A Message from Max – Lead Developer
Hi everyone!
We’re excited to introduce our first ever Update! U1 contains the all-new Utah Beach map, light tanks, resource nodes and many more smaller changes and fixes. Each Update will mix totally new content and features with continued improvements and fixes to every aspect of the game.
We don’t consider the Hell Let Loose experience finished. Every day we look at Discord, Steam discussions, the official forums and the subreddit to see what you’re enjoying and to see where the community think the game could be improved. The challenge of developing an Early Access title is that it’s imperative that we balance the workload of the team so that we’re able to address existing issues without compromising our ability to introduce new features and content.
We’ve been very fortunate in the success of our launch as it’s enabled us to bring on new team members to both take existing content to a much higher quality level, as well as work on totally new content.
Finally, we wanted to thank you - the community - for such a great launch. It’s amazing to see the great way you’re introducing new players to the game and helping them get involved. We’re really excited to see players who’ve never considered this genre begin to dip their toes into the pool, as well as offer something a bit different to veterans of the genre.
Below you can find the list of changes contained in this update. We’re excited to get your feedback on them - good and bad - as we continue to develop and push the title forward.
Check out our new Utah Beach trailer:
https://youtu.be/QzLFuaW-ohM
Major Additions
Utah Beach map
This map has been hugely fun to develop. It mixes the Atlantic Wall defensive network with beach terrain, with sunken countryside, urban fights, and lots of new challenges - including navigating drainage ditches and bodies of water. We’re also excited to see how it plays out in the soon to be implemented second gamemode, Invasion.
“Luchs” German Light Tank
This thing is an infantry death machine. The name of the game of the Luchs is hit and run. Firing an explosive auto-cannon - it’ll rip apart infantry and lighter armored vehicles with ease.
Stuart American Light Tank
Similar to a more lightly armored Sherman, the Stuart relies on its speed to quickly flank and strike. Using speed to strike will be crucial to survivability.
Resource Nodes
Fuel, Munitions and Manpower Resource Nodes added to the Engineer role list of deployables. You’ll be able to see their modifier for resource generation on the HUD and on the map screen.
Starting resources for teams have been reduced to 500 from 1000 in order to better balance out resource quantity and encourage resource node placement.
Make a splash with water!
Water now functions in game to slow players down as it gets deeper. Submerging yourself will also cause you to drown.
Gameplay and Performance
General
- Reworked tracers for better performance, visual quality, depth and light. They are now 3D.
- Fix for known config file exploits (fog removal etc.)
- Improved visibility of bullet hit effects at 50m, 75m, 100m, and 125m distances.
Performance
- Optimised Smoke Grenade FX
- Continued radical optimisations for both texture streaming and poly count across every map and prop.
Functionality
- Added FOV slider (with first-person FOV compensation). Currently boosting the FOV to 120 offsets the muzzle flash FX in FPP. We’re going to introduce a fix for this.
- Server browser now displays better in lower resolutions.
- Fixed sector capture cool-down UI issue where map icon could appear in the wrong state.
- Changed nameplate settings options so that these should be clearer to users.
- Compass HUD element has been upgraded.
- Loadout HUD element has been upgraded.
- Scoreboard and end of round screens have been upgraded to better show all information.
- Made VoIP chat name colours better visible on deployment screen.
- Allowed players to disable all icons in HUD.
- All in-game URLs now launched through Steambrowser.
- Adjustment for Depth of Field when bandaging.
- If leaning when deploying a LMG the player no longer remains in a lean.
- Dismembering critically wounded friendlies no longer counts as a TK.
- Added option to allow you to hard toggle chat box visibility.
- Updated medic revive icon.
- Tank UIs have been updated and will continue updates.
- Tanks have a new reticle for the Hull MG.
SFX
- Artillery sounds re-worked in order to create a less muddy dynamic range with increased modular debris fall-off.
- Close bullet fly-by sounds have been reworked.
- Hearing an impact sound when giving up has been fixed.
Hurtgen Forest
- Overhaul of central SP’s to introduce stronger fortifications and more solid cover.
- Fixed small clipping issues.
- Fixed locations players could become stuck on level geometry.
- Added fog to better help with longer range depth perception.
Sainte-Marie-Du-Mont
- Altered layout of hedges to better allow tank access.
- Lowered total sun brightness to reduce clipping on highlights.
- Fixed locations players could become stuck on level geometry.
Foy
- Fixed tank collision issues on small props
- Added select cover and trenches in locations that caused meat-grinder pushes through open ground.
- Fixed locations players could become stuck on level geometry.
Visual Improvements
- Tweaked vehicle main cannon fire shake so that it doesn’t roll so excessively
- Added Depth of Field effects added to weapons for hipfire and ADS
- Post-processing effect has been added to all UI screens to give them added vibrancy and visual quality.
- Fix for explosion FX playing on the wrong axis - causing majority of the explosion to occur in the wrong direction.
- Starting to overhaul the main menu screen in preparation for cosmetic/progression systems.
- Artillery explosions have increased debris (now matching the audio).
Animation
- Fixed delay on BAR ADS animation if user had reloaded immediately before ADS
- Luger magazine now present in TPP for reload animations
Bug Fixes
- Improved network/server optimisation to help improve situations where users would see other players moving in a stuttering/’teleporting’ fashion depending on object relevancy and priority
- Fix issue where tank shells could delay 1-2 seconds after impact before detonating
- Fix for issue where tracers may not be correctly aligned with the direction of fire for LMGs and Tank MGs
- Increased character limit on scoreboard from 16 to 20
- Fixed issue where engineers could dismantle pre-placed tank resupply stations
- Fixed issue where hit indicator did not correctly work with sniper rounds
- Fixed issue where garrisons did not consume commander airdrop supplies
- Fixed issue where player could be listed as ‘no platoon’ on the scoreboard after team switch
- Fixed issue where users could see the other teams resource values on their map after team switch
- Fixed some instances of overly aggressive grass LODing
- Fixed issue where users could join an enemy unit based on timing specific actions
- ‘Change Map’ window can no longer be stuck on screen if active when a game ends by victory
- Fixed problem where users could hear smoke grenade audio from a previous life
- Fixed the issue with the player remaining in the idle animation if he sprints whilst crouched as seen from the FPP
- Fixed the issue with reviving a player who was crouched before he shot as he would appear to jitter in TPP after having been revived
- Fixed the issue with driving over the scorched craters causing the effect to appear in/on the driver's viewport
- Fixed the issue with scorched earth effect visible over wrecked tanks
- Fixed cases where it was difficult to determine speaking players in the UI.
Known Issues
- Sometimes (1/10 chance) when deploying a resource node, the node will be invisible and cannot be deconstructed although it still provides resources to the deploying team. This will be hotfixed.
- Firing into water produces a bullet hit from the surface beneath the water in addition to a water particle.
Currently Working On
- Unit management features such as locking and kicking.
- Continued overhaul of stock UI and HUD features to make them better looking and better functioning - including pinging, marks, Commander screen, role selection screens, vehicle HUDs, artillery HUDs, heavy weapons HUDs.
- Continued digging of server browser display issue.
- Flamethrower FPP setup.
- Continued logging and bugging of VOIP channels
- Progression system.
- Stats system.
- Cosmetic system.
- Polishing FPP experience to make it more fluid
- Smoothing out mantling and vaulting from FPP perspective.
- Re-assessing MG deployment mechanic in order to increase functionality and fluidity.
- Replacing current fat FPP hands with photoreal hands and integrating new sleeves to reflect new uniforms.
- Currently beginning work on full mocap overhaul of all TPP animations.
- Working on Western Front backer map #1 (a very iconic map).
- Working on Western Front urban map (also an iconic location).
- Setting up a new tank.
- Doing testing on wheeled vehicles (this is complicated by the final polish/overhaul we’re doing to both FPP and TPP animations).
- Scoping out scope polish and visual enhancements.
- Addition of ambient audio to all maps in line with Utah Beach.
- Continued audio work in investigating new audio engine implementation.
- Continued overhaul of audio assets within the game.
- New US victory song coming.
- Re-assessing supply boxes and ammo boxes to remove ugly “redeploy” gameplay loop.
- Continued visual upgrades and optimisations on all maps and fx.
- Continued bug fixes across the entire spectrum.
- Various community reported bug fixes, including – Servers not appearing on browser and Proximity VoIP instability. If you believe servers are not appearing for you / the game looks empty when it shouldn’t be, please try the workaround listed here.
Thanks - we’ll see you on the battlefield!
P.S. We’ll be streaming live from the Hell Let Loose Steam Store page today at 2pm BST / 3pm CEST for a few hours. Stop by and see Update 1 in action, chat to us and join our unit on the frontline!