News Liste Hell Let Loose

As this is the first full map release after taking the project on from Black Matter, we wanted it to have as much detail as possible from a sound perspective.

Mortain uses a newly developed audio system, where random ambient sounds are switched out depending on your location on the map. In short, these ambient sounds follow you wherever you go and are playing all the time, but will dynamically change when you enter a new location. This covers urban areas, forests, destroyed buildings and so on. A similar system was already in place for explosions, so it seemed like a nice progression to move this into the ambience system to support the lush areas created by the environment art and level design teams.

In the last major update, we added functionality for weapons to sound different when fired in enclosed spaces like churches, bunkers, houses and so on. We wanted this to continue in Mortain; so all interior spaces have this treatment, from pillbox-type bunkers in the forests, right up to large houses in the destroyed town. We loved seeing the positive reactions when players first heard these changes last time and would like this to continue when playing in Mortain. We really hope you enjoy the sound of this new map as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Richard Blackley - Audio Director, Expression Games

Mortain introduces extra detail not previously achievable on Hell Let Loose maps. It's important to us as a team that we strive to improve the visual quality with every new map and so I'd like to mention a couple of changes we’ve made when creating Mortain that gives examples of where we’ve improved previous workflows.

The foliage has been reworked from the ground up. On previous maps, this was procedurally spawned using the landscape materials, which added a huge performance impact when blending several surfaces. Every tree, bush and blade of grass has been hand-painted to allow us more flexible control over foliage density, variety and different species. New meshes, shaders and textures have been implemented across foliage types, which visually are a marked improvement on previous iterations.

Given the density of this new foliage, there may be cause for concern surrounding performance, however in our testing so far, foliage has shown to be very performant. Although PCs in general tend to have more processing power than consoles, console players should expect the same foliage quality as PC players without impact.

Almost every building in Mortain has been reworked with new textures, geometry and shaders, which in extreme cases have up to 100x fewer draw calls than buildings in other maps. These buildings all utilize detail normal maps, which is a technique used to enhance visual fidelity up close, while not making a significant impact on performance. This technique has also been applied to props where possible to offer similar benefits.

Something we’re proud of, is providing players with an accurate depiction of the region, so the terrain uses real-world DEM/height data and has been compared with maps from the period to ensure we stay true to the shape of the battlefield at the time, accommodating for gameplay where needed.

Being the first map without Black Matter input, there has been a tremendous effort from the team to understand how Hell Let Loose maps are built and thanks to this we believe that Mortain offers a unique experience that no other map does, but also sticks to the principles that make them so immersive and believable.

We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback, listening to any concerns and implementing changes where necessary so that when Mortain releases officially, we can offer an enjoyable experience that players are excited to play.

Ryan Thomason-Jones - Senior Environment Artist, Expression Games

Mortain is officially the first map the team at Expression Games has researched, designed, and built from the ground up with new workflows and processes.

It was important for the team to choose a map that offered something different compared to other maps we currently have in Hell Let Loose.

Mortain was not only of historical importance during WW2 and Operation Lüttich, but also the location itself and how it could support the Hell Let Loose game modes. Mortain provides our community with a new, but still ‘tied to its roots’ experience and stood out to us as a location with lots of potential.

Mortain has a lot of history both before and during WW2, with iconic and memorable locations, including the battle-scarred town of Mortain featuring the US headquarters - Hotel De La Poste, Hill 314 that was held by US forces against German attacks and the stunning Petite Chappelle Saint-Michel that sits on top a cliff south of Hill 314.

It was very important for the team to include all of these locations and do it the right way, with extensive research and careful consideration for historical accuracy, but with a little room for creative license that still felt grounded and believable.

Mortain offers an abundance of variation, one of which is the elevation of the map, including cliffs, steep slopes and hills. The map also features lots of dense forests, fields, rocky formations and farms, and it is this level of variation that will challenge squad teamwork and tactics in different ways and emphasise the importance of different roles, which we feel is critical to creating memorable Hell Let Loose battles.

I’m incredibly proud of the team and the amount of love and care they have put into the map. We hope our community enjoys playing the map as much as we’ve loved making it.

Chris Robinson - Lead Level Designer, Expression Games

For Hill 314, we wanted to take a location that is both historically accurate and exciting for a Hell Let Loose experience never seen before in a central Europe map. The high elevation provides excellent vantage points and supports rugged challenging terrain for vehicles to have to navigate. The defensive trenches provide opportunities for gritty infantry-focused crossfire battles to take place.

Carl Rutter - Senior Level Designer, Expression Games

To capture the majesty of the Petite Chappelle Saint-Michel, we decided to make that the heart of the Capture Point theme. Taking reference of the existing countryside at the time, this enabled us to cater a dense woodland experience to break up those long sight lines. The natural terrain encourages players to build their defensive network to maintain maximum control of the point.

Carl Rutter - Senior Level Designer, Expression Games

Situated as the last bastion of the U.S. defence of Mortain, the Hotel De La Poste tells the story of how battered the town was with artillery fire during Operation Lüttich through a Capture Point blend of narrow, partially destroyed streets, fragmented urban warfare and close quarters combat.

Carl Rutter - Senior Level Designer, Expression Games

With this Capture Point, we wanted to create a fictitious yet believable outpost that the German forces could have used to scout the Allied forces at Petite Chappelle Saint-Michel and Hill 314. This camp features two netted trench systems, tiered in height to allow for infantry crossfire between them. Both trenches surround a lookout tower, which is the prime position for Officers to mark approaching enemies through their binoculars and coordinate the team's defensive strategy.

Kienan Southern - Junior Level Designer, Expression Games

The Destroyed German Convoy captures the theme of a true story based on fleeing German forces that was stopped in their tracks by artillery fire. We knew these events happened but were unsure of where exactly. Because we found the story compelling, we decided to use this event as a Capture Point theme and provide routes along a main road that vehicles would have to either carefully navigate, or employ their strategic battle plan to circumnavigate the area.

Carl Rutter - Senior Level Designer, Expression Games

Our approach to map creation follows a series of stages from our internal workflows and processes, with feedback and reviews to follow each stage. With Mortain we focused on the layout and theme of the Capture Point first, going through several rounds of iteration and feedback to make sure that they flowed nicely, and were believable, before expanding this process out into what we call “Transitional Areas”. A “Transitional Area” is defined as a space in between that connects each of the Capture Points, to allow the player a seamless transition from area to area.

With a close collaboration with the art team, we have been able to create a believable map from the ground up that not only looks amazing but also functions well for a Hell Let Loose experience. The art team was given the flexibility and freedom to add their artistic flair on top of the existing blockouts, and really bring the story of the map to life.

Carl Rutter - Senior Level Designer, Expression Games

With regard to playtesting, it was important to not only enjoy the fruits of the teams' labour but to highlight and catch any fundamental issues with how the map flows and functions. Dedicated Commanders, Officers, and Tank Commanders, who had a lot of experience with Hell Let Loose, were assigned beforehand, to ensure that no matter what stage of development the map was at, the match would be played as close to authentic as possible. Following the conclusion of the match, a debriefing session was held, to discuss any issues/feedback from the team, these were always captured and collated so that we could take appropriate action to strengthen the map.

We were also not afraid to contrive our playtests to cater to specific scenarios, for example: If we were unsure of how a particular Capture Point worked from a Level Design point of view, we would spend time focusing only on the single Capture Point and address any feedback afterwards.

Carl Rutter - Senior Level Designer, Expression Games