[2023] Developer Briefing #197 | Looking Ahead to 2024

A lil somethin somethin: You can find the details for this event on the announcement page here.

Hello everyone,

Welcome to our final Developer Briefing of the year. This edition will focus on 2024, showcasing a glimpse of our plans for the year ahead. Thank you for your continued, valuable feedback throughout the past twelve months — your insights helped us shape Hell Let Loose, and we believe we’re now heading in the right direction. Patch 14.6 is behind us, with work underway on 14.7, which will be the first update of 2024.

We plan to reveal the new Roadmap early next year to showcase upcoming content. Meanwhile, let’s have a look at some early-in-progress assets. These are all works in progress and are expected to be released across multiple updates throughout next year. The following WIPs are not an exhaustive look into next year, just a few snippets of content to expect.

US Commander - Patton
A new commander uniform, inspired by US Army Officer George Patton; a revered practitioner of mobile-tank warfare in the European and Mediterranean theatres during WW2 – his illustrious military career only marred by brash and erratic behavior.

“Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”



US Infantry Winter Uniform
This new uniform is a part of the Winter rework. The coat is covered with the residue of frozen conditions.



Purple Heart Lane
We’ve updated the rain VFX workflow on Purple Heart Lane and enhanced the puddle placements to be procedurally generated – improving the look of wet roads.





Tactical Map
Going into 2024, we are planning to clean up some key UI elements that continue to cause poor User Experiences across HLL. Each one contributes to a lack of understanding for newer players, complex onboarding systems, accessibility, clarity, and legibility flaws, and mounting design debt that prevents flexibility to adapt to future developments in the game.

For the Tactical Map, there have been lots of considerations surrounding all aspects of the design. However, our main focus was highlighting the most important information, reducing clutter surrounding the player, and providing clarity on the state of the game.

Designs not final





Field Manual
For the Field Manual, we understand that onboarding new players and helping existing players is not where we want it to be. We are continuing to look into different ways we can enhance the Field Manual to support those who need help understanding the core mechanics of the game.

Designs not final



Fire Rework
Updated on the right – the fire is completely reworked to improve performance and reduce the blown-out look of the original. VFX particle behaviour has also been reworked as well as adding in LODs that were missing on the original.



Crusader Mark III
We’re implementing this primary British cruiser tank – used in the early part of WW2 – with the British Rework update Part Two. Sporting a more powerful cannon, the MK3 still boasts an impressively short reload time of 6 seconds – clearing the path for firing more rounds to finish enemies. This tank demonstrates fantastic engagement opportunities owing to its flexibility, allowing it to strategically peek over ridges in most maps.



Gammon Bomb
The second part of the British Rework will introduce the Gammon Bomb (No.82 Grenade) to Hell Let Loose. Developed as a replacement for the Sticky Bomb; a volatile grenade known for being temperamental and dangerous – the Gammon Bomb served as an improvised alternative primarily used to destroy parked aircraft or vehicles.



Mortain
Mortain is a new map for Warfare and Offensive modes, due early next year. This map is based on the US defense of the French town of Mortain, which sits in a shallow valley – where the US rallied against German troops amid Operation Lüttich. The battle took place in August 1944, in Normandy, France.

Units from the 30th Division, including the 2nd Battalion, 120th Infantry, and two tank destroyer platoons, were dispatched to relieve the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry. Their directive was to defend the town of Mortain, strategically utilising Hill 314 (also known as MontJoie) as a tactical defensive and overlook position.

During Operation Lüttich the town was destroyed, left in ruins with only a few buildings standing. The destroyed version of the town will be featured in the map.

Offering a plethora of notable locations – both historical and natural – Mortain features themes of contrasting areas throughout. Rock formations permeate the map alongside hilly areas of countryside and farmland.

Petite Chappelle Saint Michel

Fight for control of the famous Petite Chappelle Saint Michel from Mortain. Set atop the steep inclines of Hill 314, we have accommodated on-foot infantry routes by providing ample surrounding natural woodland cover for players to ambush their enemies and opportunities to be able to use the natural terrain to their advantage. While the Armour units must forge a path through the dense forestry, or navigate the winding dirt roads leading up to this rural central Capture Point.



Hotel De La Poste

Set in the beating heart of urban Mortain, fight over the iconic Hotel De La Poste. Infantry players must navigate the destruction of nearby shelled buildings, using rubble to their advantage amongst the devastation. Building defences at key locations can soon turn the tide of battle. Meanwhile, Armour squads have been provided routes to navigate the narrow streets of the town around the U.S’s last stand Capture Point.

Mortain is the first map built from the ground up after the departure of Black Matter. We wanted to take the principles of how Hell Let Loose maps are currently built, continuing to honour the core aspects of how the level and art is made, but also improve on them wherever possible.

We have updated Foliage, which allows us to create dense luscious forestry areas without performance impact. Stories, references and documents from the time have been thoroughly researched, to recreate historically accurate buildings where possible, and give Hell Let Loose players a glimpse at what war was like for the soldiers during that period. We look forward to talking more about these features, our process and sharing information about the development of the map as a whole soon.

The team is incredibly talented and dedicated. We’re always listening to player feedback, so we are incredibly excited to get it in front of players when the time is right. But for now, please enjoy these images that give a preview of what you can expect from Mortain, and we look forward to being able to share, test, and play it with you all in 2024

- Ryan Thomason-Jones, Senior Environment Artist

Thank you for your continued support, we look forward to seeing you next year! Have a wonderful Holidays and New Year. There's much more to share in 2024!