Hell Let Loose News

Hey everyone,

Welcome to Dev Brief #144!

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



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

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

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



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

German Panzer IV: Front

German Panzer IV: Side

German Panzer IV In Action



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

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

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



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

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


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

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

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



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

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


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


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

Hell Let Loose is the sort of game that convinces me we're in the golden age of the multiplayer FPS. No matter what kind of first-person shooting you're into, there's probably a good game out there designed to scratch your specific itch. For military sim fans, Hell Let Loose is one of those games. Like Squad before it, it answers the question: "What if there was a truly hardcore Battlefield?"..
Read more.

Team17 announced that developer Black Matter’s World War II shooter Hell Let Loose will be releasing on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in October. Accompanying the announcement is a new trailer specifically for the console ports.

The trailer doesn’t really go into detail on the game’s features. Rather, it establishes the tone of the game as a gritty, realistic shooter that doesn’t spare the player on how hellish the battlefield can be. The music, a combination of organ and electric guitar riffs, furthers the hell motif.

Deceptively, the gameplay in Hell Let Loose stands apart from other war shooters by having you directly controlling a small squad while coordinating with other squads in 50 vs. 50 battles divided into smaller squads. Each force has a commander, and the squads have squad leaders. This adds a layer of strategy that’s absent from many shooters on the market, making for a refreshing take on the WWII shooter genre. And that’s not even considering classes, supply chains, and fortifications, all wrinkles that add to the strategy of every game.

Read more

Hi everyone!

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

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

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

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

Touring Hell Let Loose - Over The Real Life settings

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

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


HLL stalingrad tour - Dave Rabelink
Created by [1AD] -=Medusa=- NL, Xymox
[previewyoutube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9RdHwjQnoY[/previewyoutube]

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


PS5 Closed Beta Round Up

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

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

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


Sneak Peek: RA Cape Plash-Palatka - Poncho

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

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


The Soviet Plash-Palatka: Back


The Soviet Plash-Palatka: Front


The Soviet Plash-Palatka: Front


War Correspondent, Content Creator and Community HLL Videos

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our other social platforms can be found here:

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

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

See you all on the frontline!

Hi everyone

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maps:
SMDM_W
Stalingrad_Off_GER
Foy_W
Kursk_Off_US

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

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

A small glimpse at some noteworthy changes coming in P16:

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

Full PTE Changelog here: https://bit.ly/3zfWMxM


CONSOLE CLOSED BETA

We Need You! (and your console skills)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Console Beta Mini FAQ:


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Sneak Peek Of The Week

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


M97 Trench Gun

WC, Content Creator and Community HLL Videos

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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