Hey everyone, Welcome to Developer Briefing #41! This week we’re sharing a look at the beginnings of our progression system! When creating the progression system we wanted to make sure it was fair, engaging and rewarding for our players. Our key goals were: [list] [*]Allow other players to get a sense of your experience - both generally and specifically per role. [*]Use it as a way to unlock new customisation options. [*]A way to reward long-term players, with an emphasis on rewarding all types of play - including non-combat play or great teamwork or atmosphere. [/list] Please keep in mind, this is the first iteration of progression. We want to make sure it works as intended and isn’t open to boosting abuse, so we’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the system when it goes live in Patch 7. Also note, if aspects of the progression system are tested in a live environment and have significant issues (e.g. leveling too fast or too slow) we’re keen to reserve the ability to wipe progress made for all players. However, if no significant changes need to be made once tested in a live environment, we’ll will not seek to wipe. If any wipe does occur, we’ll notify the community in advance. [h1][b]Time to level up![/b][/h1] Progression in Hell Let Loose will have two different paths, ‘Career Progression’ and ‘Role Progression’. What they are and how they work is explained below: [h1]Career Level / Player Level[/h1] This is your ‘main’ level-up. No matter what role you play you will always be contributing to this score and increasing it. Total levels: 100 Scoring: Your total experience is derived from your score in-game - with a particular focus on your score at the end of the game. Your score is made up of the following - [list] [*]Combat (destroyed vehicles and killed infantry) [*]Attack (time spent in enemy controlled territory) [*]Defence (time spent defending your own territory) [*]Support (aka non-combat role actions - reviving players, deploying Outposts and Garrisons, dropping ammo etc.) [/list] Score is calculated in the following way - [b]Step 1:[/b] At the conclusion of the game, we take your personal score (500) and add it to your total unit score (2000). This is to represent the unit-based effort and reward players who may have contributed greatly but not had it rewarded (the driver of a tank vs a gunner with 100 kills). [b]Step 2:[/b] Add points for your time in match. For each minute you spend in-game, you’ll be awarded 5 experience points (with a total of 450 for a full 90 minute battle). This is to reward the players who stick out the total battle until the very end. For the sake of example, let’s say you played a full game (2500 + 450 = 2950). [b]Step 3:[/b] Your current total score Match completion multiplier: Victory +50%, Defeat +25%. Perhaps the most significant modifier on your experience earned is whether you win or lose. We felt that incentivising total team victory was the most important thing above all. Hell Let Loose is a game of individual moments that make up a much, much larger battle. We also felt that it was important to reward players who lost, but stayed for the whole battle. For the sake of this example, let’s say you won (2950 + 50% = 4425). [b]Step 4:[/b] Commend. After the game, you’ll be presented the scoreboard and have a chance to Commend one other player on your team (you cannot Commend yourself). You can do so by simply clicking the Commend icon next to their name. Commending a player takes their total score and adds another 10% on top of it. A single player can earn up to 5 Commends. We recommend that you use your Commend to reward: [list] [*]A Medic who was running through gunfire to pick you up. [*]An Officer who communicated well and lead you to victory in gunfights. [*]A Commander who organised the team and consistently delivered Supplies and Strikes as you needed them. [*]A new friend made on the front-line [*]A veteran teaching a new player the ropes [/list] Hell Let Loose is about communication, strategy and tactics. We know that if we tried to mechanically reward players for awesome moments of interaction we’d fail miserably, so we’re keen to give you the power to do so. When designing the exp gaining mechanics for progression we were keen to make sure every role had viable and equal progression options – all you need do is play your role! For example, Medics won’t be at a disadvantage to more kill focused classes and Riflemen can earn exp by having teammates use their ammo box and capturing zones. What we’re saying here is your KDA isn’t the defining driver of exp gain. We’d much prefer you to settle in, chat to your unit and try to win, than attempt to grind out levels. We also felt it important to reward both victory and defeat, giving those who won the match a larger boon whilst also rewarding those on the opposition who fought until the very end a boost for their valiant last stand and keeping the action going until the match climax. Please note, leaving midway through a battle will result in only your player score being saved to your progression. You will not receive the end of round bonuses. TLDR: Calculation of player score is done at a UNIT LEVEL, this is designed to reward good unit play and those fulfilling the responsibilities of their role. Winning and losing side both earn match completion bonus, with the amount depending on which side they were on. [h1]Role Level[/h1] Each of the 14 roles in Hell Let Loose has an independent ‘Role Level’. This progression is separate from your Career Level but levels up alongside it. Total levels: 10 per role Scoring: Same as Career Level Further points: As above. Match completion multiplier: As above. Note: Takes longer to level up than Career Level. This progression system is for players to show their experience within a given role, to give the specialists and ‘mains’ a badge of honour to show that they’re experts in a given role. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34012997/31e0b05f7b4aac78e44dd3b6a2d47dc6fd009718.jpg[/img] [h1]How does this look on the frontline?[/h1] Both a player’s Career and Role Level as visible in-game on their teammate’s HUD and Scoreboard. The HUD, when visible, will look like this: [b][Player Name][/b] [b][Player Level][Role Level][Role][/b] Having both Player and Role Level viewable will mean that players using a role they don’t normally play can still highlight their overall game experience. The scoreboard, like this: [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34012997/d4cd2a974f83c5b36f54b2e26a15763f69e4e3b3.jpg[/img] [h1]Rewards[/h1] As you level up in both Career and Role Level, players will unlock new customisation options to show off their veterancy or otherwise use as they see fit. Note: These cannot be purchased with real world money and are only earnable through gameplay. The types of customisation rewards players can earn will fall into three categories: [list] [*]Helmets [*]Faces [*]Body/Uniform [/list] When progression first launches we are offering a small amount of new unlocks, primarily winter uniforms for the applicable roles. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34012997/892c52e32dac9f06f2afe1b4199e783381d26208.jpg[/img] This is intentional, before we go all in with the customisation unlocks and add more we want to make sure the progression system is working as intended and not open to boosting/glitching. The team already have more content lined up on both Career and Role progression trees, we just want to make sure it isn’t open to abuse. In our eyes these cosmetics should be rewarding and hold prestige for those that have earned them. [h1]Progressing with progression[/h1] As mentioned at the start of the briefing, progression is coming in Patch 7 pretty soon. This is the first iteration and we look forward to hearing what you all think when it arrives! [list] [*]More customisation options unlocks are coming once we’re happy with the systems performance! [*]Let us know if progression works for you, or if it doesn’t! [*]Which role are you going to specialise in first, if any? [*]If necessary, we can tweak exp values etc! [/list] If you’re enjoying Hell Let Loose, you can help us by leaving us a review on Steam. We’ll see you on the frontline!