The Cycle developer update discusses Duo mode, vehicles and Bounty Contracts

Yager has released a new The Cycle developer diary detailing the latest happening in this sci-fi PvEvP shooter, along with some upcoming features.

One of the areas of discussion was the reintroduction of vehicles, now in a more advanced state than their prototype test – you do remember those flying logs, don't you? The statistics reveal that the vehicles were used in a moderate way, which is a good thing – if everyone was using the vehicles at all times or close enough, it would drastically transform the gameplay, probably for the worse.

However, players are looking for more realism to the vehicles, mainly the way that these futuristic bikes react to the environment. In other words, you want collision damage and the developers are up for it.

Apparently, one of the biggest community requests is a Duo mode and that is already live as we speak. It isn't being designed as your average Duo mode; instead, it is a sort of “pre-pact” mode where you team up with another player. Yager says that a classic Duo mode is also being considered, based on the feedback that the team gets from this initial design.

Further down the road, Yager plans on adding something currently called Bounty Contracts. It's a risky experiment that suddenly puts all players against one haphazard fellow who just got a bounty on his head. It's not random though; it is calculated based on your appetite for PvP, as it increases your bounty rating and as soon as it passes a certain threshold, you'd better watch your back.

Other AI enemies are in the works, such as these droids that should behave differently from the current Fortuna III fauna.

The servers for The Cycle aren't closing anytime soon. Yager is keeping them open until further notice, so it's a good time to try this free-to-play sci-fi first-person shooter. It is looking great and offers some truly engaging gameplay and freedom that very few games are able to achieve – Hunt: Showdown is one of the few examples that manage to successfully use a similar approach.