This game is also available on PC.
Retro Game Walkthroughs for Hogs of War (PlayStation)
Submitted By: Unknown
Career Paths and Ranks
As you play the missions you will be awarded promotion points which can be used to advance your grunts through the ranks of 4 different specialists. It is important to collect all the promotion points in each level as the number of points required to advance to the next rank increases and you will need a crack squad of top level swine for the final levels. You get 1 PP for completing the level, 1 PP for keeping all your squad alive and there are bonus PPS for completing special tasks during a level. At the end of each area on the map (5 missions) you get extra PPS as well.
Grunt Basic rank with 50 HP and a limited range of weapons
Heavy Weapons Specialist Gunner - Bombardier - Pyrotech These guys are able to use long range weapons like bazookas and mortars. Excellent for attacking from long range.
Engineer Sapper - Engineer - Saboteur Close range explosives experts who can detect mine fields.
Espionage Scout - Sniper - Spy Not visible on the map and able to hide, they use stealth weapons such as poison gas and sniper rifles. They can also hide disguised as crates or trees.
Medic Orderly - Medic - Surgeon They can cure and heal other pigs. They only have a few standard weapons.
All paths lead to the final two ranks Commando They can use jet packs to reach inaccessible areas and they can swim.
Hero The top rank. They have the most health points and can call in powerful air attacks and parachute into remote areas using special ops. They can also heal themselves.
Weapons As with all war toys there is the potential for Ôfriendly fire. Take care that one of your own side is not on the receiving end of a badly placed shot or explosion.
Close Range
===========
Knife
Bayonet
Sword
Shoot To Kill
=============
Pistol
Rifle
Rifle Burst X3
Sniper Rifle
Shotgun
Super Shotgun
Flamethrower
Machine Gun
Heavy Machine Gun
Fire in the Hold!
=================
Grenade
Poison Gas
Cluster Grenade
Shrapnel Grenade
High Explosive Grenade
Long Range
==========
Mortar
Bazooka
Air Cluster
Homing Missile
Rocket Launcher
Guided Missile
Super Air burst
Explosives
==========
TNT
Super TNT (save this to demolish pill boxes and reinforced boxes)
Mines
Anti-P Mines
Call In Reinforcements
======================
Air Strike (aim using the cross hairs and use the R1 and R2 buttons to rotate the direction in which the airship arrives.) Special Ops (parachute into remote areas.) F-Rain Air Strike (napalm.)
Drugs and Cures
===============
Healing Hand (close up cure)
Medicine Ball (a healing grenade)
Medicine Rifle (long distance first aid)
Tranquilliser (puts the enemy to sleep
so they miss a turn)
Self heal (only for heroes)
Espionage
=========
Pick Pocket (steal an opponent's weapon)
Hide (makes you invisible to the enemy)
Airborne
========
Jet Pack (remember to press X to eject the pack before you parachute to the ground. The pack can damage anything on the ground so it can be used as a weapon but can also destroy valuable crates you may be trying to reach)
Last Resort
===========
All pigs explode when they die, so beware but if all else fails use the Suicide option to take them with you.
Miscellaneous
=============
There are shelters where you can take refuge, tanks that you can use to move around and attack the enemy, pill boxes and gun turrets can be occupied if they are empty and used against the opposition.
Hints and Tips
==============
Early in the game water is harmful as the pigs can't swim. Use TNT or mines to send pigs into the water so that they drown or lose HP whilst swimming to safety.
Cluster grenades can be deadly on a group of pigs. Press X to detonate the
grenade and X again to explode the cluster.
Plan of Action
==============
Make sure you have a plan before you start each pig off on their turn, Time is limited and gets shorter in later missions.
To see all the FMV scenes on the game use the team name PRYING PIGS, use the team name WATTA PORK to see an extra scene. Use MARDY PIGS to unlock the secret Team Lard.
The Missions
============
Boot Camp
Follow the instructions to get used to the basic controls and use of weapons
Hogs Head
1. War Foundation Just find and kill the 3 enemy pigs. Use grenades for practice and try to blow them into the water.
2. Routine Patrol Lots of stuff to pick up and if you have an engineer you can practice using the TNT to blow up the enemy.
3. Trench Warfare Keep away from the skull and crossbones signs as these indicate a minefield. Try using your engineer and his mines to blow pigs up and onto the minefields. There are some cluster grenades in the crates.
4. Morning Glory There is only one way across the river to your right. Try to blow pigs onto the mines using bazookas or grenades. Don't stand close to the water or in a group as the enemy will do the same to you (this is good general advice throughout the game.) There are mortars in the crates.
5. Island Invasion You can't reach the island so you will need to do some accurate long range shooting. There is a spy hidden in a crate.
Saustralia
6. Under Siege Use grenades to blow the pigs up on the hills into the minefield. Use your engineer to negotiate the mine field to pick up the crate. Watch out for the enemy snipers. Pick up all the health crates in the camp.
7. Communications Breakdown Use the high ground to bombard the pill boxes or you can make a daring dash to grab the Super TNT in the crates and blow them up. Keep well out of range of the pill box guns.
8. The Spying Game Practice your jumping skills using the Square button to get your squad over to the mainland. Watch out for spies hidden in the foliage and use the MASH tent to heal yourself if necessary.
9. The Village People. Use your engineer to get through the minefield to pick up the PP and a jet pack that will get him to the island and an air strike. Accurate use of the mortar is essential on this level.
10. Bangers ÔN Mash You need to take the long scenic route to get to the gun turrets. Use super TNT to blow the crate with the extra PP and the MASH tent if required.
Trotsville
11. Saving Private Rind Use an Engineer to get the PP in the minefield and the jet pack from the prison camp to get to the air strike on the tall pillar.
12. Just Deserts Try to cause as much damage to the enemy tanks using air bursts when they are all grouped together. Once they are all gone you can use an engineer to get the PP from the minefield. Try to grab the air strike that drops down as a crate on the left of the battlefield before they do.
13. Glacier Guns You need to get rid of all the gun turrets (anti-p mines are good for this.) Use a jet pack to reach the extra PP on the ledge and collect the goodies that are dropped each time you destroy a turret.
14. Battle Stations It is relatively easy to mortar the enemy bases but before you destroy them completely use an engineer to negotiate the minefield to get to the extra PP and the homing missiles on the very top of the hill.
15. Fortified Swine Don't destroy the wine store by accidentally detonating the barrels next to it. Use a commando with a jet pack to get to the island to destroy the stolen hardware. Watch out for mines as you sneak over the bridge.
Bellyopolis
16. Over the Top You need to destroy the guns to get your extra PPS but before you do you can jet pack up there and occupy them.
17. Geneva Convention You must destroy all the MASH tents to get your extra PP (NOTE there is a bug in this level which means you can only ever get 1 bonus PP even though 2 are shown.)
18. I Spy Use the super TNT to blow up the container with the extra PPS in it. Time is short and there are lots of spies hidden in the area.
19. Chemical Compound Take out the chemical transporters (hitting the barrels next to them helps in their destruction.) Use jet packs to reach the air strike in the crate in the minefield and the rocket launcher on the hill top. Make sure you save at least 1 jet pack to reach the final extra PP up on the mountain ledge.
20. Achilles Heal Just the one MASH tent to destroy but loads of surgeons who can heal each other and are deadly with grenades. Keep one pig back at base to pick up the stuff that drops down and the extra PPS. If some brave soul reaches the drop zone near the tent he will be rewarded with HE grenades.
Astria
21. High and Dry Destroy all the outhouses (including the one on your side of the area) and you will get 3 extra PPS. Blow the door of the storage shed early on with some TNT so you can collect the guided missiles that get dropped. Hide in the shelters if injured.
22. Assassination You need to blow the gates or use a jet pack to get out of the fortress. Try to hi-jack the gun turret when its occupant leaves. Make sure you pick up the air strikes in the far left of the area. Keep some jet packs or special ops in reserve to collect the extra PPS when they arrive.
23. Hero Worship Get away from your landing zone as soon as possible as they enemy are all heroes and can call in air strikes. Swim and hide. Long range attacks and air strikes should destroy their base and the enemy themselves. Use jet packs and special ops to reach the extra PPS at the far end of the level and on the hilltop when they get dropped.
24. Hamburger Hill Loads of enemies. As you get rid of them extra PPS arrive.
Isle of Swill
25. Well, Well, Well You are up against Legends here who can call up Air Strikes and F-Rain Air Strikes. Grab the health crates near the wells, if you manage to destroy a well you will get some extra supplies. Watch out for the green pools which are poisonous (use this to your advantage if you blow an enemy pig into them.) You need to have 5 heroes in your team to have any chance of finishing this level. I have not made it so far and would welcome any tips from somebody who has!
As you play the missions you will be awarded promotion points which can be used to advance your grunts through the ranks of 4 different specialists. It is important to collect all the promotion points in each level as the number of points required to advance to the next rank increases and you will need a crack squad of top level swine for the final levels. You get 1 PP for completing the level, 1 PP for keeping all your squad alive and there are bonus PPS for completing special tasks during a level. At the end of each area on the map (5 missions) you get extra PPS as well.
Grunt Basic rank with 50 HP and a limited range of weapons
Heavy Weapons Specialist Gunner - Bombardier - Pyrotech These guys are able to use long range weapons like bazookas and mortars. Excellent for attacking from long range.
Engineer Sapper - Engineer - Saboteur Close range explosives experts who can detect mine fields.
Espionage Scout - Sniper - Spy Not visible on the map and able to hide, they use stealth weapons such as poison gas and sniper rifles. They can also hide disguised as crates or trees.
Medic Orderly - Medic - Surgeon They can cure and heal other pigs. They only have a few standard weapons.
All paths lead to the final two ranks Commando They can use jet packs to reach inaccessible areas and they can swim.
Hero The top rank. They have the most health points and can call in powerful air attacks and parachute into remote areas using special ops. They can also heal themselves.
Weapons As with all war toys there is the potential for Ôfriendly fire. Take care that one of your own side is not on the receiving end of a badly placed shot or explosion.
Close Range
===========
Knife
Bayonet
Sword
Shoot To Kill
=============
Pistol
Rifle
Rifle Burst X3
Sniper Rifle
Shotgun
Super Shotgun
Flamethrower
Machine Gun
Heavy Machine Gun
Fire in the Hold!
=================
Grenade
Poison Gas
Cluster Grenade
Shrapnel Grenade
High Explosive Grenade
Long Range
==========
Mortar
Bazooka
Air Cluster
Homing Missile
Rocket Launcher
Guided Missile
Super Air burst
Explosives
==========
TNT
Super TNT (save this to demolish pill boxes and reinforced boxes)
Mines
Anti-P Mines
Call In Reinforcements
======================
Air Strike (aim using the cross hairs and use the R1 and R2 buttons to rotate the direction in which the airship arrives.) Special Ops (parachute into remote areas.) F-Rain Air Strike (napalm.)
Drugs and Cures
===============
Healing Hand (close up cure)
Medicine Ball (a healing grenade)
Medicine Rifle (long distance first aid)
Tranquilliser (puts the enemy to sleep
so they miss a turn)
Self heal (only for heroes)
Espionage
=========
Pick Pocket (steal an opponent's weapon)
Hide (makes you invisible to the enemy)
Airborne
========
Jet Pack (remember to press X to eject the pack before you parachute to the ground. The pack can damage anything on the ground so it can be used as a weapon but can also destroy valuable crates you may be trying to reach)
Last Resort
===========
All pigs explode when they die, so beware but if all else fails use the Suicide option to take them with you.
Miscellaneous
=============
There are shelters where you can take refuge, tanks that you can use to move around and attack the enemy, pill boxes and gun turrets can be occupied if they are empty and used against the opposition.
Hints and Tips
==============
Early in the game water is harmful as the pigs can't swim. Use TNT or mines to send pigs into the water so that they drown or lose HP whilst swimming to safety.
Cluster grenades can be deadly on a group of pigs. Press X to detonate the
grenade and X again to explode the cluster.
Plan of Action
==============
Make sure you have a plan before you start each pig off on their turn, Time is limited and gets shorter in later missions.
To see all the FMV scenes on the game use the team name PRYING PIGS, use the team name WATTA PORK to see an extra scene. Use MARDY PIGS to unlock the secret Team Lard.
The Missions
============
Boot Camp
Follow the instructions to get used to the basic controls and use of weapons
Hogs Head
1. War Foundation Just find and kill the 3 enemy pigs. Use grenades for practice and try to blow them into the water.
2. Routine Patrol Lots of stuff to pick up and if you have an engineer you can practice using the TNT to blow up the enemy.
3. Trench Warfare Keep away from the skull and crossbones signs as these indicate a minefield. Try using your engineer and his mines to blow pigs up and onto the minefields. There are some cluster grenades in the crates.
4. Morning Glory There is only one way across the river to your right. Try to blow pigs onto the mines using bazookas or grenades. Don't stand close to the water or in a group as the enemy will do the same to you (this is good general advice throughout the game.) There are mortars in the crates.
5. Island Invasion You can't reach the island so you will need to do some accurate long range shooting. There is a spy hidden in a crate.
Saustralia
6. Under Siege Use grenades to blow the pigs up on the hills into the minefield. Use your engineer to negotiate the mine field to pick up the crate. Watch out for the enemy snipers. Pick up all the health crates in the camp.
7. Communications Breakdown Use the high ground to bombard the pill boxes or you can make a daring dash to grab the Super TNT in the crates and blow them up. Keep well out of range of the pill box guns.
8. The Spying Game Practice your jumping skills using the Square button to get your squad over to the mainland. Watch out for spies hidden in the foliage and use the MASH tent to heal yourself if necessary.
9. The Village People. Use your engineer to get through the minefield to pick up the PP and a jet pack that will get him to the island and an air strike. Accurate use of the mortar is essential on this level.
10. Bangers ÔN Mash You need to take the long scenic route to get to the gun turrets. Use super TNT to blow the crate with the extra PP and the MASH tent if required.
Trotsville
11. Saving Private Rind Use an Engineer to get the PP in the minefield and the jet pack from the prison camp to get to the air strike on the tall pillar.
12. Just Deserts Try to cause as much damage to the enemy tanks using air bursts when they are all grouped together. Once they are all gone you can use an engineer to get the PP from the minefield. Try to grab the air strike that drops down as a crate on the left of the battlefield before they do.
13. Glacier Guns You need to get rid of all the gun turrets (anti-p mines are good for this.) Use a jet pack to reach the extra PP on the ledge and collect the goodies that are dropped each time you destroy a turret.
14. Battle Stations It is relatively easy to mortar the enemy bases but before you destroy them completely use an engineer to negotiate the minefield to get to the extra PP and the homing missiles on the very top of the hill.
15. Fortified Swine Don't destroy the wine store by accidentally detonating the barrels next to it. Use a commando with a jet pack to get to the island to destroy the stolen hardware. Watch out for mines as you sneak over the bridge.
Bellyopolis
16. Over the Top You need to destroy the guns to get your extra PPS but before you do you can jet pack up there and occupy them.
17. Geneva Convention You must destroy all the MASH tents to get your extra PP (NOTE there is a bug in this level which means you can only ever get 1 bonus PP even though 2 are shown.)
18. I Spy Use the super TNT to blow up the container with the extra PPS in it. Time is short and there are lots of spies hidden in the area.
19. Chemical Compound Take out the chemical transporters (hitting the barrels next to them helps in their destruction.) Use jet packs to reach the air strike in the crate in the minefield and the rocket launcher on the hill top. Make sure you save at least 1 jet pack to reach the final extra PP up on the mountain ledge.
20. Achilles Heal Just the one MASH tent to destroy but loads of surgeons who can heal each other and are deadly with grenades. Keep one pig back at base to pick up the stuff that drops down and the extra PPS. If some brave soul reaches the drop zone near the tent he will be rewarded with HE grenades.
Astria
21. High and Dry Destroy all the outhouses (including the one on your side of the area) and you will get 3 extra PPS. Blow the door of the storage shed early on with some TNT so you can collect the guided missiles that get dropped. Hide in the shelters if injured.
22. Assassination You need to blow the gates or use a jet pack to get out of the fortress. Try to hi-jack the gun turret when its occupant leaves. Make sure you pick up the air strikes in the far left of the area. Keep some jet packs or special ops in reserve to collect the extra PPS when they arrive.
23. Hero Worship Get away from your landing zone as soon as possible as they enemy are all heroes and can call in air strikes. Swim and hide. Long range attacks and air strikes should destroy their base and the enemy themselves. Use jet packs and special ops to reach the extra PPS at the far end of the level and on the hilltop when they get dropped.
24. Hamburger Hill Loads of enemies. As you get rid of them extra PPS arrive.
Isle of Swill
25. Well, Well, Well You are up against Legends here who can call up Air Strikes and F-Rain Air Strikes. Grab the health crates near the wells, if you manage to destroy a well you will get some extra supplies. Watch out for the green pools which are poisonous (use this to your advantage if you blow an enemy pig into them.) You need to have 5 heroes in your team to have any chance of finishing this level. I have not made it so far and would welcome any tips from somebody who has!
Submitted By: cdm75
CHOOSING A TEAM.
Don't bother with Medics as there's plenty of health to be found, but do have 1 Engineer for safely crossing minefields. My best team has 1 Engineer, 2 Espionage and 2 Heavy Weapons. I have completed this game with all pigs in all career modes, and here is a brief assessment of the pros and cons:
ESPIONAGE - the easiest, but very dull. You pick pockets, hide, poison and use Sniper Rifles. Lack of heavy weapons is frustrating, as you'll wish you could kill the enemy more quickly. When Mortars do come along, you may even be out of practise! TNT and Cattle Prod ensure some good tactical play. Highlight - picking the pockets of enemy Spies and winning their Pickpocket so you can strip them bare of weapons. Satisfaction 4/10. Difficulty 3/10.
ENGINEER - hard, and slightly dull. You can lay a mine on a pig and then TNT another. You don't need all pigs to cross minefields and there are no long range weapons. You can employ good tactics. Highlight - using the Super Shotgun to catapult the enemy far away. Satisfaction 5/10 Difficulty 7/10.
MEDIC - very hard and extremely dull. You have to rely on weapons in crates and stay fairly near one another to heal easily. Rifle Burst takes 45 pts off a pig and Grenade is 30 and that's it! It really drags on! Highlight - promotion to Commando! Satisfaction 3/10 Difficulty 8/10.
HEAVY WEAPONS - not that hard, but good fun. Mortar can take 110 pts off the area it hits. Flamethrower makes easy work of tanks/artilleries etc. Not much for flipping the enemy onto mines etc. If you can aim and use the Bazooka, you're okay. Highlight - using Air Burst and Flamethrower. Satisfaction 9/10 Difficulty 6/10.
GENERAL HINTS AND TIPS.
1.Getting lost or confused by the mini-map and struggling to form a plan? Press pause and the camera zooms across the map allowing you to see what there is and how you might get around quickly.
2. Don't leave yourself open to attack. Stand way back with your Gunners and use trees, hills, ditches etc to avoid Heavy Machine Gun fire from Pillboxes. Use bridges to Snipe from. Standing in front of water is a good (though double-edged) tactic I use - amazing how often enemy Mortar (and TNT) would cause severe damage, only to fall like a dud into the water.
3.Pick off stragglers with one-hit methods, ie. use TNT or Super Shotgun to push enemy far across water or towards minefields and even (if they're high up, near the edge of the screen and the screen slopes away downwards) off the screen itself! Cluster Grenades can take at least 85pts off. Be the first in the artillery and use the 1000lb shell for 100pts. Flip them back towards a group of pigs. Use the Jet Pack to kill weak pigs.
4.Use the right weapons when the enemy is grouped together, eg. Mortar, Bazooka, Air Burst, Air Strike, Heavy Machine Gun all do serious damage. Use Flamethrower when they're backed against a wall.
5.Come to the aid of a sick pig by putting a healthier pig in his line of fire. Heal yourself, be healed, hide or shoot from long range to stay alive. Stand away from the sick pig and right up close to the enemy, even if it means taking a TNT!
6.Try chain reaction kills! Instead of trying to quickly dispose of a cluster of enemies by using TNT, which may flip some to safety, concentrate on killing one, and let his explosion kill his nighbour. Well over 100pts can be taken off a pig in a group of six (maximum 6 x 20 = 120) just by everybody dieing next to him.
7.Pick the pockets of enemy Spies to leave them weaponless, then concentrate on the others. If you take too long killing the unarmed pig, a Bazooka will drop to him!
8.If possible, spend the first few turns collecting all the crates so they don't fall into enemy hands or get blown up. Collect any medals immediately too, even if you have to Jet Pack.
9.Observe the enemy. If you've just been hit by a superb Mortar shot, use the exact coordinates to hit him back! Note the cross hair and direction of an Air Strike attack. If you're high up and near the edge of the screen, see how the enemy positions TNT to blast you off. If you're health drops below 20 and you limp slowly, you may think it unwise to use TNT and retreat safely - wrong! I noticed an enemy pig limping towards me and I laughed when I saw him laying TNT - I laughed again when I saw him running away backwards as if his health was full. So, if you need to travel far with a wounded pig to get round the corner to lay TNT or use the Sniper Rifle, do so by running backwards!
10.Select a decoy pig. There is nothing you can do to pevent the enemy taking four shots at your pigs, until you have time to either hide them, or place them in a tank, pillbox etc. By that time, one may well have been taken out - 3 Sniper Rifle shots on a Spy kills him. Why not get loaded up with all the available health and place this pig amongst the enemy so that they go for him? If you can stand next to the enemy who will take his turn last, then the enemy pigs before him will think better of using heavy explosive weapons. I have stood next to Gunners, and they haven't used Bazooka; instead, they shoot me with a Pistol and take only 25pts off. Meanwhile, your other pigs can collect medals and weapons crates, and take up commanding positions or get into vehicles/artilerries etc.
11. If you like the team I suggested above, then take turns in this order: use Spies first to pick pockets and try to steal from other spies to steal their pickpockets. Use your other Spy to steal whats left. Note if your enemy is unarmed, you will waste a go. Remember the enemy are sometimes hidden on the first turn, and a Spy can still steal from a Spy hidden in a box or as a tree.
Use the Engineer to safely navigate the minefields to get medals and crates etc. Let the Spies go first and rob the enemy. Don't waste Mines and TNT on pigs hidden in boxes. Go in after the Spies and lay a Mine and then a TNT, making sure to flip them well away from where your Engineer will end up, and then get well clear of your Heavy Weapons pigs.
Stand well back with the Heavy weapons pigs and use Mortar attacks. Pay attention to the power and angle of fire, not just by your pigs, but also the enemy pigs. Leave the cross hair where it is and if your shot is too short, move froward the distance you missed by. Try to use the Air Burst at the first opportunity; drive it directly at the enemy, erring on the higher side. If you have aimed far too high, then at least press X when the shell is directly above the target to detonate the small bombs.
Promote your Engineer to Commando first. You may miss the Super Shotgun, but not much else. Promote the Pyrotechnics to Commando next. Losing the Flamethrower and Mortar is only a slight loss! Finally, promote the Spies last. I do miss not having the Pick pocket!
THE GOOD NEWS:
Many are aware of the glitch in the game on Mission 17 The Geneva Convention, in which it seems impossible to get the Bonus Medals, and therfore not have a complete team of Heroes for the final mission.
However, on Mission 23 Hero Worship, I have devised a method which makes it easy to get an extra medal for you to have enough promotion points to get a team of Heroes. Ironically, though it is easy, it took me ages, due to my own bludering, to finally do it. Of course, you play with "Tommy's Trotters", and if you complete the last level without losing a single pig, (I did this for the first time last week) then as a survival bonus, you are then able to play with the team "Mardie Pigs" all the way through the game again. Tommy's Trotters now own all the islands of Saustralasia, and it is against them that you now must battle. But, this time round, it is much harder, the enemy pigs occupy much higher ranks than the first time round and their aiming is incredibly accurate. The method used on Mission 23 when playing the game the second time round, enabled me to discover with ease how to get the extra medal. I will start a new game to see if it still works, but I'm sure it will - the Missions have been identical, except for the pigs being harder to kill. I am yet to complete Mission 24 Hamburger Hill, but I know when I do, that I will have enough medals.
However, this information will be provided in HOGS OF WAR. Part 2: The Walkthrough.
Bye for now and good luck!
P.S. Have faith!!
Don't bother with Medics as there's plenty of health to be found, but do have 1 Engineer for safely crossing minefields. My best team has 1 Engineer, 2 Espionage and 2 Heavy Weapons. I have completed this game with all pigs in all career modes, and here is a brief assessment of the pros and cons:
ESPIONAGE - the easiest, but very dull. You pick pockets, hide, poison and use Sniper Rifles. Lack of heavy weapons is frustrating, as you'll wish you could kill the enemy more quickly. When Mortars do come along, you may even be out of practise! TNT and Cattle Prod ensure some good tactical play. Highlight - picking the pockets of enemy Spies and winning their Pickpocket so you can strip them bare of weapons. Satisfaction 4/10. Difficulty 3/10.
ENGINEER - hard, and slightly dull. You can lay a mine on a pig and then TNT another. You don't need all pigs to cross minefields and there are no long range weapons. You can employ good tactics. Highlight - using the Super Shotgun to catapult the enemy far away. Satisfaction 5/10 Difficulty 7/10.
MEDIC - very hard and extremely dull. You have to rely on weapons in crates and stay fairly near one another to heal easily. Rifle Burst takes 45 pts off a pig and Grenade is 30 and that's it! It really drags on! Highlight - promotion to Commando! Satisfaction 3/10 Difficulty 8/10.
HEAVY WEAPONS - not that hard, but good fun. Mortar can take 110 pts off the area it hits. Flamethrower makes easy work of tanks/artilleries etc. Not much for flipping the enemy onto mines etc. If you can aim and use the Bazooka, you're okay. Highlight - using Air Burst and Flamethrower. Satisfaction 9/10 Difficulty 6/10.
GENERAL HINTS AND TIPS.
1.Getting lost or confused by the mini-map and struggling to form a plan? Press pause and the camera zooms across the map allowing you to see what there is and how you might get around quickly.
2. Don't leave yourself open to attack. Stand way back with your Gunners and use trees, hills, ditches etc to avoid Heavy Machine Gun fire from Pillboxes. Use bridges to Snipe from. Standing in front of water is a good (though double-edged) tactic I use - amazing how often enemy Mortar (and TNT) would cause severe damage, only to fall like a dud into the water.
3.Pick off stragglers with one-hit methods, ie. use TNT or Super Shotgun to push enemy far across water or towards minefields and even (if they're high up, near the edge of the screen and the screen slopes away downwards) off the screen itself! Cluster Grenades can take at least 85pts off. Be the first in the artillery and use the 1000lb shell for 100pts. Flip them back towards a group of pigs. Use the Jet Pack to kill weak pigs.
4.Use the right weapons when the enemy is grouped together, eg. Mortar, Bazooka, Air Burst, Air Strike, Heavy Machine Gun all do serious damage. Use Flamethrower when they're backed against a wall.
5.Come to the aid of a sick pig by putting a healthier pig in his line of fire. Heal yourself, be healed, hide or shoot from long range to stay alive. Stand away from the sick pig and right up close to the enemy, even if it means taking a TNT!
6.Try chain reaction kills! Instead of trying to quickly dispose of a cluster of enemies by using TNT, which may flip some to safety, concentrate on killing one, and let his explosion kill his nighbour. Well over 100pts can be taken off a pig in a group of six (maximum 6 x 20 = 120) just by everybody dieing next to him.
7.Pick the pockets of enemy Spies to leave them weaponless, then concentrate on the others. If you take too long killing the unarmed pig, a Bazooka will drop to him!
8.If possible, spend the first few turns collecting all the crates so they don't fall into enemy hands or get blown up. Collect any medals immediately too, even if you have to Jet Pack.
9.Observe the enemy. If you've just been hit by a superb Mortar shot, use the exact coordinates to hit him back! Note the cross hair and direction of an Air Strike attack. If you're high up and near the edge of the screen, see how the enemy positions TNT to blast you off. If you're health drops below 20 and you limp slowly, you may think it unwise to use TNT and retreat safely - wrong! I noticed an enemy pig limping towards me and I laughed when I saw him laying TNT - I laughed again when I saw him running away backwards as if his health was full. So, if you need to travel far with a wounded pig to get round the corner to lay TNT or use the Sniper Rifle, do so by running backwards!
10.Select a decoy pig. There is nothing you can do to pevent the enemy taking four shots at your pigs, until you have time to either hide them, or place them in a tank, pillbox etc. By that time, one may well have been taken out - 3 Sniper Rifle shots on a Spy kills him. Why not get loaded up with all the available health and place this pig amongst the enemy so that they go for him? If you can stand next to the enemy who will take his turn last, then the enemy pigs before him will think better of using heavy explosive weapons. I have stood next to Gunners, and they haven't used Bazooka; instead, they shoot me with a Pistol and take only 25pts off. Meanwhile, your other pigs can collect medals and weapons crates, and take up commanding positions or get into vehicles/artilerries etc.
11. If you like the team I suggested above, then take turns in this order: use Spies first to pick pockets and try to steal from other spies to steal their pickpockets. Use your other Spy to steal whats left. Note if your enemy is unarmed, you will waste a go. Remember the enemy are sometimes hidden on the first turn, and a Spy can still steal from a Spy hidden in a box or as a tree.
Use the Engineer to safely navigate the minefields to get medals and crates etc. Let the Spies go first and rob the enemy. Don't waste Mines and TNT on pigs hidden in boxes. Go in after the Spies and lay a Mine and then a TNT, making sure to flip them well away from where your Engineer will end up, and then get well clear of your Heavy Weapons pigs.
Stand well back with the Heavy weapons pigs and use Mortar attacks. Pay attention to the power and angle of fire, not just by your pigs, but also the enemy pigs. Leave the cross hair where it is and if your shot is too short, move froward the distance you missed by. Try to use the Air Burst at the first opportunity; drive it directly at the enemy, erring on the higher side. If you have aimed far too high, then at least press X when the shell is directly above the target to detonate the small bombs.
Promote your Engineer to Commando first. You may miss the Super Shotgun, but not much else. Promote the Pyrotechnics to Commando next. Losing the Flamethrower and Mortar is only a slight loss! Finally, promote the Spies last. I do miss not having the Pick pocket!
THE GOOD NEWS:
Many are aware of the glitch in the game on Mission 17 The Geneva Convention, in which it seems impossible to get the Bonus Medals, and therfore not have a complete team of Heroes for the final mission.
However, on Mission 23 Hero Worship, I have devised a method which makes it easy to get an extra medal for you to have enough promotion points to get a team of Heroes. Ironically, though it is easy, it took me ages, due to my own bludering, to finally do it. Of course, you play with "Tommy's Trotters", and if you complete the last level without losing a single pig, (I did this for the first time last week) then as a survival bonus, you are then able to play with the team "Mardie Pigs" all the way through the game again. Tommy's Trotters now own all the islands of Saustralasia, and it is against them that you now must battle. But, this time round, it is much harder, the enemy pigs occupy much higher ranks than the first time round and their aiming is incredibly accurate. The method used on Mission 23 when playing the game the second time round, enabled me to discover with ease how to get the extra medal. I will start a new game to see if it still works, but I'm sure it will - the Missions have been identical, except for the pigs being harder to kill. I am yet to complete Mission 24 Hamburger Hill, but I know when I do, that I will have enough medals.
However, this information will be provided in HOGS OF WAR. Part 2: The Walkthrough.
Bye for now and good luck!
P.S. Have faith!!