Beta 2.0 Released! news

Patient gamers, the time has come! After several unexpected delays, our developers have worked through all the bugs, glitches and changes you suggested to produce a new version that is loaded with so much new content that we're not even going to bother with a "patch" download. Darkest Hour Beta 2.0 has new weapons, new tanks, new characters, parachutes, new voices, new tank skins, weapon modifications, new maps, tons of bug fixes, several realistic gameplay alterations, a new anti-tank loading system....the list goes on, as you can see below.

New vehicles include the British Cromwell, the Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer and the Sherman 76mm Tank. In addition to our parachute-based maps, we're releasing several other such as Poteau Ambush, based on the ambush of an Allied Convoy.

This release is long-awaited and more than worth the wait. Pass the word on to your friends to join us in Darkest Hour 2.0!

Official Beta 2.0 Changelog

NEW CONTENT

Scoped Enfield No.4

The British now have their own sniper rifle, which replaces the Springfield on British maps. It has the same 10 round capacity as it's non-scoped variant and due to the constraints of RO's existing system, reloading has been split into two, each loading no more than 5 rounds at a time. If 0-4 rounds remain, you will only load as many as required to have 5 rounds in the weapon. If you have 5-9 rounds loaded, you will load until the weapon is full. e.g. If you have 2 bullets left and attempt to reload, you will only load 3 more. To reload to full capacity, you will need to press reload again. It has been broken up in this fashion, as reloading is currently not interruptable and players would otherwise be defenceless for the considerable length of time it takes to load 10 rounds.

New Fallschirmjager character model

Fresh from one of our new 3D Artists, 2_k, the Fallschirmjager has a brand new model, complete with a variety of different uniforms and helmets. It automatically replaces the old reskinned RO German soldier that was used prior to this point.

Panzerschreck and Bazooka Rockets

When an AT soldier is killed or drops his AT weapon, his unused rockets are no longer lost. They are now dropped/picked up in the same manner as PIAT bombs. Keep an eye out for their distinctive shapes when scavenging weapons and ammunition from the fallen.

Useable Static-Line Parachutes

On selected maps, Soldiers can now be issued with static line parachutes. To activate them, simply step out the door of the aircraft at any point in its flight path and the static line will automatically deploy your parachute. Once in the air, you have some control over your movement but it is only minimal - just enough to choose a landing zone and start heading for it. You cannot use your weapon while parachuting. Remember that you're an easy target while you're in the air, so choose your drop zone carefully!

Attention Mappers: If you intend to include parachutes in future maps, you must add both a ParachuteStaticLine and a ParachuteItem to a player's loadout.

Cromwell Tank

The British now have a tank they can truly call their own. The Cromwell.

The Cromwell was the fastest British tank to serve in the Second World War, with a top (ungoverned) speed of 40 mph or 64 km/h . Unfortunately this speed proved too much for even the Christie suspension and the engine was governed to give a top speed of 32 mph or 51 km/h, which was still fast for its time. Thanks to its Christie parentage the Cromwell was very agile on the battlefield.

The dual purpose 75 mm main gun fired the same ammunition as the US 75 mm gun and therefore it had around the same HE and armour-piercing capabilities as the 75 mm equipped Sherman tank. The Cromwell's armour ranged from 8 mm to 76 mm thick overall but the maximum thickness was later increased to 102 mm with appliqué armour plates which were welded on. This armour compared well with that of the Sherman although the Cromwell did not share the Sherman’s sloped glacis plate. The Cromwell crews in North-West Europe succeeded in the Cromwell with superior speed, manoeuvrability and reliability outflanking the heavier and more sluggish German tanks; however, the Cromwell was still not a match for the best German armour and British tank design would go through another stage, the Comet tank, before going ahead in the tank development race with the Centurion tank.

Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer

The Jagdpanther ("Hunting Panther") was a tank destroyer built by Nazi Germany during World War II based on the chassis of the Panther tank. Many historians consider the Jagdpanther to be the best tank destroyer of World War 2
A heavy tank destroyer design based on the 88 mm Pak 43 gun and the Panther tank chassis was ordered in late 1942 as design SdKfz 173. Production started in early 1944; at the same time Hitler specified the Jagdpanther ("hunting panther") name.

To accommodate the gun, the sides of the Panther tank were extended up to provide a roomy interior, while maintaining a very low profile. Both the Panther Ausf. G and Jagdpanther had side armor of increased elevation to enhance this effect even further and to harmonize production.
It was armed with an anti-tank version of the same long-barreled 88 mm gun as the Tiger II and a 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun in the front glacis plate for local defence. The Jagdpanther had a good power-to-weight ratio and a powerful main gun, which enabled it to destroy any type of Allied tank. The Jagdpanther's low profile meant that it was easily camouflaged. Because it was based on the existing Panther chassis, the vehicle did not suffer too many mechanical problems. It was manned by a crew of 5, a driver, radio-operator, commander, gunner, and a loader.
Two variants can be distinguished, one with a welded steel band around the main gun mantlet and the other with a bolted-on band. The versions with the bolted-on ring were equipped with Pak 43/4 gun. Early Jagdpanthers had a monobloc gun barrel and two vision openings for the driver, whereas late versions had only one.

Sherman 76mm Tank

The first 76 mm gun Sherman to enter combat (in July 1944) was the M4A1, closely followed by the M4A3. By the end of the war, half the US Army Shermans in Europe had the 76 mm gun. The first HVSS Sherman to see combat was the M4A3E8(76)W in December 1944.

The growing numbers of Panthers on the western front led the US Army to deploy 76 mm-gun Shermans to Normandy in July 1944. The higher-velocity 76 mm gun M1 gun gave Shermans anti-tank firepower at least equal to most of the German vehicles they encountered, particularly the Panzer IV, and StuG. However, with a regular AP (Armour Piercing, Shot) ammunition (M79) or APCBC (M62) shells, the 76 mm could only have a chance to knock out a Panther at close range with a shot to its front manlet, or with a shot to its flank. At long range, the Sherman was badly outmatched by the Panther's 75 mm gun, which could easily penetrate the Sherman's armor. This contributed to the high losses of Sherman tanks experienced by the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations (ETO)

Thompson SMG Select Fire

The Thompson now has both fully automatic and semi-automatic fire modes. Simply press your "switch fire mode" key and you'll change between the two. While semi-automatic is no more accurate than full-auto, it's much more controllable and allows for more precise mid-to-long range shooting.

British Voices

Our new voice pack brings a touch of class (and a lot of "colour") to the British army, with a full set of voice commands for both infantry and vehicles. The battlefield truly comes to life when the insults start to fly!

Ardennes Panther

There is now a second camouflage pattern available for the Panther in Ardennes maps for added variety.

Snow Tanks

The first in a series of new winter textures for the Ardennes. The M10, Sherman, Panther G, Sdkfz251 (halftrack) and Stug now have snow variants for better camouflage on winter maps. Even more are on their way in future releases.

2 new camouflage textures for the Panzer 4(with matching skirt armour) & 2 new textures for the Panther G, both textures also have snow versions.

NEW MAPS

Chateau Bellenau

Shortly after midnight on June 6, 1944, members of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions parachute into Normandy with the mission of providing support for the beach landings planned for later that same day. The drops have not gone as planned however, and soldiers are scattered across the countryside.

In one small part of Normandy, a number of paratroopers from various companies of the 101st have been fortunate enough to land in relatively close proximity to each another. The chatter of AA guns can be heard nearby and standing in stark contrast to the darkness, a French Chateau is ablaze with light - a German command post...

Allies: You must parachute from a number of C47's as they fly overhead and land in the area surrounding the Chateau. Once safely on the ground, they must attempt to link up with other members of their team and then capture the nearby AA guns to ensure the safety of the next wave of paratroopers. With the guns safely in Allied hands, they must then assault and capture the nearby Chateau that the Germans are using as a command post.

Axis: You must defend the air defences and command post at all costs. If they are lost, the sector will be left wide open for more Allied soldiers, giving them their first foothold in France. That must not be allowed to happen!

Foy - 20th December

On December 20, 1944, elements of the Panzer Lehr division have laid siege to Noville and launch a secondary attack on Foy, which is defended by elements of the 101st Airborne. The German Panzers hope that by retaking Foy, they will be able to cut off the last escape route for the remaining American units still holding Noville.

Allies: You must defend and hold Foy at all costs. If the Germans are able to capture the town, not only will they have gained a solid foothold in the area, but the fate of the remaining soldiers in Noville will be sealed.

Axis: Take and hold Foy. With the town once more under German control, the Americans in Noville will retreat right into our fire. They will be cut to pieces.

Stavelot

It is the morning of December 18th, 1944, and the powerful KG Peiper from the 1.SS division, assisted by a battalion of fallschirmjagers from the FJ regiment 9, launch an assault on the town of Stavelot in Belgium. Their goal is to open a direct route to Trois-Ponts, but standing in their way are the men of the freshly arrived Hansen taskforce, which consist of one company from the 526th BIB, and one platoon from the 825th BTD.

Allies: After unsuccessful attempts to destroy the town's bridge, the American units have been forced to defend the old fashioned way. If they fail to hold out, the Germans will not only take the town, but will also have a clear run to Trois-Ponts.

Axis: The German divisions must clear a path through the town to allow the bulk of the KG to continue on to Trois-Ponts. The Americans have backed themselves into a corner however, and will undoubtedly fight all the more viciously for it. Eliminate resistance and capture the town.

Bois Jacques

December 1944, Belgium. Elements of the Second Panzer Division advance through the Bois Jacques forest in an attempt to capture Bastogne. Standing in their way however, are E company, 506 PIR of the 101st airborne who have set up defensive positions in the area.

Heavily outnumbered E company must hold the frontline as the Panzer Divisions advance through an open crossing. If the frontline falls, the Allies are to pull back to the Field HQ and First Aid Station to set up defensive positions from the trenches, in a last, desperate attempt to hold the forest.

Poteau Ambush

Early on the morning of December 18th, 1944, an American convoy is ambushed by SS Kampfgruppe "Hansen" on the Poteauer Strasse in Belgium. With a little help from the heavy morning fog, Hansen achieved complete surprise and forced the Allies to abandon their vehicles, withdrawing to the nearby town of Poteau to set up a hasty perimeter. There, the US forces must hold the line or else face annihilation.

La Feire

Manoir de La Fière is a small settlement of stone buildings west of Ste. Mère-Église that in June 1944 was owned by M. Louis Leroux. Because of its strategic location astride the Merderet River, Manoir de La Fière was one of the primary D-Day objectives of Major General Matthew B. Ridgway’s 82d Airborne Division.

Early into the Invasion of Normandy, the 82nd Airborne were tasked with holding the Causeway and Bridge at La Fière.

Unluckily for the 82nd, at 11pm on June 5th German infantrymen had taken established an outpost at Manoir de La Fière. As the airborne troops flew to their drop zone, they were unaware that the Infantrymen were busy setting up their defences.

The 82nd are tasked with capturing the Manor House Settlement and then defend at all costs the Vital Bridge over the Merderet River.

BUG FIXES

-Fixed a problem where menu, interface and scope/tank sight textures were blurred when using low graphics settings
-Fixed problem where RO menus were still appearing after a server disconnection for people who didn't read the instructions included with the 1.1 patch
-"Last Objective" message now correctly displays whether a team is about to win or lose
-Foy loading screen proportions fixed
-Fixed a number of issues with some loading screens not being used and map names displaying with bad formatting
-Fixed minor command glitch where Allies were requesting an AT rifle
-German insults no longer refer to Russians
-US soldiers no longer call for artillery in Russian

-Stopped "zombie" bug occurring for the German sniper on certain maps
-BAR now correctly plays all switch fire mode sounds
-FG42 now correctly plays switch fire mode sound when in ironsights
-Fixed an exploit where a player could reload instantly by undeploying their BAR/Bren/FG42 during the reload animation - a side effect is that players can no longer undeploy whilst reloading
-Fixed an RO glitch that allowed players using deployed bipods to see and fire from a point higher than their player's avatar by simply pressing and releasing crouch, which allowed players to kill enemies whilst still being completely hidden behind cover
-Fixed a bug in the Enfield No.4 where players were getting more ammunition in a clip than they should have been
-PIAT range animations no longer start at the highest and cycle in reverse
-PIAT range settings now match up to the displayed animation, instead of being the opposite
-Bazooka & Panzerschreck now stay in ironsights after a player initiated reload, rather than dropping back to a glitched hipped state
-Dropped AT weapons are no longer re-added to a player's inventory by resupply zones, eliminating an exploit where a patient player could spawn unlimited AT weapons for his team-mates
-Players can no longer carry Panzerfausts in addition to their main AT weapon
-Dropped PIAT Bombs now all drop individually instead of a single bomb on the ground that contains multiple rounds
-Colt M1911 slide is no longer see through
-Fixed glitchy left hand on Thompson SMG firing animation
-Fixed missing reload sound on Garand half-empty reload

-Higgins Boat should no longer kill players who attempt to exit before the boat has come to a complete stop
-Allied armour/German AT guns weapon sights no longer out of alignment
-Players can no longer prone in thin air on top of the Opel truck
-Opel driver should now be vulnerable to gunfire
-Fixed HUD glitch where rotating vehicle turrets on the HUD icon were showing a second gun barrel
-Destroyed vehicle flame effects and hurt radius now correctly spawn from the vehicle itself, not the ground

CHANGES

-Voice commands are now locational i.e. If someone yells for ammo, only players in close proximity will hear it (though the text will still appear to the whole team)
-Maximum name length extended from 20 to 32 characters
-Added new kill icons for the PIAT, Bazooka and Panzerschreck
-Leg injuries now drop a player into prone in addition to the speed decrease (it's possible to stand up straight away, but the speed decrease remains)
-Updated menu art
-Replaced menu music

-Modified the Bazooka/Panzerschreck resupply/reload system as follows:

+Ammo resupply points no longer force the Bazooka/Panzerschreck to reload to obtain a rocket, it's now put straight into a player's inventory and can be manually loaded at any time
+The standard Bazooka/Panzerschreck reload time has been greatly increased, however this only applies to players attempting to reload unassisted
+When another player attempts to resupply a Bazooka/Panzerschreck, they now trigger a very fast "assisted reload" for the AT soldier, to reflect the benefits of having a second soldier quickly load a rocket into an already deployed Bazooka/Panzerschreck
+If a player attempts to resupply a Bazooka/Panzerschreck that already has a spare rocket in its inventory, they will still trigger the fast "assisted reload" for the AT soldier, but rather than giving them a rocket to load, they will load the spare rocket that the AT soldier already carries. They will retain their own resupply rocket until the next time they attempt to perform a resupply
+Bazooka/Panzerschreck rockets in a player's inventory are now dropped along with the weapon when a player either drops it or is killed
+If a loaded Bazooka/Panzerschreck is dropped and then picked up, the rocket in the weapon is no longer lost and will appear in the player's inventory

-Players can now resupply the PIAT in the same way as an MG
-When being resupplied (either by a player or resupply point), if the PIAT is not loaded, players will receive one extra rocket in their inventory - this also means the PIAT will not become magically reloaded at ammo resupply zones
-Panzerschreck 1st person weapon model moved slightly further away from player's view
-PIAT reload time increased
-PIAT range lowered slightly
-Players can now only carry one Panzerfaust max at any one time
-Rocket/Bomb speed lowered to realistic values for all AT weapons - ranges remain the same however, therefore arc adjusted accordingly
-Blast radius increased on PIAT/Bazooka/Panzerschreck
-Blast radius decreased on Panzerfaust
-Players carrying a PIAT or Panzerfaust now have it shown as carried on their back when not in use
-Satchel Charge damage decreased
-Satchel Charge blast radius increased
-Reduced M1 Carbine recoil slightly
-Lowered M1 Carbine accuracy slightly
-Decreased Carbine damage
-Reduced effectiveness of hipshooting for the Carbine
-Reduced Carbine's sway while moving
-Tracer frequency decreased on all machineguns
-FG42, BAR and Bren no longer fire tracers
-Recoil increased on FG42, BAR and Bren
-Thompson now has selectable fire modes - Auto/Semi Auto
-Enfield No.4 loadout now has 10 clips of ammunition to offset the fixed ammo count bug
-For a mid-clip reload on the Garand, players will now lose any unfired rounds from that clip - the clip will be kept if reloaded while still full however
-Added a new 30 cal MG sound
-Added misc weapon distance sounds

-Higgins boat speed reduced
-Zoomed/unzoomed Panther gunsight positions swapped - view order is now Zoomed -> Unzoomed -> No Sights -> Unbuttoned -> Binoculars
-Allied tank armour and weapon values adjusted
-Tanks now have more realistic MG ammo amounts
-Tweaked the accuracy of Allied tanks
-Added British names/designations for British versions of Allied vehicles
-Adjusted tank reload times to be more realistic
-Allied tank MG now uses 30.cal sound rather than Soviet sound
-Angling Allied tanks is now more effective
-Tank penetration values adjusted
-Increased power of Allied tank guns
-Tweaked health values of tanks
-Burning tanks will now explode after a short period of time
-57mm AT gun now has its own shell - was previously using the Firefly shell
-Pak 40 now uses correct shell - 75mm kwk L/48 rather than the L/43
-Pak 43/1 now has its own shell - 88mm kwk L/71 instead of 88mm L/56
-Flak 88 is now referred to in game by its correct name "FlaK 36"
-Slightly increased blast radius for all AP shells
-Players no longer loudly announce to the world that they are firing or that a shell is loaded when in a tank/AT gun

MAP CHANGES

Benouville Bridge:

-Axis now have three spawn positions on Allied side of bridge at round start, while the rest of the axis force start in Benouville town
-Added three Opel trucks for transporting troops to the bridge and tank crew to tanks located in Le Port.

Brecourt:

-Added a new trench to rear of the map from Fallschirmjager spawn to Gun 4
-Adjusted Fallschirmjager spawns; Some FJ's will now spawn with artillery crew in trench system
-Removed Allied sniper
-Added spawn for artillery crew at camp near Gun 1 (becomes active when Gun 4 is blown to cut off Allied retreat)

Cagny:

-Replaced one Panther with a Jagdpanther
-Replaced two Fireflies with Cromwells
-AT soldiers are now equipped with Panzerschrecks rather than Panzerfausts

Carentan Causeway:

-Added fog to underwater in rivers to obscure visibility and prevent underwater camping
-Adjusted capzones so that they are now no longer able to be capped by players who are completely submerged

Foy:

-Fixed zombie bug occurring for German sniper
-Assorted minor tweaks and bug fixes

Hedgerow Hell:

-Replaced two Panthers with Jagdpanthers

La Ville Ruinee:

-Removed all vehicles from the map, it is now infantry only

Merville Battery:

-Added in parachute drops as alternative Allied spawns in addition to the Glider landings
-Removed German spawns from diversion route Objective and placed at main house outside compound
-Moved final German spawn to the rear of the compound, outside the perimeter
-Removed last objective, "BUGOUT", completely

Merville Manor:

-Initial German spawn is now at the Manor
-Axis now defend the Manor until it falls, then are spawned further back and must try to stop the Allies from holding the courtyard
-Allies must capture the Manor House then cap/hold Manor courtyard for 10 mins (in a similar fashion to Benouville Bridge)
-Added a stream to the left side of the map that runs into the Manor compound
-Adjusted flightpath of Spitfires (they should no longer fly overhead backwards)
-Removed PIAT pickups
-Added British AT class
-Added 2 Axis Halftracks
-Added misc aesthetic map detail

St Fromond:

-Tweaked spawns
-Church tower is now accessible and can be used to bolster the Axis defence
-Bridge "repair" sheets adjusted to prevent tanks falling through while attempting to cross
-German sniper no longer has the zombie bug on death

New Beta Maps

SchutzeSepp has released two new maps in beta stages which are not included with this release. You will have to download them and add them manually to have them on your server.

La Gleize beta 1 - Download

In the afternoon of december 17, 1944 during the battle of the ardennes, Kampfgruppe peiper arrived at the small village of La Gleize right after they captured the town of Stavelot the same morning.
The initial allied resistance was weak, but in the coming days after the germans took the town the allies would launch several strong armored counterattacks from several directions, but each time the germans resisted.
After unsuccesfully breaking through allied lines and running out of fuel and ammunition, KG peiper regrouped in La Gleize and held surrounded for 7 days in what would later be called the "La Gleize kessel". the germans then abandoned all their equipment and dozens of tanks in the night of december 23-24, and 800 men escaped through enemy lines on foot. meaning the end of KG peiper.
The map is an accurate representation of the actual town, as our mapper visited the town himself and took pictures of every building so he could recreate the town as accurately as possible.

Operation Stösser beta 1 - Download

Early in the morning of december 17, 1944, about 110 german transport planes took off in germany, carrying about 1200 Fallschirmjager troops.
This ultra secret operation was called "operation stösser", and the objective was to drop the paratroopers between Malmedy and Eupen so they could capture the strategic "barraque michel" crossroad. This way they would cutt off the main route through wich the americans would send in reinforcement to the ardennes.
From the beginning the operation was a disaster, the planes with inexperienced pilots took off at night in a powerfull snowstorm. Wich resulted in paratropers being dropped dozens of miles from their drop area, all over the ardennes. And about only 200 men made it to the intended dropzone, wich meanth that the unit was severely underpowered and the objective was cancelled. Instead they carried out guerilla-like action against american units.
In this map you will jump from planes, and will need to capture at least one of the four american outposts to win