WORMS2 DEMO GUIDE Note: This demo refers to features in the full release version. The demo is severely restricted in terms of features & options, but gives you a good taste of the game - see README.TXT for more details. This text was hastily put together in order to provide at least some background to the frenzied mayhem that is Worms2! Contents; This time-limited, single level demo allows 2 players to battle it out with a limited weapon set. Full game features include; 1-6 players Internet/LAN play 10 landscape types CPU Controlled teams (varied skill levels) Billions of randomly generated levels Massive suite of game options with save facility Huge choice of sound-banks with edit facility Weapon Crates Lots more weapons Single Player Missions Full Win95 game-set up menu, with on-line help Landscape editor CD Audio FMV Sequences .and SO MUCH MORE!! DISCLAIMER It is Team17's development policy to improve our software throughout all stages of production wherever possible. BIGGER, BADDER, BETTER! They're back! The crazy, gun-toting creatures from the original hit game "Worms" are here again in this incredible mixture of strategy and action. To create Worms2 we crafted some brilliant new features along with all the essential ingredients that made the original such an incredible blockbuster. We also gave it a completely drop-dead gorgeous new look and lavished it with thousands of frames of cartoon style animation! Worms2 is bigger, badder and better than ever before, with this, the ultimate incarnation of the brilliantly playable game, soon to be available exclusively for Windows95 & Windows NT 4.0 based personal computers. If you're a new player, you'll delight in the mixture of strategy and absolute mayhem, the mixture of cool and outrageous weaponry, the incredible repeat-play potential and the amount of attention to detail lavished on the visuals. If you're an old-hand at Worms and a big fan of the original then welcome back! We've got a serious amount of improvements & goodies for you in the final version that will stretch your Worms skills to the limits - and now, you can take part in Worms games over the Internet! Let global warfare begin! What's new in Worms2 This section, for fans and addicts of the original game is a listing of some of the fantastic new features and options in this game. It's important to know that Team17 listened very closely to the thousands of comments offered by players and fans, using any criticism as constructively as possible in order to create the game that both we - and fans of the original, wanted. So what's new? Apart from a total code re-write exclusively for the PC, the all new Windows95 & Windows NT4.0 interface, high-resolution graphics, 10,000 frames of cartoon quality animation, all-new 16bit audio, stacks of fantastic (and some very silly) new weapons, drowning, cavern levels, Internet play, 6-player play, extended options, weapon options, speech-bank editor, option-sets, new & extended single player missions, all new gaming levels, improved control interface, all-new video sequences, improved action replays (including manual control), special effects (smoke & fire), new weapon modes & options, vastly improved rope utilities, living crosses, intelligent crates, pigeons, cows, old women, surfing worms and much, much more... But you'll have to keep playing to see all this and more besides! This demo has a limited supply of weapons. INTRODUCTION Describing Worms2 is no easy thing, but we have to start somewhere! At heart, it is a multi-player game that mixes precise strategy with no-holds-barred action and outrageous fortune. No game of Worms2 is ever the same and the beauty is you can play for 20 minutes or 20 hours (the demo is however limited to non-random levels and a tight team/time limit). It's complete and utter fun - and that's what we here at Team17 believe games should be about. Worms2 is an ideal party game, where up to 6 teams can battle it out on the same computer, local area network or play via the Internet, but however you play it, you'll always come back for more! THE CONCEPTS OF PLAY Overview Worms2 is a turn-based strategy game, where multiple teams (up to six teams, any of which may be controlled by Human or CPU controlled teams) . Each team takes turns in trying to pick off opposing Worms from a randomly generated landscape, utilising all manner of weapons, utilities and spectacular means. Worms die when their energy runs out or they drown. This can be achieved in many ways through the huge variety of weapons and ammo that you have at your disposal. Turn Based System Like most multi-player board games, Worms 2 is turn based. Each player has a set period in which to make their move and bid to out-play the other teams. During this period, players must select a Worm to use (or are given one to move, depending on the play mode) and position it for either safety or in order to dispatch some of your arsenal in the direction of an opposing Worm, presumably in order to create as much carnage as possible. Time Worms have a set time (60 seconds in the demo) in which to make their move and limited supplies of some weapons, the player must balance their strategies in order to win the day. The battle round also has a time period (also configurable) which effects when "Sudden Death" extra time is called. In Sudden Death, all Worms energies fade to one and the slightest amount of damage will knock them out! Randomly Generated Landscapes Every time you play Worms, the game will be different - Guaranteed! Worms creates unique playing levels by generating a landscape and randomly placing Worms and Mines on it. This means that it provides endless playing opportunities and means that better quality players cannot "learn" the levels! Note: The demo version of the game does not randomly generate levels. Weapons Aside from being able to move around and access a suite of utility weapons, Worms have a huge array of devastating weapons you can select from. Weapons vary in terms of the style of their implementation and we recommend that you read through the detailed weapon descriptions as to how to use them and obtaining maximum benefit from them. Worms2 also allows you to define weapon sets which in turn creates new styles of games to play. >From time to time, weapon supply crates will drop from the sky (or teleport in, in the case of caverns) these contain reinforcements and all manner of wonderfully devious weaponry. Crates can be collected or shot. Strategy One of the most interesting aspects of Worms2 is that people have such wildly different ways of playing the game. Some opt for out and out wanton destruction, others play a safer strategy - and there are extreme cases who play so negatively that all other players always seek to annihilate them at all costs! You will find that your strategy adapts to the weapons available, the landscape you're playing on and who you're playing against - in essence, you'll have to change it each time you play, always on your toes! On your own, or in a group Worms2 is equally playable solo or in a group. It's essentially a network game where all teams can play on a single machine, or if you have the luxury of a Local Area Network, over that - and now also over the Internet. Worms2 also features a solo mission based game where you are up against crack CPU teams in increasingly challenging levels. The demo allows 2 players to enjoy a multiplayer hotseat match. ON SCREEN INFORMATION The in-game information takes place in several main areas. Commentary panel At the top of the screen, commentary text appears, informing you of what's happening in the game, which Worm is on the go, who has been killed, etc. The box appears as necessary. Time/Round Time indicator The bottom left of the screen contains a box with the move time in large numbers on it. This counts down, when it is zero, your move is over. As an option, you can also have the round time displayed on here (final version). Wind Bar/Background incidentals There is a wind strength indicator on the bottom right of the display. The arrows indicate the strength and direction of the wind. Wind affects many weapons. If the detail level is set to include incidental background animation, you will see objects in the distance that also reflect the wind strength and direction. Team Status The status of the teams in play are shown centrally at the bottom of the screen. Each team's overall energy is displayed graphically with a bar, which reduces during the game. When a team is out, their bar disappears from the screen. The game automatically shuffles the order of the bars to always display who is winning at the top of the list. To find out the score in game-rounds at any time, hold the G key down to reveal the game score. (Not implemented in the demo) Worm Status Above each Worm is it's given name and it's energy value. The energy value decreases through damage & the Worm dies when it's zero. The detail level of the Worm Status can be switched through FULL->Energy only->Nothing with the DEL key. Note that each team has it's own colour which refers to the Team Status indicator above. GAME CONTROLS There are a lot of controls to remember when playing Worms, so it's useful to study all the moves and combinations possible. However, a number of basic, essential moves do exist and it's important to master them. A key summary appears at the end of this section. Moving Worms You move your Worm about the landscape by pressing and holding down the cursor right and left keys. Worms will continue to walk until they cannot progress, this is usually due to either an obstacle being in their way, or the incline is too great to climb. To progress, you need to jump... Jumping Pressing the RETURN key makes your Worm do a forward jump. The jump itself is also modified by gravity, so do bear this in mind. If a worm jumps and falls a long distance, it may hurt itself and your go is over. New to Worms2 is the back-jump, pressing RETURN twice in succession (akin to a mouse double click) will make your Worm jump backwards. This technique once mastered enables much easier movement. A combination of where the worm is standing, the direction facing and the type of jump used (forward or back-jump) makes for a versatile method of moving around the landscape. Drop one! Also new to Worms2 is the ability to use weapons whilst in the air... do experiment! It's not practical with all weapons... While jumping, press SPACE to use the weapon. Oldest Swinger In Town Ropes provide freedom for the worm to really get about the place, although it's a fairly skillful thing to pull off. Whilst dangling from the rope, you can use alternating cursor left & cursor right to speed up the swing of the rope and press SPACE to jump off. WEAPON SELECTION Okay, this is the section almost everyone leaps straight for... the armoury! Selecting weapons is available in two forms, either with the mouse, or with the keyboard. Utilising weapons almost always means use of the keyboard at some stage. Mouse Simply click the right mouse button to bring on the weapons menu. A chart of icons appear and you can highlight the weapon you wish to select. As you move the cursor, the name of the weapon appears at the bottom. If there is a number next to the weapon, this is the current stock-level of that weapon. When all stock is diminished, the weapon will disappear from the chart. Left click to select a weapon, right click off the chart to make the weapon-menu disappear from view. Your Worm can still move around with the menu on-screen. Keyboard Shortcuts On the icon menu, you may have noticed a list of Function keys down the left side, these indicate the relevant keyboard short-cuts for the weapons. You may find it useful to use the shortcuts at some point. F1-F12 (up to 4 times on each key) toggle through & select each weapon or utility. Please note that some of the F key shortcuts may not work due to weapon limitations in the demo. Ropey Techniques Yet another dazzling and intriguing new feature is the ability to drop weapons whilst swinging from a rope! This means that you can swing in, drop a weapon (usually dynamite or an exploding sheep) and swing off again. Select a weapon as detailed and press RETURN to drop it. (Note: In the case of triggering the weapon, such as the Sheep, you must press RETURN when on the rope and not the SPACE BAR). Rope length can be modified with the up & down cursors. Me Tarzan, you lucky... If the ability to drop nasties on your foes wasn't enough, you can now use multiple swings of the rope. This is a tricky technique but ultimately rewarding. In a cavern you can swing and drop, fire the rope again, swing and repeat, covering huge distances quickly! Using the Weapons Once you have a weapon selected, it is likely that the cursor will change into a cross-hair or a pointer, this depends on the weapon and how it is utilised - further details are in the weapon listings. Cross-Hair Commonly used for fired weapons, such as Bazooka, Grenade etc., the cross hair is used to direct the aim of the shot. Use the up and down cursor keys to aim. Some weapons have a limited aim. Arrow In the case of Homing weapons & teleport, you must select a target for either your weapon or your worm, you do this by left-clicking with the mouse and an "X" will mark the spot. If you wish to re-target homing weapons then click the left mouse button and repeat the process. If you wish to abandon, simply select another weapon. Please note that this is not possible with the teleport facility. Fuse Time/Bounce Setting Use 1-5 on the keyboard to set the fuse time (usually grenades) - an indicator on the weapon will show when it detonates. Set the bounce setting with the + and - keys. Dropping/Firing/Using The SPACE BAR is used to start/stop, fire and work the weapons. Some weapons such as the bazooka and thrown projectiles (Grenade) require a strength value, this is achieved by pressing and holding the space bar. The power bar will grow and you must judge the distance required. (Note: When triggering weapons dropped when you are on a rope, the RETURN replaces the usual SPACE BAR as SPACE BAR would in fact make you jump off the rope). Misc. Game Controls Along with the Worms controls, there are other keys which can be used. Mouse Control Move the mouse to scroll around the landscape, viewing where the other worms are. If you lose track of the current worm (the one with the name flashing and the big arrow pointing to it - actually it is possible, even with that happening!) you can press 'Home' to centre on that Worm. Action Replay As well as automated action replays, you can press 'R' to replay the last shot shortly after the move took place. Pressing & holding space will fast-forward the replay to the end. Pause 'P' Pauses the game. Toggle it on or off. An automatic state of pause is enabled when playing multiple human players on the same machine. The machine waits until there is any mouse or Worm movement before enabling the turn clock. When in pause, you cannot scroll around the landscape and all Worm names/energy details disappear. (Please note there is no pause function available in demo) Graphics Detail Level You can toggle the level of graphics detail while running the game. There are six distinct areas and these are listed in the Video Options section. Press INSERT during the game to change through the different levels. Name Switch Press DEL to toggle Worm name visibility setting from full to partial to none. Center on current Worm Press 'Home' to center on the current Worm. Switch Worms To select which worm to move within a team, press the TAB key. Drop Weapon When on a rope, you can drop a weapon by using RETURN and RETURN again to trigger it (if appropriate). Re-Target If using the mouse to target a shot (eg. Homing missile or a teleport) you can re-set the target and set-again by clicking the left button of the mouse. Summary of Controls Mouse View/Scroll landscape Left Mouse Button Select/Re-select target for Homing missile (eg.). Select weapon from weapon menu. Right Mouse Button Bring up/cancel weapon menu. Cursor Left Move Worm left Cursor Right Move Worm right Return Jump/Drop Weapons On Rope/Trigger Weapon On Rope Return-Twice Back-Jump BACKSPACE Vertical-jump Cursor Up Aim Up/Shorten rope when hanging from it Cursor Down Aim Down/Lengthen rope when hanging from it SPACEBAR Drop weapon, detach from rope (one touch) SPACEBAR Set strength of fired weapon (press&hold) ESC Quit +/- Set Bounce type on projectiles 1-5 Set Fuse Time on projectiles HOME Centre on current worm TAB Switch to next Worm on team (if option is on) R Action Replay F1-F12 Weapon shortcuts (Limited in demo due to the number of weapons available) DELETE Cycle through Worm information settings INSERT Cycle through graphics detail levels WEAPON/UTILITY DETAILS & INFORMATION Worms2 contains a whole stack of weaponry and tools to use & abuse at will! Some weapons are in plentiful supply and others are limited - some can only be found in the weapon crates that drop from the sky. We haven't included information on all weapons, there are lots to discover! Weapon usage is all about individual strategy & experimentation... and so many to choose from! Here, we detail the key types and how they are used; Missiles Eg. Bazooka Fired projectile that requires a strength setting input. Example: Bazooka Weapons of this type have an aiming cursor, which you use to target the enemy. Once targeted you press and hold space to set the strength used. Note that a single tap will only result in the bazooka dropping near the current worm and is therefore not recommended! These weapons are usually affected by wind. Projectiles Eg. Grenade, Cluster Bombs, Banana Bombs Fired weapon subject to gravity but no wind. Fuse time can generally be set & bounce type. Strength of throw is also required. Aim the cursor, set the fuse time (if available) from 1-5 seconds and hold space to set the distance of the throw. If available, you can also set the bounce type from low to high. Guns Eg. Shotgun, Uzi, Minigun Fired weapon that shoots in a straight line, no strength setting required (ie. single press of space). Aim the cursor and press space to fire. These weapons are generally not affected by wind or gravity. Some of these weapons give multiple shots. Explosives Eg. Dynamite, Land-mine Dropped explosive with a retreat time to get away. Run up to the target and press space to drop before running away! Explosives can also be released when you are on a rope by first selecting it, then pressing return. Close Combat Eg. Fire-Punch, Dragon-Ball, Baseball Bat, Prod Worm to worm combat, up close and personal. Press space to attack. Baseball bat has additional directional aiming. Fire Punch also cuts through landscapes. Strike Weapons Eg. Air-strike, Napalm-strike, Postal-Strike Airborne attacks called in with a single press of the space bar. Note that these cannot be used on Cavern levels. Cause much land devastation. Rope Utilities Eg. Ninja Rope, Bungee Aim and fire the rope. Swing and jump off to move around the level. Drop weapons by selecting & pressing return. Bungee is used automatically if selected. (ie. Select Bungee and walk off a cliff). Rope swing speed can be modified, it also acts as the strength for any projectiles thrown whilst on the rope. Digging Tools Eg. Drill & Blow-Torch Lets you dig into the landscape and get out of the way. Both tools are operated by a press of the SPACEBAR to start and another press to stop. They have a time limit. GAME FEATURE NOTES Within Worms2 we've sneaked a whole host of cute little side-effects in there. These are for you to find, learn about and abuse! Keep your eyes peeled! Performance Issues Worms2 runs in high-resolution only and requires a considerable amount of video memory (note: not system memory, do not get confused) in order to store, animate & generate the huge amount of sprites in the game. Worms2 features a detail level toggle in the game (detailed elsewhere) which can dramatically improve performance. Equip your machine with a fast video card that has at least 2Mb or more of Video-Ram on it. Anything less than a 2Mb video card will have performance problems and you will have to play the game at a low detail level. The speed of the machine also has a bearing on how fast the game is updated (more updates make for a smoother, slicker game) we recommend that a Pentium 120 or similar should be more than adequate). Lack of system memory can also slow things down, especially as Windows95 attempts to "page" memory from the hard-drive, which is very slow, but does mean the machine doesn't really run out of memory! 16Mb is the absolute minimum you should have, but we recommend 32Mb or above. Ensure that you are not running any other tasks or applications that are resource or memory hungry. You would be surprised at how much of your system resources are used by other programs and utilities. In summary, have the bare minimum you need to get up and running. FEEDBACK We would love to hear your comments on the game, so please let us know! We aim to continue supporting this product long after release, check out the web-site (www.Worms2.com) for news of exciting new releases/features & upgrades. You can email Team17 with direct comments at 'Worms 2@team17.com' CREDITS Team17 Credits Here's a list of the guilty ones at Team17... a list of thanks follows the credits... Original Concept & Design Andy Davidson Programming & Design Karl Morton Graphics & Design Dan Cartwright Additional Programming Colin Surridge Phil Carlisle Martin Randall Rob Hill Additional Graphics Rico Holmes (Lead Background Art) Audio Bjorn Lynne Video Cris Blyth (Animation/Production) Rory Little Mark Taylor Production Martyn Brown Team17 would like to thank... Absolutely everyone who ever emailed us, posted email on Worm2Worm, got themselves on IRC #Worms, wrote in, phoned up or just pestered us! Without you and your valuable suggestions, Worms2 couldn't have gone in the right direction. People around the office for their enthusiasm, comments and suggestions. WORMS2 (C)1997 TEAM17 SOFTWARE LIMITED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.