Hello Everyone,

Update 17 has deployed on all platforms!

This update brings the release of the brand new Tobruk map, Dynamic Sandstorms and some Quality of Life Improvements!

The Second Siege of Tobruk was a short lived battle set in Tobruk - Libya that saw the capitulation of the British defences, within a single day. Set on 20th June of 1942, the Second Siege of Tobruk featured the successful campaign of the Deutsche Afrika Korps against the British 8th Army, as the harsh summer sandstorms rolled in. Aside from the close-quarters combat of the city proper, the map also features various caves, aptly named the “Desert Rat Caves” after the defenders of Tobruk, who were often referred to as the “Rats of Tobruk”.

Tobruk comes with the following game modes:

• Warfare
  
• Offensive British
  
• Offensive German
  
• Control Skirmish

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

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.

Tobruk - High Resolution Tactical Map

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

Tobruk - The following time of day scenarios have been added:

• Morning
  
• Day
  
• Dusk

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 filter

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

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

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

[/i]

Garrison

Outpost

Forward Position

[/list]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

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

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

[/i]

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

[/list]
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

• 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

(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
(H8) Players can use an Airhead to spawn into an inaccessible area
(E2) The player can become stuck inside the building after deploying
(D6) Players can spawn in a locked building
(F1) Misplaced artillery prevents the player from exiting the seat
(F1) Floating artillery
(F4) Two buildings are overlapping
(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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

We hope you enjoyed what we brought to the game last year, and we’re excited to share what’s coming next. As Hell Let Loose continues to evolve and grow, our next four major updates bring the following content:

🗺️ Two brand-new maps, in two very different locales.
🔧 A map refresh of Stalingrad, refining the player experience and addressing long-standing performance issues.
⛽ Powerful new vehicles to shift the tide of battle.
🔫 DLC content bringing new thematic cosmetics to further personalise your loadout.
🎉 And much more!

🗒️ Please note that this roadmap highlights just some of the key additions coming to the game. Each update will also include a variety of new content, quality-of-life improvements, and bug fixes. As we progress we’ll be diving deeper into each update to share more details with you all.

📽️ This starts on Friday 21st March 2025, where we will be hosting a live Q&A with the game devs. Keep an eye on our socials this week for more details.
❓ If you would like the devs to answer your questions, be sure to submit them in the Hell Let Loose Discord server[https//www] or on our Hell Let Loose Reddit.
Question submissions will close on Thursday 20th March.

We are super excited for another year of Hell Let Loose and cannot wait to experience these updates with you. Thank you for your continued support— see you on the frontlines!