Hogs of War League - Season 7 Patch is Here!

The Latest Patch for all Hogs of War League ISOs is out now. Changes for Season 7 Include:

Pitch Invasion

Map has received an overhaul in design:

• four corner platforms on the Pitch are now interconnected with large bridges, allowing for more diverse methods of play in this new high ground. Existing crates remain, attempts were made to drop crates in up top over time, however the way collision works for bridges would always see crates falling through the bridge so this idea was scrapped. Bridge HP set to indestructible, except for corner pieces that instead have very high HP

• Minefield has been extended across full length of map, however the quantity of mines diminishes the further away from the centre you go. It can be traversed across quite easily by classes that can see the mines

• Additional Jetpack and Rocket crates added either side

• x2 high platforms added on either side in each corner with spawns added on top

Chill Hill

• F-Rain Airstrike crate changed to Rocket. Temporary 'mini ban' of first turn use of Fire weapons will be in place this season as a means to resolve insta-kills via Artilleries

Pigin' Hell

• x4 Jetpack crates added, 2 each dropping on even & odd turns at different points during game to allow for more navigation across the map (are you tough enough to make it across the giant minefield?)

The Lake

• Central spawn moved off the island

Hedge Maze

• Port 1 pigs swapped corners to ensure P1 doesn't always have easy first turn tranquiliser, given Port 2 tends to be bottlenecked on first turn

Graveyard Shift

• All spawns are now mixed, should hopefully feel a little more evenly matched between port 1 & 2. This includes moving P2 off the highest grave mound

Square Off

• Both centre island spawns ports mixed (previously there was a chance two pigs of the same team would spawn on one island, making for easy double kills)

Ice-Flow

• Single spawn ports switched, overall there are more spawns on the low ground than high (7 high, 13 low)

One Small Step for Ham, One Giant Leap for Hamkind

Our troops have been making headway, on the Moon! Rejoice as Hogs of War Lardcore ventures deeper down the lunar rabbit hole!

Pigs in Space is where we make our first landing. New types of set dressing (including those that might make you question whether the whole 'space' thing has really just been hoaxed together by the enemy all along...) have been plotted around the map. The painted outer edges now have a much clearer terrain type distinction, to ensure your squad don't go wandering off and falling into deep craters!

Duck vehicles will also be making a timely appearance here, given this is the only space map to contain water - we felt it only fair for each team to receive one within their starting spawn area. It'll certainly make for quick and easy traversal around the map, because don't forget, bumping into a friendly hog while driving will automatically cause them to jump in with you, plus you can drop them off wherever you like via the 'eject' button in the inventory, amazing!

The biggest development challenge so far has been trying to attain the right feel per setting, as after all, we want each multiplayer map to have three available visual options in Day/Night/Special, but how do you differentiate from that when the core environment is encapsulated in darkness and shiny stars? That's where the dynamic use of colour comes in.

Take Moon Buttes for instance. If Pigs in Space provides a more traditional approach to the types of deep blues and flat white hues you find on a lunar surface - then Buttes is where we really begin to experiment a little more outside of orbit! Greens, Purples, Reds, even Yellow tinges have been played around with, all to try and create an entirely new space feel that is unique, while acting entirely independently from the rest. The 'Night' setting has tended to be the easiest to replicate, because that's where we know the exposure intensity can be cracked up just that little bit more, maybe with some fog to help simulate moon dust, but what about the 'Special' setting?

Such a setting is one that will offer a complete visual curveball for the chosen map. For example, the Special setting for Play Pen sees angry clouds and a torrential downpour of rain, something that is the opposite of what many players are both used to and expecting for such a bright and colourful environment. So for our space maps, why not make them appear as though they are on earth? The inspiration for such an idea actually stems from a time when I first got into Hogs of War modding and managed to get a lunar map running with daytime lighting. It looked horrendous, given that the texture was never meant to be observed under such bright conditions, but it's always been something I've carried into Lardcore.

Cratermass is the main map where an earth-like visual setting seems to make the most sense. At a first glance, it gives the appearance of a trench like system of dugout holes across a sandbag and barbed wire infested battlefield. It's only as you look a little closer and spot the crashed rocket, lunar modules and Swill wells that you realise you are in fact a long way from home. Although, certain other gameplay elements that you find in the sky above also removes you a little from the space theme, like how did birds and a Blimp get into space? Rest assured, we have a few model-switch ideas floating around that we'll be sure to share with the community in due course!

For now though, our focus is on getting the rest of the pig classes put together, which means new hats, helmets and accessories are on the horizon for a future showcase across our social media pages. On top of the new GUI creation, online networking, localisation and testing that goes alongside all that - there's plenty to be cracking on with soldier! Until next time, cheerio!

New Batch of Bacon Arrives for Lardcore!

They're finally here, the new pigs models have arrived!

After many months of waiting, the community can finally gaze upon the splendour that is the updated pig models. Now it must be noted that, as with everything currently in development, these are not the final product, but they are the first of many major steps in getting the pigs where they need to be. Certain class details from the original game could never be ignored, for instances team hats & helmets, the Sniper's glasses, the Commando's black ski mask and the Legend's awesome trench coat. However, as the same character model was often reused between ranks and modes - it has left plenty up to interpretation when designing new ones.

And that story starts with the humble Scout. As the lowest rank within the Espionage Class, defining how this pig should look drew inspiration from the Runners of WW1. At first the sight of shorts, socks and a short sleeve tunic may look odd within the trenches, but tie that up with his cape and satchel and you quickly realise that this class is meant to go fast! Scouting ahead to observe and pick pocket the enemy, before throwing a trusty poison gas for good measure. He's just one of many classes we hope to sprinkle a unique flavour of design upon. You will also notice that the facial animations have also been updated, helping to bring to life these hogs and provide a greater blueprint for the emotion being portrayed. While they still need work, we're happy with how they're coming along.

Now as the middle guy, the Sniper had to remain the one who kept the OG glasses. We've doubled down on the associated details here, camouflaging both his headwear and backpack, while giving him a darker gilet. Colour schemes are always something we're coming back to, as the aim is to stick to some of the original tones for certain teams, for instance earthier browns for the Tommys Trotters, Piggystroika, Uncle Hams Hogs and Sushi Swine, while the more metallic colouring will go to the Sow-A-Krauts and Garlic Grunts. Accessories across all classes will appear in abundance in Hogs of War Lardcore, which will always attempt to remain true to the game's original themes and detail.

The Spy was always a cool dude, but as we mentioned in the video above - do you feel he needs a hat or not? (lets us know what you think in the comments of the vid!). Now I know what you are thinking, those sunglasses look a little.. different? And you'd be right! One tricky area of 3D modelling is ensuring that the additional assets you create are sculpted to fit, in our case the pigs face. Because of the shape and size of the nose - we've had to play around with the style. While it isn't finalised, it does match our original concept art, so works as a strong start! We've prioritised the tertiary tones for his coat and hat, as both the strap around the hat, tunic and trousers still match the chosen team colours.

But what about the maps? Well soldier, I've got some more good news for you. Before the year is up we'll have two more videos coming out, one in November and one in December. Up next you'll be given a much deeper look at our scenery and some of the new systems and effects we have for them, as well as a sneak preview at our menus (finally!). The war rages on for Lardcore, will it ever be over by Christmas? Yes. Which one? That's classified... for now.