029_056GB

7/02/02

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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION. 30 INSTALLATION. 31 UNINSTALLING WORMS WORLD PARTY. 31 LATEST DOCUMENTATION. 31 STARTING WORMS WORLD PARTY. 32 OVERVIEW. 32 PLAYING THE GAME. 33 ON-SCREEN INFORMATION. 35 SELECTING YOUR WEAPON. 36 CRATES R US. 39 MENU SYSTEM. 40 SINGLE PLAYER MENU. 40 CREATE A NEW GAME. 42 BARRACKS. 43 GENERAL GAME OPTIONS. 44 WORMPOT. 45 WEAPON OPTIONS. 47 GAME OPTIONS. 48 LANDSCAPES. 49 NETWORK PLAY. 50 CREDITS. 53

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ITS TIME FOR A PARTY

INTRODUCTION

Its a Worms World Party and everyone's invited! It's a Quarterpounder of a game with some meaty multiplayer action, a healthy salad of single player and a flap of amusing cheese topped up with a generous amount of strategy ketchup. We've more weapons than drinks ranging from the relatively alcohol free bazooka to the superstrength donkey. Worms World Party is our latest turn based gift in which Worms battle across zany landscapes either custom or randomly generated. With Worms already having a reputation for being a party animal, there is just no reason not to come. You can also do battle online so if you can't make it to the party you can always join the fun via the Worms network. There's just no need to be on your own tonight, you can even chill out after a game and chat in one of the lobbies. Our DJ informs us his record box is just bursting with single player missions and there are dozens of custom landscapes that can be requested and played at anytime. If you're new to the party scene don't worry, our friendly training section will soon have you dancing with the rest of us. There's even a weapons library available if you don't know the steps. So ladies and gentlemen, let's gather round and toast our glasses to a Worms World Party!

INSTALLATION

During installation, follow the on-screen instructions. Whilst there are a number of options you may change during installation, pressing NEXT will select the default option and continue with installation automatically. When Worms World Party has successfully been installed, a Team17 group will be included in the Program group within your Start Menu and the Worms World Party icon will be placed here, along with the utilities and the latest documentation.
UNINSTALLING WORMS WORLD PARTY
To uninstall Worms World Party, click on uninstall from the Launcher menu.

LATEST DOCUMENTATION

Software is continually improved throughout all stages of development wherever possible to ensure the finest quality gaming experience. We advise players to read this document for any last minute changes or additions that are not reflected in this manual. The document will also be installed within the Team17 Program group and will be offered to be viewed after installation.

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PLAYING THE GAME

KEYBOARD CONTROLS.

STARTING WORMS WORLD PARTY
Ensure the game is successfully installed.
Click Start and select Team17/Worms World Party from the Program Menu. Click on Worms World Party, the game will run and play.

OVERVIEW

Worms World Party is a turn based strategy game, where teams battle across crazy, randomly generated landscapes or finely crafted custom levels. Each team takes it in turns to pick off the enemy teams, using the many crazy weapons, tools and utilities they have or have found to inflict whatever dastardly strategies they can envision. Worms will die when they lose all of their energy or drown in the murky depths. The winning team is the one that manages to survive the mayhem and have Worms left standing!

In network games the chat panel can be accessed by pressing the PAGE DOWN key and can be removed with the PAGE UP key.

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SELECTING YOUR WEAPON

WEAPONS PANEL

The weapons panel is accessible by pressing the RIGHT MOUSE button. To select a weapon, move the POINTER over your desired weapon and LEFT CLICK to select it. To remove the panel from the screen, you can either select a weapon or press the RIGHT MOUSE button again. Alternatively you can use keyboard shortcuts as shown on the weapon selection panel.
GRENADE / CLUSTER BOMB / BANANA BOMB / HOLY HAND GRENADE
Set the fuse setting in seconds (1-5 on the keyboard) and toggle the bounce setting from min to max (- and + keys). Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to move the crosshairs and press SPACEBAR to shoot (the longer you press it, the stronger the shot will be). NOTE: HOLY HAND GRENADE HAS NO FUSE / BOUNCE SETTINGS.
BATTLE AXE / FIRE PUNCH / DRAGON BALL / SUICIDE BOMB / PROD

WEAPON USAGE

Worms World Party includes around 60 weapons for you to use. The following section merely indicates how to fire each weapon. The best way of learning how to use them is by playing the Training, Missions and Time Attack single player games. The Wormopaedia section available on the Training, Missions and Scenario menu screens also offers valuable advice and tips. It is well worth reading to brush up on the necessary skills.

BAZOOKA

Stand next to your target and press SPACEBAR.
EARTHQUAKE / INDIAN NUCLEAR TEST / ARMAGEDDON / SCALES OF JUSTICE
Press SPACEBAR to start, no aiming is required.
SHOTGUN / HANDGUN / UZI / MINIGUN / LONGBOW
Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to move the crosshairs and press SPACEBAR to shoot (shotguns have two shots due to their double barrel).

KAMIKAZE

Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to move the crosshairs. Then press and hold the SPACEBAR to shoot the weapon (the longer you press it, the stronger the shot will be).

HOMING MISSILE

Select a direction with the UP and DOWN keys, then press SPACEBAR.
DYNAMITE / LAND MINE / MING VASE

Press SPACEBAR to drop.

SUPER SHEEP
Move the target cursor with the mouse pointer and press SPACEBAR to set the target. Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to move the crosshairs and press SPACEBAR to shoot (the longer you press it, the stronger the shot will be).

MORTAR

Press SPACEBAR to release, press a second time to fly. Control the flight via LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys, or SPACEBAR again to drop.

MOLE BOMB

Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to move the crosshairs and press SPACEBAR to shoot.
HOMING PIGEON / PATSYS MAGIC BULLET
Press SPACEBAR to release, SPACEBAR to cause the mole to jump up then dig downwards. Press SPACEBAR a third time to detonate.
Move the target cursor with the mouse pointer and press LEFT MOUSE button to set the target. Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to move the crosshairs and press SPACEBAR to shoot.

SHEEP LAUNCHER

Aim with your UP and DOWN arrow keys and press SPACEBAR to launch. Once the sheep is off and running, it acts as any self-respecting sheep would.

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AIR STRIKE / MAIL STRIKE / MINE STRIKE / MOLE STRIKE / MB BOMB / SHEEP STRIKE / CARPET BOMB

CONCRETE DONKEY

Move the target cursor with the mouse pointer and LEFT CLICK to mark the target and fire (with an X). If you wish to abandon here simply select another weapon. You can also select the direction of the strike by pressing the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys.

BLOW TORCH

Simply select the location where you want the Donkey to land with the mouse and left click.

FREEZE

Press SPACEBAR to freeze your Worm and protect it from damage.
Select your direction with the arrow keys pad and press SPACEBAR to start and stop digging. You can also use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to move up and down while digging.

PNEUMATIC DRILL

CRATES R US
Throughout the game, different crates will drop from the sky, or teleport into the play-field. There are three distinct types; Weapon Crates, Health Crates and Utility Crates.

WEAPON CRATES

Press SPACEBAR to start digging down and SPACEBAR again to stop.

GIRDER / BRIDGE KIT

Use the mouse pointer to position the Girder and press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to rotate it. Press SPACEBAR to place it.

BASEBALL BAT

Stand next to your target, aim the crosshairs and press SPACEBAR to sort them out.

NINJA ROPE

The contents of Weapon Crates are usually more powerful weapons, or weapons that are initially handed out in limited supply, such as Super Sheep, Dynamite, Homing Missiles etc.

HEALTH CRATES

Press SPACEBAR to launch the rope and the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to swing on the rope. Press UP and DOWN to shorten and lengthen the rope. Press SPACEBAR to detach your Worm from the rope.

BUNGEE

Health Crates offer a way of topping up your energy levels throughout a match. Collect the crate and the Worm receives an energy boost. Health Crates also offer an antidote to any infection a Worm may have received.

UTILITY CRATES

Press SPACEBAR to release your Worm from the bungee or select it and walk off a cliff!

PARACHUTE

These crates contain utilities to help you in various ways. There are two types; collectable types, which can be stored and used when the time suits (shown in the utility panel at the top of the weapon panel) and instant utilities, which come into effect as soon as you collect the crate.
Press SPACEBAR to open your parachute. Also opens on its own after a fall.

TELEPORT

COLLECTABLE UTILITIES

FAST WALK

Simply select the location where you want your Worm to end up via the mouse pointer and press SPACEBAR to activate.

SUPER BANANA BOMB

This lasts for one turn and allows Worms to walk over the land much quicker than before, excellent for long assaults and critical attacks.

LASER SIGHT

Just press SPACEBAR after you have thrown it to shower your enemies in soft fruit and then SPACEBAR again to detonate.
SALLY ARMY / SKUNK / OLD WOMAN / MAD COWS / SHEEP
This effect enables a Laser Sight on the following weapons; Uzi, Minigun, Hand Gun, Kamikaze and Shotgun. This makes it much easier to judge your shots, but only lasts one turn.

LOW GRAVITY

Press SPACEBAR to release (facing the direction you want) and after a while watch it explode or press SPACEBAR a second time to manually detonate it (Old Women and Mad Cows cant be detonated manually).
This incredible effect makes all your shots and movements susceptible to Low Gravity. This means super-long jumps and more besides!

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JET PACK
Use the cursor keys to control vertical and rear thrusters as your Worm takes to the skies. Particularly useful to reach distant shores if you're short on Teleports and exceedingly useful if you wish to fly by and drop some Dynamite on to a bunch of Worms. Join the space age, get the Jet Pack!

MULTIPLAYER

This is the menu for creating traditional Worms World Party multiplayer games on your PC. Multiplayer games can be between 2-6 teams, any of which may be computer controlled at a variety of skill levels.

BUYING WEAPONS

One of the Wormpot modes allows players to use only weapons they have purchased and here is where you buy them.

ALL DONE?

When you have selected the items you require, click OK to add your team. Once added, you can use it in Training, Missions, Time Attack and standard Multiplayer or Network games.

HOW TO CREATE A NEW TEAM

Whilst there are some default teams provided, to get the best out of Worms World Party, we recommend that you create your own personal team. You can also edit a number of other aspects when creating your team. Click on NEW TEAM and follow the instructions below.

NAME YOUR TEAM AND WORMS

You need a nickname for your squad and troops. If youre short of ideas, just click the question mark to generate a random name. Double click for random generation of the full team.

BARRACKS

All teams available for selection are listed in the barracks. To add a team to a game, simply click on it. Click the right button to edit it. NOTE: DEFAULT TEAMS CANNOT BE EDITED.

SELECT THE CONTROL

This can be HUMAN or COMPUTER. For a computer controlled team, you can also change the skill level from EASY through to DIFFICULT.
SELECT THE SPECIAL WEAPON
You are able to select a special weapon from the list shown which you take into battle with you. Check out the Wormopaedia, try them out and pick the one you feel suits your play best.

GAME ROSTER

As you add teams into the game, they will appear in the game roster. Up to six teams can be added. To remove a team and place it back in the Barracks, just click on it once more. When the teams are in the ROSTER, you can select several options:

SELECT THE SOUND BANK

A default bank will be chosen depending on the installed language but this can easily be changed. We have created a large range of odd, strange, familiar and bizarre sound sets. In the unlikely case none of these are suitable, you can create your own with the supplied utility.

ALLIED TEAMS

You can ally teams together, meaning they will appear in the game on the same side. Use the left mouse button to cycle through the colours until the team colour is the same as the team you wish to ally with. Allied games play exactly like normal games, but with a few notable exceptions. Allied players get accredited with a victory if their alliance wins, even if their team is defeated. During the game, alliances take turns to have their move. Teams within alliances will take turns to move within that alliance.

SELECT THE GRAVESTONE

Select the type of gravestone you would like your squad to leave behind as a mark of respect.

HANDICAPPING

Left click on the first icon to toggle through the team handicap options. A team will have 25% of their energy points added to (+) or removed from (-) its starting energy level. If neither symbol is shown (default) then the Worms start with the level as set in the General Game Options.

SELECT THE FANFARE

Just for show, a random fanfare is selected for you, this can be selected by yourself and can be previewed. The fanfare is used in presentation screens and match results screens.

SELECT YOUR FORT

Forts selected here are used with the Wormpot mode Forts. All forts differ in style so try them out before deciding which one is for you.
NUMBER OF WORMS IN THE TEAM
You can alter the amount of Worms that a team will start the game with. To do this left click to toggle the amount from 1 to 8.

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GENERAL GAME OPTIONS
These are options that are very basic and govern simple rules of the game. Left click on the option required to toggle through the available settings.

WORMPOT

The WormPot is a fast and attractive way of experiencing many different ways to play Worms from just a select few modes (e.g. Wind affects Grenades). It does this by adding the different modes of play together to create well over 400 different combinations. The WormPot is so called because it looks like a Jackpot Fruit machine, with three different reels each game mode is represented by a graphic. Add all of these together and youll see what attributes your game will have. Reel 1: Health Bonanza (maximum heath crate drops) Reel 2: Low Gravity (low gravity is constantly switched on) Reel 3: Specialist Worms (each Worm can only use a selection of weapons) This would mean that when it came to playing this game you would have health crates dropping on every single turn, every Worm would jump and be blown by other weapons super long distances and each team would have the 4 types of specialist Worms (Cannonade, Grenadier, Mele and Engineer). The best way to learn about the modes is to play them! However for the newcomers we have a short description.

NO MODE SUPER FIREARMS

TURN TIME
This is the period (in seconds) you have to make your move on your turn. The lower it is, the more difficult it becomes to make your turn.

ROUND TIME

This is the period (in minutes) before the round ends and the Sudden Death period begins.

STARTING ENERGY

This is the starting energy of all Worms in the game, before any handicapping is selected. The default energy level is 100 and is what we recommend.

VICTORIES REQUIRED

Select the number of victories (rounds won) for the team (or alliance) to win the match. The default is two rounds to win the match.

WORM SELECT MODE

During play, its possible to play and select which Worm you would like to move next. However, we feel that Worms World Party is a more skilful game when the Worms in a team take turns to cycle round to their turn. Select between NO WORM SELECT (you cannot choose which Worm to move), and WORM SELECT (you can use the WORM SELECT button to choose which Worm to move).

Nothing selected.

POINTS FOR WEAPONS
Firearm weapons do increased damage.

SUPER ANIMALS

Allows users to set their own weapons, purchased when players create their team.

SHEEP SHEEP EVERYWHERE

Animal weapons do increased damage.

SUPER CLUSTERS

All crates contain sheep.

AQUA SHEEP GALORE

Cluster weapons do increased damage.

SUPER ENGINEERS

Super Sheep can fly under water.
All Worms have red blood.

WORMS ONLY DROWN

Engineer type weapons do increased damage.

SUPER FIRE

TELEPORT IN
Choose if you want Worms to be placed randomly or if you want to teleport them in.
Worms have infinite energy and can only be killed by falling into the drink.

SUPER HAND TO HAND

Fire weapons do increased damage.

SUPER EXPLOSIVES

Explosives do increased damage.
Hand to hand weapons do increased damage.

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WEAPON OPTIONS
DAVID AND GOLIATH NO RETREAT NO SURRENDER
One of your Worms is the mighty Goliath, the rest are Davids.

MAX FALL DAMAGE

Once a weapon has been fired there is no going back. Oh, and you cant surrender.

MAX HEALTH DROPS

The weapon options allow you to configure the way in which weapons and ammo are distributed to teams in the game, configure the strength of the weapon and suggest if and when the weapon should arrive as a reinforcement. Please note that not all the weapons are available to edit, just the standard ones. Other weapons become available in special crates dropped during the game. If you opt to play with team based special weapons, you can also edit and alter these weapons, which are in a separate list from the standard weapons.

This shows which round the weapon will become available. Left click to toggle through 1-9 or OFF (weapon is available at the start).

WEAPON CRATE SUPPLY

You can use this screen to bias how often these weapons will appear in weapon crates. Click to cycle through OFF and 1-5. This affects the probability of the weapon appearing in a weapons crate.

OTHER WEAPON OPTIONS

SECRET WEAPONS
Select to play with or without the host of secret, super powerful weapons that only arrive in crates.
USER SELECTED SPECIAL WEAPONS
If selected then players may use the special weapon chosen when creating their team.

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GAME OPTIONS
From here you can change the options that govern how the game will play.

TURN DELAY

LANDSCAPES
An outline or thumbnail of the current landscape is shown on the create game screen. To quickly generate another, simply left click on the thumbnail. To enter the landscape editor right click on the thumbnail.
The amount of time a player has to take control in a hot seat game.

RETREAT TIME

LANDSCAPE MENU
Worms World Party features a very powerful editor for creating, editing and storing landscapes.
The amount of time a player has to retreat after taking a move (using a weapon).

ROPE RETREAT

MENU OVERVIEW

EDIT/PREVIEW AREA

The amount of time that a player has to retreat after dropping a weapon off a rope.

DISPLAY ROUND TIME

Simply selects whether you would like to see the round time or not.

SUDDEN DEATH TIME

This initially calculates and displays a preview of the currently selected landscape. Click with the left button to go to edit mode, click with the right button to go to preview mode. NOTE: WHEN IN EDIT MODE THE LANDSCAPE WILL BE MONO.

ISLAND GENERATION

Sets how fast the water will rise in sudden death mode. Can be set to OFF, 5, 20 and 45 pixels every turn.

INTERACTIVE OBJECTS

Sets the type and amount of interactive objects that start on the landscape. Cycle between NONE, FEW, NORMAL and MANY. If mines are selected there are some additional options.

FUSE LENGTH

The top row of thumbnails create islands. Click with the left button to generate a new island. Click with the right button to transfer this level to the main screen.

CAVERN GENERATION

Sets the period before a mine explodes after being triggered.

DUD MINES

The bottom row of thumbnails create caverns. Click with the left button to generate a new cavern. Click with the right button to transfer this level to the main screen.

ICON PANEL

If selected, this means that some mines will be dud.

ARTILLERY MODE

Check out the in game help text for details on how to use these tools.

IMPORT

The Worms cannot walk, all weapons must be thrown or fired.

STOCKPILING

Click this icon to view and load an available custom level. For more details on custom levels, see the section about custom levels.

SAVE AS

You keep any collected weapons that are unused and take them into the next round.

ANTI-STOCKPILING

You only get one round of weapons.

AUTO REPLAY

Clicking this icon will save the landscape file, the edited landscape or custom level and add it to the list of landscapes in the drop down menu. All related information such as water level, scenario type etc will also be saved.

DELETE

Turn automatic replays ON or OFF.

FALL DAMAGE

Delete the currently selected landscape. This option is not selectable unless the landscape has previously been saved.

CUSTOM LEVELS

Select whether a Worm will be subject to injuries when it falls too far.

ENERGY REDUCTION

Selects whether a Worms energy will be reduced to 1 during sudden death, the energy will drain slowly or nothing happens at all.
Worms World Party also possesses a powerful import tool that can convert almost any type of image format to use as a landscape. There are two types of image that can be imported.

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MONO BITMAPS
These act as stencils. They replace the landscape thumbnail and you can use them to create landscapes using the different scenarios provided.
players, or any games available to join. You can also chat to other players.
CONNECTING TO EXISTING GAMES
To join a game, click on the existing game and you will hook up with the host of that game. Double click on the team you wish to add from your roster. You can add more than one team from you list if you wish to have more than one team operating from your computer. The host will have to grant you permission before starting a game so ask! Once you have added a team, a ready button will be shown (light bulb). Clicking this shows the host that you are ready. The ready button will deselect if you view the settings, indicating you are not happy or wish to review them. When all players ready buttons are selected the host can start the game with the Go button. At this point no options can be changed and the game will launch in a few seconds.

FULL COLOUR BITMAPS

This powerful and exciting option allows you to use almost any image as a battlefield! Simply select your image and the game will preview it.

IMAGE FORMAT

Worms World Party will do its best to import most of the common image formats. This system has to do considerable processing of the image but it should only take a few seconds. One thing to consider is that Worms World Party uses a large area for the game and your image may not fill the area completely, or perhaps be too large. If it is too large you will be notified and the image will be shrunk. If the image is smaller than the normal size (1920x696) then the image can be centralised or stretched to fit. You can use your favourite paint packages to prepare custom landscapes and share them with your friends. NOTE: IF YOU SELECT A FULL COLOUR CUSTOM LEVEL NOTE THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO EDIT IT OR SELECT SCENARIO TYPE- THESE OPTIONS WILL BE REMOVED.

BACKGROUND SOIL

HOSTING A GAME
When you host you have control over the game configuration. You can chat to other players and work out how you want to play, handicap players and form alliances. You create the game exactly like you would in a normal game but have additional powers to expel players. Being a game host has a number of extra responsibilities, so make sure youre friendly and hospitable to other Wormers that want to join your game.
When using a custom level you can select which background soil to use from the menu. NOTE: FULL COLOUR CUSTOM LEVELS ARE NOT SUPPORTED IN WORMNET PLAY DUE TO THEIR LARGE SIZE.
During pre-game setup, you can send messages to the rest of the players.

COMMANDS

There are a number of commands you can use to liven up the chatter.

NETWORK PLAY

This is where the real fun is at. Playing online means you can play against literally anyone in the World from the comfort of your own home. It can be played on a local network, or via the Internet by hooking up to a WormNet server.

PRIVATE MESSAGES

Simply highlight the player you wish to send a message to and send as usual. This could be a group of players, click the group icon to make the messages public again. You will continue to receive public messages while chatting privately.

ACTION

LOCAL NETWORK
To join other players on a local network, click the Networkicon and select LOCAL NETWORK. You will be taken to a room where you can see other
To do an action, which also displays the text in a different colour, use /ME before the action.

SILENCE

Right click on the user name to turn off any messages from this player.

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WORMNET
You can play Worms World Party over the internet by connecting to WormNet, which is an exclusive gaming environment created for Worms World Party players. If you are connecting for the first time you must register your team. This will add your unique player ID to the game system and store your team information.

IN-GAME NETWORK CHAT

Open the chat box by pressing the PAGE DOWN key. You can see messages sent by other players (private messages are indicated but not revealed to other players). /me <msg> sends an action to all players /anon <msg> sends an anonymous message to all players Other players in the game are listed in the right of the chat panel, the colour of the player indicates the status of their connection. Grey Player disconnected Blue Player not connected White Player connected Red Player lagged/connection problems

REGISTRATION

Worms World Party requires all players to register prior to playing for the first time, this only takes a short time and allows the system to authenticate your copy of Worms World Party.

PERSONAL DETAILS

These details are used for verification in case of a problem, as well as supplying us with contact information for competitions.

NICKNAME

How others will see you, this must be unique. The server will prompt you if the name already exists.

CREDITS

ARTWORK Dave Smith - FRONTEND / CUSTOM LEVELS Dan Cartwright IN-GAME / CUSTOM LEVELS Patrick Romano - CUSTOM LEVELS Jan Ruud - CUSTOM LEVELS Paul Robinson - CUSTOM LEVELS Liam Kemp - CUSTOM LEVELS Mike Green - CUSTOM LEVELS CODE Karl Morton SOURCE Colin Surridge LEAD SUPPORT CODE Sascha Kettler ONLINE SERVER CODE Paul Scargill INSTALLER DESIGN John Eggett Kevin Carthew Grant Towell AUDIO Bjorn Lynne ORIGINAL CONCEPT Andy Davidson PRODUCER Paul Kilburn QA Kelvin Aston LEAD QA Brian Fitzpatrick LEAD QA Rob Henfrey Andy Aveyard Jax Li Paul Field QA MANAGER
Enter your email address so that you can be contacted about information regarding Worms World Party.

PASSWORD

Enter a password for your nickname. When you reconnect to WormNet, the system will prompt you for a nickname and password.

PROXY SETUP

If you are behind a firewall and are using a proxy sever you should check this box.

GAME CHANNELS

Team17 may change/open channels from time to time at their discretion.

CHANGING AREAS

You can opt to jump into the different areas at any time by going back to the main WormNet screen. You can see how many people are in each room. You can opt to jump into the different channels at any time by going to the channel select screen.

Storm Staley Professor Lowood
2/15/01 History of Videogame Design
The Annelid Menace (The Worms Attack)
You had it coming! This high-pitched admonishment manages to tell the computer game industry what it got hit by when the juggernaut that is Worms 2 burst onto the gaming scene in 1997. Worms 2 is a very simple but extremely addictive computer game that proves that fun doesnt necessarily require the latest in graphics technology or complicated gameplay. In the process it manages to give you a totally new perspective on life, the universe and well, no, actually, it just sucks you in and engages you for hours on end. Worms 2 was developed by Team17 Software, a small software company based in Ossett, England (the wacky British humor connection is thus made clear) and published in late 1997 by MicroProse Software. The creator of the Worms series is Andy Davidson, now a cult legend for his work on the series and his general nuttiness. An interview with Andy on the Team17 website reveals this unforgettable quote: As a child I was convinced that the stone donkey in the garden was a real donkey that my parents had covered in concrete. I therefore spent quite a bit of time chipping away at its tail to see if there was fur under there. This probably explains the state Im in today!1 The game was produced by Martyn Brown, with artists Rico Holmes and Danny Cartwright (creating the rich landscapes and the animation of the worms in the game, which according to the website is composed of over 14,000 animations2), and main programmers Karl Morton, Phil Carlisle, and Colin Surridge, with Chris Blyth creating the games full motion video scenes. So what is the game? The idea is simply that you are in control of a team of worms, fighting against other teams of worms, either controlled by a human or the computer. You take turns moving your worms around the map and employing all manner of wacky devices to maim, blast, and otherwise destroy the landscape and the worms on the other teams (or, for the incompetents, your own team). There are over 30 different weapons and tools that your worms can use to wreak havoc, and hidden within the seemingly simple gameplay is a challenging strategy game. Different weapons have different abilities and uses, and knowing when to use the bazooka as opposed to the grenade, or the banana bomb as opposed to the super sheep, is an essential part of winning. Weapons are controlled by aiming the weapon at a certain angle and depressing the spacebar while the power bar builds up, until you judge that the weapon has enough power at that angle to reach the place you want it to. Thus thinking about simple physics and mental judgment of angle vs. power are a very important aspect. The game in fact is in part an expansion of the classic
http://worms.team17.com/worms2/?interviews_andy, 4th question from the top, Copyright 2000 Team17 Software 2 http://worms.team17.com/worms2/?interviews, 2nd paragraph, Copyright 2000 Team17 Software
artillery games like Tank Wars and Scorched Earth, in which you chose the angle and power of fixed tanks firing upon other fixed tanks. The difference in Worms is that between one turn and the next the worm you were firing upon previously might have teleported to a different place on the map, or moved into an unreachable crevice, or simply died. By these simple alterations to the Tank Wars idea, the game is thus made much more difficult and engaging to play. Judging between the banana bomb and the super sheep is a matter of discerning whether a (very) wide-ranging explosion would be good (for taking out multiple worms at once), or a pinpoint-accuracy explosion would be good (for taking out one). If a worm is perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the water, a simple prod (pushing him over the edge) will do just fine: there is no need to try to land a grenade right next to him to blow him into the water. The weapons range from the normal bazooka, grenade, shotgun to the bizarre banana bomb (big banana that bounces when it hits the ground and explodes into five separate bananas, which then fall and explode on contact), super sheep (a sheep that is steerable and flies around until you guide it into the ground or theoretically another worm) to the sublimely insane an old woman that marches along the ground muttering about tea and then blows up, and the famous Concrete Donkey, of which I shall not give away the details except to say that its hilarious. My favorite weapon is probably the Monty-Python-induced Holy Hand Grenade. You launch it, it hits somewhere, and just before it blows up the chorus joins in with Hal-lelu-jah followed by a tremendous explosion. The worms have access to a ninja rope, which enables them to swing around the map, and girders to build a bridge to somewhere, a pneumatic drill, blowtorch, a teleportation device, and various other tools. The concept is simple, the gameplay is complex. Really the only way to classify the game is as a strategy game, but the wonderful thing about the game is that it hides the strategy extremely well. Only after playing for a long time do you realize that youre unconsciously choosing the weapons that would best suit the current situation, or calculating how to dispose of the computers remaining four worms with just the two you have left. The game disguises all of the strategy with just the sheer fun of playing it. As you can see from the screenshots, the game is very lighthearted and in general quite wacky. It is drawn like a cartoon, with colorful animations and backgrounds. The sound effects are completely off-the-wall, with high-pitched voices telling you whats going on, rebuking you when your shot misses, and taunting the other team with Chew on this when you fire. The interface is very simple, using the arrow keys to move around and aim your weapon, enter to jump, and space to fire your weapon. You use the mouse to move the view of the screen around (as the whole landscape does not fit on the screen at once) and to bring up the weapons menu. Thats

it. The game as whole is structured so that you can just jump into the game and start playing easily. However, there are unbelievable amounts of options to set as well. You can edit the weapons, graphics and audio, and other game settings to your hearts content. For each weapon, you can choose how often it is available to you, the destructive power, the timing, the first aid crates (which drop in periodically and if you pick them up give your worm a specified number of health points) and weapon crates (which give your team certain special weapons, like the Concrete Donkey or Priceless Ming Vase). You can create teams of worms with whatever names you please, and choose from a variety of sound schemes to change what the worms say in the game, including Double-Oh-Seven (James Bond type sayings), nationalities (Greek, Russian, Italian, Polish, Norwegian), Smooth Operator, Stifflip, Wacky, Soulman, Rednecks, and more. You can edit the terrain (which is generated on the fly) to your hearts content, change the number of landmines that are present on the map, and change the specifics of how the game works as much as you want, whether you want to start off with infinite numbers of special weapons or challenge yourself by trying to beat the other team with just the fire punch. The computer AI is relatively decent, although it is sometimes obviously the computer in action: one minute the computer will miss by a screen width, the next it will deliver a bazooka right on the dot to where your worm is. With the AI set to harder difficulties, the computer basically hits your worm every single time with whatever weapons it is using: very computer-ish behavior, if not very interesting to play against. However, that is a small detail, and for the most part playing against the computer is pretty enjoyable. The real fun, though, lies in playing against other humans, which is what the game was designed for. Worms 2 is a marvelously social game: theres nothing like inviting some friends over and going at it exploding-sheep style. As well, theres a wealth of multiplayer options: Team17 has set up their own servers so that you can find people to play against from around the world, and you will find many dedicated fans playing. Since the game is turn-based, it doesnt need to send large amounts of data constantly and doesnt rely on immediate communication between computers: thus playing over the Internet is just as enjoyable as playing at home, with no worries about lag time or slowness. The graphics are beautifully drawn and wonderfully animated: if your worms fall from too high, theyll stick in the ground and wiggle for a bit (with the sound effect of Ow), marvelous to watch. The death animations are very amusing, and the general movement animation of a worm inching along is just funny in itself. Worms 2 is not a very deep game. It is designed to be as simple as possible, and it does that. There is a mission mode, but it is basically consists of playing the computer at harder and harder levels, and is not very interesting. The game basically consists of the concept of shooting at each other with different weapons. Your worms do not gain experience or collect points. However, the replay value is very high, because the game is not designed to be played against the computer. It is designed to be played with another human being (or five), and it

does that very well. When it was released for the Playstation it took off, as it is perfect for the console environment of inviting friends over to play. One can play endlessly because one can find many people to play with, and when youve played all your friends, you can go on the Net and find more people to play against. Thus even with its simplicity and lack of depth, it is an engaging and retaining game. It is not designed to be a hugely complicated game, and it is not about figuring out how to play the game. It is about playing the game and having a blast doing so. I find myself always wanting to play just one more game. Even with just myself against the computer, it is fun to call up another randomly generated landscape and try some new things. Does the Uzi enable you to shoot people off a cliff into the water? Can I successfully use the Baseball Bat (one of the most useful weapons in the game) to hit this worm over that cliff into the water (accompanied by an announcer shouting Home Run!)? The game is diabolically addictive. Judging Worms 2 by how much it accomplished for the computer game industry is missing the point. You could say it started a genre, except that it really cannot be classified into a genre. More to the point, it showed that it was possible and is possible to make a small and easy-to-play game that has enormous replay value. The combination of wacky humor and seemingly simple yet still challenging gameplay keeps gamers coming back for more. Why is Worms 2 important? There was Worms, after all, and this is the sequel. Well, Worms never quite got it right. With Worms 2 the designers cleaned up the gameplay, added more weapons, and basically made the game into the hit that it is. (There was another version released in 1999 called Worms Armageddon, which is basically the same game with more weapons). Worms 2 really showed what the potential of a dedicated and focused design could be. Worms 2 doesnt do role-playing well, or adventure well. There is no storyline. But there doesnt need to be, because it stands on its own as a social pleasure and a good game in its own right, with its own brand of gameplay. It achieves the goal of a great game, which is to just not realize anything about the game except that its a hell of a lot of fun. You PLAY Worms 2, you dont look at the graphics or talk excitedly about the AI. You just play it. And thats why its a great game.

References

1. Team17s Worms Website: http://worms.team17.com/worms2 2. Hotgames Worms 2 Review and Screenshots: http://pc.hotgames.com/games/worms2/ 3. Game Revolution Worms 2 Review - http://www.game-evolution.com/games/pc/ puzzle/worms.htm Worms 2 Copyright 1997 Team17 Software, Ltd. Worms is a trademark of Team17 Software, Ltd. All Rights Reserved ery time you played iAllt, and a game where sheep exploded!!

Team17's Worms - Worms2

19-02-01

WWP website goes live!

Tthe big news is that it's finally here. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have seen the slight re-design to this site, especially the new front-end which links to the new WORMS WORLD PARTY WEBSITE! Yeah, its here and it's going online today! **update** 15.15, 19-02-01, WWP website has gone live **update** The press release for the launch follows. Still loads of e-mails still arriving in my mailbox! It's nice to be popular! 99% contain details of cool new weapons that you would like to see Worms using in the future. The plan is to list all these on the new official Worms website which is coming later this year. However, what I would really like to see in the e-mails are ideas for the new website. Whatever you would like to see then let me know!! APJ

18-02-01

Worms invade the Web!
Team17 launches official Worms World Party site.
As the world readies itself for the release of Worms World Party, the latest installment in the best-selling franchise, developers Team17 have launched a dedicated web site for the fully online title. Worms World Party, released for Dreamcast and PC through Virgin Interactive in March, marks the best-selling series' debut as an online title. Retaining the series' famed gameplay - wherein teams of worms are sent into battle with a wealth of weapons in order to wipe out opposing factions - Worms World Party now allows users to compete with Worms fans all over the globe on-line. Also included is stunning new single-player modes & missions and new training areas - as well as a host of new Multi-player modes, missions and features which can all be experienced whilst sat around one PC or Dreamcast. The dedicated site (http://wwp.team17.com) will act as a central point for
http://worms.team17.com/worms2/ (1 of 2) [2/23/2001 6:13:34 PM]
Worms World Party fans, providing a host of features to aid enjoyment of the game. The site contains screen shots, game information, interviews with the Wakefield-based developers and news updates. It also provides valuable resources to allow Worms World Party-goers to set up tribute sites using licensed images from the game. "Worms World Party is set to become a legend within gaming circles," offered Team17's Debbie Bestwick. "With our previous Worms-related sites generating over 1.5 Million hits a month, it was only logical that we launch a version of the game that finally lets the series' ardent fans loose on each other via the Internet - it's going to be some battle!" Press Release
http://worms.team17.com/worms2/ (2 of 2) [2/23/2001 6:13:34 PM]

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Power Search download demo! Click on the link below to download the FREE playable Worms 2 demo! Download NOW!
Worms 2 is a turn based game where up to 6 players can participate in any given match. You command a platoon of Worms who inhabit a randomly generated terrain, it's time to do or die, put up or shut up, you must destroy the other Worms with an assortment of devastating weapons. Each turn is limited to a set number of seconds, this time limit allows you to position your Worm in a nearby safe place, collect one of the bonus items sprinkled around, or go and attack a neighbouring Worm! Battle continues until only one team of Worms remain! New demo supports internet and new levels.

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Minimum Specifications: Pentium MB RAM SVGA No 3D Hardware Support
Recommended Specifications: Pentium MB RAM SVGA 2MB No 3D Hardware Support
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game details PUBLISHER : Microprose DEVELOPER : Team 17 Software GENRE : Strategy (Turn Based) AUDIENCE : General PLATFORMS : Windows 95 MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT : TCP/IP, MODEM, SERIAL, IPX, SAME COMPUTER OTHER PLATFORMS : None DATE RELEASED : February 1998
game links Click below for Worms 2: Editor Review Hints and Cheats Downloads Fan Sites
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The original Worms title, was one of the best multi player games of its time. The gameplay consists of your four obliterating your opponent's four worms using an impressive (and bizarre) array of weapons. Worms 2 continues on where the original left off, with the same ridiculously addictive action, invoking the same nasty, competitive spirit between players. Turn-based strategy has never been so much fun as in the worms series, but the real highlight of this game is how the player is oblivious to the fact that there is any strategy at all. Believe me, two experienced wormers can have some mighty battles! The weapons in the sequel range from your standard artillery (grenades, bazookas etc.) to the true weapons of the future (sheep and old women). There is now some text-based commentary on the action (eg "Nudge prepares to kick Methane's ass) which adds even more humor to the silliness. Finally, the graphics have been touched up, reminiscent of Rayman, and there are moving backdrops, making for an even more polished title. Despite the demo only having one 2-on-2 level, this is a must-have for all gamers. Now back to the WORMING.die, Suction!

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