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 Worms 2!
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 Worms 2 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!
Worms 2 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 Worms 2
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 Worms 2 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 Worms 2 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.
Worms 2 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
Worms 2 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 moved around and access to 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. Worms 2 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 Worms 2 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
Worms 2 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.
Worms 2 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 Worms 2 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 Worms 2 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 then click
the left mouse button and repeat the process. If you wish to abandon,
simply select another weapon.
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 'C' 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 'C' 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 Jump up for 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
C 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
Worms 2 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
