Well, Well, Well, haven't we been busy! Hogs of War Lardcore is now fully equipped with a set of brand new options that can assist you across the battlefields of Saustralasia.
Headshot Damage: previously an entirely unused setting leftover from the original game, all bullet based weapons will now deal extra damage on headshot (note that this does not include healing items like the Medical Darts!). When turned on this sees:
Pistol, Rifle, Tranquiliser & Machine Gun damage increase from 20 > 25
Rifle Burst damage increase (per shot) from 15 > 18
Shotgun (including its Super' variant) damage increase from 30 > 38
Sniper Rifle, Heavy MG & Pillbox MG damage increase from 40 > 50
Regular damage numbers will be scored if the bullet does not hit the pigs head when turned on, or if headshot damage is turned off in the settings menu.
3D/2D Minimap: Alongside maintaining the game's original 3D minimap style, we've also introduced the option to change this piece of UI to a newly designed 2D style. This top down approach provides players with a different perspective on how to navigate around any given map, while still including key details like the location of map crates and resources. Expect to see more future updates to the 2D minimap going forward!
Mirrored Mode: So as it turns out, the way the original game looks is actually Hogs running in mirrored mode! At some point in the late 90s the decision was made to flip the game's visuals to what we now know, leaving the unmirrored version out entirely. So we've decided to bring it back, providing players with the ability to switch between the two. The unmirrored view completely changes the way the player must navigate around the maps and approach gameplay, as we hope it provides yet another avenue of exploration and layer of depth to both modes of Single and Multiplayer.
Mirrored View (how the original game was released)
Unmirrored View (how the game was intended to look before being flipped)
Both mirrored & unmirrored views will be available in Lardcore!
Colourblind Icons: Having observed the pitfalls of other game titles and developers, our approach to providing an accessibility option for colourblind players simply required the question - what part of gameplay in Hogs is most important to distinguish? Why, the teams of course! Rather than attempting to apply coloured filters that could negatively impact Lardcore's details - we instead began experimenting with basic shapes that could be used to identify who is who.
This approach was then expanded further via the idea of having team specific icons that maintain Hogs's original stereotypical representation. When turned on within the frontend menu - a key will become available for player's to famililarise themselves with which icon represents which team, as this listing will also be accessible within the Pause Menu in game as well (in case you forget!).
The icons will appear above the head of each pig, growing and shrinking in size depending on the camera's distance to whichever pig. And remember, if you don't see a name, rank or icon floating above the head of a nearby Espionage pig - then they are the enemy!
New Control Options: Alongside the original Vibration setting, our Controls screen now brings you two additional choices.
Inverted Aiming (On/Off): whenever you scope in with a bullet based weapon in the original game - you will note that the up and down inputs via the D-Pad are inverted. For most veteran players this is normal, but its not everyone's cup of tea, so in Lardcore you'll have the ability to turn it off at your leisure.
Aim Assist (On/Off): the ability to aim consistently in Hogs is perhaps one of the hardest things to do, even for those troops with a little more experience on the battlefield. Because of this, we needed to provide a method of assistance when using power and angle based weapons. So, when Aim Assist is turned on, you will now be greater by the appearance of a marker that will pinpoint in real time where your angles are going to hit, while appearing after the X button has been held down for power weapons.
Previously troublesome angled weapons like the Mortar (including it's Aquatank variant) should now be a piece of cake to use and understand, as that's the key part we hope this new setting will bring newer players.
Long term we would like to create a new method of navigation for the pigs, given that not everyone enjoys the original tank controls, as once again its our hope to provide the fanbase with the best of both worlds.
As the end of another year in the trenches approaches, Saustralasia awaits news from the front as to when Lardcore will release, and we're happy to say that such news is close at hand, along with several other very special announcements that will be coming before 2026 is up. Till then, its bye for now!
Unknown to the enemy, our troops have been receiving a major overhaul in design behind the scenes. Along with cleaning up our existing animation rig, each individual pig class and their subsequent ranks now have their own unique headwear, gear and accessories!
To start with, we've taken on the Community's suggestion of fattening up our Hogs a little, with the Grunt appearing as the chunkiest of all! After all, it only makes sense that new recruits would be a little out of shape, no?
Promote into the Heavy Weapons Class however and you'll find plenty of pigs that need to be in shape to perform their critical tasks on the battlefield. Our inspiration for the updated Gunner and Bombardier designs stem from the beefy WW1 chaps that manned the Artillery units and Machine Gun posts in No-Mans-Land, with the Gunner carrying an ammo belt and the Bombardier with several shells on his back. There's a clear upgrade in both headwear and attire here too, with the early war hats being upgraded to more solid helmet protection, while the lighter breaches are replaced with the heavier 'Lobster' armour. As is common throughout Hogs - the influence from WW2 is not missed either, as the newer helmets, depending on the team used, are modelled around that time period.
The final Heavy rank of Pyrotechnic differs substantially from the other two, as his designs helps establish him into the fire wielding expert role. His protective suit and gloves, along with the canister on his back, allow him to bring the flamethrower heat to any who stand in his way, while the mask adds a touch of mystery, hiding the crazed hog within!
We've showcased the majority of the Espionage pig designs previously, as the only big changes here come in the form of the Spy. Once again, we've taken the Community's suggestions onboard and gone with what made him iconic in the first place, so for Singleplayer you'll see him without a hat, but he'll be maintaining the suave trenchcoat and shades. As you'll be seeing in future, we'll be repurposing some of the unused cosmetics from Singleplayer into Multiplayer!
So what about the most explosive of the base classes? Well, the Engineering pig designs stem from a more civilian background. During the First World War, miners were instrumental in getting underneath enemy positions and blowing them sky high. They weren't out to impress with any kind of fancy uniform, nor did they have the time to haul around any heavy protective equipment or attire, so this is something we've been keen to encapsulate in that link to civilian life. The civvy breaches, basic cap and shovel of the Sapper show his intention right off the bat, while the more upper class Engineer and Saboteur see a visual upgrade to both their accessories and cleanliness!
And finally we come to perhaps the most important role of all - The Medical Class. What's most apparent here, especially when compared to the original game's medical hog, is the heavier use of white/off white clothing alongside the usual team coloured uniform.
This has been an area our team debated for some time, given the need for ALL pigs types to be easily readable from a distance. Sure, white is easy to spot from far away, but one thing we've always had in the back of our minds has been - what about those player's who suffer from some form colour vision deficiency? How would having a class that uses such a neutral colour affect their ability to read and tell which team they belong to? Because of this, we've carefully ensured that each accessory, whether it be a hot water bottle, medical pouch or pack, is clearly shown in the necessary team colour, furthering the player's ability to identify them successfully while paired with the existing HUD text colouring.
But we're not done yet soldier! Stay tuned for our next devlog video that'll be showcasing our elite singleplayer classes of the Commando, Hero and Legend, not to mention the brand new Ace Class and the multiplayer pigs in future too. Exciting times ahead, but do remember not to tell the enemy this time, loose lips sinks ships!
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)
