Hey everyone,
For the fourth instalment of the Hell Let Loose Developer Briefing, we’re bringing out the big guns!
Artillery – The basics
It can be your saving grace or your worst nightmare. If you hear the unmistakable sound of an artillery shell hurtling towards your location, you’d better hope it isn’t aimed at you!
Artillery is located at the centre HQ sector for both teams. There are three artillery pieces per team and each can be manned by two players:
Gunner – Aim, fire and relay co-ordinates with unit officer.
Loader – Reload, load HE or Smoke rounds, aiming support and further communication.
Artillery can be operated by a one-man crew, but at a reduced rate of fire.
In order to be an effective artillery crew, you’ll need to be aware of these two key pieces of information:
Traverse – This is the direction that the gun is facing. The Gunner can use A or D on their keyboard to turn the barrel, whilst the Loader can rotate the entire gun using A and D.
Elevation – This is the angle of the barrel. Aiming the barrel higher will fire the shell closer to your location. On the flip side, the lower the barrel, the further the round will travel. On the left of the gunner’s screen, they’ll see a chart of elevation mils and the corresponding range in meters. To set the weapon to the needed elevation, the gunner muse use W or T to raise and lower the barrel. The elevation can be seen in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
The big guns
Say hello to the artillery that you’ll be firing in Hell Let Loose!
The US will take to battle with the M114 155mm Howitzer, which can fire either the HE M107 (High explosive) or the HC BE M116 (Smoke).
On the other side of the front line, the Germans will be using the sFH 18 ‘Evergreen’ 15cm, that can be loaded with 149 MM x 260 R (High explosive) or 149 MM x 260 R (Smoke variant) shells.
Whether an artillery crew are using HE shells to take out enemy positions, or smoke rounds to provide invaluable infantry cover during an advance, precision use of artillery can change the flow of battle in front of your very eyes!
Top artillery tips!
Buddy up – Whilst possible to man an artillery piece alone, having the support of a designated loader will allow you to focus on adjusting your elevation and traverse to perform different strike patterns and styles – including a creeping barrage onto an enemy position. You’ll also have a significantly faster rate of fire!
Danger close - Artillery is realistically powerful. It will kill and main anyone within a 50m area. Be very careful when firing near friendly units.
Request orders – A marker placed on a target by your Officer will allow you to immediately check the precise range.
Finite firepower – Artillery ordnance is fed by your team’s munitions resource. This is a limited resource that can only be replenished by friendly forces capturing and holding munitions sectors on the map. Running out of munitions means you’ll lose the ability to rain hell down on your enemy, so use manage this resource wisely!
Take note – Creating a range book or map to record the elevation and traverse needed to hit significant roads or strong-points will allow you to quickly sight the artillery piece without the need to manually find the range each time. Clear communication of degrees and traverse will empower your battery to quickly change targets or adjust its fire pattern.
Incoming fire support!
If you’re meticulous in your execution and enjoy impacting the battle from afar, then using artillery could be the playstyle for you!
Through working together with your unit’s Officer and making use of your own frontline coordinates, you’ll have the power to support infantry advances or slow down enemy tank advances with smoke rounds, as well as raining down hell on enemy positions with a high explosive barrage.
Your shots will ring out across the frontline as infantry and armour alike dash for cover as they hope, with baited breath, that the incoming barrage doesn’t have their name on it.
Festive break
Due to the Christmas period, there won’t be a Developer Briefing next week. But fear not, we’ll be back in the first week of January with the next instalment of the Developer Briefing and more!
Have a fantastic Christmas and we’ll see you in 2019.
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