Expression Games announced a PTE Update, New Approach to Testing, and Dev Brief #211 for Hell Let Loose today. It seems they’ve made the decision to push back the PTE they had scheduled. Given the recent issues they had to resolve, I can see why they might come to such a conclusion and perhaps pushing back the PTE might be a better decision over all for the community.
You can take a peek at the official message on their Discord, here. There are also links to their official website for the Dev Brief #211 and other community related information in links below.
Stay safe out there, Soldiers! -Hobbit
PTE Update & Our New Approach to Testing,
Today we have been going through the final build designed for the PTE, tested it thoroughly, and unfortunately, it’s not in the right place to share with @everyone just yet as a PTE.
As a result, we’ve made the decision to cancel the upcoming PTE for now.
That said, we have taken key learnings from Update 18 and are using them to make positive changes to how we test and gather feedback moving forward.
New – Experimental Branch Testing,
Starting on Monday 10 November, we will be launching our first Experimental Branch build on Steam (initially seen during Hotfix 2). Through this branch, players will be able to join our early test builds, provide real-time feedback, and help shape Update 19 up until release.
This approach differs from the traditional PTE system and brings a number of additional benefits. By using the Experimental Branch, server owners can host their own community servers, allowing them to test CRCON tools and configurations directly. This creates far more authentic testing conditions and helps us identify issues faster.
Another big benefit is ease of access. There’s no need to download a separate application. You can simply switch to the Experimental Branch through the game’s Steam properties. We also plan to update this branch regularly, giving you the chance to try out new builds as they become available.
Unlike previous PTEs, the Experimental Branch will be an ongoing development build that we’ll update regularly as work continues towards Update 19. Each new build may contain known issues, which we’ll outline clearly alongside the specific areas where we’re looking for your feedback.
We’re confident this change will make testing more accessible, flexible, and collaborative for everyone involved.
In the meantime, we still wanted to share what’s coming next. Dev Brief #211 takes a closer look at what to expect in the Experimental Branch launch next week, including new details on Smolensk, the Artillery Squad, and Self-Propelled Artillery.
