Boomer shooter dev discovers his dogs have been barking on an “unbearable” loop for years

Sometimes dogs can be quite noisy. More than a year and a half after Hrot was released from early access, the developer of this Quake-inspired shooter has finally fixed the issue with the dogs. It was discovered that some players were experiencing a never-ending loop of unbearable barking from certain canines in the game.

“Many players have complained about the incessant barking,” stated developer Spytihněv in an update post. “While I initially thought it was just a minor annoyance for some, I recently found out that on specific PC setups, the barking was looping uncontrollably.”

The intended behavior of a dog in the game versus the problematic infinite barking can be quite frustrating for players. Although you can temporarily silence the dog by overfeeding it until it vomits, it quickly resumes barking afterwards. Is this behavior normal for a dog, or is it a bug? Based on feedback, it seems that this issue primarily affected Linux-based systems.

“It’s disappointing that such a bug went unnoticed for nearly 2 years,” expressed the developer. “Levels with the barking dogs must have been unbearable, even unplayable, brrr.”

Although I haven’t played Hrot yet (despite being a fan of Quake-like games), I understand that the “ratters” mentioned are the puppies that assist in rat hunting within the game. These cute companions were not a standout feature for Rick, who reviewed Hrot for us. He favored the opening episode of the game:

“The game’s socialist satire and nuclear tension are perfectly intertwined here. As you explore the abandoned streets, gymnasiums, and cultural centers of Prague, you’ll come across portraits of Czechoslovakia’s first communist leader Klement Gottwald, which you can kiss to show loyalty to the nation. Later, you’ll venture into underground chambers filled with mummified bodies as the Geiger counter crackles intensify.”

Despite its intellectual appeal, Hrot also features moments like shooting a horse in a gas mask with a shotgun and battling a Putin doppelganger riding a bear. After completing work on Hrot, the developer shifted focus to the strategy genre and released a retro RTS game set on a sandy planet with horses, tractors, and techno music, named Shrot.