User manual GAMES PC WORMS ARMAGEDDON

CO N T E N TS INSTALLATION Installation of Worms Armageddon Uninstalling Worms Armageddon Latest documentation Starting Worms Armageddon 1 1 1 1 1 INTRODUCTION Overview Turn-based system Time Landscapes Worms and weapons Utilities Donor cards Strategy On your own, or in a group 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 QUICKSTART GAMES Single player Network 5 5 5 PLAYING THE GAME Moving the view Changing worms Moving worms Jumping Other moves Action replay Quit Name switch Force energy bars 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 ON-SCREEN INFORMATION Commentary panel Turn/round time indicator Wind bar/background incidentals Team status Worm status Utilities Weapons panel Chat panel Quit panel 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 SELECTING YOUR WEAPON Method A Method B 10 10 10 WEAPON USAGE CRATES'R'US Weapon crates Health crates Utility crates 11 24 24 24 24 i UTILITIES Collectable utilities Instant effect utilities 25 25 26 MENU SYSTEM Main menu System configuration Video options Secret selection 27 27 27 27 27 SINGLE PLAYER MENU Training Single player quickstart game Missions: a worm too far Deathmatch challenge 28 28 28 29 29 CREATE GAME Multiplayer non-network game How to create a new team Barracks Game roster Game styles General options Weapon options Game options Miscellaneous options Landscapes 30 30 30 31 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 NETWORK PLAY Local network Connecting to existing games Hosting a game Chat 39 39 39 40 40 WORMNET Internet play Gaming channels Channel chat Hosting Servers In-game network chat Network set-up information 41 41 42 43 44 44 44 45 TROUBLESHOOTING Online help Mail/telephone support 46 46 46 SOUNDBANK EDITOR GAME CONTROLS CREDITS 46 47 49 ii IN S TA L L AT IO N INSTALLATION OF WORMS ARMAGEDDON Thank you for purchasing Worms Armageddon. This documentation comprises a feature overview, play hints, weapons guide and much, much more. It is recommended to print out this manual as a quick point of reference. This will be a useful resource during play for weapons values and gameplay tactics. If you're a Worms veteran then welcome back! We think you'll enjoy all of the enhancements and extra goodies we've added into Worms Armageddon, especially the new improved online WORMNET play. When Worms Armageddon has successfully been installed, a Team17 group will be included in the Program group within your Start Menu and the Worms Armageddon game icon will be placed in here, along with the utilities, the latest documentation and uninstall icons. UNINSTALLING WORMS ARMAGEDDON To uninstall Worms Armageddon, select the Start Menu, select the Team17 group and UNINSTALL WORMS ARMAGEDDON. This will remove the game from your system. Please note that any additional files added or created after installation will not be removed and will have to be removed manually. 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. STARTING WORMS ARMAGEDDON Ensure the game is successfully installed. Ensure that your system meets correct hardware and software requirements. Click Start and select Team17 from the Programs Menu. Click on Worms Armageddon, the game will run and play. 1 IN T R O D U CT IO N Worms Armageddon is the final chapter of the phenomenally successful WORMS series. It expands and stretches the Worms series to new heights, offering more features, weapons, options and hours of brilliantly crazy gameplay than ever before. Worms Armageddon is a single or multiplayer game that blends no-holds-barred action, strategy and sheer outrageous fortune, meaning you can play for 20 minutes or 20 hours. No game of Worms Armageddon is ever the same, making it endlessly entertaining. Up to six teams can battle it out on the same machine, local network or via the Internet, making it the ideal party game. It doesn't matter how you play it, once you're hooked, you'll always come back for more! OVERVIEW Worms Armageddon is a turn-based strategy game, where teams battle across bizarre, randomly generated landscapes or finely crafted custom designed levels. Each team takes it in turn to pick off the opposing teams, using crazy weapons, tools and other utilities they may have discovered to inflict whatever foul strategies they can conjure. Worms 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! 2 TURN- BASED SYSTEM Players have a set time in which to make a move before the game automatically switches to the next team. During this period, you can select which Worm to use (unless you only have one Worm or are playing with WORMSELECT disabled) and either let its arsenal loose on the enemy or move the Worm into safer territory. TIME In addition to the time limit for each turn (an option that you can change), each battle has an overall time limit before "Sudden Death" extra time is called. There are a number of options you can change for "Sudden Death", including having the water level gradually rise, making high territory even more strategic, having all Worms energy reduced to 1 or gradually drain it over time. LANDSCAPES Each time you play Worms Armageddon the game is completely different. Worms and mines are randomly placed on billions of possible landscapes, providing you with endless playing opportunities. Why not play around with the fabulous landscape editor to custom design your own cool landscapes? WORMS AND WEAPONS Each team of Worms has an arsenal of devastating weapons at their disposal. Some of these weapons will be limited in supply so you will have to use strategy to achieve maximum carnage. There are a wide variety of weapons available. For full details about weapons and their usage, see the Weapon Usage section later in this manual. UTILITIES These add a whole new element to Worms Armageddon. Utility crates drop from the sky, offering features to enhance the player's turn. These can be saved and used later, while some are used from the moment they are collected. 3 DONOR CARDS When the last member of a team dies and that team held any utilities or special weapons, a DONOR CARD is left. Any Worm collecting this card collects the special goodies left behind! STRATEGY Worms Armageddon can be played in many different ways - some players opt for wanton destruction, while others play it safe, and there are those that are so underhanded that they have vengeance wreaked upon them at every opportunity! Those who resort to hiding their Worms away and playing a very defensive game, have turned to the "Dark Side" of Worms playing and must be slain, so keep on your toes and tails! You will have to adapt your strategy to the weapons available, the landscape you're playing on and to each new opponent you play. Worms Armageddon allows for even more strategy than before in that each team can now select a special weapon to take into battle. The selection of this weapon or utility seriously affects the potential outcome, so do choose wisely! ON YOUR OWN, OR IN A GROUP Worms Armageddon features Single Player Missions for the lone player, pitting your skills against crack computer teams and a variety of intriguing Training games, where you can practice key skills, gain rankings, medals and some other goodies for extra-special performances. Multiplay is popular on a single computer or via a local network, but the ultimate Worming experience is playing via WORMNET, pitting your Wormy skills against players from the four corners of the globe - let battle commence! For details of INTERNET PLAY see the section entitled WORMNET. 4 Q U IC KS TA R T G A M ES We realise that not everyone will have read the manual before the excitement of playing the game got the better of them, so we have created a number of QUICKSTART options, which do not require you to create teams or anything too complex, but get you into the action quickly. SINGLE PLAYER To begin a quickstart DEATHMATCH game, select SINGLE PLAYER and then QUICKSTART. You will control the PLAYER 1 team against WORMBOTS. The game will keep track of your performance and adjust the difficulty accordingly for the next time you play. No statistics or details are kept on the team you control. NETWOR K Please note that there is no QUICKSTART network option. You must create a team before playing any network or WORMNET Internet games. 5 P L AY IN G T H E G A M E You've started the game but now what? This section will familiarise you with the basic controls of Worms Armageddon that are essential if you're going to take on the World! MOVING THE VIEW You can use the mouse to scroll around the landscape, simply move it in the direction you'd like the screen to scroll. Press the HOME key to centre on the current Worm. CHANGING WORMS If you have Worm Select set to "Manual" (see General Options), press the TAB key to select a different member of your Worms Team. You can only change Worms if you haven't already moved one, or selected a weapon. See also 'SELECT WORM' in the Weapons listing, this is a new weapon which allows advanced Worm movement. MOVING WORMS Move your Worm around by using the ARROW keys. The LEFT ARROW moves your Worm to the left, the RIGHT ARROW moves your Worm to the right. If the Worm is blocked then it will stop. JUMPING Make your Worms jump forward by pressing the RETURN key on the Keyboard. Be careful, Worms that jump and fall too far can hurt themselves - any injury will prevent the Worm completing its turn. You can also make Worms jump backwards by pressing the RETURN key twice in quick succession and perform an upward jump with the BACKSPACE key, which is useful for performing air-moves. Press BACKSPACE twice in quick succession to perform a back-flip. 6 OTHER MOVES Some of the weapons and tools have some nifty little tricks that can aid your Worm in its movements. Check out the Weapon Usage section later in the manual for further details. ACTION REPLAY Press the R key to replay the last shot. This can only be done immediately after the shot. Press the S key to watch the replay in slow-motion. Press and hold the SPACEBAR during a replay, to fast-forward it to the end. QUIT Press the ESCAPE key to open the Quit Menu. You can select Draw Game, Sudden Death and Quit Game. You can also view the number of rounds won by each team from here. In a Network game, action will continue as normal behind the menu, whereas the game will pause in a non-network game. Quitting a game in Network makes your team surrender, leaving the other players intact while declaring them the winners. Note: If the host quits the game in a Network match, the game is over. NAME SWITCH Sometimes the visibility of the Worm names can hinder the player, press the DEL key to toggle the Worm Name Visibility setting from full, partial or none. FORCE ENERGY BARS You can toggle this option to ON by pressing SHIFT-DELETE. Normally, the team energy bars disappear when a Worm is moved, this option can force them to be displayed at all times. 7 O N -S C R E E N IN F O R M AT IO N The game screen is full of useful information - the following explains what it all means! COMMENTARY PANEL A full commentary appears at the top of the screen, giving full details of which Worm has been killed, whose move it is and which weapon has been selected. TURN/ROUND TIME INDICATOR Your Turn Time counts down at the bottom left of the screen. As an option, you can also have the Round Time displayed here (for full details see the Game Options section later in the manual). When it reaches zero, play passes to the next team. The game will wait until everything has stopped moving (Mines, Worms etc) before it considers the turn complete. WIND BAR /BACKGROUND INCIDENTALS There is a wind strength indicator at the bottom-right of the screen. The arrows indicate the strength and direction of the wind. The incidental images in the background also serve to give an indication of the wind direction, these can be set with the INSERT key. TEAM STATUS The energy bars of each team playing are shown at the centre of the lower section of the screen. Status bars are removed from the screen when a team's energy is depleted and that team is knocked out. WORM STATUS Worm names, team name and energy values appear above each Worm. UTILITIES Enabled utilities (Double Damage, Crate Spy etc) will appear above the wind indicator in a small box when they are in use. 8 WEAPONS PANEL When selecting a weapon, the panel slides in from the right of the screen. To remove it, you can right click or select a weapon. CHAT PANEL In network games, a chat panel will slide onto the top of the screen, this can be removed with the PAGE UP key and recalled with the PAGE DOWN key. QUIT PANEL When the player presses the ESCAPE key, the Quit Menu slides down from the top left of the screen. It can be removed with another press of ESCAPE. 9 S E L E CT IN G YO U R W E A P O N This is the section where it all happens...the armoury! There are two ways to load up with your favourite weapon: METHOD A Click the Right Mouse Button to display the Weapon Selection Menu, then click the weapon or tool of your choice. As you move the cursor, the name of the highlighted weapon appears at the bottom of the Weapon Selection Menu. Click the Right Mouse Button to close it without making a selection. The number next to the weapon, shows the amount you have available, one turn uses 1 unit, although some weapons fire multi-shots during their usage. When a weapon is unavailable (i.e. your stock is at zero), the weapon is removed from the Weapon Selection Menu. METHOD B We have incorporated keyboard short-cuts for all the weapon groups. Use the Function (F) keys at the top of your keyboard, to select your weapon directly. The Weapon Selection Menu indicates which keys relate to which weapons. Where more than one weapon shares a key, press that key more than once (up to five times) to select the other weapons, as you do this, the currently selected weapon will appear in the Commentary Panel at the top of the screen. 10 W E A P O N U SA G E The following section details the weapons of Worms Armageddon, their effects and how to use them. Remember, all weapon instructions are written assuming you have already selected that weapon. A number of weapons are hidden in special crates, or given during single player missions - we wish you the best of luck in finding them! AIR STRIKE This weapon calls in an aerial missile strike in the target area that you select. To launch the Air Strike, simply move the target cursor with the mouse and click on the target to mark it (with an X). If you wish to abandon at this stage, simply select another weapon with the Right Mouse Button. You can also select the direction of the Air Strike with the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys, this is important if you wish to hit the correct part of a hillside! Each of the five missiles inflicts a maximum of 30 points of damage. Note : Strike Weapons cannot be called in Caverns and are unaffected by wind, except for the Napalm Strike. BANANA BOMB This 'soft fruit of doom' will explode, split and cause wanton devastation to an area the size of a small Greek Island. Use the 1-5 keys on the keyboard to set the fuse time (in seconds). Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move the cross hair and press the SPACEBAR to fire (the longer you hold it, the stronger the shot will be). Each Banana inflicts a maximum of 75 points of damage. BASEBALL BAT If it's been one of those days, the only really satisfying thing to do to an enemy Worm is to walk up behind it and smack it with a heavy wooden bat! Stand next to your target, aim the cross hair and press the SPACEBAR to sort them out! The Baseball Bat inflicts 30 points of damage. 11 BATTLE AX E This mighty blade slices in two the energy of all worms it touches, hammering them into the ground. Note : It can only be used to actually kill enemy worms which have one unit of energy, but can cause huge damage to a group of Worms! BAZOOKA The Bazooka is a powerful weapon that offers immediate satisfaction. Careful use of the wind strength and direction turns this weapon into a strategic wonder. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move the cross-hair and press the SPACEBAR to fire (the longer you press it, the stronger the shot will be). The Bazooka inflicts a maximum of 50 points of damage. BLOWTORCH Use the Blowtorch to dig through the landscape but consider that a sneaky hiding game is a sign of the Dark Side! Select your direction with the ARROW keys and press SPACEBAR to start and then stop the Blowtorch. More criminally insane individuals can use the Blowtorch to inflict 15 points of damage on enemy Worms. BRIDGE KIT This most useful, nifty ensemble of components allows rapid construction of bridges and pathways when you most need it. A number of bridge segments are available for immediate deployment on the landscape. BUNGEE Large falls can seriously damage your Worms' health, but with the Bungee selected you can safely wander off a cliff and drop weapons whilst bouncing around. Press SPACEBAR to release your Worm from the Bungee and press the RETURN key to drop selected weapons whilst on the Bungee. 12 CARPET BOMB Flee as a multitude of dodgy shagpiles rain from the heavens! Carpet Strike sends these irate, discounted carpets tumbling to Earth! Select and target, click Left Mouse Button and stand well back! CLUSTER BOMB The Cluster Bomb is tossed like a Grenade and shatters into smaller bombs, which explode around the target. Whilst less precise than a Grenade, a Cluster Bomb can be really useful for damaging groups of Worms. Use the 1-5 keys on the keyboard to set the fuse time (in seconds) and toggle the bounce setting, from max to min, with the + and - keys. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move the cross-hair and press the SPACEBAR to fire (the longer you hold it, the stronger the shot will be). Each Cluster inflicts a maximum of 30 points damage. DRAGON BALL This unleashes an energy ball toward the enemy, knocking the victim backwards and off it's tail. Stand next to your target and press the SPACEBAR to attack. The Dragon Ball inflicts 30 points of damage. DYNAMITE Press SPACEBAR to drop a stick of Dynamite, usually from the edges of cliffs onto unsuspecting Worms, or next to a group of Worms. This is a very powerful weapon and great for multiple Worm slaughter - a real crowd pleaser. Press the RETURN key to drop this from a rope. Dynamite causes a maximum of 75 points of damage. 13 EARTHQUAKE Press the SPACEBAR to cause a considerable earthquake, shaking any Worms and mines loose and causing the water level to rise considerably. Earthquakes do not cause specific energy loss, but the effects from movement can be devastating! FIRE PUNCH This powerful punch knocks Worms into the air and also cuts its way through land. Stand next to your target and press the SPACEBAR to punch. The Fire Punch inflicts 30 points of damage on the target, but is commonly used to knock Worms into water. FLAME THROWER Press the SPACEBAR to propel flames from the huge tank on the Worm's back! Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to spray the burning flames in an arc. The flames are subject to wind direction, so you must use caution. The Flame Thrower is a powerful weapon, estimates of its potential damage range from 50-70 points. FRENCH SHEEP STRIKE Unleash the wrath of stubborn French farmers with the Sheep Strike! Select a target with the mouse and click Left Mouse Button to release numerous burning Sheep, which come tearing to the ground. An incredibly dangerous weapon which, due to the additional flames, can cause all manner of havoc and destruction. 14 FREEZE Press the SPACEBAR to Freeze your Worms until your next turn. Your team is encased in blocks of ice and cannot be damaged! GIRDER Girders have many uses, particularly to provide a base for the Ninja Rope or a ramp so that Sheep can cross critical paths. Some players use Girders to block the progress of the enemy and others use them as a deflector for Grenades and Cluster Bombs. Girder use can be restricted to the immediate area around the currently selected Worm, from the Weapon Options Menu. Use the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys to rotate the Girder around and click Left Mouse Button to place it. GRENADE Set the fuse time (in seconds) using the 1-5 keys on the keyboard and toggle the bounce setting, from max to min, with the + and - keys. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move the cross-hair and press the SPACEBAR to fire (the longer you hold it, the stronger the shot will be). The Grenade inflicts a maximum of 50 points of damage. HANDGUN A great way to finish off a particularly hated Worm, or a group of very weak ones! Fires 6 consecutive shots. Make your day, punk! Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move the cross-hair and press the SPACEBAR to fire (the cursor can be moved up and down while firing). Each shot inflicts 5 points of damage. 15 HOLY HAND GRENADE Unleash the power of the heavens with the Lord's preferred weapon. This is a 3 second (no more, no less) low bounce Grenade style weapon that will only explode when it has come to rest. One of the most powerful weapons in the game, (only a certain garden ornament could possibly be more dangerous), it is capable of delivering 100 points of damage. HOMING MISSILE Once primed, the Homing Missile will aim for a specified target. Remember to give it enough power so that it can effectively find its target. Homing Missiles in Worms Armageddon are aquatic and can be fired under water, although there is an element of skill involved (fire hard and the missile will sink). Move the target cursor with the mouse and click on the target, use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move the cross-hair and press the SPACEBAR to fire (the longer you hold it, the stronger the shot will be). This missile inflicts a maximum of 50 points of damage. HOMING PIGEON A semi-intelligent equivalent of the Homing Missile, that will do its best to reach the target you select. Obviously Pigeons aren't totally reliable though. Move the target cursor with the mouse and click on the target, using the SPACEBAR to unleash the feathery hero. A Pigeon will explode inflicting a maximum of 75 points of damage. INDIAN NUCLEAR TEST First it was the French, now the Indians are at it! This powerful underground test bomb will sink the land and cause radioactive fallout to flutter from the heavens, infecting all living Worms. A tactical nuclear device if ever there was one. 16 KAMIKAZE Select a direction with the ARROW keys, then press SPACEBAR and watch the Worm end its life in martyrdom. You are guaranteed to lose the Worm of course, so it had better be worth it! The final explosion inflicts a maximum of 50 points damage, any Worms unlucky enough to be hit along the way will also suffer, a loss of 30 points in conjunction with being sent hurtling skywards by the impact. LAND MINE Proximity mines that explode if a Worm triggers the fuse by getting too close. Mines are a great strategic tool and can be knocked onto Worms by other explosions. Be aware that some can be duds. Press the SPACEBAR to drop a Mine. Land Mines inflict a maximum of 50 points of damage. LONGBOW This great, dual-purpose weapon allows you to fire arrows at unsuspecting Worms or create a ladder for others to climb on. Each arrow inflicts 15 points of damage. MINI GUN Such a misleading name for a huge machine-gun. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move the cross-hair and press the SPACEBAR to fire. As you fire, you can also move the gun up and down with the ARROW keys, strafing the target area. 17 MAD COW Ever since the European British Beef embargo began, there has been a huge stockpile of these frothing, deliriously mad cows intent on mass destruction. Unleash them in the direction you are facing, by pressing the SPACEBAR. If you have more than one, you can release them in a herd by pressing the 1-5 keys. Being mad, they will make no effort to get over an obstacle and just explode instead. Each Cow can inflict up to 75 points of damage and as such, should be avoided. MAGIC BULLET Revisit the grassy-knoll with this incredibly accurate Magic Bullet, which will seek out the intended target set with the mouse. The Bullet will home in on the target, avoiding contact with the land. Use SPACEBAR to launch the weapon. The Magic Bullet inflicts a maximum of 100 points of damage and is sure to stop any Presidential cortege firmly in its tracks. MAIL STRIKE Target the area with the mouse to make a very special delivery. Please consider the wind direction as letters aren't particularly heavy objects! Each letter can inflict 50 points of damage. MB BOMB Select the target area with the mouse and watch in horror as a stressed, overweight video-games producer falls to earth, causing widespread pandemonium and chaos. The MB Bomb inflicts 100 points of damage. MINE STRIKE Click Left Mouse Button to sprinkle new Land Mines onto the landscape. Due to the erratic nature of mines, there's no clear indication of where they will land, but it's quite possible that calamity will ensue. Like standard mines, each one can inflict 50 points of damage. 18