Hey everyone,
Welcome to Dev Brief #132!
This week we've got a double dose of Soviet content as we delve into the Soviet AT kit and share some previously unseen screenshots of Stalingrad - the second Eastern Front map that'll be available when Update 10 drops.
On top of that Max is also sharing some initial details on the direction we're moving toward with the AT Role - which we hope you'll be pleased to find out about!
The team would also like to take a moment to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone taking part in our PTE currently, the team are already working through your feedback, fixing bugs and more.
Now let's take a look East with Max shall we?
A Message From Max - Soviet AT Toolset, Stalingrad and AT Role Direction
Hi everyone,
Thanks to all of you who tuned in to see our presentation at the Future Games Show! We were thrilled to be included and were excited to show off a small portion of our upcoming Ostfront trailer. If you missed the video, you can watch it in full here.
Just a quick update for those who may have missed the announcement on The Future Game Show. This week we announced the date we will be leaving Steam Early Access.
In-case you missed it...
Following off the back of our FGS announcement, the dedicated amongst you will know that we revealed the location of our second Ostfront map - Stalingrad!
We’re aware that the Battle of Stalingrad was enormous - across huge areas of the city throughout many seasons.
Although we are titling this map “Stalingrad” for initial ease of recognition, we will rename the map in the future as other maps are added that focus on a different area of Stalingrad (ie. the Univermag, Train Station, Grain Silo etc.).
Our first battle will focus on the Soviet push from the Volga up into the Flour Mill behind the famed Pavlov’s House - a large fortified apartment building overlooking large stretches of the city. While Soviet forces push up the river bank into the city towards the railway line, the German forces will begin in the higher suburbs above the city and push down into the flatter city remains.
Stalingrad is a beast of a map, and we’re currently in the middle of the optimisation process. There are tons of custom made buildings, assets and new locations to play through, and you’ll find that Stalingrad is an interesting mix of spaced hard cover with wide roadways for vehicle movement through the bombed remains of the city. It also has significant vertical locations at the top of apartment buildings to dominate surrounding territory. It’s definitely one of the most unique Hell Let Loose maps so far.
In light of this, we’re excited to announce that Stalingrad map testing will begin today! We are keen to jump in and see how this plays - both from a game flow and a technical perspective. As we have said above - the current state does not represent the final state. We will be running several more PTEs as we work through any potential issues.
Finally, we’ll be unveiling Stalingrad in detail in a coming dev brief.
Soviet Anti-tank Toolset
As we expand forces and rebalance many aspects of gameplay, we’ve thought hard about starting to build specialised functionality across the spectrum of anti-tank capability within Hell Let Loose. Initially AT (with a focus on rocket launchers) has been very powerful in order to halt the flow of armour. In the future, with interior components being added and different status’ we'll be looking to broaden and add further depth to the role in how it feels to play both as and against.
The TM-35
The TM-35 was a type of Soviet anti-tank mine. A simple square hinged case filled with TNT, the fuze would release and detonate the mine when sufficient pressure was applied to the pressure plate.
In Hell Let Loose, the TM-35 serves as the key Russian anti-tank mine. Effective against all vehicles, the mine will serve as the backbone to the close-quarters Russian Anti-Tank loadout. Simply place it in a discrete but well-trafficked location to knock out light vehicles and do significant - if not catastrophic - damage to heavily armoured ones.
The PTRS-41
The PTRS-41 was one of the two Soviet anti-tank rifles used in World War 2. The more complex of the pair, the PTRS was self-loading and was fed by five-round en-bloc clips. It fired a specially designed 14.5mm armour-piercing cartridge with a tungsten or steel core.
While the PTRS was incapable of penetrating the front of the heaviest of German tanks, the side, rear, and top armour of most lighter Panzers remained vulnerable. At Stalingrad, defenders of Pavlov's house were able to disable a number of tanks by firing down at the roofs of their turrets from the third floor. The rifle could also be used to moderate effect when targeting turret rings, vision slits, tracks, and other more vulnerable components.
In Hell Let Loose, the PTRS will function as it did in reality - as a way to destroy smaller and lightly armoured vehicles while also being able to disable the movement of larger vehicles. Of course, it can also be used on organic targets with predictable effect. The PTRS is a significant difference in doctrine from the other current AT options within the game - as sustained and pinpoint fire will hinder enemy vehicles, while heavier weapons will need to be brought to bear in order to totally destroy them. We’ve developed this functional difference into our armor rework, as we expand the methods by which players can counter vehicles without simply resulting in a “catastrophic kill” (ie instant and total explosion).
The ZiS-2
The ZiS-2 was a high-velocity 57 millimeter anti-tank gun of Soviet design. Produced in large numbers to supplement the lighter 45 millimeter anti-tank guns and more general-purpose 76 millimeter field guns, the ZiS-2 was also occasionally mounted in vehicles to create dedicated tank destroyers.
Rebalancing and further defining the AT Role
In Hell Let Loose, the Anti-Tank guns will be made slightly more affordable and given specific capability for taking down the heavy armour that roams the battlefield. Currently, rocket launchers are far more viable for instantly destroying armour of all kinds.
With the introduction of the Soviet forces, we’ll be building a proper hierarchy of anti-tank weapons to tackle the rebalanced armoured roster. The ZiS-2 will form the backbone of the famous Soviet “defence in depth” - rewarding preparation and setup while the nimble infantry units immobilise and isolate the heavier armour - making them soft targets for a prepared emplacement.
Onwards to the weekend!
That wraps up this week's Dev brief!
We hope you had a good read and liked the images we've shared. On top of that let us know what you think of the information on what we're moving towards with the AT Role - something that combined with our Armour Overhaul should make Infantry vs Armour and Armour vs Armour combat even more satisfying and rewarding for all involved.
Have a great weekend everyone.
We'll see you on the frontline!