russian Anti-Tank loadouts causes the Barracks UI to reduce its size
VFX/SFX
  • Some helmets show an incorrect texture
Free DLC - Near Miss

We want to say a big thank you to our entire community for continuing to support Hell Let Loose and welcoming the new team onboard. To express our gratitude, we’ll be releasing a brand new, free DLC, that’ll be landing alongside the update next month - here’s a sneak peek.

The intense damage war can inflict on a soldier's loadout is on full display in this new unique helmet pack, depicting close calls for each faction.




“Near Miss” M42 Battle Damaged Helmet (German)

The M42 is a German fabric covered helmet that’s seen better days. Battle damage from flying shrapnel and stray bullets ripped through the outer covering, exposing the dented protective layers beneath, nearly causing this infantry soldier to fall back in retreat.



“Near Miss” M1 Battle Damaged Helmet (US)

This heavily dented M1 helmet carries the forceful and violent scars of battle including falling prey to a sniper’s headshot. Luckily, the round merely added another blemish and didn't penetrate the outer shell.



“Near Miss” SSh-40 Battle Damaged Helmet (Soviet)

Ravaged by war, this Soviet helmet shows the carnage of high speed shrapnel hurling through the air. Not missing a moment on the frontlines, this particular SSh-40 has rusted with the seasons.


Weeklong and Steam Spring Sale

Kicking things off ahead of the Spring Sale, you can now pick up Hell Let Loose with a 33% discount on Steam, and enlist new recruits to prepare for the battles ahead!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/686810/Hell_Let_Loose/

Community Content

We certainly haven't been the only ones hard at work, check out some of the incredible artwork and screenshots coming through on the Official Hell Let Loose Discord server.

A cold and miserable tanker, inspired by the events in Bastogne. Illustrated by Lucas Roman



A United States soldier with the M2-2 Flamethrower waiting just out of sight, captured by SoulSniper



Infantry avoiding an incoming bombing run, captured by [233C] Chrysallia

War Correspondent, Content Creator and Community HLL Videos


Missed our last Developer Brief? Check out this video by Monoespacial!
https://youtu.be/cyptO18--O4

This is why you should play Hell Let Loose - Tomographic
https://youtu.be/_YU4t5Z5Fe0

Battle Highlights: Sainte-Mère-Église, January 22, 2023 - SoulSniper
https://youtu.be/w8_SqQ1uNy4

In case you weren’t sure you needed to see this, here’s The Fresh Basked Goods operating a tank with Bongos:
https://youtu.be/gk9gAHK0rD0



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

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

Join us next time for more detail on the update and see a first look at the upcoming battle-weary, infantry paid DLC, which will also be coming next month. See you all on the frontline!
Feb 23, 2023
Hell Let Loose - Wombat Medic
The start of 2023 brings change, excitement, and anticipation to the world of Hell Let Loose.

We’re closing out winter by bidding a fond farewell to the team over at Black Matter, as they prepare to move on to their next project.

We thank them for their dedication to bringing this incredible game to life and wish them all the very best in their new endeavor.

A Message From Max and the Black Matter Team:

#Discussions_QuoteBlock_Author
“The last twelve months have been bittersweet for us as a team. We've been thrilled to see how our colleagues at Team17 have picked up the reins with such incredible enthusiasm and attention to detail, but we're also going to miss working on the title.

As a team, we want to say a huge thank you for the incredible support this community has given us for the years that we’ve worked on Hell Let Loose. It’s been a fantastic journey and one that we can’t quite believe when we look back at all that has happened.

Fundamentally, Hell Let Loose has taken on a life of its own and is now far bigger than we ever could have imagined. It’s been a privilege to work with you on refining it and crafting it into what it is today.

We are excited to join you on the battlefield now and in the future - not as developers, but finally as players - thrilled in the knowledge that the best days of Hell Let Loose are ahead of us.”
Although we’ll miss Black Matter on the production side, we’re looking forward to meeting them on the battlefield!


What can players expect from Hell Let Loose this year?

While it might appear quiet on the frontlines, we’re certainly not missing in action. Over the past few months, we’ve been busy building a brand-new Hell Let Loose studio, consisting of veteran developers who have worked on numerous AAA titles.

The new team significantly increases our development resources, allowing us to prioritize quality of life improvements across all platforms, before launching some exciting new updates to the game.

Community feedback has already begun shifting our focus toward improving the Hell Let Loose experience for 2023 and the years to come. The subsequent hotfix for Update 13 has now been rolled into a much bigger health update, aimed at supporting the stability of the game, and we’ll be sharing more about it soon.

With the new studio in place and the project handoff completed, players can expect to see a full roadmap for 2023 in the coming weeks, along with more regular updates, as-well-as clarity into our development processes.

Until then, you can join in on the conversation by visiting the Official Hell Let Loose Discord and stay up to date across our other social platforms:


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

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

We’re excited about the road ahead and are looking forward to seeing you on the frontline!
Hell Let Loose - Wombat Medic
We wanted to take the time to thank you all in this week’s dev brief, and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

The team are always grateful to see the Hell Let Loose community share their passion for the game, whether that’s through playing, creating artwork, or providing valuable feedback and suggestions that help to shape future updates.

With Update 13 ‘Burning Snow’ now live, and a hotfix to suit, we hope everyone has been able to enjoy jumping into Kharkov and trying out the fast and fiery new items.

The team will once again be taking a small break this festive season, and will be returning in the New Year to tackle the remaining known issues with Update 13, and prepare to take on the next 12 months with some very exciting plans that we’ll be able to tell you more about soon.

We hope that everyone will be able to also rest up and enjoy time with friends and family, both inside and outside of Hell Let Loose.

Happy Holidays, from everyone at Black Matter Studios, Flix Interactive, and Team17!



Community Content

As it is the season, we’d like to share some of the great wintry screenshots posted in the Hell Let Loose Official Discord featuring Update 13’s new map, Kharkov.


A unique perspective - [233C] Chrysallia


Winter Uniforms - [233C] Chrysallia


Appearing through the snow - [233C] Chrysallia


Flamethrower in action - [233C] Chrysallia

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.

I destroyed a Molotov in mid-air... with a GRENADE - Hell Let Loose - Monoespacial
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0ruMDw1GNFI

Hell Let Loose 2 - What Does The Future of HLL Look Like? - RedcoatViking
https://youtu.be/Q78yYGKU0ak

Hell Let Loose - The IS-1 Is Good On Kharkov? (Update 13) - The Fresh Baked Goods
https://youtu.be/mYGyYYrs82s

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

We’ll see you all on the frontline in the new year!
Hell Let Loose - Wombat Medic
Hey everyone,

A hotfix for Update 13 'Burning Snow' is now live! We are very grateful to the community for continuing to submit feedback and share their experience with Update 13.

For a comprehensive list of changes for this hotfix, please read the changelog below.

Hotfix Changelog


Weapons
Increased Flamethrower damage so that players will now be killed faster when in the direct line of fire. This aims to address feedback from the community surrounding players getting hit with a Flamethrower and having too much time to fire back and kill the wielder.

We have also increased ground fire for both Flamethrowers and Molotovs from 40 to 80 to address feedback around fire not resulting in kills as quickly as expected.


Bug Fixes
[Fixed] Players can unlock the achievement "Rollin' In The Jeep" via incorrect methods
[Fixed] M40 Winter Coat looking the same as M43 Winter Coat
[Fixed] Steady aiming with the Panzerschreck causes it to disappear
[Fixed] Garrisons placed by Recon can't be used by any other unit
[Fixed] Using ammunition boxes causes character models to T-Pose
[Fixed] Swapping from the Flamethrower / MG to any item while continuously walking causes the character to T-Pose


Kharkov
[Fixed] Some trees collided with vehicles and often launched them into the air
[Fixed] The wooden fences disappear when viewed from around 100m
[Fixed] Stones have no collision with the player and bullets
[Fixed] Pile of snow has no collision with the player
[Fixed] Electricity poles do not present any type of collision
[Fixed] No bullet collision is present on a well asset
[Fixed] Players can reach the church back roof by climbing a wall with no collision
[Fixed] Invisible floating collision present in the roof area of the church
[Fixed] "Your team is losing a Critical Sector!" hint appears when first capture point is attacked
[Fixed] A gate presents an invisible collision box
[Fixed] Destroyed Tank Wreck Has No Bullet Collision
[Fixed] Snowy mud assets throughout map (on trenches, fences, and more) is visibly low res and pixelated
[Fixed] Players can reach the church front balcony via the roof area of the church
[Fixed] Two columns in the church are missing a texture
[Fixed] Misaligned snowbank present on a hill
[Fixed] Inside the church there is floating terrain that the player can stand on top of
[Fixed] A fence is floating above the terrain
[Fixed] Train wagon is clipping through the rocks
[Fixed] Misaligned stone asset can be found in some sectors


All Maps
Rebuilt HLODs for all maps

Known Issues

- Players may crash when loading into any variant of the map Kursk
- German Machine Guns disappear while mounted and ADSing at specific angles


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

Thank you to everyone who gave feedback on their experience with Update 13 and provided detailed accounts of the issues encountered. It has greatly helped shape these fixes.

Now that you won't be able to hide in rocks anymore, we’ll see you all on the frontline!
Hell Let Loose - Wombat Medic
Hey everyone,

The day is upon us, Update 13 ‘Burning Snow’, is out now across all platforms!

Burning Snow brings fast and fiery warfare to the game with Flamethrowers and Molotovs, as well as jeeps for all factions; landing alongside a brand new winter map, Kharkov, new Winter Uniforms, and an exciting new DLC pack.

Check out the official teaser for Update 13, Burning Snow and the changelog below:



Update 13 Changelog


Vehicles
  • Added Soviet T-70 Light Tank
  • Added Jeeps to all factions:

    Faction
    Vehicles
    GER
    Kubelwagen
    US
    Willys Jeep
    SOV
    GAZ-67
Weapons
  • Added Flamethrowers:

    Faction
    Role
    Level
    GER
    Support
    Level 8
    US
    Support
    Level 8
  • Added Molotovs:

    Faction
    Role
    Level
    SOV
    Assault
    Level 9
    SOV
    Support
    Level 6
    SOV
    Automatic Rifleman
    Level 3
    SOV
    Rifleman
    Level 6

  • DP-27 buff - Reduced recoil while brace firing from 0.75 to 0.2 and increased damage from 65 at 75 meters to 100 at 150 meters

Loadouts
  • Added Lend-Lease Bazooka loadout for Soviet Anti-Tank Level 8

Maps
  • Added Kharkov - Warfare - Offensive GER - Warfare SOV
  • Added fire damage logic to preplaced fire assets across all maps

Gameplay/Features
  • Added persistent dismantle progression (saves progress for 5 seconds of inactivity)
  • Added shared dismantle progression (dismantles faster the more people there are assisting)
  • Improved Satchel placement logic
  • Improved Satchel damage consistency
  • Vehicle engines now drown when being submerged in water
  • Added new achievements:
    Frozen Fields
    You... Shall Not... Spawn!
    Who's Garry?
    Fast Track Delivery
    Track and Trace
    One Hit Wonder!
    Firestarter
    Medium-Rare
    Extra Crispy Please
    Fight Fire with Fire
    This Is a Flammenwerfer, It Werfs Flammen
    Hans! Get Ze Flammenwerfer!
    Disco Inferno!
    Molotov Party!
    Za Zdorovie!
    Jeep Let Loose
    Jeepers!
    Drop it Like Its Hot!
    Dear Devs...
    Liar, Liar, Pants of Fire!
    Like a Moth to a Flame...
    Get that Windshield Up!
    Rollin' In The Jeep
Cosmetics
  • Skull Bucket DLC:

    GER - Paratrooper Fallschirmjäger M38
    GER - Double Decal Police M35
    US - 101st Airborne 506th PIR Paratrooper M1
    US - 29th Infantry Division M1
    SOV - 1941 Model Blockaded Leningrad Helmet
    SOV - M36 Budenovka Winter Cap

  • Winter Warfare DLC:

    GER - Winter Covered Fallschirmjäger M38
    US - Winter Covered M1
    SOV - Winter Covered SSh-40
    SOV - Winter Toques

  • Base Winter Uniforms:

    US - M1943 Winter Uniform
    SOV - Ameba Winter Uniform
    GER - Heer Schneetarnjacke Winter Smok

  • Base Winter Helmets:

    GER - White Painted M42
    US - White Painted M1
    SOV - Winter Painted SSh-36
    SOV - Winter Painted SSh-40
    SOV - White Ushanka
    SOV - White Tied Ushanka
HUD/UI
  • Added the ability to set cosmetic presets in the Barracks and Loadout screens
  • Added additional non-verbal comms:
    Precision Strike
    Request Ammo
Optimization
  • Refactored the animation system to use fewer bones per character mesh
  • Particle and decal FX optimization
  • Improved LoDs for vehicles
Effects
  • Added variation to the Bombing Run explosion FX
Sounds
  • OPs/Garrisons/Half-tracks radio effect now fades to static noise when overrun by the enemy
  • Added UI SFX for deploy countdown in the final 3 seconds
Animation
  • Refactored a new animation system. This should result in increased performance and smoother animations in TPP
Server Administration
  • Map rotations now allow for duplicate entries of the same map
  • Added ability for admins to direct message players via RCON
  • Added RCON command to display game state information (team sizes, score, remaining time, current map, next map)
  • Steam64ID is now displayed in the Connect/Disconnect log
  • [Fixed] Temporary Bans Not Removed From RCon List Once Ban Timer Expires
Bug Fixes
  • [Fixed] Method which allowed non-recon roles to spawn on a Recon OP
  • Improved ‘Shots Hit’ statistic to not count structures/vehicles shot with firearms
  • [Fixed] Drivers can no longer turn off the engine to ‘stealth roll’ long distances in vehicles
  • [Fixed] Incorrect plane used to drop Ammo Drop for RUS/GER
  • [Fixed] The deploy button disappears when the player resigns the Commander role then creates/joins another unit without changing the role
  • [Fixed] The Russian Commander Fuel abilities list order isn't consistent and changes
  • [Fixed] Satchel Charges won't destroy barbed wire at certain distances
  • [Fixed] German Fuel Nodes are unable to be destroyed with Satchel Charges
  • [Fixed] Gunshot SFX can still be heard after the player that is shooting with certain weapons dies
  • [Fixed] The "Back" button in the Barracks menu does not work correctly immediately after a new favorite role is selected
  • [Fixed] 'Resign as commander' button doesn't disappear after rejoining previously created armor/recon unit
  • [Fixed] Panther (German Heavy) has a shorter cooldown after spawning it compared to the Tiger
  • [Fixed] Machine gun cannot be mounted in specific type of buildings across all the maps
  • [Fixed] Receiving an invite/request while on the deploy screen will block a player from leaving the loadout menu once accessed
  • [Fixed] [FPP] The German Small Ammunition box, Medical Supplies box and Explosive Ammo box have identical models when held in hand
  • [Fixed] "This sector is locked" hint triggers unproperly in deployment screen
  • [Fixed] Some achievements contain spelling errors
  • [Fixed] "Rain Hell" achievement does not unlock when killing 10 players with one projectile of the Katyusha strike
  • [Fixed] Attempting to join a server through a direct link does not launch the game or connect the player to a server if the game is running
  • [Fixed] Joining servers through the Steam Servers option with the game closed will leave the player on the Front-End
  • [Fixed] The player is unable to join a server through another player or by an invite when using the Steam Overlay
  • [Fixed] Muzzle flash FX is missing from DP-27 Machine Gun
  • [Fixed] US Medium Tank M4A3 has no SFX when colliding with objects
  • [Fixed] At very specific angles Trucks would sometimes not receive damage
  • [Fixed] Floating fireball is visible after vehicle engines are damaged and repaired
  • [Fixed] Tanks moving in reverse will automatically change to Gear 1 when the tracks are destroyed
  • [Fixed] Player doesn't get AFK kick after he already received one if the idle time is changed via RCon
  • [Fixed] Satchel damage against Belgian gates is inconsistent
  • [Fixed] Walking into supply truck crates causes the dropping sound effect to be played
  • [Fixed] AP and HE shells are unable to suppress enemy players
  • [Fixed] Supply box achievements count boxes placed instead of total supplies provided
  • [Fixed] Destroying the Panther rewards the player with the wrong combat score
  • [Fixed] Hull and coaxial machine guns do not reload after exiting and entering during reloading
  • [Fixed] Opening the game in windowed mode with certain resolutions will cause the top bar to appear off screen
  • [Fixed] Closing scoreboard while opening personal stats page will cause scoreboard to not appear
  • [Fixed] Choosing the Bill Head on a US role equips the player with the Hans Head from the German side
  • [Fixed] Kills With The RG-42 Grenade and Mk2 Grenade Are Not Recorded If Thrown Post Death
  • [Fixed] Soldiers don't have 3rd person animation for vertical aiming movements on specific map HQs
  • [Fixed] Head rotates unnaturally after being revived
  • [Fixed] The Russian Half-Track appears in the wrong part of the Russian Commander ability list
  • [Fixed] No animation transition present when ADS with Flare Gun
  • [Fixed] Some helmets fall through the ground after a player is headshot
Carentan
  • [Fixed] Some crater assets allowed players to see under the terrain

Purple Heart Lane
  • [Fixed] Player can spawn into closed house in C8
  • [Fixed] Invisible wall collision is present on a section of stone wall along the main road
Remagen
  • [Fixed] Rubble can be seen through when prone
  • [Fixed] There is a kill volume in sector E10 that makes vehicles disappear
  • [Fixed] Misaligned Train
  • [Fixed] Multiple visual issues around a trench
  • [Fixed] There is a large misaligned dirt pile near a German Bunker
  • [Fixed] Mud embankment along road is misaligned in multiple places
Kursk
  • [Fixed] Light can be see shining through the ground
  • [Fixed] Floating grass is present in certain areas
  • [Fixed] Misaligned terrain texture present in sector C9
  • [Fixed] A pair of wooden gates are not connected to any fence
  • [Fixed] The artillery shells are misaligned with the terrain
  • [Fixed] Two metal barrels in certain location are clipping through a wooden fence
Stalingrad
  • [Fixed] Players can clip into a specific metal roof and hide from enemies
  • [Fixed] One of the buildings in the vicinity of the Nail Factory lacks collision below the staircase on the ground floor
Utah
  • Repair stations spawn in American HQs on US-Offensive
  • [Fixed] Some hedge instances being able to block bullets

Known Key Issues

  • Infrequently a player’s face texture may become misaligned
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


We also wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in the recent PTE sessions and provided feedback ahead of release, we appreciate the time you take to share your experiences.

Now it’s time to bring the heat with Update 13! We’ll see you all on the frontline!
Hell Let Loose - Wombat Medic
Hey Everyone,

It's time for another update from the trenches! After the rollout of the first two U13 PTEs, with players having their first hands-on experience with most of the U13 content, we have a LOT to highlight here today, including; the U13 release date, a new full time Community Manager, animation optimisation, Steam free weekend, and the new premium DLC bundle that will be rolling out alongside U13.

Update 13 ‘Burning Snow’ Release date Tuesday December 6th!

Time is almost upon us, as many have noticed over the last few months we have been highlighting and in some cases sneak peeking into the upcoming Burning Snow update for Hell Let Loose.

This week, we are excited to confirm that the update will be going live on Tuesday the 6th of December, across all platforms!



Burning Snow has some great features which we think players new and old alike will enjoy. We feel that providing a brief summary of some of the items in the update might be worthwhile for you all to get a glimpse of what is coming before Tuesday, December 6th.

Some of the items to watch out for in the new ‘Burning Snow’ update include:

New Vehicles:
  • T-70 Light Tank
  • Jeeps for all factions USA, Germany and Soviet
New Weapons:
  • US: M2-2 Flamethrower
  • GER: Flammenwerfer41
  • SOV: Molotovs
  • SOV: Bazooka
New Map:
  • Kharkov (Snow map)
Additional Improvements:
  • Updated and improved Player Animations
  • Updated and improved Uniform Loadout presets
  • UI Improvements
And a host of fixes and bugs squashed. In addition to the above, lots of work has been done to iron out a magnitude of small items like minor terrain glitches etc.

The above is merely a short summary of the bulk of the Burning Snow update. Upon release, we will disclose the full changelog which illustrates in detail all the improvements and changes made with this latest update.

Welcome to WombatMedic, the new Full Time Community Manager!


Throughout the last 12 months, both the Hell Let Loose team and community have continued to expand, and as part of that growth, we are thrilled to welcome and introduce Alisha ‘WombatMedic’, as our new full time Community Manager!

Alisha will be dedicated to supporting you on the frontlines, and has already been working away behind the scenes for several weeks and can’t wait to meet you all.

She’ll be jumping into Discord chat today to introduce herself, so head over there and give her a warm welcome!



Free Weekend December 01

Starting December 1st, there will be a free weekend for Hell Let Loose on all platforms. If you have a friend or family member that is keen to hit the trenches on the frontlines of HLL, this weekend will give them the opportunity to do so for a limited time, for free.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/686810/Hell_Let_Loose/

Animation Optimisation - Bones Rework

Amongst the quality of life updates we are implementing to U13 we have included the first iteration of an animation optimisation improvement. This is done through a rework of the animation bones used in the player models.

The purpose of the animation optimisation is to improve the look and feel of the animations, whilst optimising the performance of the third-person skeleton.

First, we optimised the TPP skeleton by removing excess bones which reduces draw calls and improves performance. This involved removing about 20 bones on the skeleton. This reduces calls by more than 2000 per frame to help boost fps. Next we added twist bone constraints and re-skinned all the skeletal meshes for more accurate bone placement. This improves fidelity of mesh deformation and makes for smoother animation visuals. Arms and legs bend cleaner and animations appear smoother and more natural.



Helmet Pack - Skull Bucket

With the release of Update 13 we are also rolling out a new DLC cosmetics pack for players to purchase and enjoy. With the adept name of ‘Skull Bucket’, this DLC pack will feature 2 unique helmets for each faction of US, Germany and Soviet forces. The helmets include the following:
  • US - 101st Airborne 506th PIR Paratrooper M1
  • US - 29th Infantry Division M1
  • Germany - Paratrooper M38 Fallschirmjäger Helmet
  • Germany - M35 Double Decal Police Helmet
  • Soviet - 1941 Model Blockaded Leningrad Helmet
  • Soviet - M36 Budenovka Winter Cap
Let's take a look at how these helmets look with some detailed renders by our character artist.


US - 101st Airborne 506th PIR Paratrooper M1


US - 29th Infantry Division M1


Germany - M35 Double Decal Police Helmet


Germany - Paratrooper M38 Fallschirmjäger Helmet


Soviet - 1941 Model Blockaded Leningrad Helmet


Soviet - M36 Budenovka Winter Cap


Community Highlight

Today, we are giving a shout out to the HLL Seasonal competition, which has been running for some time now, with many groups involved. The Seasonal has been a great insight into the competitive side of HLL. If you are curious, you can check it out below.

The HLL Seasonal Tournament, one of the largest worldwide community driven competitions, is returning for its fifth edition. Pitting 33 teams in 90 games over the course of 16 weeks, the HLL Seasonal Fall 2022 edition will once again be the peak of competitive HLL.

Again, the world's top teams fight for the fall crown in 4 stages: First, second, main and the feared play-off stage, with the event currently being in the main stage. All the games are being broadcast - check out discord.gg/hllseasonal for more information on where to catch the games live.

The Discord is also the best place for any additional content regarding the HLL Seasonal: make your predictions on the games, follow the map eliminations, and come support your team! The HLL Seasonal has, as always, a wide variety of casters from all over the world, which will cover most matches in English - and some in German, French, Spanish, Chinese and more. If you have missed a match, you may find some of them in #replayschannel of the HLL Seasonal Discord.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_U0OC5ilq8



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.

Most Chaotic Game Of Hell Let Loose I've Played - TallGrass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi1aozNLrOs

Battle Highlights: Carentan Offensive - November 9, 2022 - SoulSniper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz2fgwQM6Cw

Hell Let Loose Gameplay and Laughs 16 - Tiger_Mafia Gaming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z56MvLgqoFI

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

Well, it's time to free up some SSD space for U13 and wrap up today's Dev Brief.
See you all on the frontline!
Hell Let Loose - -Gothic-
Hey everyone,

Last week we caught a glimpse of the new winter map, Kharkov, and the first iteration on the base for our future winter uniforms. With just enough time to take a quick breath, the programmers and artists have been able to share some more on the content for our next update.

In today’s brief, we’re heating things up with flamethrowers for the US and Axis, Molotovs for the Soviets, jeeps for all factions and a peek at the new cosmetic loadout preset options. Let's take a look at these latest items, starting with Flames and Fastmovers!

Flamethrowers

Feeling the chill on the frontline? Here’s something you can warm up to!
The team are excited for the addition of Flamethrowers and Molotovs for use on the frontlines, which will surely bring out some great action and visuals to the fields of combat.


WIP of the Flammenwerfer41 Being put to work

The flamethrowers are brutal pieces of equipment that will make short work of infantry in close quarters action.

The flamethrowers will not only set troops, but also the surrounding area alight. Due to its power the flamethrowers can only be used in a brace fire stance. These flame-dealing units will allow the user to wield their stream of flames for approximately 20 seconds of sustained fire until it needs to be replenished with fuel.

Not only if you are directly hit by the flamethrower, burning items around its path will also inflict damage to the unwary. The area of effect that is burning will be a big discouragement for any troops who dare to walk in the path of any area alight with flames as it will cause damage. If you like the sound of a flamethrower in your kit and want to ‘get your burn on’, then you will have to work for it!. Initially, with the implementation of flamethrowers, only the US and German Support role at level 10 will be able to equip this sizzling piece of equipment.

There will be two models of the flamethrower. Let's take a look at them together below:


WIP pictures of the Flamethrowers. The left unit is a US: M2-2 Flamethrower. The right unit is a German: Flammenwerfer41


Close quarters combat will become even more brutal, as this US soldier using a M2-2 Flamethrower demonstrates.


This Axis soldier is ensuring the building is clear with the Flammenwerfer41


Trench warfare will take on a whole new meaning with Flamethrowers deployed at the front.

Molotovs

A handy item about the size of a grenade and throwable at your enemy, Molotovs were a cheap and popular item of use during most battles on the frontlines. Soviets will have greater access to this weapon compared to the US/Axis’ fiery flamethrower counterpart, with Molotovs being available to the Soviet Support role at level 6 and the Assault at level 9.

Although shorter than a flamethrower in its duration, the Molotov, when used correctly, will have your foes running in fear. A single direct hit on enemy troops will easily add to the throwers kill count alongside setting the immediate area alight. Like flamethrowers, if unwary troops stand on burning ground they will receive a nasty bite of fire damage for their troubles.


Molotovs were a cheap and popular item of use during most battles on the frontlines.


WIP - Soviet Troop hurling Molotovs into a trench.

Crispy Critters

To complement the fire breathing flamethrower and pocket paraffin Molotovs, we have also introduced an initial implementation of new uniform texturing to reflect characters being hit by these weapons.


A WIP picture of a charred Axis soldier pondering his next move.


Ground environments, vehicles, and even bodies will burn for a time after being hit with flame weapons.

Vehicles: Including Willys Jeep, Kubelwagen and Gaz-67

We are also pleased to showcase these new vehicles, especially the Jeeps! As our backers and veterans will know, jeeps were one of the first vehicles we had shown. We never intended on taking this long to introduce them to the game, however, we are now happy to announce their much anticipated inclusion.

Each faction will now have a jeep option; the US with the Willys, Axis with the Kubelwagen and the Soviets with the Gaz-67 to round out this trio.


Kubelwagen


Gaz-67


Willys Jeep


Traverse the wintry terrain.


Being small and nimble will be the biggest asset for jeeps.

Not only as a mode of transport, the jeeps will also offer a limited ammunition resupply for troops on the ground. This is done by the driver of the jeep (when parked) and selecting to deploy ammo, in a similar way that a truck drops supplies. These vehicles can drop 2 ammo boxes before requiring a ‘return to base’ re-supply. The ammo box functions similar to the ammo crates dropped by the Commander although they come in smaller quantities allowing for only 6 resupplies.


Being able to quickly drop their supply then move off is a major benefit for jeeps deploying ammo.

Loadout presets

With the addition of a new snow map we thought that now would be a great time to allow players the ability to set cosmetic presets. Now when accessing the loadout screen players will be greeted with a “Preset #1” and “Preset #2” option below the Appearance tab. Switching between presets will remember your last configured cosmetics for that preset, allowing players for example to create a preset wearing snow camouflage that they can easily switch to when moving from a lush green environment to a snowy one.



PTE For Update 13 Next Week!

With progress coming along nicely, we’re excited to announce the beginning of PTE testing for Update 13, with the first session kicking off next week. We will endeavour to message early in the week as to the exact date and time of the PTE.

As always, we greatly appreciate all who participate, whether it’s to provide valuable feedback and bug reports, or simply help out with the numbers to test server loads and other items. We’ll also be jumping into battle amongst the ranks on the day, so if you have the time or are just curious, we would love to hear from you!

If this is your first time wanting to participate in a PTE, you’ll need to head over to the Discord where you can find information on how to join and get notifications on when a testing period is live. A full changelog can be viewed in the HLL official discord in the #pte-Info channel on the day.

A quick reminder of what’s included:
  • New Map Kharkov
  • Winter Base Uniforms for all factions
  • Flamethrowers
  • Molotovs
  • Fastmovers - Willys Jeep, Kubelwagen and Gaz-67
  • Soviet T-70 Light Tank
  • Appearance loadout option for uniforms
  • Various QOL items
  • And a host of other gameplay improvements and fixes
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 - WW2 through a Sniper's Scope - Alpine Sniper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8BevPdzIno

Player Interactions In Hell Let Loose Are GOLD - TallGrass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4IAPyLvXhg

HELL LET LOOSE IN 2022 IS GREAT - Tantwo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHwvDq7cCAY

Don’t forget that if you haven’t checked out the other Hell Let Loose socials you can find their details below. 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

Well, it's time to hop into our jeep and speed away to wrap up today's Dev Brief.
See you all on the frontline!
Hell Let Loose - -Gothic-
Hey Everyone,

The team is still hard at work on all sides, with both update 13 and the Commonwealth update, making some great progress.

In today's brief, we look at keeping your cool on the frontline in U13 as we take a deep dive into the frosty fields of the new snow map Kharkov and Winter Uniforms to suit. We are also pleased to announce some exciting changes to the existing Winter Warfare Free DLC pack. Without further ado, let's dig in.

New Map: Kharkov (Winter)

As mentioned above, we have been working hard on the new winter map Kharkov. This map is polishing up great and we are excited to implement another snow map into the game.

Kharkov combines a hybrid of the armour oriented gameplay of Kursk, featuring wide open fields, hills and Stalingrad’s industrial gameplay; including railroads, bridges and Soviet urbanization complimented with deeper valleys, foliage and marshlands all set in a deep winter environment to make this map a unique experience. We feel players will relish the varieties of combat that this new frontline will offer. Let's take a quick glance at a brief slice of the history of Kharkov in WW2.

The First of four major Battles of Kharkov were fought as part of the final phase of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the USSR, which had started on 22 June, 1941. During that battle, the German Sixth Army took the important city where the legendary Soviet T-34 tank had been designed and built. Although, it was discovered that most of Kharkov’s industrial plant had been moved before the city fell. Many more bloody battles raged over this area until, finally, after the successful defense at Kursk, the Soviet forces were able to push out Axis troops for the last time.

Set in winter, the Kharkov map should be a welcome addition to the frontline of Hell Let Loose for U13. Let's take a look at some locations on this map.


Lighting fires in the street is a great way for soldiers to stay warm on the frontlines.


Kharkov will definitely have a very cold feeling to it.


Farmhouses can be a great means of cover, dashing between each one during a firefight will get your blood pumping.


With open fields, treelines, fences, housing and even a railway line, there will be plenty of places for troops and vehicles alike to be moving.


Ruined buildings will make great places to hide from the enemy.

Winter Base Uniforms (All Factions)

With the implementation of more snow maps in Hell Let Loose, we feel it is time that players have a chance to get the appropriate winter uniforms. For U13 there will be a new array of base winter uniforms and helmets to complement the addition of more snow filled maps. These new uniforms are a new standard addition to the game, and will appear in your barracks after the update is live. The uniforms will include the following:


US - M1943 Winter Uniform with M1 Winter Helmet


Germany - Heer SchneetarnJacke Winter Smok with M42 Winter Helmet


Soviet - Ameba Winter Uniform with SSH-40 Winter Helmet

Revamped Winter Warfare DLC

With the addition of Kharkov as a winter map, and new base winter uniforms. We are pleased to announce that the team has undertaken a revamp of the existing ‘Winter Warfare’ Free DLC pack. The revamp will see the removal of the two existing helmets and the inclusion of three new helmets. The existing helmets, which were the white M1 and white M42 from the old Winter Warfare pack; will go into the base uniform selection and be available to all players.

The new helmets for the updated Winter Warfare Free DLC bundle will include:


Covered M1 Winter Helmet


M38 Fallschirmjäger Winter Helmet


SSH-40 Covered Winter Helmet

If you already have the Winter Warfare Free DLC pack, these three new helmets will automatically appear in your barracks to use when the ‘new’ Winter Warfare Free DLC bundle goes live.

Likewise, if you do not already have the Winter Warfare Free DLC pack, keep an eye on our socials and the Steam store, for it will be appearing as a limited time seasonal offer.

Silver Vanguard DLC M42 Helmet inclusion update


Since our announcement of the inclusion of the M42 helmet with goggles to the Silver Vanguard (PC) DLC, we have noticed some people having issues obtaining this new addition. If you cannot see the helmet in your barracks and have the Silver Vanguard DLC on PC, you will need to do the following:

  • In the Steam Library, Right-Click the game and choose Properties.
  • Choose DLC at the bottom of the list
  • Check the box in the Install column next to the M42 with Motorcycle Goggles DLC

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

Something a little different for the ‘Community Content’ in this week's brief. During his limited free time one of our artists has been able to make a 3d printed model of a HLL asset he created, the M30 Howitzer. The end result looks quite sharp.


In engine render of the 122mm M30 Howitzer


Side view In engine render of the 122mm M30 Howitzer


Rear View of the printed M30 by Fran


Front View of the printed M30 by Fran

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.

This game chose Realism over Gameplay - TBAG [Epic Gaming]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED0S2Xm1InI

This game is on a different level - monoespacial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iPFuZrqCow

Hell Let Loose - When you turn the Sniper Class to 100 - Alpine Sniper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVQgBs2EqrE

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

Well, it's time to warm up and wrap up today's Dev Brief. See you all on the frontline!
Hell Let Loose - -Gothic-
Hi everyone,

We want to thank the community for your patience as we spent the last couple of months prioritizing & finalizing console content so that it’s inline with the PC. Now this parity work is almost complete, it will make general HLL development much smoother moving forward.

Although this work has taken longer than we’d have liked, it has been a huge technical achievement for the team that enables us to deliver PC & Console updates at the same time in the future - or with minimal time between. It was also critical for us to do this work in order to streamline and best use the team’s time as effectively as possible moving into the years ahead.

After releasing a major update like Falling Dark, we take time to continue internal testing and QA. We wish to assure the community that Update 13 will bring another level of polish and improvement to all areas of the game. This means that U13 will be the last major update for the year. We feel it’ll be sure to create quite the sizzle.

Lastly, we’re thrilled to announce that our aim is to release the Commonwealth Expansion as our first major update of 2023. We will be announcing an updated roadmap to reflect this in the coming weeks. Creating an Expansion with a whole new force, suite of weaponry and vehicles, as well as new maps is a time consuming process and one that we’re keen to get right. We’re excited to share this with you as we continue to work through its creation. We’re very excited to introduce a whole new theater of war and are excited for the new maps this enables us to develop.


WIP Render of the iconic British Bren gun

Update 13: Flames, Frost and More!

We have some very exciting content currently aligned for this next update on-top of general QOL improvements. This includes but is not limited to the following.
  • T-70
  • Winter Map (TBA)
  • Winter Uniforms
  • Jeeps
  • Flame Throwers
  • RCON Improvements
  • New Cosmetics
We look forward to sharing more on that front in the coming weeks, as well as initial testing and return of the PTE! For U13. This update will require prolonged testing as we expect technical challenges when it comes to Flamethrowers, Jeeps and more.

We hope that you will join us when this testing begins and look forward to your support and feedback.

Soviet T-70 Light Tank

U13 will also see the introduction of a new vehicle, the Soviet T-70 light tank. Let's take a quick glance at a brief historical summary of the T-70 class light tank in WW2.

With over 8,000 produced, the T-70 became popular during World War 2 as an inexpensive upgrade or improvement upon its predecessor the T-60. Lightly armored and equipped with a 45mm cannon and a 7.62 machine gun, it’ll take the same position as the Stuart and Luchs do on the battlefield at present.

Although not as fast or as armoured as its big brother the T34, the T-70 was a step up from its predecessor (the T-60) and featured heavily in the fighting around Prokhorovka during the battle of Kursk. The T-70 was used mainly as a reconnaissance vehicle, however if driven with skill, it was able to take out bigger rivals. Not able to keep up with its newer and bigger brethren the T-70 would often be found scouting or in defensive duties.


Historical picture of an unusual winterised T-70 painted white

Sadly after suffering heavy losses in the battle of Kursk the T-70 was relegated from the frontlines to provide a more sustainable role in convoy escorts, training and HQ defense, leaving the T-34 and IS-1 to remain more prominent on the frontline fields of battle.

The implementation of the T-70 to HLL is a further iteration of the initial roll out of assets boasting smart materials off the bat. It has been a pleasing result for both looks and performance to be using the smart materials system.


Attacking the trenches of Kursk


Pushing forwards on the frontline


Rolling to the battlefield

We look forward to watching players roll out in the new T-70 Light Tank in U13.

Silver Vanguard DLC Update

We have been aware for some time now that the community has been asking about the M42 Helmet with goggles that appears in the ‘Silver Vanguard’ DLC. This picture was honestly a minor oversight in the artwork used for the Steam Store. The team got together and discussed two options for this, either to update the artwork in the Steam Store to be correct without the helmet or to include the M42 Helmet with Motorcycle Goggles in the existing Silver Vanguard DLC.


‘Silver Vanguard’ Store Art on Steam featuring the M42 Helmet with Goggles.

We are happy to announce that we will be implementing the roll out of the M42 Helmet with Motorcycle Goggles into the Silver Vanguard DLC pack. So all owners both past, present and future of the Silver Vanguard DLC pack will now see they also have the M42 Helmet with Motorcycle Goggles in their Barracks, ready to equip for battle on the frontline.


M42 Helmet with Motorcycle Goggles

Moving Forwards With Developer Briefings

As more and more items and content for update 13 and onwards are reaching near finished status we intend to increase the frequency of the Developer briefings for the remainder of this year. This will allow us to, in a more timely manner, preview to all of you some of the new things coming to HLL. The increase in release of dev briefs and the associated content will commence as of now. We have a lot of information to share over the coming months and look forward to showcasing it in upcoming developer briefings.

Community Update - HLL 18 vs 18 Competitive Tournament

The 18vs18 format was introduced to the Hell Let Loose Community by Abinus & the HLLTC in the Summer of 2020. The format is designed to encourage FPS skills and teamwork by compacting the team and map size. 18vs18 is played on a single strongpoint and the 2x2 around it, with 18 players per side. Each match is 30 minutes in length, but can continue if the central strongpoint is contested. These matches are designed to be fast-paced, action packed insanity - where individual efforts can be the difference between winning and losing.


You can check out past matches here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-shUPWKE5AsMAD5CcSgm0A/videos

Streaming will be here from October 10: https://www.twitch.tv/hll18vs18 .

More information on this can be found in the HLL Discord in the ‘Event Announcement’ channel.

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. This week we have decided to showcase some of the larger content creators that have featured HLL in their streams recently.

If you see an interesting Community Content Video or make one yourself, make sure to post in the Discord #hll-videos channel.

Only A Miracle Will Save This Team - Hell let Loose - Nano

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pyX1CZrpj8

REALISTIC NIGHT WW2 WARFARE! - Hell Let Loose Update 12 Gameplay - OperatorDrewski
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDLbRMm1OCw

I defended Omaha Beach with a Sniper Rifle…- Jackfrags
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onCxr5vEP_o

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

Well, it's time to wrap up today's Dev Brief. See you all on the frontline!
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