Hell Let Loose News

Hey everyone,

If you haven’t had chance to read the AMA last month or tune into the recent Dev Interview, we’ll be summarising both in this week’s dev brief, as well as sharing a sneak peek at progress with the British forces rework.

But first, we want to thank everyone who took part in the PTE this weekend and joined us for a few games! Your feedback is much appreciated, and we’ll now be looking at what we can consider for Patch 14.3, as well as for future development.

[h2]Patch 14.3 PTE Feedback[/h2]

[h3]Micro-Stuttering[/h3]

Over half of those who took part felt that there was an improvement with stuttering, experiencing less micro-stuttering on most maps. We are aware of some reports about FPS drops in the live game since the last patch, and we will continue to look into this.

[h3]Ultrawide Monitor Compatibility[/h3]

Three-quarters of those using an ultrawide monitor felt that there was a marked improvement, and the experience was what most players would expect from similar titles.

[h3]Panther Tank[/h3]

Over three-quarters of players who used the Panther during the PTE felt that the reload speed was now 'just right.'

[h3]British Weapons[/h3]

Although most players felt the improvements to British weapons were better, some feedback suggested the gun sights were still too large, and further work to improve weapon zeroing was needed.

[h3]Practice Range[/h3]

We already have a list of work we’d like to carry out for future iterations of the Practice Range, and much of this was also identified by players who took the time to submit feedback on their experience. There were also some great ideas that we will take a look at to see how we could implement these in future versions.

Some of the feedback included:

• Increasing Shooting Range to 500m
  
• Moving Targets
  
• More navigation and prompts
  
• Respawning of vehicles and helmets
  

[h2]Plans for Optimization & Bug Fixing[/h2]

Having realised our focus needed to change so that we could revisit the existing game and bug database, the roadmap for Hell Let Loose has changed, and we’re working to put a new one together that we’ll be able to talk more about in a future briefing.

Some issues that you experience in the game don’t always happen in our own testing environments, which can make these bugs trickier to tackle, and we can struggle to reproduce certain issues that require a lot of players over a length of time. Reintroducing public testing is already helping with better understanding some of these bugs, while also helping shape the direction of the game.

[h3]LODs[/h3]

We know LODs are a big one for the community, and our Technical Art team are making their way through all the levels and optimizing some of the worst offenders. LODs are particularly important for console platforms, and decisions have to be made manually, with artists going in and tuning the distance at what certain objects should start rendering, which can be a lengthy and time-consuming process.

Most of our levels also use something called HLODs:

Originally posted by author

HLODs are a really cool bit of technology which makes it really cheap to render something, and if it's far enough away, it can look pretty close to what it would look like. But the creation of HLODs is tricky, it's very hard to get them to to look great, and is made harder with a more realistic looking game like Hell Let Loose.

It's basically a constant challenge for the tech art team to to balance creating these cheaper to render versions of geometry so this will still run at a decent frame rate on all of the hardware that we support, while not looking terrible - and it’s a time consuming process.

You will notice literally every single update the LODs will be improved in numerous different areas on all the maps, and this is one of those areas where I don't think we could, you know, within the next few years tackle every single part of every single level that exists and make them perfect - so if the community can basically let us know the worst offenders, they’ll go to the top of our priority list. - Kieran, Studio Technical Director

Patch 14.3 will be introducing some further LOD optimization for certain maps, however, if you’ve noticed particular issues that are having a high impact, please let us know by getting in touch with Player Support!

[h3]Rubber-banding[/h3]

While we’ve made changes to both PC and Console platforms to help reduce rubber-banding, we know there is still more to be done.

[h3]VOIP[/h3]

We’re continuing to work closely with Vivox to understand how we improve the quality and experience for players.

Originally posted by author

They actually recently reached out to us as they had themselves been looking into user reports of voice issues and have managed to identify that there was an issue with people who were using mobile-based
data networks for connecting to the game. There was a high chance that the VOIP basically stopped working and the connection would fail. That has been fixed in the latest SDK which we have updated for Patch 14.3. - Kieran, Studio Technical Director

VOIP can be challenging for us, as it is rare we ever get issues in the development environment, and Vivox identified that there is a configuration difference between what we use for the development environments on the server side, and what’s happening in the actual live game - so we’re also working with them to make sure they’re the same, which may help us better understand some of the issues being experienced, during development, so we can fix them.

Originally posted by author

We've typically had to make improvements and fixes and then wait for the next update to go live to then identify what is breaking. We are utilizing analytics to be able to identify issues, so it's a case of every single update we will spend some time sitting down and having a look at those analytics to go like, okay what's broken now, and then we can fix another thing, but again, typically we won't be able to reproduce that issue in our development environment so it becomes a case of making a fix and then the next update goes live we repeat the cycle. So, unfortunately, when it comes to this, it's currently quite a slow turnaround for us - but we do continue to work on it every single update. - Kieran, Studio Technical Director

[h2]British Forces Rework[/h2]

Both during the AMA, and in the dev interview, we outlined what we’re doing to essentially make good on the British forces - including new, more accurate weapons, uniforms, and vehicles.

This is a large piece of work, and we want to get it right, so improvements to the British forces will be something you see arrive in the game in phases.

[h3]Historical Accuracy[/h3]

Originally posted by author

The Bren absolutely should have a bipod. For someone who's been shown how to use a Bren gun by other historians, I can absolutely attest to bipod - the Bren needs a bipod. - Matt, Studio Creative Director

We want to ensure we’re bringing accurate firearms to the game on a per-theatre basis.
For example, although some British weapons were used across all theatres, there were some that were specific to North Africa or Western Europe - and we want to make sure the experience is accurate for both.

[h3]Weapons[/h3]

Bren Gun - we are going to do a bipod for the Bren, which will be publicly tested to understand the best balancing, whether it sits on the Machine Gunner role, or whether it works for the Automatic Rifleman.

British Thompson - we will be doing the 1928A1 Thompson.

SMLE - we will be doing the SMLE No.1 MKIII that was used throughout WWII.

No.32 Scope with No.4 MKI - as a new sniper rifle.

Sten MKV - as an additional Sten gun.

Gammon Bomb - also known as the No.82 Grenade, this will work as an 'explode-on-impact' device to help specific roles deal with lighter armoured vehicles.

SMLE No.1 MKIII High Poly (1)

SMLE No.1 MKIII High Poly (2)

[h3]Armour[/h3]

In terms of armour, we are going to do specific pieces of armour for the British, specifically for North Africa, and have a look at the armour that’s available for Driel, including:

• Churchill Mk.III for North Africa
  
• Churchill Mk.VII for Europe
  
• M3 Stuart ‘Honey’
  

We have options when it comes to introducing the new British medium tank for North Africa - and we want to give you the vote on what we work on implementing!

Share your opinion and cast your vote for one of the following tanks:

• Crusader Mk.III
  
• Valentine Mk.II
  
• Matilda II
  

Churchill Mk.III and Mk.VII High poly - WIP

[h3]Uniforms[/h3]

We will also be making good on the uniforms for both North Africa, and Western Europe, including shorts and short sleeve uniforms for the British, as well as the German DAK uniform.

Originally posted by author

We'll do the same thing with the camo for those Vehicles [mentioned above] as well, so you'll be able to play North Africa with the correct uniforms, with historically accurate weapons and vehicles and armour, against the Germans with the German equivalent. What it will do, is it will make the theatres much more flavoursome and historically accurate, but much more thematic as a player, so that North Africa will feel very different, as it should, compared to say, Europe.

I hope that gives people some inclination of the commitment we have to making sure
that all the all the gear, all the toys, all the weapons, all the equipment you'll be
playing with, is 100% authentic and accurate. - Matt, Studio Creative Director

Here’s a first-look at some of the uniform work in progress!

High poly for the new British desert uniform

High poly for the new German DAK uniform

Improved British helmet with straps, for a better fit and more accuracy

[h2]Firefly Tank[/h2]

Improvements to manoeuvrability and how the Firefly works falls into a wider conversation around armour in the game, and it is something we want to look at.

Originally posted by author

It’s an interesting one with Hell Let Loose, because of how Hell Let Loose classes it's different types of armour, you know, the Firefly historically is fundamentally the same chassis that's - for want of a better word - as a normal Sherman with a 75mm gun - it just has an almighty 17 pounder on it. So I'm gonna look into this especially when we do the Churchill, I'm going to look into the different game mechanic armour values of Hell Let Loose and how they work in relation to how they worked in WWII. - Matt, Studio Creative Director

[h2]Recon & Artillery[/h2]

Reevaluating the game meta is not off the table for us, and we’re keen to explore what it could look like in the future - whether that be making artillery a Commander ability that can be called in, or a mortar team.

Originally posted by author

The next sort of thing I have in my head is around self-propelled artillery pieces - so you get to drive the artillery around as if it were in a vehicle form and the vehicle has an artillery piece on it - and there are plenty of historical self-propelled artillery pieces as well and again, that creates a more interesting gameplay mechanic because they can physically move and maybe they're, depending on the piece that we're talking about, maybe the destruction ability of that piece could vary as well, so I think the the surmise of it is, as always with a lot of game development, there are a lot of things we want to try out and prototype and the way that we work is we'll have an idea - prototype it quickly - as soon as we think it's possible to run it in a PTE where it looks representative of the idea to see if it has legs, then we should do that and get feedback from the community.

Game development is a lot about iteration, so you you try something that could work, get some feedback, iterate, get some more feedback, and iterate and that's where you kind of find the magic in in the mechanics. I think it is very difficult to say on paper “this thing here will work 100% guaranteed” from my experiences and from the team's experience it's better to have a few different systems that we can try quickly and work out so there's lots of different options options to us but it's something 100% we want to look at. - Matt, Studio Creative Director

[h2]Node System[/h2]

With some players finding the node system to have become stale, we also want to look at revisiting and understanding where previously in Hell Let Loose, the location of node placement would have an impact.

Creating a deeper mechanic is something we’ll look to do, and test out in a future PTE, where you’ll be able to share your feedback on the direction taken!

[h2]Garrisons[/h2]

Building garrisons and defending them exists as a key mechanic, which can easily be the difference between a win or a loss.

Originally posted by author

We may have a new type of Garrison. But I'm going to keep a little bit tight-lipped about it because I think there's a few development things that we've been experimenting with - and we've done some tests within the team that takes the good stuff out of the garrisons and maybe unhinges it from some of the frustrations people have with garrisons and we've done some prototypes and we had a system working that we're very excited about and that we will want to run it in a PTE.

When you’ve been playing the game for a while, you kind of get a feel for “I know there's going to be an enemy Garrison there” and that in itself can be quite a satisfying mechanic, but I don't think that should be the only mechanic within the garrison system. - Matt, Studio Creative Director

[h2]Progression System & Loadout Reworks[/h2]
We never want players to feel as though they’re not progressing in some form, and some of the new weapon systems we’re going to be prototyping out will be touching on the idea of being able to use XP for other roles.

We also want to look at new loadouts, as well as revisiting existing ones, and will be doing a new set of loadouts for the German forces for El Alamein that would be different to their existing loadouts in Western Europe, for example. These more accurate loadouts will need to be prototyped and eventually put in a PTE for players to feedback on.

[h2]Tanks[/h2]

There are a lot of variables for us to understand with armour, both as a mechanic, but also with the existing physics of vehicles in Hell Let Loose, and their ability to traverse certain terrain in the game.

We already have prototypes for being buttoned up, or with open hatches, and want to explore smoke dispensers, as well as a flamethrower tank, and are absolutely interested in revisiting armour in Hell Let Loose.

We want to go deeper with tank mechanics, and get to the point where we can introduce an American tank destroyer like a Jackson, or a Hellcat and have that make a lot of sense in terms of mechanics - giving players more opportunities to adjust their playstyle and tactics within a game.

Originally posted by author

These are pieces of armour where the actual thickness of their armour is quite low, they're what I would call shoot and scoot type pieces - but they have a hell of a gun. This is where Hell Let Loose with it's Tiger, you know, we all know that there's a lot of myths about the pros and the cons of a Tiger tank - the fact that 90% of the time, they weren’t really capable of moving very far, often breaking down, but the Tiger, that sort of class of tank can dominate a battlefield and everyone just wants to be in that type of tank.

Where I want to get to, is where you can play in a Hellcat and it be a really fun and engaging experience and you understand the tactics of how to use that piece of armour, even though it's classed as a heavy or super heavy gun, but thin armour, so we need to think about armour in the entirety of World War II. - Matt, Studio Creative Director

[h2]Supporting Organised Play[/h2]

We are consistently in awe of the incredible efforts clans, orgs, and communities put into fostering organised play and tournaments within Hell Let Loose, and it’s something we want to dig deeper into to see where we can support these efforts.

Originally posted by author

I want to pick up the conversations that I initially started when I first came onboard, in terms of going “where can we support you?” and that might look like potential content calendars where we can feature upcoming tournaments and events and support those whether that's with promotion on our channels, or giveaways - DLC, game keys - that can help really drive traffic to these events. - WombatMedic, Community Manager

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to the idea of Hell Let Loose being a viable esports title - including balancing - but we want to support some of the community’s tournaments, and will be looking to re-evaluate where we can showcase these and encourage more players to watch the action and sign up to take part themselves. While we have a War Arranger role in Discord for players to recruit and highlight events, it is something to be expanded on to see how we can support the comp scene on a much larger scale.

[h3]Admin Cam[/h3]

We have already done some work on admin cam designs for increased functionality, and will now need to understand when would be best to do the development work.


[h2]Console Server Browsing & Map Voting[/h2]

While not shying away from the workload required to bring a form of server browsing to console, there is a lot to consider:

Originally posted by author

The server architecture on the base level is very similar, but in the environment, it’s very different and so it is looking at that and how do we get that to play nicely and is it possible, how do we do that. It's a lot of work basically, and we we want to look at doing that work, but it is - is there any quicker solutions we can do to help console players? Like being able to find maybe certain maps, maybe looking at certain game modes looking, at certain server populations, or how full a server is. We are looking at the longer term thing as well as short term on that, but it is a very tricky piece of work that needs a lot of thought putting into. - Adam, Senior Brand Manager

Another solution we’re looking at in the interim, is voting for the next map - which would definitely help communities better organise competitive games, as well as give them the freedom to vote on what they want to play, versus what the server rotation dictates.

Originally posted by author

Ultimately, I think we do want to move towards having this browser, but that is going to take some time, it is far from trivial. This is something where the community can help guide us. We all want that, and we're working towards that, and we will get there, but if we acknowledge that it’s going to take some time - what can we do in the meantime to make your lives a little bit better? - Kieran, Studio Technical Director

[h2]What’s next for Hell Let Loose?[/h2]

Our current focus remains on bug fixing and optimisation, with the upcoming Patch 14.3. With a new roadmap in the works, there will be more content coming.

Originally posted by author

That content will be PTE’d, it will be tested beforehand, and we will make sure that everybody is understanding of what's coming, what we’ve tried to do, and where it is, and some of that, it’s not going to be like next year - middle of next year sort of thing - we are looking at what can we bring to the community that's new content, while we're still making sure we do these major fixes first. - Adam, Senior Brand Manager

[h3]What new content is being worked on right now:[/h3]

1). British forces rework - weapons, armour, and uniforms

2). 50v50 combined arms maps, including Mortain

3). Revising Dive to Prone and taking on board feedback from the community

There is content we would love to consider working on in the future, including the Pacific, however, we want to ensure we’re taking a measured approach to new content. A lot has been learnt from the delivery of the British forces, and we need to make sure the forces we deliver are accurate, what you as players expect, and also help inform and be respectful of the various history and forces within World War II.


[h2]Common Questions[/h2]

For answers to questions on game meta, bugs, and more, please read our latest AMA on Reddit, or visit the Discord to check out the full answers in the #ama-july-2023 channel!


[h2]War Correspondent, Content Creator, and Community Videos[/h2]

Make sure to post your videos in the #hll-videos channel in the Official Hell Let Loose Discord for a chance to be shown in future Developer Briefings!

[h3]Let’s Talk About The Practice Range[/h3]

Missed out on the Patch 14.3 PTE? Check out The Fresh Baked Goods' video break-down of the first iteration of the Practice Range: https://youtu.be/Rvx5hBxRzHA

[h3]The Gang Tries Out The Gun Range[/h3]

Shared by u/SuperMalarioBros on Reddit, this edit of trying out the Practice Range during the PTE session got our vote!

[h3]This is Why I Still Play Hell Let Loose[/h3]

Watch Alpine Sniper pick out man from tree on Hürtgen Forest and land some great shots: https://youtu.be/0IdUOekw4nI

[h3]One in a Million Shot - Molotov Blocked by Grenade[/h3]

Who needs to throw back grenades when you can just deflect them with one of your own!

Shared to Reddit by u/Slap_Life.


[h2]Join the Conversation[/h2]

Submit clips and artwork by joining the Discord for a chance to be shown in a future dev brief!

Discord: 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


In Dev Brief #195, we’ll be taking a closer look at the updates to the character models that those who took part in the latest PTE session would have got to try out. Until then, we’ll see you all on the frontline!

Hey everyone,

The Patch 14.3 PTE Session is now live!

Join us today for your opportunity to try out improvements to the British weapons and explore using the Practice Range, from now until Monday.

[h2]Finding a Server[/h2]

For this session, you may need to refresh the server list on the Enlist screen in order for a server to show, or alternatively, toggle through the Favourites, Friends, and History tabs.

[h2]Additional Content Hub[/h2]

As our additional content hub will be offline for this PTE, we thought we'd share a look at what you can expect when Patch 14.3 goes live!

Additional Content Screen

Available for Purchase Screen

[h2]Your Feedback for Patch 14.3[/h2]

As a reminder, this PTE session aims to test some changes and gain your feedback for the next game patch, Patch 14.3, including:

1). Your experience navigating the Basic Training environment
2). Your experience with using the different areas of the Practice Range
3). The accuracy improvements to some of the British weapons
4). Panther reload speed
5). Your experience using an Ultrawide monitor
6). Your experience with micro-stuttering

[h2]How to Share Your Feedback[/h2]

Share your feedback using this form: https://forms.office.com/e/QBscd5bvVT

For any bugs that crop up, you can report them here: https://forms.office.com/e/qT2mx5GhvR


[h2]Squad Up Sunday[/h2]

Drop by the PTE on Sunday from 3pm BST and play live with members of the team and some of our wonderful War Correspondents as we stress-test Patch 14.3!

We look forward to seeing you in this session!

[h2]Developer Briefings: What's upcoming?[/h2]
Next week, we'll be rounding up everything we've talked about during the AMA and Dev Interview, as well as taking a look at your feedback from this session, in Developer Briefing #194.

In Developer Briefing #195, we'll be going into detail on the updated character model heads that will be arriving with Patch 14.3 that you can see a sneak peek of in this weekend's PTE session!

Hey everyone,

We’ll be running another PTE session from this Thursday until Monday, where you’ll have opportunity to feedback on some of the bug fixes and new content coming in Patch 14.3!

For this open testing session, we’re looking for your feedback across a range of different items, including the new Basic Training and Practice Range environments, as well as your experience with the British weapons.

While we’re still working on improving the British forces for a future update, improvements have been made to some of the British firearms, including better zeroing the weapon sights and reducing sway when ADSing.

[h2]Patch 14.3 PTE Changelog [/h2]

Patch 14.3 is packing a number of optimization fixes for certain maps, as well as a list of bugs that have been tackled. We are still working on some items, and will share the final changelog when Patch 14.3 drops.

[h3]New Environments[/h3]

• Basic Training
  
• Practice Range
  
• Additional Content Hub
  

[h3]Optimization[/h3]

• Performance improvements to a range of maps
  
• Some LOD fixes to address transition issues
  

[h3]General Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [Fixed] Zeroed British Weapon Sights
  
• [Fixed] The Panther heavy tank has a faster reload than the Tiger heavy tank
  
• [Fixed] Doubled up explosion VFX
  
• [Fixed] FOV is not properly optimized for ultrawide monitors
  
• [Improved] British Weapon sights
  
• [Improved] Micro Stutters
  
• [Fixed] Animation issue for Nagant M1895 when reloading
  
• [Fixed] British weapons have increased sway when ADSing
  
• [Fixed] British recon tank will pull to the last turned direction when driving straight
  
• [Fixed] British Lewis Gun MG shots appear to be slightly off-centre from sights
  
• [Fixed] Legacy game analytics are causing performance issues
  
• [Fixed] All Lee-Enfield variants have a stuttering animation and are misaligned while reloading from a TPP
  
• [Fixed] Pistols are misaligned from characters hand on the Front End and Change Role Menu
  
• [Fixed] No SFX is heard when equipping the Anti-Tank wrench
  
• [Fixed] 'Panther' tank has misspelled name when showing the end game score
  
• [Fixed] Ping is off-centre when using the British binoculars
  
• [Fixed] MGs are clipping through the player model when shooting while being prone and while looking up
  
• [Fixed] Player's left hand becomes unattached from two handed weapons when sprinting in TPP
  
• [Fixed] [PC] Many servers are not appearing in the "All Servers" tab of the Enlist Screen
  
• [Fixed] Player's hand appears offset from their equipped weapon or tool, becoming increasingly offset as FoV is increased
  
• [Fixed] Players can dive to prone by going in the prone position while jumping
  
• [Fixed] Bullet impact VFX will remain stationary while factory machinery is moving
  
• [Fixed] Broken animation can be observed when going prone while ADS-ing the M97 Trench Gun
  
• [Fixed] There is no mention of the Kharkov map in the Field Manual
  
• [Fixed] MG 42 shooting SFX is quieter when single firing
  
• [Fixed] Stone PFX and SFX are present when shooting a German Outpost
  
• [Fixed] US Smoke grenade SFX are delayed and do not match VFX
  
• [Fixed] Flashlight attached to M1941 Summer Field Jacket does not move realistically with body
  
• [Fixed] Weapon displacement appears when stood leaning left and aiming down sights with certain weapons across all factions
  
• [Fixed] Field Manual entry for Driel is incorrect
  
• [Fixed] Destroyed Cromwell tank is awarded as 'Sherman Destroyed'
  
• [Fixed] Shotguns play bullet drop sfx
  
• [Fixed] Flare guns play bullet drop sfx
  

[h3]Remagen[/h3]

• [Fixed] Supply boxes cannot be placed (almost) anywhere on the Ludendorff bridge
  
• [Fixed] Canvas covered assets use canvas bullet penetration values, allowing all types of bullets to shoot through them.
  
• [Fixed] [F9] Sheds present wooden PFX and SFX
  
• [Fixed] Grey canvas covered boxes display stone PFX, SFX and bullet mark decals.
  
• [Fixed] [E3] Sandbags around an artillery gun have improper bullet FX
  

[h3]Kharkov[/h3]

• [Fixed] [F6] Large Rubble pile has improper Collision which allows the player to enter it in some areas
  
• [Fixed] [F5] Player can hide inside a column in the St Mary Church
  
• [Fixed] [F3] Half-Track wreck presents the incorrect PFX and SFX.
  
• [Fixed] [F1] The pillars of a brick building display metal PFX and SFX
  
• [Fixed] Bridge Supports Have Stone PFX
  
• [Fixed] Wooden planks display stone PFX and SFX.
  
• [Fixed] A pile of planks presents stone PFX and SFX
  
• [Fixed] [F5] Stone Stairs in Church Entryway Have Wood PFX
  
• [Fixed] Yellow brick house model has metal SFX and PFX
  
• [Fixed] Wooden assets have stone SFX and PFX
  
• [Fixed] [F4] Stone Fence Inside of St Marys Church Has No Bullet Collision
  
• [Fixed] A well asset presents stone PFX & SFX
  
• [Fixed] Bullet decals are not present on train wagons
  
• [Fixed] An interior lantern presents laser beam instead of flame
  
• [Fixed] Metal pot has wood PFX
  
• [Fixed] Destroyed Recon vehicle has Stone PFX/SFX
  
• [Fixed] Snowdrifts present dirt SFX and PFX
  
• [Fixed] [E9] A metal pot hanging from a tree branch present in sector E9, presents wood PFX and SFX instead of metal when shot
  

[h3]El Alamein[/h3]

• [Fixed] Tessellation issues are present in multiple sectors while ADSing
  
• [Fixed] The terrain surrounding the trenches is misaligned with the environment
  
• [Fixed] Destroyed trucks have stone PFX and SFX
  
• [Fixed] Palm Trees present LoD transition issues
  
• [Fixed] [B4] Corner Sandbag asset appears discoloured
  
• [Fixed] [J5] Multiple mudbanks are misaligned near an artillery
  
• [Fixed] [I5] Stone well sand presents tessellation issues
  
• [Fixed] [G5] Sandbags are misaligned in sector G5 on El Alamein
  
• [Fixed] [D5] Village has multiple instances of misalignment with terrain and z-fighting
  
• [Fixed] Incorrect penetration value in the front area of a preplaced covered truck
  
• [Fixed] Pre-placed destroyed artillery asset has the incorrect bullet penetration value
  
• [Fixed] Pre-placed artillery covered with camouflage net has the incorrect bullet penetration value
  
• [Fixed] Palm Tree asset has incorrect bullet penetration value
  
• [Fixed] The terrain surrounding the trenches is misaligned with the environment
  
• [Fixed] [A7] Misaligned mudbanks are present near a trench in sector A7.
  
• [Fixed] [A7] Hedgehog is misaligned with ground compared to alternate Hedghehog
  
• [Fixed] [J5] A metal barrel is clipping with a vehicle wheel
  
• [Fixed] [J8] Snow Material is present on a number of barrels in this sector
  
• [Fixed] [F4] - The terrain near a trench in sector F4 is misaligned
  
• [Fixed] [C8] The corner of the building found in sector C8 is misaligned
  
• [Fixed] Climbing on a specific tank asset will set the player on fire
  
• [Fixed] [B3][D8] The outpost can be placed inside the water well in multiple sectors on El Alamein
  
• [Fixed] [I5] Multiple misaligned rubble piles present in sector I5
  
• [Fixed] [F8] Misaligned sand border from a trench is present in sector F8
  
• [Fixed] [F8] Floating building structure is present in sector F8
  
• [Fixed] [H7] Plane is clipping into floor
  
• [Fixed] [C4] Floating rock pile located in sector C4
  
• [Fixed] Loading into El Alamein displays multiple locations while the map renders
  
• [Fixed] Boxes cannot be placed anywhere on the metal platforms of the military watchtower
  
• [Fixed] [H6] Planes switch to a grey texture when viewed from 60m away
  

[h3]Carentan[/h3]

• [Fixed] [C6] Player will fly into the air when vaulting over a specific wall
  

[h3]Hurtgen[/h3]

• [Fixed] When bullets penetrate the Guard House asset, bullet entry and exit location decals are not observed.
  
• [Fixed] Fire particles on trees have LOD issues on Hurtgen Map
  
• [Fixed] Sandbags show metal SFX and PFX when part of ruined AT gun trench asset.
  
• [Fixed] [I8] Multiple haystacks and hay bales present stone SFX and PFX
  
• [Fixed] [B6] Trees in the middle of the trench block player's path
  
• [Fixed] [F4] Wooden board is not aligned with the terrain
  

[h3]Purple Heart Lane[/h3]

• [Fixed] [C3] LOD transition issue present on a Tree Trunk asset
  
• [Fixed] [E7] Multiple branch assets in sector E7 exhibits abrupt LOD change
  
• [Fixed] [C3] Wooden fence asset presents stone PFX and SFX in Sector C3
  
• [Fixed] Wooden floor of multiple house assets has incorrect bullet penetration value
  
• [Fixed] [F2] Potted plants asset has no bullet penetration
  
• [Fixed] Three canvas covered boxes present the incorrect PFX
  
• [Fixed] Stone house asset with wood PFX/SFX
  

[h3]Kursk[/h3]

• [Fixed] There is an LoD transition issue with the crop field at about 70 meters
  
• [Fixed] Certain bush asset changes size on different video settings
  
• [Fixed] Wooden poles present stone PFX and SFX
  
• [Fixed] [F8] Invisible player collision present in trench
  

[h3]Foy[/h3]

• [Fixed] [D3] There is a LoD transition issue with a destroyed artillery asset when viewed from a distance of 33m.
  

[h3]Driel[/h3]

• [Fixed] Flowers from wooden pots have bullet penetration
  
• [Fixed] [D6] Bullets decals remain stationary on the moving gear wheel found in the factory in D6
  
• [Fixed] [H9] [Console] FPS drops below 50 FPS in H9 sector on Driel map.
  
• [Fixed] Plant pot besides well asset has metal PFX/SFX
  
• [Fixed] The level of water decreases whenever the player approaches
  
• [Fixed] Brick pile beside well asset has incorrect & unusual PFX / VFX
  

[h3]Utah[/h3]

• [Fixed] Multiple boat assets present metal PFX
  

[h3]Stalingrad[/h3]

• [Fixed] [B6] A pile of rubble is floating above the ground
  
• [Fixed] [E3] A pillar is clipping through a building
  
• [Fixed] [F8] A water pump asset is misaligned from the terrain
  
• [Fixed] [F8] A locker asset is misaligned with the ground
  
• [Fixed] [F8] A rock pile is misaligned with the ground
  
• [Fixed] [G5] A pile of concrete slabs is misaligned with the ground
  
• [Fixed] [I8] Misaligned rubble texture located in sector I8
  
• [Fixed] [I7] Misaligned rubble texture located in sector I7
  
• [Fixed] [D7] Misaligned tree trunks can be seen along the road
  
• [Fixed] [C7] Misaligned debris pile
  

[h3]Sainte-Mère-Église[/h3]

• [Fixed] [B8] Cart wheel clipping through terrain in sector B8
  
• [Fixed] [C8] Players can get stuck in between a house and a large bush
  

[h3]Sainte-Marie-du-Mont[/h3]

• [Fixed]
  Feathers VFX are visible when shooting the buckets
  
• [Fixed] There is a low quality tree asset which can be observed throughout the map
  
• [Fixed] [E8] The floor of a building asset presents dirt PFX and SFX
  

[h2]What We’re Looking For[/h2]

This PTE session aims to test some changes and gain your feedback for the next game patch, Patch 14.3, including:

1). Your experience navigating the Basic Training environment

2). Your experience with using the different areas of the Practice Range

3). The accuracy improvements to some of the British weapons

4). Panther reload speed

5). Your experience using an Ultrawide monitor

6). Your experience with micro-stuttering

[h2]How to Take Part[/h2]

Check your Steam Library for the Hell Let Loose (Public Testing) application, or re-download it from the Steam store, you’ll want to boot this version up to take part in the PTE!

On Thursday 17th, the PTE application will require updating and you’ll be able to join from 2pm BST. Once you’re in and have selected a server, you’ll be able to test out the items in the above changelog and share your feedback using the below forms:

Submit Feedback: https://forms.office.com/e/QBscd5bvVT

Share Bug Reports: https://forms.office.com/e/qT2mx5GhvR

Please note:

Because PTEs are run on development servers that have logging activated, you will experience a slight decrease in performance. You will also not earn any exp and your progress will not be carried over to the live game.

We look forward to seeing you in this session!


Cover & Banner images provided by [233C] Chrysallia

Hey everyone,

As part of our investigations into server performance, we have identified another potential cause for some of the recent server crashes being experienced and have now been able to verify a further fix.

While this fix may not resolve all instances of server crashes - as there are many different factors that could be causing crashes for different servers which we are continuing to investigate - we believe it is the likely cause for some of the recent crashes due to the way in which the server handles new RCON connections.

Previously, the Hell Let Loose server would create some data directly in response to receiving an RCON connection request. Since changing servers to run multi-threaded, as part of a previous improvement to rubber-banding in vehicles, that request could come in on any thread.

This meant that it could happen while Unreal Engine is doing what is known as a garbage collection. It is not valid to create objects while garbage collection is happening, and so if this happened, it would cause the server to crash. With increased amounts of RCON connections to a server, the probability of having this timing overlap with the garbage collection would increase, which meant server crashes could become relatively frequent.

We have now ensured all object creation is deferred to the next server tick, on the main thread to make sure that this cannot happen. This has been tested with a tool that creates a huge number of connection requests to the server, continuously, to battle-test its robustness. Previously, this tool could crash a server in a matter of minutes, now the team has been able to play for hours at a time while the server remains stable.

This fix requires a client-side update, but does not have any changelog items, and will now be going live as a hotfix.

Hey everyone,

Thanks for joining us for the dev interview that premiered on Saturday!

RazBora and The Fresh Baked Goods did a fantastic job of capturing some more of your questions so we could go into depth around topics like the British rework, meta considerations, and future content.

If you haven’t checked out the video yet, you can tune in here.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

In this week’s developer briefing, we’re going to take a closer look at the upcoming Practice Range!

[h2]The Practice Range[/h2]

It has been designed for players who want to improve their aiming skills, better understand the building of defences, or even learn the different seats within a tank.

Originally posted by author

We wanted to give the player, rookie, or seasoned veteran, a safe space to practice some of the game mechanics, as well as what the various roles offer. We hope we have created something players will find beneficial with this first iteration of the practice range! - Nathan, Senior Level Designer

[h2]Accessing the Practice Range[/h2]

To gain access to the Practice Range, players will need to navigate to the Basic Training area via the main menu. Here, you’ll find a new way to access the Field Manual, as well as navigate to the Practice Range.

Originally posted by author

The Practice Range should feel very familiar to the main game when selecting a role and deploying etc. We put a lot of focus on trying to keep as many things consistent to the main game as possible, but we have streamlined some elements (such as redeployment times and allowing the player to select any role within the squad) to hopefully create a better experience. - Nathan, Senior Level Designer

Once a player has chosen their desired role, they can then deploy into the Practice Range using one of the four Garrisons that are each located near a specific area of training, including:

• Obstacle Course
  
• Shooting Range
  
• Building Yard
  
• Driving Range
  

[h2]The Obstacle Course[/h2]

The first thing we want to help players get to grips with is the mantling system.

This course is specifically designed to help new players master the locomotion in Hell Let Loose by using different movement methods to navigate the obstacles along a path, including proning, crouching, sprinting, and vaulting.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The Obstacle Course

[h2]The Shooting Range[/h2]

While most new players will know how to click and shoot, Hell Let Loose requires a level of control to hit your target. There is a range of targets strewn around the environment where you can finesse your aim, and in this initial release, test the weapons available to the US Forces under each role, aside from the Commander. (If you haven’t watched the dev interview yet, we touched on how training as a Commander will work!)

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Rifleman Target Practice

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Sniper Target Practice

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Machine Gunner Target Practice

[h2]The Building Yard[/h2]

With unlimited supplies, players will be prompted to learn how building and upgrading works in Hell Let Loose, with the ability to build and operate an anti-tank gun, as well as create a range of barricades.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Barricades & Fortifications

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Building & Operating Anti-Tank Guns

[h2]The Driving Range[/h2]

Designed to help new players perfect their vehicle handling, you’ll be able to try out a selection of different vehicles, including tanks, to better understand how to operate them.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Driving a Tank

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Firing a Tank

[h2]Practice Range Achievements[/h2]

We’ve included some achievements that you can earn by using the Practice Range, including:

• Basic Training - earned by entering the Practice Range.
  
• No Skill Issue Here - earned by playing every role in the Practice Range.
  

[h2]A Note from The Devs:[/h2]

Originally posted by author

One of the aspects we like most about the Practice Range is that it adds something, we believe, the
game was missing. The fact that players will now be able to take a step back, flick through the Field Manual, hop into the Practice Range, and then can load into the next match with a better understanding, should benefit everyone.

We think we have laid a good foundation to build on with this, and we hope with the community’s feedback and ideas, we can really help improve this space. - Nathan, Senior Level Designer

[h2]Patch 14.3 Progress[/h2]

Patch 14.3 progress is tracking well, and we will be holding a PTE session beginning on the 17th of August and finishing on the 21st, and encourage everyone to take part and share their feedback on both bug fixing, and the Basic Training and Practice Range environments.

While there are many bugs being worked on for this patch which will be shared in the changelog, we are pleased to confirm we have so far prepared fixes for some of the following top community-raised bugs:

• [Xbox] Reloading some guns produces incomplete sounds
  
• [Xbox] Gun fire sounds delayed for some rifles
  
• [Xbox] Missing reload sound of Karabiner 98k
  
• [PS5] British Forces vehicles do not have adaptive triggers set up
  
• [PC] Many servers are not appearing in the "All Servers" tab of the Enlist Screen
  
• [PC] FOV is not correctly optimized for ultrawide monitors
  
• [Removed] Legacy game analytics with the potential to cause performance issues
  
• Doubled-up explosion VFX
  
• [Improved] Micro stutters
  
• British weapons have increased sway when ADSing
  
• British recon tank will pull to the last turned direction when driving straight
  
• British Lewis Gun MG shots appear to be slightly off-centre from sights
  
• The Panther heavy tank has a faster reload than the Tiger heavy tank
  
• All Lee-Enfield variants have a stuttering animation and are misaligned while reloading from a TPP
  
• Weapon displacement appears when stood leaning left and aiming down sights with certain weapons across all factions
  
• Ping is off-center when using the British binoculars
  

[h2]Common Questions[/h2]

For answers to questions on game meta, bugs, and more, please read our latest AMA on Reddit, or visit the Discord to check out the full answers in the #ama-july-2023 channel!

[h2]War Correspondent, Content Creator, and Community Videos[/h2]

Make sure to post your videos in the #hll-videos channel in the Official Hell Let Loose Discord for a chance to be shown in future Developer Briefings!

[h3]SoulSniper, MIA[/h3]

One of our amazing War Correspondents, SoulSniper, unfortunately, experienced a house fire early last month and has been out of action while he focuses on getting himself and his family back on their feet.

Many of you will recognize SoulSniper for his classic sniper videos with brother and recon Spotter, Scotty. His family has a GoFundMe set up for anyone who wants to support them during this time or simply wants to share some kind words: https://gofund.me/f2bfaed2

Until SoulSniper is back in action, you can join us in watching SoulSniper and Scotty set their sights on the bridge in Driel and land some insane shots in his latest upload!

https://youtu.be/a8mRmgCOzbU

[h3]When 5 Players Are Hunted By 50 Players in a Hell Let Loose Custom Game Mode[/h3]

Hell Let Loose, but not as you know it! Hosted by the BEER clan and RazBora, this custom match saw five players get hunted down by 50 other players in a tense race to the extraction point. Check out Terrydactyl's video of the event here: https://youtu.be/aGK4VyRAq0E

[h3]The People’s League - Season 2[/h3]

The second season of The People’s League has just begun, with 16 console clans taking to the battlefield to be crowned this season’s champions. Watch the latest match between KRRC vs 83AR here: https://youtu.be/sqmERpAuCGs

[h2]Join the Conversation[/h2]

Submit clips and artwork by joining the Discord for a chance to be shown in a future dev brief!

Discord: 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


Until next time, we’ll see you all on the frontlines!