The Break – Realignment
The past year confronted our team with one of the greatest internal challenges since the project began. Over an extended period, recurring tensions arose within the project leadership, differing views on responsibilities, and decisions that were made without joint coordination. These developments culminated in an attempted plot against DarkSilent and ultimately in a temporary shutdown (#killswitch) of the Lüdenscheid modification.
In the days that followed, intensive discussions took place in which both the background and possible solutions were addressed. After a phase of difficult communication, constructive dialogue was reestablished. The shared goal of all parties involved was to prevent harm to the project and the community and to create a viable path forward.
These discussions resulted in an agreement that provides for a clean, fair, and legally secured separation of the parties involved. At the same time, the Lüdenscheid modification was re-released, allowing regular operations to continue. We are aware that mistakes were made on all sides—making it all the more important to take responsibility and look ahead.
This phase showed us how essential clear structures, transparent communication, and mutual respect are. Armed with these insights, we moved confidently into the future and began to consistently further develop Emergency Lüdenscheid—for the benefit of the community that has accompanied and supported us over the years.
Restart – Release of 2025.1
After completing the internal restructuring, the release of version 2025.1 marked the first turning point for the project. Long awaited, this version was not just a regular update but a clear signal: we are moving forward—and now really getting started, free of previous burdens!
With the first update of the year, we comprehensively revised the modification and expanded it in nearly all areas. New features such as police escorting of persons, the World War bomb, and the expansion of the Modular Event System added more variety. At the same time, numerous existing systems were rethought—from more realistic vehicle and personnel workflows to improved dismantling logic and stability-related technical rebuilds, especially in multiplayer.
Map work was not neglected either: the Lüdenscheid map was visibly expanded and reworked with new buildings, adjusted deployment areas, and structural improvements. In parallel, Linzing and its external units were revised to create a consistent and realistic overall picture and to avoid relying on vehicles from another district (☺️).
After a short one-month break, the first “small” update followed, which introduced the new multi-session dispatch center feature. Since July, it has been possible for up to 8 people to play together in 2 games with a shared dispatch center across both maps.
Summer / Autumn – 2025.2
After releasing our first version in 2025, we were far from finished. We set ourselves many goals—very many goals. Our roadmap for 2025 was roughly as extensive as the previously planned 1.3 roadmap, with one key difference: we now had only 6 months instead of several years.
In August, we began building our new map, Freisenberg. We also made changes to existing maps, and features were not neglected either.
At the end of September, the time had finally come: we released version 2025.2 as an open beta. New features included intrusion alarm systems and a rework of the breathing apparatus logic. Since then, the hierarchy of command vehicles no longer matters—every vehicle now supplies air to other vehicles and their crews.
We also expanded the in-house rescue service events, which may now require a turntable ladder and involve rescuing a person on a stretcher from a building. And of course, something very close to our hearts: we worked on the lighting of 26 vehicles.
Winter – 2025.3
By the time of the winter update, there were less than two months left—but even in November we were able to provide you with fresh content. Snow, Christmas markets, Advent events, and a new soundtrack were ready to sweeten your holiday season.
We spared no effort, optimized many aspects of Linzing, and were thus able to offer this map with snow for the first time as well. Furthermore, we completely rethought mission generation and gave you the ability to weight missions by category.
And then there was the CallTaker, played by the friendly AI next door. Sometimes it acts as a witness, sometimes it thinks it is a dispatcher—but no matter what you try, it will not give you a cake recipe. All in all, a nice little feature that will receive many expansions in the future.
Numbers, Data, Facts
Now to the most important part of this review: numbers!
First of all, we can say it’s time for retirement: this year we reached a total playtime of 583,914 hours—equivalent to almost 66.7 years.
Since our release in 2022, we have welcomed 45,646 players to the modification, including 8,984 new players this year. The modification was launched a total of 886,649 times this year by 27,783 players.
Impressive numbers, right? Let’s continue with some dispatch center statistics.
This year, 44,503 sessions were played—almost 120 per day. In these sessions, 730,524 missions were completed, 943,425 radio requests were handled, 330,298 injured persons needed to be transported to a hospital, 33,528 victims unfortunately did not survive, and 209,725 vehicles were towed.
What’s Next?
In the new year, we will slightly slow down the update cycle. We have realized that three feature updates in six months are simply too much. Accordingly, we will provide only 2–3 major updates in the coming year.
We already began the planning phase for the new year in December. We will finalize our roadmap by the end of January and publish it in a developer blog.
Some features—such as the police being able to tow all vehicles and a limited firefighting water tank to supply areas with restricted water sources—have already been implemented. Others, like “dynamic scenarios,” where events must be secured and injured persons and fires are detected and handled independently, are already finalized and will be implemented soon.
Would You Like to Support Us?
We are still looking for helping hands who would like to actively support us in developing our modification.
We are currently still seeking people interested in creating 3D models (primarily buildings), as well as mappers who would like to help design the new map.
Conclusion
Finally, we would like to sincerely thank all of you—our community, our supporters, and everyone who accompanied, played, tested, and supported Emergency Lüdenscheid with feedback in 2025. Without you, this project would not be what it is today. With great motivation, new ideas, and clear goals, we are starting the new year together and look forward to consistently continuing on the path we have chosen.
In this spirit, we wish you a Happy New Year, a successful start to 2026, and many exciting, successful missions. See you!
By the way — have you already checked out our soundtrack? It’s available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more!