Hammer & Sickle
Encyclopedia
Hammer & Sickle is a tactical role-playing game
for the PC, co-developed by the Russia
-based companies Novik&Co and Nival Interactive and published by CDV in 2005. The game is set in the same universe (and runs on the same game engine
) as Silent Storm
, an earlier product by the same company.
The player takes on the role of a Soviet
commando
assigned to operate behind British-American lines in 1949 post-World War II
Germany. Germany has recently been divided between Soviet and Western zones, the Cold War
has just begun, and the Americans still have a monopoly on the atomic bomb.
The player can assign feats for his team members with each level-up as well as outfit them with disguises for moving through towns without attracting attention. A wide range of authentic weapons of the era can also be scavenged from dead enemies to outfit the player's team as well as bought and sold for cash.
As with Silent Storm, nearly all structures are completely destructible with enough firepower. Hammer & Sickle also employs ragdoll physics
for bodies according to the precise velocity of an impact. Fully three dimensional
mapping allows for obstruction calculations and cover effects from all angles, bullets ricochet and their stopping power depends on the weapon. Things are somewhat exaggerated for a more cinematic experience.
company T-time Technology translated and released the international Chinese edition of Hammer & Sickle under the name 谍报菁英 on March 18, 2006.
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
for the PC, co-developed by the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
-based companies Novik&Co and Nival Interactive and published by CDV in 2005. The game is set in the same universe (and runs on the same game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
) as Silent Storm
Silent Storm
Silent Storm is a tactical role-playing game for Microsoft Windows, developed by Russian developer Nival Interactive and published by JoWood in 2003. The game is set in World War II Europe. The player commands a team of up to six elite soldiers on the Axis or Allied side, undertaking a variety of...
, an earlier product by the same company.
The player takes on the role of a Soviet
Soviet Armed Forces
The Soviet Armed Forces, also called the Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Armed Forces of the Soviet Union refers to the armed forces of the Russian SFSR , and Soviet Union from their beginnings in the...
commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
assigned to operate behind British-American lines in 1949 post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Germany. Germany has recently been divided between Soviet and Western zones, the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
has just begun, and the Americans still have a monopoly on the atomic bomb.
Features
The game features an open ended storyline whereby the player's actions determine the course of the game. The player also has significant control over the movement of his team between game maps and the passage of time, both of which also have an impact on the storyline.The player can assign feats for his team members with each level-up as well as outfit them with disguises for moving through towns without attracting attention. A wide range of authentic weapons of the era can also be scavenged from dead enemies to outfit the player's team as well as bought and sold for cash.
As with Silent Storm, nearly all structures are completely destructible with enough firepower. Hammer & Sickle also employs ragdoll physics
Ragdoll physics
In computer physics engines, ragdoll physics is a type of procedural animation that is often used as a replacement for traditional static death animations.-Introduction:Early video games used manually-created animations for characters' death sequences...
for bodies according to the precise velocity of an impact. Fully three dimensional
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
mapping allows for obstruction calculations and cover effects from all angles, bullets ricochet and their stopping power depends on the weapon. Things are somewhat exaggerated for a more cinematic experience.
Reviews
Reviews of the game have generally been poor,http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/hammersickle/review.html?sid=6142094&page=2&q=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/hammer-sickle/672687p1.html with the polish of the end product being the most common complaint.Releases in other languages
The ChinesePeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
company T-time Technology translated and released the international Chinese edition of Hammer & Sickle under the name 谍报菁英 on March 18, 2006.