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Hard Bullet News

City Mode Open Beta: Hotfix & Improvements

[p]Hey everyone,[/p][p][/p][p]We have just pushed the final update for this year - thanks for all the feedback & reports![/p][p][/p][h3]📜Patch Notes[/h3]
  • [p]City Mode: Fixed the reloading system — it now uses the same logic as in RIDE: issued and purchased weapons have an ammo reserve, while weapons taken from enemies have limited ammo if they don’t match your own. [/p]
  • [p]City Mode: Improved mission clarity and completion messages. At the start of each location, Main, Side and Bonus Objectives (once discovered) are now clearly shown.[/p]
  • [p]City Mode: Improved navigation within the location to better guide the player toward the Night Club and added automatic Club activation when approaching the gates.[/p]
  • [p]City Mode: Fixed police character height and vehicle proportions at the start to make them more realistic.[/p]
  • [p]City Mode: Added missing UI translations.[/p]
[p][/p][p]We hope that you'll have a great New Year's Eve tomorrow - just don't drink too much, alright?[/p][p] [/p][p]Check out our Socials and keep yourself in the loop![/p][p] Twitter Discord Instagram TikTok Mods [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

City Mode in Open Beta and AI Update

[h2]City Mode Open Beta
[/h2][p]We’re introducing one of the city backstreets — Unfinished Highway, part of the Streets biome in City Mode.
[/p][p][/p][p]This location can start with one of two side missions:[/p]
  • [p]In one, you’ll need to eliminate a trio of dangerous bandits.[/p]
  • [p]In the other, your goal is to steal a briefcase from a mobster’s stash.[/p]
[p]If you take the time to explore the back alleys, you can also uncover an additional hidden case, guarded by a security camera: [/p][p]
[/p][p]Along the way, you can find and collect weapons to prepare yourself for the final task — steal the mobsters’ stash from the guarded Club Basement and get out alive. All unlocked guns will be available to you before the final shootout.[/p][p][/p][p]Get ready to jump into a full-on killing spree mission in the Night Club Arena, featuring more linear gameplay and a brand-new soundtrack.
[/p][p][/p][h3]Current Limitations (this release):
[/h3][p]This is a limited first iteration, so some features are not available yet:[/p]
  • [p]Alternative final mission route leading to Harbor.[/p]
  • [p]Random encounters inside the Unfinished Highway.[/p]
  • [p]Longer runs that include multiple locations from the Streets biome (to avoid exhausting players).[/p]
[p]We plan to add some of these elements during January and see how more complex routes perform.[/p][p][/p][h2]Enemy AI: New States
[/h2][p]We’ve fully reworked all in-game enemy animations and moved them to a new state machine, allowing us to add many more behaviors and animations in future updates. Huge shout-out to our animator for this massive amount of work!
[/p][p][/p][h3]⚠️ Important Note ⚠️
[/h3][h2]This is NOT the final version.
[/h2][p]This system is a new platform that allows us to introduce all kinds of new behaviors and animations. [/p][p]Today’s release doesn’t represent the final vision — it simply reflects what we could realistically deliver by the end of this year and we believe it’s solid enough to ship.[/p][h3]
New behaviors include:
[/h3][p][/p]
  • [p]City Mode: Sound awareness: Loud gunshots, explosions or the death of other mobsters will reveal your position and trigger attacks.[/p]
  • [p]City Mode: Vision angles. Currently a simple 110° field of view, without peripheral vision or long recognition time.[/p]
  • [p]City Mode: New idle animations.[/p]
  • [p]Hand injury reactions: Enemies will drop their weapon and switch to a secondary one.[/p]
  • [p]Gun-butt attacks: Enemies may use pistols or rifles for close-range melee attacks.
    [/p]
[h3]Other Enemy Improvements:
[/h3]
  • [p]Improved movement over dead bodies — enemies now trip and fall much less often.[/p]
  • [p]Easier weapon stealing from enemy belts — belt weapons now have higher grab priority than the body itself.[/p]
[p][/p][h3]Current Limitations (this release):
[/h3][p][/p]
  • [p]The "quick sidestep” animation has been temporarily removed, making enemy movement more predictable.[/p]
  • [p]Some animations (such as strafe) currently require more free space, so they occur less often in narrow areas.[/p]
  • [p]Transitions between certain animations may take slightly longer — this will be improved in future updates 👍[/p]
[p][/p][h2]Gun Updates:[/h2]
  • [p]Lucky-7 Shotgun received new, unique shot, reload, and pump movement sounds.[/p]
[p][/p][h2]Roadmap Updated
[/h2][p][/p][p]As you can see, we’re planning a lot of AI and City Mode updates for the first half of 2026. We’ll also continue adding new weapons and visual upgrades on a monthly basis.[/p][p][/p][h2]Thank you!
[/h2][p]Thank you all for an awesome year ❤️ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year![/p][p]
We’ll push a small update next week and then the team will take a 10-day break. See you all next year!
[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Check out our Socials and have a chat with us! Twitter Discord Instagram Mods [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

⛄ HAPPY HOLIDAYS & MERRY CHRISTMAS🎄

[p]Hey everyone,

It's been an incredible year for Hard Bullet, and we are thrilled to have an amazing community like you!

We wanted to take a moment and thank each and every one of you for your valuable support, and we wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays with your loved ones![/p][p]
Our team will take their well-deserved break in the coming days, so you may see delayed responses to your inquiries. Don't worry, though, the next update is still scheduled for the 25th. 👀[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for everything, and have a wonderful Christmas! ❤️🎁[/p][p][/p][p]Check out our Socials and have a chat with us! Twitter Discord Instagram Mods [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

LIVE: Holiday Event and Nightclub Arena. AI Update Next Week!

[p]Hey everyone, happy early holidays![/p][p][/p][p]You asked 'December update when?!' every single day, and we took it personally. We ramped up our work to answer this holy question and today, we are happy to announce the brand new Nightclub Arena and Holidays Update![/p][p][/p][p]However, you left out one small detail in your question - we'll address it later in this post.[/p][p][/p][h3]♠️ Introducing: Nightclub Arena ♠️[/h3][p][/p][p]A brand new, multi-leveled Arena is here - Nightclub Arena.
[/p][p][/p][p]With the launch of Nightclub, we continue confidently reshaping both the geometry and narrative of Hard Bullet. [/p][p][/p][p]This is a multi-level Arena, split into zones of interest and packed with interactive objects. It continues the new design approach we first introduced with the Harbor Arena.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Jump in today and live the action like never before, and watch out for the threats.[/p][h3]
☃️ Holiday Event☃️[/h3][p]
We’ll need to prepare for the winter holidays properly — and of course, it all starts with decorating the traditional festive tree!
[/p][p]But there’s a catch: the decorations won’t come easily. You’ll have to earn them from new magical enemies, angry snowmen! ☃️ These guys will appear during RIDE mode, and hitting them will unlock decorations that turn into weapon skins or player outfit pieces.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Angry Snowmen can appear all over the game, but only kills in RIDE mode count to gather points.[/p][p][/p][h3]🔵New Weapon - the Lucky 7🔵[/h3][p]
This December, we decided to focus on shotguns. We’re introducing a brand-new mag-fed shotgun, along with updates to two classic models: the grandfather of automatic shotguns, Sisu, and the hunter’s trusted companion, Cayuga 37.
[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
[p] ⚠️ ACCESS: Right-click HARD BULLET in your Steam library, then select ‘Properties’. In the new window, select ‘Betas’ and choose there “Public Beta”. The new game version will start downloading immediately.

📢 FEEDBACK: Please leave any feedback in the “#beta_test” channel in our Discord where you can participate in voting and other community activities or use Steam Discussions.
[/p]
[p]
[/p][h2]🔴AI Update coming December 25🔴[/h2][p]
Remember when we told you that your question was missing one small detail? Yeah, it's not December Update - it should have been Updates.[/p][p]
The first part of the AI update is coming on December 25
and gives us a solid foundation for expanding enemy behavior and animations in the future.[/p][p]
This flexible system will already allow us, in the nearest update, to add new states such as rifle butt attacks, retreating behavior, distance management, player detection in City Mode, and also small but important hit reaction animations that make enemies feel more realistic.[/p][h3]
🌇 Upcoming City Mode Beta with Roguelike Elements 🌇
[/h3][p]
In the upcoming City Mode Beta, we’re planning to test how our new City Mode works — zone progression, mission flow, and of course, random encounters on the criminal streets of the city.[/p][p]
And this is where the Club plays a very important role. Thanks to its new geometry and complex architecture, it becomes part of a more story-driven experience — with missions and a familiar, classic single-player flow from the start of the level to its final goal.[/p][h3]
🛠️Other Improvements🛠️
[/h3][p]The file structure has been fully reworked to improve synchronization across platforms. This not only allowed us to return to a smaller game size but to reduce it even further than before — the new size is 14 GB.[/p][h3]
⭐ Wrapping up 2025 ⭐
[/h3][p]
It’s been an incredible year for us, and we’re deeply grateful to our audience and the store for all the support. We hope the updates coming this year and next will let us give something back and show just how much we appreciate you.[/p][p]
Wishing everyone happy holidays! ❄️ ☃️[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Check out our Socials and have a chat with us! Twitter Discord Instagram Mods [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

☃️Get 20% OFF on Hard Bullet!❄️

[p]It's almost the festive season! And it wouldn't be the ideal festive season without some Hard Bullet action.. ❄️[/p][p][/p][p]☃️We are participating in the Steam Winter Sale!❄️[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Hard Bullet is 20% OFF between December 18 - January 5, don't miss this deal!
[/h3][p]It's the perfect time to jump into the action as we keep working on the new updates, including a story-driven City Mode, AI rework & improvements, new Arenas, new weapons and skins, and even more exciting stuff we are working behind the scenes!

Also December update is almost upon us, keep your eyes peeled! 👀

Here is a quick teaser for you:[/p][p][/p][p]Join us today! 🔥[/p][p]
Check out our Socials and have a chat with us! Twitter Discord Instagram Mods [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]