Hogs of War
Encyclopedia
Hogs of War is a turn-based tactics
video game developed by Infogrames Studios
and published by Infogrames Europe
, released for the PlayStation and PC
in 2000 for Europe on June 6 and North America on August 5. The game is set in a First World War-era where anthropomorphic pigs engage in combat. Play proceeds in a turn-based fashion, with 3D graphics, vehicles, a career-based single-player mode, and voice over work (both narration and for characters) by British comedian Rik Mayall
.
The tune for the game is John Philip Sousa
's Liberty Bell March.
The design of the game is discussed in the book "The Game Maker's Apprentice", which is co-authored by the lead programmer of the game and has a foreword by one of the game's designers.
game where players take turns controlling individual members of their squad of hogs to engage in combat with the opposition, similar to Worms. Each turn, a player takes control of a single squad member in a third-person
perspective to move around the map including jumping over terrain and swimming over bodies of water yet can only engage in combat when stationary. Each turn has a set time limit that ends if the timer counts down to zero, the player skips their turn, a weapon or ability is used or if they have accidentally injured themselves such as walking into a mine field or falling from a high surface. Other hazards include bodies of water that while can be swam in, is damaging to nearly all types of soldiers that drains health as they swim. If a teammate is knocked into water by an opponent, they will automatically swim to the nearby shore line. While difficult, it is also possible to knock hogs off the map resulting in instant death. If all health is gone and the player is on land, the will fall over with a last comical remark before exploding.
Each squad member can be assigned a class type where they have immediate access to certain weapons and abilities. There are four main class types; heavy gunner that specialize in long range heavy weapons like bazookas, mortar
s and rocket launchers, engineer that specialize in explosives like grenades, mines
and TNT, espionage that don't appear on the mini map and use sniper
rifles and camouflage and finally medic that can heal other units in both close and long range. Despite the classes, any hog can pick up and use any weapon or ability if found in a crate that can be found across each map or dropped from blimps (that can be destroyed for further items).
Other than a hog's inventory items, players can also gain access to military vehicles like tanks and semi-aquatics and stationary turrets like heavy artillery
and pillboxes, both or which provide health protection until they are destroyed and in some cases allow use of highly destructive weaponry unavailable for regular use. Bunkers and MASH
tents also provide further protection but without weaponry, with the latter healing a small amount of health at the start of their turn.
At the start of the campaign, the entire squad is made up of grunts who have little maximum health and only a small set of basic weapons. Hogs however can be promoted as the player progresses through the campaign by earning medals. A single medal is given upon completion of a mission and five with every region conquered, with additional medals given if all squad members survive and any others collected during the missions (most of which are in heavily guarded or hard to reach places). First promotion opens up the four possible classes (heavy, medic, engineer and espionage) with the choice to pursue one and develop further, for example espionage begins with scout before being promoted to sniper, then spy etc. While all classes are distinctive, after enough promotions, all can eventually be promoted to a special Commando class that specializes in all weapons and abilities, the final promotion being Hero.
If a hog is killed during a mission they can still return for the next mission. If however three die, one will be permanently lost, and two lost if four die, along with their promotions.
In single player mode a significant difference exists in the versions of the game as presented on Playstation and PC. On the Playstation the NPC pigs are mobile and will move to take more advantageous firing positions or make use of buildings, vehicles, weapon drops and health packs; in the PC game the NPC pigs do not walk at all, and only move to acquire weapon drops when of a rank equipped with jet-packs.
being harvested by pumpjack
s) that is described as the "life blood of pigs", that who ever controls the swill controls the world thus leading to all nations engaging in an all out war to conquer the region. Under the supervision of I. P. Grimly, the player's chosen nation/squadron battles through each of Saustralasia's five main regions; Hogshead, Saustralia, Trottsville, Bellyopolis and Arstria.
Upon conquering each territory, the squad is shown an educational film (in a satirical vintage fashion) on survival techniques including how to ration and stockpile, defamation of the enemy, unorthodox methods of camouflage, how to use boots in combat, keeping secrets safe (while at the same time showing off a secret military project) and simple if underplaying the importance of first aid. Upon defeating all other nations and laying claim to Saustralasian mainland, the squadron engages in a final battle on the Isle of Swill with the nationally ambiguous "Team Lard" and commando Legends from all remaining nations. Regardless of which chosen nation is victorious, all pig nations celebrate the end of the war and now a time of peace.
An ending cinematic shows one remaining soldier however who feels like nothing was accomplished from the war. At this point I. P. Grimly counter argues this notions by stating while in the space of four years his sweetheart has left him, his home destroyed and now with no chance of employment asks what was he even fighting for. Grimly then presents the soldier with a medal before he expands on his point with an oddly upbeat voiced closing statement:
This is narrated as the soldier now cheerful and wearing his medal proudly, marches off into the sunset before Grimly wishes him luck once more where ever he may be or fighting.
rated the game 5.5, or mediocre . IGN gave a more positive review, scoring 7.4/10.
, Wii
, PlayStation 2
and PC
. It was slated for release in April 2009 but was eventually cancelled. During this period Infogrames was experiencing financial problems and was reincorporated as Atari, SA
.
Turn-based tactics
Turn-based tactics , or tactical turn-based , is a computer and video game genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic...
video game developed by Infogrames Studios
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
and published by Infogrames Europe
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
, released for the PlayStation and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
in 2000 for Europe on June 6 and North America on August 5. The game is set in a First World War-era where anthropomorphic pigs engage in combat. Play proceeds in a turn-based fashion, with 3D graphics, vehicles, a career-based single-player mode, and voice over work (both narration and for characters) by British comedian Rik Mayall
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
.
The tune for the game is John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
's Liberty Bell March.
Liberty Bell (march)
"The Liberty Bell" is an American military march composed by John Philip Sousa.It is now most often associated with the British TV comedy program Monty Python's Flying Circus , which began and ended with the first few bars.-History:...
The design of the game is discussed in the book "The Game Maker's Apprentice", which is co-authored by the lead programmer of the game and has a foreword by one of the game's designers.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Hogs of War is a turn-based tacticsTurn-based tactics
Turn-based tactics , or tactical turn-based , is a computer and video game genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic...
game where players take turns controlling individual members of their squad of hogs to engage in combat with the opposition, similar to Worms. Each turn, a player takes control of a single squad member in a third-person
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
perspective to move around the map including jumping over terrain and swimming over bodies of water yet can only engage in combat when stationary. Each turn has a set time limit that ends if the timer counts down to zero, the player skips their turn, a weapon or ability is used or if they have accidentally injured themselves such as walking into a mine field or falling from a high surface. Other hazards include bodies of water that while can be swam in, is damaging to nearly all types of soldiers that drains health as they swim. If a teammate is knocked into water by an opponent, they will automatically swim to the nearby shore line. While difficult, it is also possible to knock hogs off the map resulting in instant death. If all health is gone and the player is on land, the will fall over with a last comical remark before exploding.
Each squad member can be assigned a class type where they have immediate access to certain weapons and abilities. There are four main class types; heavy gunner that specialize in long range heavy weapons like bazookas, mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
s and rocket launchers, engineer that specialize in explosives like grenades, mines
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
and TNT, espionage that don't appear on the mini map and use sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
rifles and camouflage and finally medic that can heal other units in both close and long range. Despite the classes, any hog can pick up and use any weapon or ability if found in a crate that can be found across each map or dropped from blimps (that can be destroyed for further items).
Other than a hog's inventory items, players can also gain access to military vehicles like tanks and semi-aquatics and stationary turrets like heavy artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and pillboxes, both or which provide health protection until they are destroyed and in some cases allow use of highly destructive weaponry unavailable for regular use. Bunkers and MASH
Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
The Mobile Army Surgical Hospital refers to a United States Army medical unit serving as a fully functional hospital in a combat area of operations. The units were first established in August 1945, and were deployed during the Korean War and later conflicts. The U.S...
tents also provide further protection but without weaponry, with the latter healing a small amount of health at the start of their turn.
Single-player
At the start of each campaign, the player chooses their nation/squad of up to eight hogs whose names can be customized. The main objective is the player has to conquer all five regions of the world map with each region containing five missions against each opposing nation (those not chosen by the player at the start).At the start of the campaign, the entire squad is made up of grunts who have little maximum health and only a small set of basic weapons. Hogs however can be promoted as the player progresses through the campaign by earning medals. A single medal is given upon completion of a mission and five with every region conquered, with additional medals given if all squad members survive and any others collected during the missions (most of which are in heavily guarded or hard to reach places). First promotion opens up the four possible classes (heavy, medic, engineer and espionage) with the choice to pursue one and develop further, for example espionage begins with scout before being promoted to sniper, then spy etc. While all classes are distinctive, after enough promotions, all can eventually be promoted to a special Commando class that specializes in all weapons and abilities, the final promotion being Hero.
If a hog is killed during a mission they can still return for the next mission. If however three die, one will be permanently lost, and two lost if four die, along with their promotions.
In single player mode a significant difference exists in the versions of the game as presented on Playstation and PC. On the Playstation the NPC pigs are mobile and will move to take more advantageous firing positions or make use of buildings, vehicles, weapon drops and health packs; in the PC game the NPC pigs do not walk at all, and only move to acquire weapon drops when of a rank equipped with jet-packs.
Campaign
In an introduction by the commanding General I. P. Grimly, a pig shaped collection of islands located in the South Pigsific Ocean known as Saustralasia has been found to be a rich source of swill (depicted like oilOil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
being harvested by pumpjack
Pumpjack
A pumpjack is the overground drive for a reciprocating piston pump in an oil well....
s) that is described as the "life blood of pigs", that who ever controls the swill controls the world thus leading to all nations engaging in an all out war to conquer the region. Under the supervision of I. P. Grimly, the player's chosen nation/squadron battles through each of Saustralasia's five main regions; Hogshead, Saustralia, Trottsville, Bellyopolis and Arstria.
Upon conquering each territory, the squad is shown an educational film (in a satirical vintage fashion) on survival techniques including how to ration and stockpile, defamation of the enemy, unorthodox methods of camouflage, how to use boots in combat, keeping secrets safe (while at the same time showing off a secret military project) and simple if underplaying the importance of first aid. Upon defeating all other nations and laying claim to Saustralasian mainland, the squadron engages in a final battle on the Isle of Swill with the nationally ambiguous "Team Lard" and commando Legends from all remaining nations. Regardless of which chosen nation is victorious, all pig nations celebrate the end of the war and now a time of peace.
An ending cinematic shows one remaining soldier however who feels like nothing was accomplished from the war. At this point I. P. Grimly counter argues this notions by stating while in the space of four years his sweetheart has left him, his home destroyed and now with no chance of employment asks what was he even fighting for. Grimly then presents the soldier with a medal before he expands on his point with an oddly upbeat voiced closing statement:
This is narrated as the soldier now cheerful and wearing his medal proudly, marches off into the sunset before Grimly wishes him luck once more where ever he may be or fighting.
Reception
Hogs Of War was released to mixed reviews. GamespotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
rated the game 5.5, or mediocre . IGN gave a more positive review, scoring 7.4/10.
Sequel
On February 13, 2008 Infogrames announced Hogs of War 2 for Nintendo DSNintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. It was slated for release in April 2009 but was eventually cancelled. During this period Infogrames was experiencing financial problems and was reincorporated as Atari, SA
Atari, SA
Atari SA is an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was originally called Infogrames Entertainment, SA . Its subsidiaries include Atari London Studio, Eden Games, Atari Interactive, Inc...
.