
WORM WARS
for the IBM-PC
Version 5.0a
Tue 2 November 1999

By James R. Jacobs

User's Guide

Overview

Worm Wars is an arcade game for 0-3 players. It combines the playability of the basic concept with 24 interesting object types, 6 species of creature, and other enhancements, for more diverse and strategic gameplay.

One to four worms travel around a rectangular maze leaving a deadly trail behind them, competing and sometimes cooperating with other creatures, collecting letters to advance to the next level.

The integral field editor (registered version only) allows you to load, edit and save user fieldsets, for greater lasting attraction. There is support for playing WAV files as sound effects (and MIDI files as music on the registered version).

It is enjoyable either for one player, or for competitive multiplayer games, and demo mode is available. IBM-PC control can be specified for any worm. Two keyboard players and one joystick player are supported. It is system-friendly, style compliant and it multitasks.

It is available for the Amiga and for Windows 95/98/NT, and is portable to other platforms.

New Features

2 new objects: pulse and remnants.
24-bit colour backdrop graphics.
Date and time fields for high scores.
Flashing letters.
The registration fee has been reduced to $10. 
Miscellaneous bug fixes and rule changes.

Usage

System Requirements

Hardware		Required		80486+
						about 8Mb RAM
						about 1Mb disk space
			Recommended		Super VGA colour monitor
						Joystick
						Mouse
						Keyboard with numeric keypad
Software		Required		Microfilth Windows 95/98/NT
			Recommended		Microfilth Word 97

Worm Wars requires that you are using small fonts (see Control Panel|Display|Settings|Font Size) and looks best at 640x480 resolution, in 24 bit (16.7 million colours) mode.

Installation and Startup

Installation and Uninstallation

No InstallShield script is provided or required: simply copy the WORMWARS\ directory and its contents to your preferred installation location.

To add an icon:

(	Hold the right mouse button over the desktop area.
(	Drag the highlight to 'New...'
(	Type or browse the pathname of the executable (eg.
C:\GAMES\WORMWARS\WORMWARS.EXE)
(	Accept or edit the proposed shortcut name.

To add a Start menu item:

(	Click the 'Start' button.
(	Click the 'Settings' submenu.
(	Click the 'Taskbar...' submenu item.
(	Click the 'Start Menu Programs' tab.
(	Click the 'Add' button.
(	Type or browse the pathname of the executable (eg.
C:\GAMES\WORMWARS\WORMWARS.EXE)
(	Select a folder to install into (eg. Programs or Games)
(	Accept or edit the proposed shortcut name.

To uninstall:

(	delete the WORMWARS\ directory and its contents
(	use the Windows Registry Editor (C:\WINDOWS\REGEDIT.EXE) to delete
the Worm Wars registry entries (under '@@@ LOCAL_USER|Software?|Amigan Software|Worm Wars').
	(	to remove an icon:
		(	click on the icon
		(	press Del
		(	choose 'Yes' (the icon is sent to the Recycling Bin aka Trashcan)
	(	to remove a Start menu item:
	(	Click the 'Start' button.
(	Click the 'Settings' submenu.
(	Click the 'Taskbar...' submenu item.
(	Click the 'Start Menu Programs' tab.
		(	Click the 'Remove' button.
		(	Select the menu item.
		(	Press Del.

Startup

If starting directly from the MS-DOS prompt, the current directory should first be set to WORMWARS\ (ie. the directory containing the executable). This will allow it to load the files it needs.

It can be executed from MS-DOS 7.0 (running under Windows 95/98/NT) by:

C:\WINDOWS> CD C:\GAMES\WORMWARS		or wherever you installed it to
C:\GAMES\WORMWARS> WORMWARS			some arguments are supported

If the joystick cannot be allocated at startup, the blue worm cannot be selected for human control. If the specified default fieldset cannot be loaded or is not specified at startup, WORMWARS.FST is used instead. If WORMWARS.FST cannot be loaded, a blank, five-level fieldset is used instead, with a bonus level floored with silver.

Command Information

WORMWARS

Format:		WORMWARS [?]|[<fieldset>]

Purpose:	To run the Worm Wars game.

Specification:	<fieldset>:	the pathname of your default fieldset. This is taken exactly as
entered; an '.FST' extension is not automatically appended. 
This is loaded relevant from the current directory. If no
argument is given, or your default fieldset cannot be loaded,
the default is WORMWARS.FST.

		?:		Displays the command line argument format, instead of
running the game.

The order of the arguments are interchangeable.

Examples:	WORMWARS ..\FOO.FST		load FOO.FST from parent
directory
WORMWARS BAR.FST		load BAR.FST from current
directory
WORMWARS D:\FOO.FST		load FOO.FST from root directory
of D:
WORMWARS \FSETS\BAR.FST	load BAR.FST from root directory
		WORMWARS ?				displays command format

Registry

The Windows system registry is used automatically to load and save the following data:

	(	selected controls for each worm
	(	default fieldset
	(	sound effects on/off
	(	field viewpoint

Title Screen

Keys

Esc 1 . . 4  . . . .  . . . .    . . .
. 1 2 3 4 . . . . . . . . . .    . . .    . . . .
Ta Q . . . T . U I O P . . Re    . . .    . . . .
... A S . F . H . . . . . tur             4 . . .
Shif Z X C V . N . . . ? Shif      U      1 2 3 E
Ct   Al ---Spacebar--- Al  Ct    L D R    -.- . n

Return on the alphanumeric keypad, Enter on the numeric keypad or S begins the game.
F toggles the sound effects on or off.
O and I select overhead or isometric 3D viewpoints, respectively.
Tab cycles the input focus forwards. When shifted, it cycles backwards.

Menu and Toolbar

(	File|New		Alt-F-N, Ctrl-N		Creates a blank, 5-level fieldset
titled WORMWARS.FST.
(	File|Open...		Alt-F-O, Ctrl-O		FSET 4.1-4.4 are supported 
(	File|Save		Alt-F-S, Ctrl-S
	File|Save As...		Alt-F-A, Ctrl-A
	File|n			Alt-F-n			(where n is 1-4) Opens the
specified recently modified fieldset
(not yet  implemented).
	File|Exit			Alt-F-X, Ctrl-Q, Esc, Alt-F4
	Edit|Undo		Alt-E-U, Ctrl-Z		Used in the field editor.
	Edit|Cut			Alt-E-T, Ctrl-X		Used in the field editor.
	Edit|Copy		Alt-E-C, Ctrl-C		Used in the field editor.
	Edit|Paste		Alt-E-P, Ctrl-V		Used in the field editor.
	View|Toolbar		Alt-V-T			Toggles the toolbar on or off.
	View|Status Bar		Alt-V-S			Toggles the status bar on or off.
(	Help|About Worm Wars...Alt-H-A, F1		Credits window.

* A toolbar equivalent is available for this menu item.

Gadgets

Colour		Human Controls        		Letters

Green		Left Keyboard			C and L
Red		Right Keyboard			O and E
Blue		Joystick				M and T
Yellow		None				P and E

Any combinations of human and IBM-PC control are acceptable, but at least one worm must exist. 

Other Information

Contact Details

Licence

This unregistered version is shareware. Unregistered users are not permitted to sell, decompile, disassemble, reverse-engineer or modify this software. You are authorized to evaluate this software for a thirty (30) day period before registering.

Registered users are permitted to decompile, disassemble, reverse-engineer and modify the software, and to distribute such copies, though not to sell it.

No warranties are made expressly or implied in regards to this product. It is provided strictly on an 'as is' basis. Any usage made of it is at your own risk. However, 24-hour online support is provided to registered users.

Registation

You are strongly encouraged to register your copy of Worm Wars. The price has now been reduced further, to only $AUS10 or $US10. This will enable continuing development of the software, and provide you with the full registered version (including the field editor, music and other enhancements), free 24-hour online technical support, additional developer support documentation, regular previews and updates, extra fieldsets and sound effects, source code, fieldset conversion utilities, limited-edition enhanced versions, conversion tools and special offers on other Amigan/Enable Software products. Cheques and money orders should be made payable to James Jacobs. You can also register at the Register Now website (www.regnow.com).

Registering the IBM-PC version entitles you to all the benefits of Amiga registration, and vice versa.

Bugs

Please contact us immediately if any bugs are found.

Submissions and Feedback

Fieldsets, music (SoundTracker/MED/MIDI format), sound samples (IFF 8SVX/WAVe) or even modified versions of the game can be submitted and may be distributed with future releases, with acknowledgements to the contributor(s).

Users are invited to contribute suggestions for the future of the game. Thanks to Jilles Tjoelker for his suggestions.

Sound effects

The game uses WAVe files for its sound effects. Any of them may be altered or replaced, if desired.

Contact details

Mail		James Jacobs
11 Yate Gdns
RIVETT ACT 2611
Australia

Voice		Australia (02) 6287 4917

Email		james_jacobs@altavista.net

URL		http://users.interact.net.au/~cjaj/amigan.html

Platforms

Worm Wars 5.0 is available for the Commodore/Escom/Gateway Amiga and also for Microfilth Windows 95/98/NT.

We have reviewed the future of the IBM-PC version. It has been decided that, due to the lack of registrations of this version, it will likely now be discontinued, and 5.0 be the final IBM-PC version. Development on the Amiga will continue, of course.

If you would like to see Amigan Software continue to support the IBM-PC, you must register.

The IBM-PC version is roughly equivalent to the Amiga version except for the following:

	Amiga					IBM-PC

AmigaGuide documentation		Microfilth Word/ASCII documentation
Is a screen				Is windows
All features as standard			Unregistered and registered versions
Amiga-style version strings		Microfilth- and Amiga-style version strings
No toolbar/status bar			Toolbar and status bar
Object descriptions			No object descriptions
	640*256, 16 colours			640*400, 256 colours
	No saving of configuration		Use of registry
	IFF 8SVX samples			WAVe samples
	2-colour background			16.7 million-colour background
	WormWars.font				Standard font
	Text shadowing				No text shadowing

IBM-PC Development System

Hardware	IBM-PC compatible Pentium 133 minitower
		1.2Gb 3.5" SCSI hard disk
		16Mb RAM
		NetComm Roadster 144P 14,400 baud modem
		Teco 14" Super VGA colour monitor
		Microfilth mouse and Telstra mat
ESS MF-1868 SoundBlaster Pro-compatible soundcard
1.44Mb internal floppy drive
8-speed CD-ROM drive
Firmware	American Megatrends International 1997 BIOS
Software	Microfilth Windows 95 with MS-DOS 7.0
		Microfilth Visual C 5.0++
		Microfilth Word 97 SR-1
		Microfilth Excel 97
		PKZip 2.04g
		MediaSauce 1.0
		WinUAE 0.8.6
		Microfilth Internet Explorer 3.0 with Windows Messaging 4.0
		CuteFTP 3.0

Source Code

The Amiga version is written in C (SAS/C 6.3), whilst the IBM-PC version is written in hybrid C/C++ (Microfilth Visual C++ 5.0), using Microfilth Foundation Classes. Both versions use the same game engine, written in C, with API calls for the relevant OS in other modules.

Source code, developer documentation, graphics files, Audodoc-style function descriptions and background information for either or both platforms are available free to registered users. You may do as you wish with these for any non-commercial purpose.

The source code for the Amiga version is included with that distribution.

Porting

Registered users are welcome to port Worm Wars to other platforms for non-commercial purposes. Amigan Software is only intending to support the Amiga at this time. Registered users will be given assistance in porting to any desired platform.

Developers can rewrite SYSTEM.CPP for their target platform, and use the existing generic ENGINE.CPP, which will continue to be updated automatically for them by Amigan Software.

History

5.0a [Windows 95/98/NT]		Tue 2 Nov 1999.
5.0 [Amiga 2.04+][Windows 95/98/NT]	Mon 1 Nov 1999.
4.4 [Amiga 2.04+][Windows 95/98/NT]	Wed 22 Sep 1999.
4.3a [Windows 95/98/NT]			Wed 8 Sep 1999.
4.3 [Amiga 2.04+][Windows 95/98/NT]	Sun 5 Sep 1999.
4.2 [Amiga 2.04+][Windows 95/98/NT]	Sat 7 Aug 1999.
4.1 [Amiga 2.04+][Windows 95/98/NT]	Sun 6 Jun 1999.
4.0 [Amiga 2.04+]			Sun 1 Nov 1998.
3.3 [Amiga 2.04+]			Wed 29 Jul 1998.
3.2 [Amiga 2.04+				Tue 3 Dec 1996.
3.1 [Amiga 2.04+]			Tue 16 Apr 1996.
3.0 [Amiga 2.04+]			Thu 18 Jan 1996.
2.2 beta [Amiga 1.2+]			Sun 5 Feb 1995.
2.1  [Amiga 1.2+]			Tue 27 Dec 1994.
2.0  [Amiga 1.2+]			Sat  3 Dec 1994.
1.7  [Amiga 1.2+]			Wed 26 Oct 1994.
1.6  [Amiga 1.2+]			Sun  9 Oct 1994.
1.5a [Amiga 1.2+]			Thu 25 Aug 1994.
1.5  [Amiga 1.2+]			Sun 10 Jul 1994.
1.4 [MS-DOS]				Wed  9 Mar 1994.
1.3 [MS-DOS]				Fri 11 Feb 1994.
1.2 [MS-DOS]				Thu  4 Nov 1993.
1.1 [MS-DOS]				1993.
1.0 [MS-DOS]				1993.

Future

The future of this software is dependent on the support it receives from its users. Your contribution will support further software development and enhancement. 

The IBM-PC version will not be developed further without user registrations. The price is now only $US10/$AUS10.

Other Products

Worm Wars 5.0 for Amiga

The Amiga version of Worm Wars has long proved its worth in the Amiga community, acknowledged as the premier snake game for many years. The latest version, 5.0, has everything from the acclaimed 4.4 release plus a host of new features and improvements. 

The Amiga release is available free, and includes the full field editor and music support integrated with the standard release. It is available now on the Aminet (games/misc), or directly from Amigan Software. It requires only Kickstart 2.04+ and a PAL-capable system.

enable Tuner

enable Tuner is an advanced musical instrument tuner and metronome, written by Amigan Software under contract for Enable Software. It is capable of sampling microphone or line input, deriving the input waveform frequency and amplitude, determining the pitch of the note (accurate to 0.001 Hz!) and comparing it with the desired pitch, in realtime. It can output tones of any requested pitch, and is customisable for a large range of instruments and tuning styles. Strings can be transposed, and the sampling resolution varied. eTuner is controllable from the built-in GUI, which resembles an enhanced version of a traditional guitar tuner, and also from the command line. A digital metronome module is also part of the program, and allows playback of any WAV-style sample or tuner-generated note of any pitch, at any of the preset tempo rates or a user-specified rate. It is by far the most capable instrument tuner currently available.

Enable Tuner has been awarded the coveted PC Magazine Editor's Choice and has been a featured selection on many of the world's top shareware sites. It is the industry-standard instrument tuner.

enable Tuner runs on any standard Windows 95/98/NT system, and is available now. It is included as part of the enable Bass software/hardware package, and is also available separately as a standalone commercial product. Contact Amigan Software or Enable Software for further information.

How to Play

Worm Wars is an arcade game for zero to three human players. Each player controls a worm. They move around a rectangular  (53x39) playfield, leaving their tails behind them. Each worm aims to amass the most possible points, to complete the levels and to survive as long as possible.

Controls

In-game keyboard controls

Esc . . . 4  . . . .  . . . .    . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    . . .    . . . .
.. Q W E . . . . . . P . . ..    . . .    7 8 9 .
... A S D F . . . . . . . ...             4 5 6 .
.... Z X C . . . . . . . ....      U      1 2 3 E
..   Al ---Spacebar--- Al  ..    L D R    -0- . n

 Green worm                     Either   Red worm

Esc exits to the title screen.
Alt-F4 exits to Windows 95/98/NT.
P pauses until P is pressed again.
F toggles the sound effects on and off.

Worm control principles

Worm control is an acquired skill and is the single most important factor in playing successfully and enjoyably.

A worm has direction and speed. It is unable to ever stop completely, unless frozen by ice, but its speed is adjustable between three settings. It can turn 90( in any direction. Normally,  it  can only move orthagonally (north, south, east, west), but a nitro will enable diagonal movement.

The  worm  can pass through most types of square, though some cause damage. Wood  and  tail  slow  the  worm  down,  halving its speed for every square traversed  (to  a  minimum  of 'slow').  Stone, metal, killers and blocked teleports, however, will block the worm's motion as well as slow it.

Control of the worms is by keypresses; that is, press and release in a normal keystroke motion. There is no reason to hold down any key. Only fresh keystrokes are ever looked at by the program. Also, holding down a key may lock out your input.

For joystick control, it is best to nudge the joystick briefly in the direction you want, and let it return to the central upright position.

Each move, a worm is able to do any one of five things:

(	fire (in the current direction);
	(	change direction;
	(	change speed (one speed in either direction);
	(	jump; or
	(	nothing.

The worm will move one square regardless. This means you can:

(	fire in your current direction	and move in your current direction;
(	change direction			and move in the new direction;
(	change speed			and move in your current direction;
(	jump				leaping 2-4 squares and then
landing, in your current direction;
(	do nothing,			and move in your current direction.

Speed changes are accomplished using the same keys as for turning. Pressing the direction you are already travelling increases your speed; pressing against that direction decreases your speed.

Keyboard [green and red]

If only one human is selected for the keyboard, all three sets of keyboard controls are available for that player, whether it is the green or red worm. When only one human is selected for the keyboard, we suggest using the cursor keypad, as it has the best rollover properties (ie. you can press a key whilst another is already held down). However, the cursor keypad obviously does not support diagonal movement.

Two players may use the keyboard, playing at each end. If there are two humans selected for the keyboard, the cursor keypad cannot be used, due to keyboard hardware limitations. The green worm must use the leftmost controls (QWEASDZXC, spacebar) and the red worm must use the rightmost controls (the numeric keypad).

X and C are both down-right for the green worm.
Spacebar is the firebutton for the green worm.

5 and 2 are both down for the red worm.
0 or Enter on the numeric keypad are both firebuttons for the red worm.

Joystick [blue]

The blue worm can use a joystick. If the joystick could not be set up during initialization then human control will be unavailable.

Letters

There will always be one, neither more nor less, letter onscreen at any given time. When a worm collects it, another, which that worm needs, will appear.

The main objective of the game is to complete all the levels. The level will be completed and the next loaded as soon as a worm has all eight letters, which together spell the word COMPLETE. All worms will then lose all their letters. The worm which completed the level receives these points:

	100	x	old level number
	 10	x	seconds remaining
	  1	x	tail squares of your colour onscreen

Only worms and their protectors go on to the next level; other creatures perish. Each level is faster than the last, and creatures are faster and more frequent.

Only 2:00 (two minutes) are allocated for each level. After that time has elapsed, all killers, fragments, drips and newly created orbs will double their usual speed, and the frequencies of orbs, killers, slime and drips will also be doubled, until the level is completed.

Objects

Type		Points		Frequency

Affixer		 60		Very rare
Ammo		 20		Common
Armour		 20		Common
Bias		 50		Common
Bomb		 30		Common
Bonus		 10		Common
Grower		 50		Uncommon
Healer		 90		Very rare
Ice		 60		Very rare
Life		 50		Uncommon
Missile		 40		Uncommon
Multiplier	 50		Rare
Nitro		 10		Uncommon
Powerup		 30		Uncommon
Protector	 50		Rare
Pulse		 40		Uncommon
Remnants	 40		Uncommon
Slayer		 40		Rare
Slower		 40		Rare
Switcher		 70		Rare
Tongue		 20		Uncommon
Treasure		100		Very rare
Umbrella	100		Very rare

Affixer

This causes your protectors to stop rotating and zigzagging. They are 'fixed' into position at whatever relative position they were in at the time. This makes them more useful, as you can more easily predict where they will be at any given time in advance. 

Ammo

This will provide 2-6 bullets.

Bullets are fired by pressing your appropriate fire control. If a bullet is available, you will fire. This bullet is instantaneous. If you have no bullets, you may jump.

The width of your bullet depends on powerups. Normally, it is 1 square wide, but it can be up to 7 squares wide. In reality, up to 7 independent bullets are fired.

If you use remnant, you will create a line of pain behind your bullets for your enemy worms.

A bullet which hits a teleport will be teleported and continue on its way. You will get the teleport skill bonus, too. That segment of the bullet will thereafter leave a trail of silver behind it. If you have bias, the trail will be of gold.

A bullet which goes through the same teleport twice, or is reflected off metal twice, will be destroyed.
 
In the absence of obstructions, a bullet continues going until it reaches the edge of the field.

is bounded by				field edges
destroys					tails
destroys					empty/silver/gold
destroys					objects
is absorbed by				skulls
if biased, destroys, else is absorbed by	wood
is absorbed by				stone
is reflected by				metal
is teleported by				unblocked teleport
is absorbed by				blocked teleport
harms and is absorbed by			unarmoured worm heads
is absorbed by				armoured worm heads
explodes and is absorbed by		unarmoured orbs
is absorbed by				armoured orbs
passes through				friendly protectors
is absorbed by				enemy protectors
passes through				friendly missiles
destroys					enemy missiles
bonusizes and is absorbed by		killers
destroys and is absorbed by		fragments
is absorbed by and sets off		               timebombs
destroys					drips

When a bullet sets off a timebomb the effect is as if the timebomb had elapsed its countdown and detonated normally (ie. you do not receive points for the blast, and can be harmed by it). So beware.

Armour

Armour will protect worms from being hurt by many different causes.

Armour is only temporary. Its power counts down at a constant rate, and can be extended by the acquisition of more armour. It is a mode.

While you are in armour mode your head-image will be different. When your armour is nearly gone your head will flash.

Bias

Provides these benefits:

(	missiles will not chase you.
	(	when you get bonuses, the letter will be one you need.
(	you can shoot through wood.
(	whenever you shoot you will also launch a missile, unless you already have an
active missile.
(	whenever one of your bullets goes through a teleport it will thereafter leave a
trail of gold instead of silver.
(	vampirism: whenever you cause a worm to take damage, you gain as many lives
as they lost. Whenever you kill an orb or killer, you gain a life.
	(	any bombblast by you will turn squares to silver, not empty.
(	any colour of drip you get will be as if it were your own colour.
(	when you get a grower, your tail will also grow.
(	when you get treasure, you will always go to the treasury.

Bias counts down at a constant rate. It can be extended by the acquisition of more bias. You can use bias in conjunction with one of the 'modes'.

Bomb

As soon as you go over one of these the bomb will go off, clearing the area around you. The blast radius is random, but is always constrained by the field edges.

is bounded by				field edges
does not affect				empty/silver/gold
destroys					objects
does not affect				skulls
does not affect				wood
does not affect				stone
does not affect				metal
does not affect				teleports
harms					unarmoured worm heads
does not affect				armoured worm heads
bonusizes				unarmoured orbs
does not affect				armoured orbs
does not affect				friendly protectors
does not affect				enemy protectors
does not affect				friendly missiles
destroys					enemy missiles
bonusizes				killers
destroys					fragments
destroys					timebombs
destroys					drips

A bomb may at any time randomly change to a timebomb, which ticks from 9 down to 0 before detonating. During ticking, it can be pushed around by worm heads. If pushed into a teleport or off the field edges, 100 points are given and the timebomb is destroyed without detonation. If pushed against things, or shot, or hit by a fragment, or an orb, it will detonate immediately. If this was from pushing against things, or the timebomb was shot by a worm bullet, the worm responsible gets the points from the blast. If an orb set the timebomb off, it gets the points. In any other case, no points are given from the blast. There can be up to four timebombs onscreen simultaneously.

If a timebomb is pushed over a skull, the skull is destroyed and points are given to the pusher, but none of dead worm's attributes are acquired.

Bonus

You will be given a random letter. It may be one you already have, unless you have bias. You do not receive skill points for letter collection, only your points for collecting this object.

Clock

If there is still any time remaining, the amount of time remaining is increased.

Grower

This will cause all gold and silver onscreen to 'grow', expanding into their neighbouring squares if those neighbouring squares are empty. If you have bias, all tail of your colour will also grow.

Healer

 If you have less than your starting lives (100), boosts you back to 100. If you have 100 or more, boosts you to 200. 

Ice

Ice will freeze all orbs, killers, drips, fragments, missiles, timebombs and enemy worms for a short period of time. There is no defence against ice. Additional ice will be added onto your amount remaining. Bias and modes of frozen worms and orbs do not count down.

Life

This provides 2-6 lives.

Missile

Missiles are automatically guided. They hunt the following things:

(	worms			preferred
(	enemy missiles		preferred
(	orbs
(	killers

The missile hunts whatever is nearest, and recalculates its target every move. An orb or killer must be twice as close as the nearest 'preferred' target (worm or enemy missiles) for the missile to hunt it.

Missiles will not cross field edges. They move at 'fast' speed.

Although they will hunt armoured worms and armoured orbs, they cannot harm them and will be themselves destroyed on impact.

Although friendly missiles never chase you, you will destroy them by getting in their way, and will be yourself harmed if unarmoured, so beware. Only one missile can be active for each worm at any given time.

destroys					tail
destroys					silver and gold
is absorbed by				skulls
destroys					objects
destroys					wood
is absorbed by				stone
is absorbed by				metal
is teleported by				unblocked teleports
is absorbed by				blocked teleports
harms and is absorbed by			unarmoured worm heads
is absorbed by				armoured worm heads
destroys and is absorbed by		unarmoured orbs
is absorbed by				armoured orbs
passes through				friendly protectors
is absorbed by				enemy protectors
bonusizes and is absorbed by		(enemy) missiles
bonusizes and is absorbed by		killers
destroys and is absorbed by		fragments
is absorbed by and sets off			timebombs
is absorbed by				drips

If you collect a missile:

(	while you already have an active missile; or
(	there are no other worms, missiles, orbs or killers alive

then you will receive only points; no missile will be generated.

Multiplier

Each time you get a multiplier, your scoring will be doubled. If you get more than one, it is doubled again each time. You can collect up to three (3) multipliers.

Your object points for actually getting the multiplier are affected by the new multiplier itself.

Multipliers	Scoring

0		*1
1		*2
2		*4
3		*8

At the end of each level, your multiplier will be reduced by one (ie. half).

Nitro

You will be able to move diagonally. Nitro cannot be lost.

Powerup

 This is power for your bullets. Each bullet you fire becomes wider, requiring less aiming accuracy and causing more general devastation.

Symbol		Meaning

<number>	bullet number
:		worm head, facing up (north)
:		worm head, facing up-right (northeast)
 	#		worm tail

        1              213            42135          6421357
        1              213            42135          6421357
        1              213            42135          6421357
        1              213            42135          6421357
        :               :               :               :
        #               #               #               #
        #               #               #               #

     Single           Triple        Quintuple       Septuple
 (no powerups)    (one powerup)  (two powerups) (three or more)

            1              312            53124          7531246
           1              312            53124          7531246
          1              312            53124          7531246
         1              312             3124            31246
        :               :2              :24             :246
       #               #               #               #  6
      #               #               #               #

Protector

Acquisition of this item will give you a companion who stays near you, collecting objects for you exactly as if you had moved over them yourself, and defending you from some forms of damage.

You can have up to three protectors. The first two orbit around your head. The third will be a `nose', suspended three squares in front of your head, which zigzags. The rate of  orbiting/zigzagging is the same as the worm's speed; that is, they move when the head moves.

An affixer will stop the protectors from rotating and zigzagging.

is bounded by				field edges
is invisible over				friendly tail
is invisible over				enemy tail if friendly worm is tongued
destroys					enemy tail if protector-worm is untongued
destroys and earns points for		empty, silver and gold
destroys, earns points for			skulls
and earns attributes for
is invisible over				wood, stone and metal
is invisible over				teleports
harms					unarmoured worm heads
is invisible over				armoured worm heads
destroys					orbs
destroys and is absorbed by		enemy protectors
passes freely through			friendly missiles
destroys					enemy missiles
bonusizes				killers
reflects					fragments
is invisible over				timebombs
destroys					drips

Pulse

Eight fragments are fired outwards when this object is collected, similar to an orb exploding. If another worm's pulse fragments are still onscreen, less than eight fragments will be generated.
 
Remnants

Each time you collect a remnant object, you are given 2-4 remnants. These enable your bullets to leave their remnants behind them as they travel.
These images of the bullet do not harm the worm which fired it, nor do they harm any other creature, except enemy unarmoured worms.

Slayer

Slayers are used instantly. They will destroy all killers, slime and drips, and cause damage to all unarmoured enemy worms. All orbs will explode simultaneously; use it with care.
 
Slower

This will slow all fragments, orbs, killers and drips to half their previous speed. The speed of these is reset at the start of each level. 

Switcher

All tail onscreen is instantly changed to your own colour. The main benefit of this is that you take much less damage over your tail than over an enemy tail, and also that you will receive more points at the end of the level.

Tongue

Tongue allows you to go through worms (heads or tails) without taking damage.

When a worm with tongue goes over a tail square it receives:

5 points		if it eats friendly tail. Tail turns to silver.
10 points	if it eats enemy tail. Tail turns to gold.

Your protectors will not eat any tails while you are in tongue mode, to help you maximise your score.

Tongue is only temporary. Its power counts down at a constant rate, but can be extended by the acquisition of more tongue. It is a mode.

While you are in tongue mode your head-image will be different. When your tongue is nearly gone your head will flash.

Treasure

This brings on the bonus levels.

There are two types of bonus level: treasury or drip level. If the collector of the object has bias, the treasury will automatically be entered; otherwide the decision is made randomly.

In the treasury, all objects except treasure are generated at 10 times their usual frequency.

In the drip level, drips aare @@ times more common.

Orbs, killers and slime are not generated on bonus levels.

Both types of bonus level use the same field. The worms will enter the bonus level for a limited amount of time. At the conclusion, the next level is reached. The full time bonus (2:00, which is 1200 points) is given at the end of the treasury.

Umbrella

This skips 2-3 levels.

Scoring

Square points

All

	     1	Empty
	    10	Silver
	    20	Gold
	    40	Teleport
100 Skull

Objects are worth various amounts of points.

Worms and protectors

   100	Drip of your colour
100 Letter of other colour
200	Letter of your colour

Skill points

	All

                  50		Kill a killer.
                 100		Hurt an enemy worm, without hurting yourself.

Orbs are worth their scores to anything that kills them.

Worms

     5	For each square you turn to silver.
    10	For each square you turn to gold.
 50	You hurt something (worm, orb or killer) by shooting it.
100 You push a timebomb off field edges or into a teleport.
500	You are the last surviving worm (all other worms are dead).

	There are also level completion bonuses.
	All points are multiplied by the number of worms selected for human and IBM-PC control.

Strategy

Faster speeds are useful for:

(	racing another creature for a letter or object;
(	hunting another creature when you have tongue or armour;
(	evading missiles and fragments;
(	laying tails to trap other creatures;
(	creating gold/silver with tongue;
(	amassing more square-points by moving;
(	amassing more square-points at level completion;
(	making large jumps;
(	causing protectors to rotate faster.

Slower speeds are useful for:

(	making small jumps;
(	waiting in a certain region of the screen;
(	not filling the playfield;
(	easier control.

You will get more points by shooting something than killing it by other methods, and more from collecting real letters than getting bonuses.

Remember that bullets, bombs, missiles, fragments and drips will not wrap around playfield edges. If you do, they cannot follow.

Certain objects work well together. Eg.:

(	bullets, powerups, remnants and bias;
(	multipliers and armour;
(	tongue and grower;
(	treasure and ice;
(	protectors and affixer.

To avoid a missile, get a worm, orb, enemy missile or killer, or a solid barrier such as stone or metal, between you and it.

Going quickly between teleports yields many points. It is easier when done using tongue.

The only way to destroy stone or metal is to kill a killer which is on it. If stone, you can simply jump over it.

Shooting an orb (which will explode) or timebomb (which will detonate) can be a useful way of harming, or putting pressure on, an enemy creature which is at the opposite end of the field. However, note that you can be harmed by this. If you have at least triple shot, you can safely shoot an orb if you are not directly lined up with it (and you do not move into the path of the fragments). For shooting timebombs, it is best to be as far away as possible.

The best way to handle slime is to encapsulate it with your tail, so it cannot spread.

High Scores

Each fieldset can have up to five (5) high scores. High scores are part of the .FST file. To save them, save the fieldset. The IBM-PC worms have names which honour the four original Amiga designers.

Worms

Worms can be controlled by humans or the IBM-PC.

A worm consists of a head, one square in size, and a tail, which is formed in the wake of the head's passing. As the worm moves, the tail stretches out behind its head. Collision with any part of a worm by the head normally results in damage (to the head).

Worms can move in the four cardinal orthagonal directions and at three speeds; getting a nitro allows diagonal movement.

Worms begin with 100 lives. Whenever you are taking damage your head will change to a skull temporarily. This is a visual change only. When 0 lives is reached, the worm is dead and the skull is permanent. Every 1,000 points you will be awarded an extra life.

Modes

Armour and tongue are mutually exclusive 'modes'. You can only have one in use (and therefore counting down in strength) at a time, and it will be whatever was most recently collected. The head's appearance indicates whether it is in a 'mode', and also the direction it is currently travelling. It will flash when the current mode is at low strength. When the strength reaches zero, the other mode is automatically engaged, if above zero.

Skulls

If a worm or protector collects the skull of a dead worm, the collecting worm will get everything the worm had at the time of death (multiplier, bias, power, ammo, armour, tongue, nitro and affixer), in addition to what you yourself already had.

Skulls absorb any bullets, missiles, drips or fragments, and are immune to bombblasts.

Jumping

A worm with no ammo can jump instead. If the destination is stone, metal, a killer or a blocked teleport you will not jump, and metal cannot even be jumped over. The distance varies according to your speed, and is shown below.

Name			Speed			Jump distance

Slow			half			2
Normal			normal			3
Fast			double			4

Collisions
 
All worms can be hurt by the following methods:

Method			Damage			Notes

enemy drip		5 lives			unless biased
blocked teleport		5			worm motion is stopped
killer			2			worm motion is stopped
metal			2			worm motion is stopped
stone			1			worm motion is stopped

"Worm motion is stopped": Every move in which the worm takes damage from that cause, its speed is halved (to a minimum of 'slow'). The worm is unable to actually enter the square.

Unarmoured worms can also die by the following methods:

worm bullet		5
enemy missile		5
enemy protector		5
orb			5
fragment		3			if armoured, fragment is reflected
bombblast		3
enemy slayer	    	2
slime			2
	enemy remnant		1			worm is slowed @@A
wood			1			worm is slowed

Untongued worms can also die by the following methods:

worm head		5
worm tail		1			worm is slowed
 
Orbs

Orbs are controlled by the IBM-PC. There can be up to seven (7) orbs at a time.  They move diagonally and bounce whenever they hit a tail, metal, stone, wood or killer, so their motion can be predicted by the skilled player. Orbs have their own scores. Their scores are added to those that kill them.

Objects

Objects can be used by orbs, as follows:

Affixer		This will remove any affixer from all worms.
Ammo		The orb will explode, if unarmoured.
Armour		Same as worm.
Bias		This will remove all bias from all worms.
Bomb		Same as worm.
Bonus		Points only.
Clock		The time remaining is reduced.
Grower		All wood onscreen will 'grow', expanding into their neighbouring
squares if those neighbouring squares are empty.
Healer		The orb will split.
Ice		The orb will split.
Life		The orb will split.
Missile		All missiles will be destroyed.
Multiplier	Same as worm.
Nitro		Doubles the orb's speed.
Powerup		Doubles the orb's speed.
Protector	This will slay all protectors.
Pulse		The orb will explode, if unarmoured.
Remnants	Doubles the orb's speed. 
Slayer		The orb will explode, if unarmoured.
Slower		Double's the orb's speed.
Switcher		All tail onscreen is instantly changed to wood.
	Tongue		This will allow the orb to pass through wood and tails instead of
bouncing off them.
	Treasure		The orb will split.
	Umbrella	The orb will split.

Splitting

The orb will split into up to four orbs, depending on the number of orbs already in play.

Each orb will be an exact clone of the original in all attributes, except starting direction but including score. Once born, they are completely independent, of course.

Modes

Armour and tongue are mutually exclusive 'modes'. An orb can only have one in use (and therefore counting down in strength) at a time, and it will be whatever was most recently collected. When the strength of it reaches zero, the other mode is automatically engaged, if above zero. The orb's colour indicates the 'mode' the orb is in:

Colour		Mode

Yellow		None
Blue		Tongue
Red		Armour

Collisions

An orb with tongue passes through and destroys slime.  An orb with armour bounces off slime. An orb with neither dies.

All orbs can be slain in these ways:

	Notes		Cause

(		Any worm gets a slayer. All orbs explode.
(		Becoming trapped (unable to move).
(		Collision with an armoured orb. (Both orbs explode).
(		Collision with worm tail.
(		Collision with an armoured worm.
(		Collision with a protector.

Unarmoured orbs can also be slain in these ways:

(		Worm bullets.
(		Fragments.
(		The orb collects ammo or slayer.
(		Drips.
(		Bombblasts.
(		Missiles.
(		Collision with an unarmoured orb.
(		Collision with an unarmoured worm.
(		Collision with slime when unarmoured and untongued.

	Symbol		Explanation

(:		The orb explodes.
(:		A bonus is left at the site of death.

Killers

Killers walk along the top of stone, metal, wood, tails and slime, firing fragments randomly when they are at an edge. An 'edge' is for our purposes defined as where the killer is next to somewhere it can't go. Killers prefer to be at an edge and tend to move towards and stay at one. When not at an edge, they cannot fire.
	Up to eight (8) killers can exist simultaneously. Each killer can only have one fragment onscreen at a time.

Killers can be slain in these ways:

(	Worm bullet
(	Fragment
(	Slayer
(	Orb bouncing off it
(	Bombblast
(	Missile
(	Drip

Dead killers always turn into bonuses. This is the only way to destroy stone or metal.

Slime

Slime may be randomly created at during play. This slime can 'grow' into some adjacent squares over time. It never moves, only grows.

Normal orbs				are destroyed by it
Armoured orbs				bounce off it
Tongued orbs				pass through and destroy it
Normal worms				are harmed by it
Armoured worms				pass through and destroy it
Tongued worms				are harmed by it
Killers					can traverse it
Protectors				destroy it
Fragments				destroy it
Worm bullets				destroy it
Slayers					destroy it
Bombblasts				do not affect it
Drips					destroy it

Drips

Drips appear near the top of the field, and fall downwards. They can be any of the four colours (green, red, blue and yellow). There can be up to 6 drips at a time.

Drips of your own colour (or another colour, if you have bias) are worth 100 points. Drips of the wrong colour hurt you. In either case, the drip is destroyed. There can be up to 6 drips existing at a time.

Fragments

Fragments are generated by:

(	orb explosions.
(	remnant explosions.
(	killers firing.
 
Fragments travel at a uniform speed until they are absorbed or reach the field edges, by which they are bounded.

is bounded by				field edges
destroys					tails
destroys					silver and gold
destroys					objects
is absorbed by				wood
is absorbed by				stone
is reflected by				metal
is absorbed by				blocked teleports
is teleported by				unblocked teleports
harms and is absorbed by			unarmoured worm heads
is reflected by				armoured worm heads
explodes and is absorbed by		unarmoured orbs
is absorbed by				armoured orbs
is reflected by				protectors
destroys and is absorbed by		missiles
bonusizes				killers
destroys and is absorbed by		fragments
sets off and is absorbed by			timebombs
bonusizes				drips

Teleports

These always come in pairs. Going through one will teleport you to the other, and bestow points also.

The following are teleported:

	(	worms
	(	orbs
	(	worm bullets
	(	fragments
	(	missiles
	(	drips

If a teleport is blocked (there is stone, metal or a killer next to its partner on the side where you would emerge) then the teleport cannot be used and is dangerous. You will slow down from hitting it and will not be able to use it. It is obviously possible for a teleport to be blocked to some approaches and unblocked to others.

Protectors are invisible over teleports, but you will still get points for them being there, as if they had teleported.

Two teleports may be defined in the field editor; another two may appear randomly during play. These two sets are completely independent of one another.
Worm Wars 4.2 for Windows 95/98/NT: User's Guide


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