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Worms (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Worms is a series of turn-based computer games developed by British company Team17 Software
. Players control a small platoon of earthworm
s across a deformable landscape, battling other computer- or player-controlled teams. The games feature bright and humorous cartoon-style animation and a varied arsenal of bizarre weapon
s.
The game, whose concept was devised by Andy Davidson, was described by the Amiga gaming press as a cross between Cannon Fodder
and Lemmings
. It is part of a wider genre of turn-based combat
games in which each player controls characters who duel with projectile
weapons; similar games include Scorched Earth and Gorillas.
3D interface
s have also been released, including Worms Pinball (1999), Worms Blast
(2002), Worms Golf
(2004) and Worms: Crazy Golf (2011). Worms Breakout and Worms Breakout 2, fangame
s based on the popular arcade game
Breakout, have been made available for download through the official Worms Armageddon website.
(open source, for Linux
, Macintosh
, Windows
), Hogs of War
(3D variation featuring pigs, for PlayStation
and PC
) and Snails
for Pocket PC
. Other games based on the Worms concept include Liero
, Wurmz! and Gusanos, which make use of real-time rather than turn-based gameplay. Another game that follows the same format is Arcanists; focused around a wizard theme, was created by Jagex Games Studio
, best known for their MMORPG RuneScape
.
and included Worms and its expansion Worms Reinforcements. A compilation, entitled The Full Wormage, was later released in 1998 for DOS and Windows and included Worms United, Worms 2 and Worms Pinball.
Each player controls a team of several worms. During the course of the game, players take turns selecting one of their worms. They then use whatever tools and weapons are available to attack and kill the opponents' worms, thereby winning the game. Worms may move around the terrain in a variety of ways, normally by walking and jumping but also by using particular tools such as the "Bungee" and "Ninja Rope", to move to otherwise inaccessible areas. Each turn is time-limited to ensure that players do not hold up the game with excessive thinking or moving, however this rule can be modified in some of the games in the Worms series.
Over fifty weapons and tools may be available each time a game is played, and differing selections of weapons and tools can be saved into a "scheme" for easy selection in future games. Other scheme settings allow options such as deployment of reinforcement crates, from which additional weapons can be obtained, and "Sudden Death" where the game is rushed to a conclusion after a time limit expires. Some settings provide for the inclusion of objects such as land mines and explosive barrels.
When most weapons are used, they cause explosions that deform the terrain, creating circular cavities. The types of playable terrains include "island" (terrain floating on a body of water), or "cave" (cave with water at the bottom and terrain at both top and bottom of the screen; this type is not available in 3-D versions due to camera restrictions and that certain weapons such as "Air Strike" cannot go through). If a worm is hit with a weapon, the amount of damage dealt to the worm will be removed from the worm's initial amount of health. The damage dealt to the attacked worm or worms after any player's turn is shown when all movement on the battlefield has ceased.
Worms die when one of the following situations occur:
The weapons available in the game range from a standard timed grenade and homing missiles to exploding sheep and the highly destructive Banana Bomb (possible reference to the weapons in Gorillas game), both of which have appeared in every Worms game so far. More recently, the Worms series has seen weapons such as the iconic Holy Hand Grenade, the Priceless Ming Vase and the Inflatable Scouser.
Some of the bizarre weapons in a particular game are based on topical subjects at the time of the game's release. The Mail Strike, for example, which consists of a flying postbox dropping explosive envelopes, is a reference to the postal strikes of the time, while the Mad Cow refers to Britain
's BSE
epidemic of the 1990s. The French Nuclear Test, introduced in Worms 2, was even updated to the Indian Nuclear Test in Worms Armageddon to keep with the times.
Other weapons are distinctly inside jokes. The MB Bomb, for example, which floats down from the sky and explodes on impact, is a cartoon caricature of Martyn Brown, Team17's studio director. Other such weapons include the "Concrete Donkey", one of the most powerful weapons in the game, which is based on a garden ornament in Andy Davidson's home garden, and an airstrike known in the game as Mike's Carpet Bomb was actually inspired by a store near the Team17 headquarters called "Mike's Carpets".
Since Worms Armageddon, weapons that were intended to aid as utilities rather than damage-dealers were classified as tools. This classification mainly differs in the fact that they do not fall in ordinary weapon crates, and instead appear in toolboxes. However, many tools were left in the wrong class for the sake of keyboard-shortcut conveniences. This was resolved in Worms 3D.
Some weapons were inspired from popular Movies and TV programs, including the Holy Hand Grenade (from Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and Ninja Rope (named the Bat Rope in early demos of the original game)
Worms & Reinforcements United and its sequels gave players the ability to pick between a variety of speech sets (called "sound banks") for each platoon of worms. Many were based on regional accents, such as "The Raj" and "Angry Scots", while others, like "Drill Sergeant", made use of stereotypes. Players could even record their own speech sets and use those instead.
The ambient and theme music for Worms 2, Worms Armageddon, Worms World Party and, in part, Worms 3D, was entirely provided by Bjørn Lynne
.
The whole Worms series has a light-hearted themesong, known as the Wormsong
The game was originally created by Andy Davidson as an entry for a Blitz BASIC
programming competition run by the Amiga Format
magazine, a cut-down version of the programming language having been covermounted previously. The game at this stage was called Total Wormage (possibly in reference to Total Carnage
) and it did not win the competition. Davidson sent the game to several publishers with no success. He then took the game to the European Computer Trade Show
, where Team17 had a stand. Team17 made an offer on-the-spot to develop and publish the game.
It subsequently evolved into a full commercial game, renamed Worms, available initially only for the Commodore Amiga computer. As the game was extremely popular, it was regularly released for other platforms including Windows
- and Macintosh
-based computers, Atari Jaguar, Mega Drive/Genesis, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64
, Nintendo Game Boy
, Game Boy Color
and Game Boy Advance
, Nintendo GameCube
, Nokia N-Gage, SNES
, PlayStation
and PlayStation 2
, Sega Saturn
, Microsoft Pocket PC
, and Xbox
.
During the development of Worms 2, Andy Davidson wrote Worms: The Director's Cut
, a special edition produced exclusively for the Amiga. This was, in his eyes, the pinnacle of the series. Featuring weapons not seen in any Worms game before or since, it looks like an enhanced version of the original game. Only 5000 copies were ever sold. It was also the last version released for the Commodore Amiga platform from which the game originated.
's DirectX
for Worms 2, dropping the darker tones of the first generation and adopting a more cartoonish look along the way-made possible by newer technology. Worms 2 marked the first true step in the widespread Worm craze and characterised the direction which the series would take from then on. The second Worms version is by far the most customisable of the Worms games, with an extensive set of detailed settings and toggles. Worms 2 also introduced internet play, which has since become a staple in the series. Worms 2 saw the return and enhancements of its predecessor's arsenal (e.g., the Banana Bomb -> Super Banana Bomb), as well as the addition of new weapons and tools. The game's interface is very dated by today's standards, resembling more of a generic Windows application than the colourful screens in later releases.
Worms Armageddon
was initially intended to be released as an expansion pack for Worms 2, but was released as a stand-alone game when it exceeded all expectations. Worms Armageddon included 33 in-depth missions in an extensive and elaborate campaign, along with training missions, a "deathmatch" feature, some new graphics and sounds, and a few new weapons and utilities. Much of the customization of Worms 2, however, was removed, as Team17 thought that the interface would become cluttered and overwhelming.
Worms Armageddon also included a much more organized and functional internet play service, known as "WormNET", which required registration and utilized leagues and ranks. Problems with cheating led to the removal of the leagues, but their re-introduction is planned in a series of updates that have provided the game with more customization. Other more subtle changes to the game include new physics to the ninja rope, and the removal of an in game glitch that allowed players to inflict huge damage to another worm, by aiming the mortar (a common weapon with high ammo) vertically above another player. The mortar shell would then return to earth and create a small but incredibly powerful explosion. In Worms Armageddon, the mortar shell would fall slightly to either side of the target worm if the same glitch was tried. Also, the booby-trapped crates were removed as Team 17 deemed them "unfair".
An official Worms Armageddon screensaver
was included with a release bundling the title with Addiction Pinball
. The compilation, The Armageddon Collection, is now out of print.
Worms World Party
was originally designed for Dreamcast console to make use of its online capabilities, but was also released for the PlayStation
and PC
with new missions, a mission editor, and some extra customization. This was also released later in 2005 for the N-Gage
Game Deck. A new feature, the WormPot, was added in all versions of the game except for the Dreamcast release, where it was omitted. With no new weapons, graphics or sounds.
The extensive customization of the 2D series, along with good online play support, has led to enduring popularity. A variety of unusual "schemes" have been developed by the WormNET community that are often played instead of the official schemes created by Team17. Some schemes have "rules" agreed to by the players but not enforced by the game itself.
was released for PlayStation 2
, Nintendo GameCube
, Macintosh
, Windows
, and Xbox
. This was the first game in the series to bring the characters into a three-dimensional environment. It features a 'poxel' engine, described as a hybrid of polygon
s and voxel
s (the 3D analogues of pixels). This allows for pseudo-realistic terrain deformation similar in style to the 2D games, in which the terrain was represented by a bitmap
.
The second 3D game in the series was Worms Forts: Under Siege
, for PlayStation 2
, Xbox
and PC
. It was released in November 2004 and features the biggest deviation from the traditional gameplay that the series has so far seen. Players' worms are able to build forts, and the objective of the game has shifted from simply killing the enemy worms, as players can now win a game by destroying the opponent's fort. Due to the change in strategy, this game could be seen more as a spin-off — though some aspects like the customizable costumes were carried into Worms 4.
Team17
Team17 Software Ltd. is a video game company best known for developing the Worms series of games , but it has made many other games, notably Superfrog and the Alien Breed series. Most of its early releases were on the Amiga home computer system and featured trademark smooth scrolling, and detailed...
. Players control a small platoon of earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s across a deformable landscape, battling other computer- or player-controlled teams. The games feature bright and humorous cartoon-style animation and a varied arsenal of bizarre weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s.
The game, whose concept was devised by Andy Davidson, was described by the Amiga gaming press as a cross between Cannon Fodder
Cannon Fodder
Cannon Fodder is a short series of war themed action video games developed by Sensible Software, initially released for the Commodore Amiga. Only two games in the series were released, but were converted to most active systems at the time of release...
and Lemmings
Lemmings (video game)
Lemmings is a puzzle computer game developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in . Originally developed for PC and Commodore Amiga, Lemmings was one of the most popular computer games of its time, and several gaming magazines gave it some of their highest review scores at the time...
. It is part of a wider genre of turn-based combat
Artillery (computer game)
Artillery is the generic name for either early two- or three-player computer games involving tanks fighting each other in combat or similar derivative games...
games in which each player controls characters who duel with projectile
Projectile
A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....
weapons; similar games include Scorched Earth and Gorillas.
Games
2D interface- WormsWorms (1995 video game)Worms is an artillery video game developed by Team17 and released in . It is the first game in the Worms series of video games and was initially only available for the Amiga. Later it was ported to other platforms....
(1995) - Worms Reinforcements (1996)
- Worms: The Director's CutWorms: The Director's CutWorms: The Director's Cut is a sequel to Worms, an artillery game developed by Team17 and published by Ocean Software. It was programmed by Andy Davidson and released in 1997 for the Amiga platform only....
(1997) - Worms 2Worms 2Worms 2 is an artillery game, which is a subgenre of strategy game developed by Team17 as part of the Worms series. The game was released in 1997...
(1997) - Worms ArmageddonWorms ArmageddonWorms Armageddon is an artillery game/turn-based strategy game developed by Team17 and part of the Worms series. The player controls a team of up to eight worms in combat against opposing teams.- Gameplay :...
(1999) - Worms World PartyWorms World PartyWorms World Party is an artillery game, which is a type of Turn-based strategy game. It was developed by Team17 as the seventh game in the Worms series, and was released in 2001...
(2001) - Worms: Open WarfareWorms: Open WarfareWorms: Open Warfare is a artillery game, that is a type of strategy game. It was developed by Team17 and published by THQ for the Nintendo DS and Sony's PlayStation Portable. There are several other Worms video games in the Worms series. This game marked Team 17's return to its 2D roots...
(2006) - WormsWorms (2007 video game)Worms is a turn-based, artillery game developed by Team17. It is available on, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and iPhone OS platforms and is one of the many installments of the Worms series created by Team17...
(2007) - Worms: Open Warfare 2Worms: Open Warfare 2Worms: Open Warfare 2 is an artillery game, which is a subgenre of strategy game. It was developed by Team17 for the Sony PlayStation Portable and Two Tribes for the Nintendo DS, published by THQ as part of the Worms series. It is the sequel to Worms: Open Warfare.-Gameplay:In Open Warfare 2, the...
(2007) - Worms: A Space OddityWorms: A Space Oddity-Reception:While Eurogamer claimed that the gesture-based control is gimmicky and unreliable, most review sites said just the opposite, with IGN noting that "the first DS Worms.....
(2008) - Worms 2: ArmageddonWorms 2: ArmageddonWorms 2: Armageddon is an artillery game/turn-based strategy game developed by Team 17 and part of the Worms series, released on July 1, 2009 on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points. An expanded version of this game titled Worms: Reloaded was released for the PC on August 26, 2010...
(2009) - Worms: ReloadedWorms: ReloadedWorms: Reloaded is an artillery game/turn based strategy game developed by Team17 and is part of the Worms series. It was first released on Microsoft Windows via Steam, on August 26, 2010. It was released on Mac OS X via Steam, on May 17, 2011. Gameplay is turn-based and returns to its original 2D...
(2010) - Worms: Battle IslandsWorms: Battle IslandsWorms: Battle Islands is an artillery turn-based strategy game developed by Team17 and part of the Worms series. It was released for the PlayStation Portable and Wii on November 23, 2010.-Gameplay:...
(2010) - Worms: Special Edition (2011)
3D interface
- Worms 3DWorms 3DThe game has received generally good reviews. A negative point by most reviewers was the 3D camera system, that often places behind the objects in landscape with the worm being hidden in front of those.-External links:* * ]]...
(2003) - Worms Forts: Under SiegeWorms Forts: Under SiegeWorms Forts: Under Siege is a Worms artillery game, with elements of strategy game. It was designed by Team17. Like the most recent Worms game, it is in complete 3D and showcases new features, such as buildings...
(2004) - Worms 4: MayhemWorms 4: MayhemWorms 4: Mayhem is a 3D artillery game in the Worms series developed by Team17. It is much like its 3D predecessor Worms 3D, except that players can customize their worm's appearance as well as create their own unique weapons in an added feature called "The Weapon Factory." The game also contains...
(2005) - Worms: Ultimate MayhemWorms: Ultimate MayhemWorms: Ultimate Mayhem is a computer game developed by Studio Team17. The game is a compilation of content from Worms 3D and Worms 4: Mayhem. Unlike those two games, which were rated T by the ESRB, this game is rated E10+. It is also the first 3D worms game to be rated E10+. It features extra maps,...
(2011)
Spin-offs
A number of Worms-themed spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
s have also been released, including Worms Pinball (1999), Worms Blast
Worms Blast
Worms Blast is a puzzle/action game for Windows, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and Mac released in 2002, developed by Team17, and published by Ubisoft ....
(2002), Worms Golf
Worms Golf
Worms Golf is an action game for Java ME-enabled mobile devices. It was programmed by Rockpool Games and published by THQ in 2004 It was based on Mani Golf, the original flash game created by Alex Rigby from Rockpool Games.- The game :...
(2004) and Worms: Crazy Golf (2011). Worms Breakout and Worms Breakout 2, fangame
Fangame
Fangames are video games made by fans based on one or more established video games. Many fangames attempt to clone the original game's design, gameplay and characters, but it is equally common for fans to develop a unique game using another only as a template...
s based on the popular arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
Breakout, have been made available for download through the official Worms Armageddon website.
Clones and similar games
Games that borrow from the Worms concept include Warmux and HedgewarsHedgewars
Hedgewars is a turn-based free and open-source strategy game, artillery game, skill game. It is cross-platform and runs on FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Android. It features a single-player mission/tutorial mode, in addition to multi-team multiplayer gameplay...
(open source, for Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
, Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
), Hogs of War
Hogs of War
Hogs of War is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Infogrames Studios and published by Infogrames Europe, released for the PlayStation and PC in 2000 for Europe on June 6 and North America on August 5. The game is set in a First World War-era where anthropomorphic pigs engage in combat...
(3D variation featuring pigs, for PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
) and Snails
Snails (game)
Snails is a shooting game by PDAmill for Windows Mobile. There was also a version for Palm OS, now discontinued, and alpha/beta versions for Symbian and Microsoft Windows, which have not been updated in over a year. In the game, you play as a race of snails planning world conquest in either...
for Pocket PC
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
. Other games based on the Worms concept include Liero
Liero
Liero is a computer game for DOS, first released by Finnish programmer Joosa Riekkinen in 1998. The game has been described as a real-time version of Worms. It has many weapons and sounds from its precursor, MoleZ. 'Liero' is Finnish for earthworm and is pronounced...
, Wurmz! and Gusanos, which make use of real-time rather than turn-based gameplay. Another game that follows the same format is Arcanists; focused around a wizard theme, was created by Jagex Games Studio
Jagex
Jagex Games Studio, based in Cambridge, is the UK’s largest independent developer and publisher of online games. Jagex is best known for RuneScape, the world's largest free-to-play MMORPG....
, best known for their MMORPG RuneScape
RuneScape
RuneScape is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game released in January 2001 by Andrew and Paul Gower, and developed and published by Jagex Games Studio. It is a graphical browser game implemented on the client-side in Java, and incorporates 3D rendering...
.
Collections
A compilation, entitled Worms United, was released in 1996 for DOSDOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and included Worms and its expansion Worms Reinforcements. A compilation, entitled The Full Wormage, was later released in 1998 for DOS and Windows and included Worms United, Worms 2 and Worms Pinball.
Gameplay
Over fifty weapons and tools may be available each time a game is played, and differing selections of weapons and tools can be saved into a "scheme" for easy selection in future games. Other scheme settings allow options such as deployment of reinforcement crates, from which additional weapons can be obtained, and "Sudden Death" where the game is rushed to a conclusion after a time limit expires. Some settings provide for the inclusion of objects such as land mines and explosive barrels.
When most weapons are used, they cause explosions that deform the terrain, creating circular cavities. The types of playable terrains include "island" (terrain floating on a body of water), or "cave" (cave with water at the bottom and terrain at both top and bottom of the screen; this type is not available in 3-D versions due to camera restrictions and that certain weapons such as "Air Strike" cannot go through). If a worm is hit with a weapon, the amount of damage dealt to the worm will be removed from the worm's initial amount of health. The damage dealt to the attacked worm or worms after any player's turn is shown when all movement on the battlefield has ceased.
Worms die when one of the following situations occur:
- When a worm enters water (either by falling off the island, through a hole in the bottom of it, or by the waterline being raised above the worm)
- When a worm is thrown off either side of the arena
- When a worm's health is reduced to zero
Weapons and tools
The Worms series is particularly notable for its extensive variety of weapons. With each new game that is released, new weapons are added, though many were removed in the 3D versions for gameplay reasons. As a result, the 2D series has accumulated 60 weapons, and the 3D series 40 weapons.The weapons available in the game range from a standard timed grenade and homing missiles to exploding sheep and the highly destructive Banana Bomb (possible reference to the weapons in Gorillas game), both of which have appeared in every Worms game so far. More recently, the Worms series has seen weapons such as the iconic Holy Hand Grenade, the Priceless Ming Vase and the Inflatable Scouser.
Some of the bizarre weapons in a particular game are based on topical subjects at the time of the game's release. The Mail Strike, for example, which consists of a flying postbox dropping explosive envelopes, is a reference to the postal strikes of the time, while the Mad Cow refers to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's BSE
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
epidemic of the 1990s. The French Nuclear Test, introduced in Worms 2, was even updated to the Indian Nuclear Test in Worms Armageddon to keep with the times.
Other weapons are distinctly inside jokes. The MB Bomb, for example, which floats down from the sky and explodes on impact, is a cartoon caricature of Martyn Brown, Team17's studio director. Other such weapons include the "Concrete Donkey", one of the most powerful weapons in the game, which is based on a garden ornament in Andy Davidson's home garden, and an airstrike known in the game as Mike's Carpet Bomb was actually inspired by a store near the Team17 headquarters called "Mike's Carpets".
Since Worms Armageddon, weapons that were intended to aid as utilities rather than damage-dealers were classified as tools. This classification mainly differs in the fact that they do not fall in ordinary weapon crates, and instead appear in toolboxes. However, many tools were left in the wrong class for the sake of keyboard-shortcut conveniences. This was resolved in Worms 3D.
Some weapons were inspired from popular Movies and TV programs, including the Holy Hand Grenade (from Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and Ninja Rope (named the Bat Rope in early demos of the original game)
Audio
One of the defining features of the Worms series is its light-hearted audio. Although the first few Worms games used darker, more authentic battlefield sounds for its ambient music, all of the games included a large number of high-pitched catchphrases shouted by the worms during the course of battle, such as "I'll get you!", "Revenge!", "Stupid!" and "Bombs away!".Worms & Reinforcements United and its sequels gave players the ability to pick between a variety of speech sets (called "sound banks") for each platoon of worms. Many were based on regional accents, such as "The Raj" and "Angry Scots", while others, like "Drill Sergeant", made use of stereotypes. Players could even record their own speech sets and use those instead.
The ambient and theme music for Worms 2, Worms Armageddon, Worms World Party and, in part, Worms 3D, was entirely provided by Bjørn Lynne
Bjørn Lynne
Bjørn Arild Lynne is a Norwegian sound engineer and music composer, now living and working in Stavern, Norway. He has been widely known as a tracker music composer under the name "Dr. Awesome/Crusaders" in the late 1980s–early 90s when he released numerous tunes in MOD format and created music...
.
The whole Worms series has a light-hearted themesong, known as the Wormsong
History
Blitz BASIC
Blitz BASIC refers to the programming language dialect that was interpreted by the first Blitz compilers, devised by New Zealand-based developer Mark Sibly. Being derived from BASIC, Blitz syntax was designed to be easy to pick-up for beginners first learning to program...
programming competition run by the Amiga Format
Amiga Format
Amiga Format was a British computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future Publishing. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when, in the wake of selling ACE to EMAP, Future split the dual-format title ST/Amiga Format into two separate publications...
magazine, a cut-down version of the programming language having been covermounted previously. The game at this stage was called Total Wormage (possibly in reference to Total Carnage
Total Carnage
Total Carnage is an arcade shooter, developed by Mark Turmell for Midway in 1991. The game was released for the SNES in 1993 and the Amiga CD32, Amiga, and DOS in 1994. Later the game was re-released in 2004, as part of Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube...
) and it did not win the competition. Davidson sent the game to several publishers with no success. He then took the game to the European Computer Trade Show
European Computer Trade Show
The European Computer Trade Show, commonly known as ECTS, was an annual trade show for the European computer and video game industry, which first ran in 1988, with the last event occurring in 2004....
, where Team17 had a stand. Team17 made an offer on-the-spot to develop and publish the game.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
- and Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
-based computers, Atari Jaguar, Mega Drive/Genesis, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, Nintendo Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
and Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, Nokia N-Gage, SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, Microsoft Pocket PC
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
, and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
.
During the development of Worms 2, Andy Davidson wrote Worms: The Director's Cut
Worms: The Director's Cut
Worms: The Director's Cut is a sequel to Worms, an artillery game developed by Team17 and published by Ocean Software. It was programmed by Andy Davidson and released in 1997 for the Amiga platform only....
, a special edition produced exclusively for the Amiga. This was, in his eyes, the pinnacle of the series. Featuring weapons not seen in any Worms game before or since, it looks like an enhanced version of the original game. Only 5000 copies were ever sold. It was also the last version released for the Commodore Amiga platform from which the game originated.
New engine
The engine was completely redesigned using MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's DirectX
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
for Worms 2, dropping the darker tones of the first generation and adopting a more cartoonish look along the way-made possible by newer technology. Worms 2 marked the first true step in the widespread Worm craze and characterised the direction which the series would take from then on. The second Worms version is by far the most customisable of the Worms games, with an extensive set of detailed settings and toggles. Worms 2 also introduced internet play, which has since become a staple in the series. Worms 2 saw the return and enhancements of its predecessor's arsenal (e.g., the Banana Bomb -> Super Banana Bomb), as well as the addition of new weapons and tools. The game's interface is very dated by today's standards, resembling more of a generic Windows application than the colourful screens in later releases.
Worms Armageddon
Worms Armageddon
Worms Armageddon is an artillery game/turn-based strategy game developed by Team17 and part of the Worms series. The player controls a team of up to eight worms in combat against opposing teams.- Gameplay :...
was initially intended to be released as an expansion pack for Worms 2, but was released as a stand-alone game when it exceeded all expectations. Worms Armageddon included 33 in-depth missions in an extensive and elaborate campaign, along with training missions, a "deathmatch" feature, some new graphics and sounds, and a few new weapons and utilities. Much of the customization of Worms 2, however, was removed, as Team17 thought that the interface would become cluttered and overwhelming.
Worms Armageddon also included a much more organized and functional internet play service, known as "WormNET", which required registration and utilized leagues and ranks. Problems with cheating led to the removal of the leagues, but their re-introduction is planned in a series of updates that have provided the game with more customization. Other more subtle changes to the game include new physics to the ninja rope, and the removal of an in game glitch that allowed players to inflict huge damage to another worm, by aiming the mortar (a common weapon with high ammo) vertically above another player. The mortar shell would then return to earth and create a small but incredibly powerful explosion. In Worms Armageddon, the mortar shell would fall slightly to either side of the target worm if the same glitch was tried. Also, the booby-trapped crates were removed as Team 17 deemed them "unfair".
An official Worms Armageddon screensaver
Screensaver
A screensaver is a type of computer program initially designed to prevent phosphor burn-in on CRT and plasma computer monitors by blanking the screen or filling it with moving images or patterns when the computer is not in use...
was included with a release bundling the title with Addiction Pinball
Addiction Pinball
Addiction Pinball is a pinball simulation game released in 1998 for PC, featuring tables based on two popular Team 17 games - Worms and World Rally Fever. It was later ported to the PlayStation and released as Worms Pinball to capitalise on the success of the Worms franchise...
. The compilation, The Armageddon Collection, is now out of print.
Worms World Party
Worms World Party
Worms World Party is an artillery game, which is a type of Turn-based strategy game. It was developed by Team17 as the seventh game in the Worms series, and was released in 2001...
was originally designed for Dreamcast console to make use of its online capabilities, but was also released for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
with new missions, a mission editor, and some extra customization. This was also released later in 2005 for the N-Gage
N-Gage
The N-Gage is a mobile telephone and handheld game system by Nokia, based on the Nokia Series 60 platform, released in October 2003. It began sales on October 7, 2003. The N-Gage QD replaced the original N-Gage in 2004....
Game Deck. A new feature, the WormPot, was added in all versions of the game except for the Dreamcast release, where it was omitted. With no new weapons, graphics or sounds.
The extensive customization of the 2D series, along with good online play support, has led to enduring popularity. A variety of unusual "schemes" have been developed by the WormNET community that are often played instead of the official schemes created by Team17. Some schemes have "rules" agreed to by the players but not enforced by the game itself.
Transition to 3D
In 2003, Worms 3DWorms 3D
The game has received generally good reviews. A negative point by most reviewers was the 3D camera system, that often places behind the objects in landscape with the worm being hidden in front of those.-External links:* * ]]...
was released for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
, Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. This was the first game in the series to bring the characters into a three-dimensional environment. It features a 'poxel' engine, described as a hybrid of polygon
Polygon
In geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
s and voxel
Voxel
A voxel is a volume element, representing a value on a regular grid in three dimensional space. This is analogous to a pixel, which represents 2D image data in a bitmap...
s (the 3D analogues of pixels). This allows for pseudo-realistic terrain deformation similar in style to the 2D games, in which the terrain was represented by a bitmap
Bitmap
In computer graphics, a bitmap or pixmap is a type of memory organization or image file format used to store digital images. The term bitmap comes from the computer programming terminology, meaning just a map of bits, a spatially mapped array of bits. Now, along with pixmap, it commonly refers to...
.
Worms Forts: Under Siege
Worms Forts: Under Siege is a Worms artillery game, with elements of strategy game. It was designed by Team17. Like the most recent Worms game, it is in complete 3D and showcases new features, such as buildings...
, for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
. It was released in November 2004 and features the biggest deviation from the traditional gameplay that the series has so far seen. Players' worms are able to build forts, and the objective of the game has shifted from simply killing the enemy worms, as players can now win a game by destroying the opponent's fort. Due to the change in strategy, this game could be seen more as a spin-off — though some aspects like the customizable costumes were carried into Worms 4.