Darkest Hour: Europe '44-'45 News

Hello there! The new update is live!

This release brings a fresh new Advance map to our collection. The new map features snowy landscapes of rural Poland and the village of Rederitz—one of the few strongholds positioned at the main line of Pomeranian Wall.

Rederitz Advance is a mix of trench lines, woodsy areas, and house-to-house fighting; all packed into a lengthy, but straightforward Advance layout. This is our second map to include Polish People’s Army, which now takes its official place among Darkest Hour factions.

The update also includes a boatload of map fixes and other various updates; look below for a detailed list.

It's worth mentioning that some of our community members left their mark on the development of this level. We'd like to thank Rolandz and Rotzlöffel for giving us a hand with testing and ironing out major bugs on Rederitz before the release.









[h2]Maps[/h2]

Rederitz Advance

• New map.

Wanne Advance

• Updated map overview to include new farmhouse and forest areas.
  
• Increased interval timer between artillery calls to reduce artillery spam.
  
• Re-balanced ticket progression.
  
• Slowed the capture rate of the "Lower Wanne" objective.
  
• Moved Axis respawn time modifier to activate when "Defensive Line" objective is captured, increasing base Axis respawn interval to 18 seconds.

Rakowice Advance

• Re-balanced tanks on the map using historical unit information (Credit to Ts4EVER for the research).
  
• Re-balanced objective layout, capture speeds and role loadouts.

La Gleize Advance

• Fixed the bug where Axis half-tracks would never activate.

Winter Stalemate Clash

• Fixed bug where lockdown on middle objective would only activate when it was recaptured, not on first capture.
  
• Increased lockdown timer on middle objective to 6 minutes and slowed capture speed.
  
• Decreased respawn timer on logistic trucks to be in line with other maps.
  
• Made Panzer III Ausf. J and BT-7 spawns unlimited.

Leningrad Push

• Fixed bug where players would get stuck on stairs leading out of Soviet spawn on final objective.
  
• Fixed the bug where blocking volumes prevented artillery from functioning on the map.
  
• Added single artillery strike for Soviet team.
  
• Placed usable radios in Allied and Axis main spawns.
  
• Increased respawn timer on KV-1S to 90 seconds (was 60).
  
• Added spawn protection minefields to Axis main spawn, and progressive minefields to protect Soviet forward spawns.
  
• Moved Axis main spawn into a safer location.
  
• Created a new first objective near Axis main which unlocks a new spawn point.
  
• Changed objective volumes on "AT Position" and "Searchlight" to encompass the entire buildings, but switched the capture type to require the objectives be cleared.
  
• Increased round timer to 35 minutes (was 30).
  
• Fixed the bug that allowed Axis to spawn 3 tanks simultaneously.
  
• Re-balanced roles on both teams.
  
• Changed resupply volumes to give ammo every 20 seconds instead of every 2 minutes.

Armored Celles Clash

• Added new snow camo skins for the Marder, King Tiger and Jagdpanther.

Armored Tank Clash At Bastogne Advance:

• Added new snow camo skin for King Tiger.

Hurtgenwald Advance:

• Evened out team balance ratios.
  
• Extended "Trenches" objective to cover more of the capture area and slowed the capture speed.
  
• Added cooldown timers to artillery on both teams.
  
• Gave Axis one additional MG role and moved StG 44 to assault trooper roles.

Berezina Advance & Klin 1941 Advance:

• Made Panzer III Ausf.J and BT-7 tank spawns unlimited.

Myshkova River Advance & Valko Advance

• Added Marder III Ausf. M (snowy variant)

Gorlitz Push

• Added Axis vehicle spawn that activates after "Central Square" objective.

La Fiere Advance

• Role changes.

Lyes Krovy Defence

• Role and reinforcement adjustments.

Road To Isigny

• Fixed the bug where Axis reinforcements wouldn't drain at the final objective.
  
• Updated map overview.
  
• Balancing adjustments.

Cholm Advance

• Set Axis logistic truck to a reasonable spawn time (80 secs).
  
• Minor bug fixes.

Kriegstadt Advance

• Added an additional logistic truck for Allied team (activates after Ruins objective).
  
• Minor bug and exploit fixes.

Butovo Advance

• Fixed an "off-map" exploit.

[h2]Vehicles[/h2]

• Marder III Ausf.M: Added new camo variants.

[h2]Characters[/h2]

• Added grey Polish tunic.
  
• Minor changes and improvements for Polish uniforms.

[h2]Miscellaneous[/h2]

• Added Polish "merch" (interface art, flags, etc.).

See you on the battlefield,
Darklight Games

Hello, everyone!

We hope you're having a great 2021 so far. As our first release this year, we're excited to present you the new and updated BAR, a range of beautiful new M1 Carbines, and some other goodies.



[h3]Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2[/h3]

In this update BAR received a complete rework and it never been looking sexier! Its characteristics were updated as well, making it more controllable and a joy to shoot.

Fun fact: the bipod on the new BAR uses procedural animation and swings around with your movements.



[h3]M1, M1A1, and M1/T17 Carbines[/h3]

The trusty Carbine comes in 3 variants, including a converted selective-fire version (T17). Just like BAR, this rifle was reworked from the ground up, and takes the spot as one the most well crafted weapons we got in the game.

The models for BAR and the Carbine were designed by our community member and a talented 3D artist eksha.



[h3]Volkssturmgewehr 1-5[/h3]

This German ersatz semi-automatic assault rifle was developed in late 1944 as dwindling materiel and manpower put pressure on wartime industries to make cheaper and more primitive weaponry. It might not be the prettiest "gewehr" on the field, but it might just save your life!



[h3]Miscellaneous[/h3]

• New Kongsberg Colten M/1914 pistol available for German troops.
  
• Sweeping changes to all weapon gun sight pictures to improve feel and consistency.
  
• All scoped (Textured and 3D) were updated to have proper magnification and field-of-viev.
  
• Reduced spread on all rifles.

To help with spatial awareness inside tanks, the HUD received a nifty little feature which shows player’s cone of vision. This feature should be especially helpful when looking through periscopes, but can be disabled in the setting if you wish so.





The vehicle roster got updated with new camos for the King Tiger and the Hanomag. Our newest team member Matty provided us with these lovely winter paints.

[h3]Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B Camos[/h3]







[h3]Sd.Kfz. 251 Whitewash Camo[/h3]





[h3]Armored Voronezh Clash[/h3]
Author: Bäckis

This is a new Armored Server map for players who love rolling though never-ending, flat grasslands, inhaling gas fumes mixed with a refreshing breeze of Ukrainian steppes.



[h3]Other map changes[/h3]

Wanne Advance

• Added new farm near the final objective.
  
• Added south-facing windows to Manor and the nearby garage.
  
• Added snowy variants of the King Tiger and the Sd.Kfz. 251 Half-track.
  
• Added new M1/T17 carbine to Allied Corporal role.
  
• Hetzer now unlocks when Woods objective is captured.
  
• Implemented experimental ticket progression: Axis now start with 350 tickets and gain significantly more by capturing objectives, up to a maximum of 800 tickets for all objectives captured.

Radar Advance

• Scaled down the downed glider to a sensible size.

Minor fixes and adjustments

• Valko Advance
  
• Kriegstadt Advance
  
• Konigsplatz Push
  
• Fallen Heroes Clash
  
• Armored Studzianki Clash
  
• Armored Bautzen Clash

• Fixed the bug with Panzer IV F1 shells flying on wacky trajectories.
  
• Fixed the bug where pre-placed HQs would prevent players from building new HQs nearby after their destruction.

See you on the battlefield,
Darklight Games

Happy Holidays, everyone!

A new map will be joining our roster just in time for the holiday season. Some of you might be familiar with Road to Isigny, an old DH classic that's been off the radars for quite some time. Today it makes a comeback all brand new and shiny.

The town of Isigny-sur-Mer was liberated by Allied forces on 9th of June, 1944 by a conjoined effort of 175th Infantry Regiment and 747th Tank Battalion. This map follows the advance of US troops along the road leading to the town, featuring a grassy terrain with lots of vegetation, borrow ditches, and lonely houses for players to take cover in.

In this update, Road to Isigny received a complete rework and was expanded to accommodate the Advance game mode. Hurry up to the servers and check it out!









See you on the battlefield,
Darklight Games

A small update containing bug fixes, map updates, and some new sound effects.

[h3]Weapons[/h3]

• New Panzerfaust firing sounds.
  
• New explosion sounds for Panzerfaust, Panzerschreck, and PIAT projectiles.

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• Fixed incorrect textures on Axis radio operators.
  
• Fixed the "black texture" bug on the Sd.Kfz. 234/1 (snowy variant).

[h3]Maps[/h3]

Kriegstadt Advance

• Added a new location leading up to Kaschade Offices.
  
• Moved the "anti-precap" minefield behind Fleminstrasse a bit further.

Valko Advance

• Fixed the bug with the invisible ceiling hovering over the town.
  
• Added watchtower constructions.
  
• Slightly increased the draw distance.

La Fiere Advance

• Fixed the bug where Axis main spawn would end up inside the Allied territory in the endgame.
  
• Changed the icon for the airborne spawn.

Butovo Advance

• Adjusted team ratios and available tanks.

Black Day July Advance

• Changes to the tank balance and the objective layout.

Target Range

• Updated to include new vehicles.

See you on the battlefield,
Darklight Games

As the Halloween event concludes, we are back with another patch featuring various fixes and incremental updates. Check out the logs for the details:

[h3]Changelog v9.9.5[/h3]

### Bugfixes

* Fixed the bug where players would spontaneously crash during map changes.
* Fixed the LOD issues with player characters.

### Miscellaneous

* Squad member numbers are now displayed in chat messages next to their name.
* Increased reload times for AT guns, SU-76, and Marder by a slight margin (up to 0.9 seconds).
* Reduced the chance of field caps appearing on WH characters.

### Maps

* Carpiquet Airfield Advance:
  - Allowed Allies to spawn an additional Sherman tank.
  - Gave Allies 2 additional artillery strikes.
  - Fixed the bug that allowed Axis to build AT guns on rooftops.

* Rakowice Advance:
  - Added a T-60 light tank to the Soviet vehicle pool.
  - Added objective spawns for Axis.
  - Minor bugfixes and adjustments.

* Prussia Push:
  - Fixed the Dugout spawn point dropping players into the void.
  
* Leningrad Push:
  - Added a minefield protecting Allied main spawn.
  - Minor balance adjustments.

* Barashka Advance:
  - Fixed the visual bug with terrain covering the trenches.

[h3]Changelog v9.9.4[/h3]

### Weapons

* Adjusted the recoil patterns on PPSh-43, PPSh-43, MP-41r, PPD-40, and M712 Schnellfeuer to make them more controllable and consistent when firing in short bursts.

### Maps

* Lyes Krovy Push:
  - Reduced Axis respawn times.

[h3]Changelog v9.9.3[/h3]

### Vehicles / Guns

* Reduced the prevalence of the "shatter gap" effect and added a physically-based randomness to the shattering calculations system. The shell shattering will less likely to occur in the game due to this effect.
* Fixed inaccuracies in armor slope values for KV-1, T-34 (76/85), Panther (D), and Pz. III (J/L) tanks.

### Characters

* Added a small chance for WH squad leaders, radio operators and snipers to spawn wearing a field cap.
* New additions to Soviet outfits:
  - Green amoeba camouflage.
  - 1942/1944 leaf pattern camouflages.
  - Padded coats.
  - Naval pea coats.
  - Naval caps (4 variants, one for each fleet)
* Introduced rank variety between different uniform variants for Soviet troops.
* Other minor additions, fixes and adjustments to Soviet character models and textures.

### Maps

* Added Rakowice Advance.

* Carpiquet Airfield Advance:
  - Optimization pass.
  - Fixed various visual bugs.
  - Changed lighting and removed haze.
  - Replaced static Axis HQs with objective spawns.
  - Re-balanced roles and constructions for both teams to better reflect historical situation.
  - Added limited Panther G tanks to Axis; added limited Sherman Firefly tanks to Allies.
  - Increased view distance by roughly 50-75 meters.
  - Removed ticket bleed from all but the first objective.
  - Set Refueling Area objective to be inactive at start.

* Hurtgenwald Advance:
  - Expanded minefields protecting Axis main spawn.
  - Slightly increased reinforcements for both sides.
  - Fixed the bug where some objectives were uncapturable.

* Bridgehead Advance:
  - Added Corporal roles for both teams and a Radio Operator role for Allies.
  - Added a Churchill tank (available after capturing the Honnopel objective)

* Leningrad Push:
  - Reworked the final objective.
  - Re-balanced roles and vehicles for both teams to better reflect the alleged setting of the level.

* Olkhovatka Advance:
  - Increased the amount of available artillery for Axis.
  - Allowed Axis to spawn +1 extra vehicle.
  - Reduced the number of available KV and T-34 tanks, and made the BT-7 unlimited.

* Lyes Krovy Push:
  - Introduced the new Soviet camos.
  - Reduced the respawn times for Axis.

* Cholm Advance:
  - Minor adjustments to vehicle availability for both sides.
  - Added several pre-placed Pak-38 guns.

* Krasnyi Oktyabr Push:
  - Reduced reinforcements for both teams.
  - Added some greatcoat uniforms together with standard tunics.

* Black Day July Advance:
  - Replaced Soviet uniforms for ones with more accurate insignia for the period.
  - Added RPG-43 to Soviet loadouts.
  - Increased the limits on maximum active vehicles for the Soviet team.

* Valko Advance:
  - Added StuG III Ausf.G to the Axis vehicle pool.
  - Added off-map artillery support for both sides.
  - Replaced Soviet uniforms for the "late war" variants.

* Gorlitz Push:
  - Added SU-76 to the Soviet vehicle pool.
  - Added static Panzerfaust crates.
  - Moved the Allied spawn to protect it against spawn camping.
  - Minor adjustments to vehicle spawn limits for Soviets.

* Berezina Advance:
  - Fixed logistic truck respawn times and added an extra one for the Allied team.

* Kriegstadt Advance: 
  - Separated German artillery into two stages: one activating after Kaschade Offices, and the second one after Ruins (both consist of three strikes).

* La Gleize Advance: 
  - Added a Radio Operator role for the Axis team.

* Stoumont Advance: 
  - Added a lockdown timer for the first objective (5.5 minutes).

* Kryukovo Push: 
  - Reduced the team ratio difference (Axis team is now less outnumbered).

* Flakturm Tiergarten Push: 
  - Minor balancing and character uniform changes.

See you on the battlefield,
Darklight Game