Hell Let Loose Update 17 Brings New Tobruk Map, Dynamic Sandstorms & More; Full Patch Notes Listed

Hell Let Loose has received a major patch this week that adds a brand new map in the form of Tobruk, as well as the addition of dynamic sandstorms and a wealth of quality-of-life improvements. Tobruk features Morning, Day and Dusk time settings and can be played in multiple modes such as Warfare, Offensive British, Offensive German, and Skirmish. You can read the full details in the Hell Let Loose Update 17 patch notes below.

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New Map – Tobruk

Watch the Tobruk Deep-Dive Video Overview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHAFjjsSzME&t=4s

Map Rationale

When planning what kind of thematic map we wanted to create, we referred to the existing maps that are currently available to players to help us decide. As a team, we decided that this map could be:

• A desert map that is different to El Alamein yet feels cohesive in nature
• An opportunity to provide players with new fighting experiences including: caves, creeks, accessible rooftops and the overall blend of urban and rural areas
• A map that incorporates dense urban areas but does not restrict vehicles/armour
• A map that has diverse Capture Point themes that contrast each other yet remain thematically cohesive overall[/list]The desert nature of Tobruk has given us the freedom to experiment with the natural topography, allowing us to create interesting natural areas unique to this map. We had concerns about the open flat plains that the desert provides, however, we addressed this issue by utilising natural rock formations and sand dunes which provided cover but retained the authenticity of a believable desert landscape.

Changelog

Features

General

• Improvements made to the XP System
• Improvements made to the dynamic weather system
• Improvements made to the Flamethrower

Maps

• Tobruk – The following time of day scenarios have been added:
• The following game modes have been added for Tobruk:
  • Warfare
  • Offensive British
  • Offensive German
  • Skirmish
• Updated Tobruk themed main menu
• Updated Tobruk themed loadout screen
• Updated Soviet Practice Range:
  • New distant landscape added
  • Reworked materials
  • Added new roads and snow details
• Updated lighting for the Soviet Practice Range:
  • A new skybox was added to create a more dramatic morning setting
  • Tuned fog settings to ensure they worked well with the lighting conditions
  • Updated HDRI, again tuned so that the specular values are less harsh
  • Tuned direct lighting settings to be slightly more pink and less intense
  • Tuned post-processing to add a subtle blue filte

Weather System

The technical art team has collaborated closely with the programming team to improve the weather system originally developed for Elsenborn Ridge and Purple Heart Lane. This updated system introduces greater flexibility and adds an extra layer of randomness to the weather patterns. In the previous version, the weather would cycle through various intensities at predictable intervals (e.g. every 2 to 5 minutes), always ending in an extreme setting before cycling back down. The new system alters this behaviour, making it less predictable when an extreme weather event will occur. As with the original system the transitions have a time range and cool down time range, however, from here we can breakdown each of the scenarios to give them separate weighting. We can control how long it will stay at medium compared to heavy or extreme, we can control the maximum amount of occurrences for each scenario. This also means that when it reaches a heavy scenario it can sometimes move back to mild or medium rather than always going to extreme.

As part of our plan to expand the dynamic weather system, we are now able to introduce sandstorms to Tobruk. The sandstorm features four distinct modes, beginning with a light flurry of dust and sand particles and escalating to a full-blown sandstorm. The extreme setting reduces visibility, creating intense dust clouds and particles around the player. These moments offer players an additional layer of dynamic cover, and with the updated system, the occurrence and duration of these events are now less predictable.

Due to the nature of the sand dust and cloud particles the technical art team needed to update how the occlusion system worked. Traditionally the system was handled this way:

• Capture a world aligned top down heightmap
• Particles then sample the heightmap using their world position
• If the particle’s own height is lower than the sampled heightmap, that particle is occluded/hidden

[/list]With the updated method we do a small ray-march for each pixel in the direction of its motion. We do this to check the distance that it will get occluded in the future and we use that distance to start reducing the opacity before it reaches the occlusion boundary.

Environment Art – Expression Games

Flamethrower Buffs

The following buffs have been made to the flamethrower to allow it to destroy more buildable structures:

Previous Behaviour – Previously could destroy:

• Garrison
• Outpost
• Forward Position

New Behaviour – Now is able to destroy:

• Fuel Node
• Manpower Node
• Munitions Node
• Repair Station
• Supply Drop
• Ammo Drop
• Ammo Box
• Supply Box
• Explosive Ammo Box
• Medic Box
• Garrison
• Outpost
• Forward Position

Based on feedback from the community after the PTE, the following changes have also been made:

• Flamethrower effective range increased from 23m to 35m
• Flamethrowers now suppress enemies [/list]

Structure Durability

Player built structures now have varying durability levels. These are categorized as Light, Medium and Heavy. Upgrading structures will increase their durability. This will allow us to explore how various weapons interact with different structures.

• Bunker (Tier 1) – Light
• Bunker (Tier 2) – Medium
• Bunker (Tier 3) – Heavy
• Barricade (Tier 1) – Light
• Barricade (Tier 2) – Medium
• Barricade (Tier 3) – Medium
• Hedgehog – Medium
• Belgium Gate – Medium
• Barbed Wire – Medium

Precision Strike

The first change we have made, along with the new structure durability, is that precision strikes can now destroy Light and Medium structures, giving commanders a tool to break through tough enemy defences.

Previous behaviour – Previously could destroy:

• AT Gun
• AT Mines
• AP Mines
• Ammo boxes
• Supply Boxes
• Medic Boxes
• Garrison
• Outpost
• Forward Position
• Fuel Node
• Manpower Node
• Munitions Node
• Repair Station
• Supplies

New behaviour – Now is able to destroy:

• Bunker
• Bunker Upgrade 1
• Barricade
• Barricade Upgrade 1
• Barricade Upgrade 2
• Hedgehog (US & BRITS)
• Belgium Gate (GER & DAK)
• Barbed Wire
• Supplies
• Repair Station
• Munitions Node
• Manpower Node
• Fuel Node
• Forward Position
• Outpost
• Garrison
• Medic Boxes
• Supply Boxes
• Ammo boxes
• AP Mines
• AT Mines
• AT Gun

New ways to get XP

As a first step to promote some positive play, we’ve added more ways for the player to gain XP whilst playing the game as it is intended to be played. These include the following:

• XP for accurate infantry marks/pings
• XP for accurate vehicle marks/ping
• XP for accurate OP/Garrison Markers
• XP for suppressing enemies
• XP for kill assists

Bug Fixes

General

• Recon Outposts layer on top of all other outposts
• Player icons may block the ability to click on outposts
• The active Outpost icon fails to layer on top of other outposts
• Microphone Check Settings Reset After Closing Game
• HQ spawn timers freeze while the “Unit Join Request” pop-up is on the screen.
• All British helmets sit too high on the character’s head
• Aim down sights triggers read/write of the input.ini file multiple times per ADS
• A crash will occur after performing a network disconnection and then reconnecting and progressing past the IIS

Map Specific

Sainte-Mère-Église

• (I8) Additional stone wall on the road
• (G4) Deploying on an outpost placed next to the house causes the player to become stuck in the building

Sainte-Marie-du-Mont

• (H8) Players can use an Airhead to spawn into an inaccessible area

Purple Heart Lane

• (E2) The player can become stuck inside the building after deploying

Omaha Beach

• (D6) Players can spawn in a locked building

Kharkov

• (F1) Misplaced artillery prevents the player from exiting the seat
• (F1) Floating artillery

Foy

• (F4) Two buildings are overlapping

Elsenborn Ridge

• (H3) The player gets stuck between a sandbag wall and a pile of barrels
• (D10) The snow is not blending correctly with the road and ground
• (C2) There are wooden boxes and pallets without snow in the open
• (HF) (H3) Missing polygon face at the end of a trench network
• (H8) Small seam that the user can see out of the game world
• (H4) Big snow pile with furniture appears low resolution
• (G6) Misaligned snow terrain
• (C5) A little bit of snow texture is poking through the roof asset on the interior side.
• (C3) The Back face of a rockface that is alongside a road is missing

DLC

Deutsche Afrika Korps

https://i.imgur.com/nxOWpPQ.png
Deutsches Afrikakorps: At the helm of the Afrikakorps, command directed sweeping offensives across North Africa. With Tobruk in their sights in June 1942, they launched a coordinated assault to seize the key port and strengthen Axis control.

https://i.imgur.com/EXuF8cg.png
21. Panzerdivision: As one of the Afrikakorps’ primary armored divisions, the 21st Panzer Division advanced toward Tobruk in June 1942. With tanks at the forefront, they aimed to smash through British defenses and secure the key stronghold.

https://i.imgur.com/9CzRZ2Y.png
90. Leichte Afrika Division: The 90th Light Afrika Division operated across North Africa, specializing in fast, flexible warfare. In June 1942, they advanced on Tobruk, tasked with breaking through its defenses and seizing the vital port for the Axis.

British Eighth Army

https://i.imgur.com/hBnD8bV.png
Eighth Army: Eighth Army Command oversaw pivotal battles throughout the North African Campaign. After the defeat at Gazala, miscommunication led to the Tobruk garrison failing to evacuate in time. This resulted in the formation of an ad hoc defensive force tasked with preventing Axis forces from capturing the port.

https://i.imgur.com/845Kpjo.png
Cameron Highlanders: The Cameron Highlanders saw action across North Africa, enduring the hardships of desert warfare. In June 1942, they braced for the Axis assault on Tobruk, ready to defend the strategic port against the advancing forces.

https://i.imgur.com/b9vbEBZ.png
1st Armoured Division: The 1st Armoured Division took part in some of the largest armored battles in the Western Desert Campaign. After defeat at Gazala they retreated East, with elements breaking off during the disarray to resupply at Tobruk.

Long Range Desert Group

https://i.imgur.com/k75GQV3.png
LRDG: The eyes of the British Eighth Army in North Africa, the Long Range Desert Group tracked Axis movements deep behind enemy lines. This unit supplied vital intelligence to Allied forces, helping to turn the tide of the Western Desert Campaign.

[Source – Hell Let Loose on Reddit]