Worms (Player's Guide) A collection of hints, tips and tricks Ä By Simon "LuDeCk" Burrows This document contains a large collection of hints, tips and tricks which I have compiled whilst playing this excellent game from Team 17 over the past few weeks. It is not a player's guide and does not therefore contain obvious points, explanations or guides on the basic play of Worms. Instead, it contains a series of 'specialist' points, only some of which each reader of this document will find useful. Although I have attempted to structure the points under some general sections and headings, to get best use from this document you should take the time to read from start to finish so you may take in all of the information. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ OPTIMISING WORMS: Affecting the difficulty of the game ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The team select option of the main menu gives you the opportunity to affect the difficulty of the game. At its simplest level this can be used to 'cheat' by setting your opponent's energy levels to a minimal value, and your's very high. This, however, is a bit pointless unless you really are crap at the game and need the advantage. A better use for the energyÄlevel option would be to give handicaps to those teams which are better, or to extend the length of each round by increasing worms' energy levels all round. The latter option must also be accompanied by an increase in the round time before suddenÄdeath mode kicks in, because otherwise you'll find that you'll never complete a round before the time's up! Also on the team select screen you can affect the skill level of CPU teams. By setting these to high you can give yourself more of a challenge or see a better battle if there are no human players, and setting them to low will give you a laugh and an easy victory. OPTIMISING WORMS: Enjoying Worms to the full ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The whole point of a game like this is to have a whole lot of fun, of course. With this in mind you should always be out to have as much fun as possible in the moves you make, so long as this doesn't affect your success. Often the best fun can be had near the end of a round which you have almost certainly won Ä for example, when you have 2 worms left of fairly high energy and there is only one other worm still standing. At this point why not try and kill this last worm in the most inventive, humiliating or satisfying way possible, just for a bit of a 'laff? Try blasting him out of the screen with a huge dynamite or sheep explosion, nudging him over the edge of a platform and to his doom with a prod, digging or blasting into him with the pneumatic drill or blow torch, or blowing holes in him with a close range oozi or miniÄgun attack. OPTIMISING WORMS: Generating personalised levels ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ I have included this point here because I have found absolutely no reference to it anywhere in the manual, although I'm sure it is, or should be in there somewhere! This feature allows you to enter your own numbers to generate levels, rather then the computer using random numbers to do this job automatically. The only point of this feature is so that, if you find an access code which generates a good level, you can make a record of this code and use it again at a later date when you want a particularly good battle. To enter your own numbers, press the [SPACE BAR] on the screen where you are asked to press the leftÄmouseÄbutton to accept the randomlyÄ generated level, or the rightÄmouseÄbutton to reject it and move onto the next one. You can then enter a code which can be made up of letters, numbers, spaces and probably punctuation marks as well. The maximum length of an access code is 10 digits (including any spaces you put in it), although you can have any number of digits less than ten and this will not mean you will get a crapper level or a smaller one! ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ GAME TACTICS: Mixing 'dark side' & expansive play styles ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Although most players of this game, and certainly those who wrote its documentation, are against so called 'dark side' play, it is a very useful tactic to compromise and use 'dark side' to a small extent, whilst still allowing for expansive, highÄexplosive play for the majority of each round. This can be achieved by teleporting the worm you use for your first move into a safe location, or by digging him into a safe place. You can then get to work winning the game with your other three worms in the knowledge that you will always have one worm which is safe and will therefore be available late in the game to win it for you when all the other surviving worms are already badly injured. In order to protect a worm which you have put away in an apparently safe place, you may have to do something about enemy worms which start attacking him at some stage in the round. This may be achieved by constructing girders to barricade him in further, or by attacking those worms which pose most threat to him. Alternatively, you may wish to dig him in further or bring him out into the fray and try to survive without him in a safe place if this seems viable. GAME TACTICS: Playing against computerÄoperated worms ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Something which is immediately obvious from studying the computerÄ operated worms is that they will go for those enemy worms which it is easiest to hit with the most effect, as long as this action will not injure a worm from their own team. With this in mind, you can remain fairly safe by moving your worms out of harm's way, because when the computer's worms see you have done this, they will do the easier moves Ä scrap amongst themselves! This means you will probably be thoroughly safe until all but a few of the enemy worms survive, at which point you may have to emerge and finish them off. GAME TACTICS: Guarding against teams winning both rounds ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ In those matches where you must win two rounds to be the outÄright winner, it is good practice to remember which of the enemy teams have won rounds so you can make sure they don't win another round and therefore clinch the match. Of course, you can see which teams have already won a round by scrolling up to the status bar at the top of the play area and seeing which team's energy bar is marked with a medal. If you see, for example, that Take This are the only team to have won a round so far, you can then make sure they don't win the next round, and therefore the match, by killing all of their worms first. You will probably want to do this anyway to get revenge at those teams which defeated you in previous rounds! GAME TACTICS: The effects of explosions caused by aboutÄtoÄdie worms ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Something which you should always be aware of is the impact which explosions caused by dead worms can have (you know, when they blow themselves up with the plunger and TNT). You should be aware of this impact both so you can use it to your advantage and so you can guard against it having a detrimental effect on your success. An example of where it could be very useful to have these dying worms exploding is if you have two enemy worms, one close to your worm, and one a little further away. They both have less than 30 points of energy. In this situation, a good move would be to approach the first worm and use the fire punch or dragonball on him. This will send him flying over so he lands on or very near to the other worm. Now, when this first worm dies, which he will do because both the fire punch and dragonball take off a full 30 energy points, the resulting explosion will take in the other enemy worm, and if close enough will kill him as well! In terms of guarding against these explosions harming your team, you should be aware of them and think about the results of your moves. If you can see that an enemy worm you are planning on hitting and killing will land near one of your worms, you must decide whether the damage this will do to your team makes the move one to avoid, or whether it will be worth it for the damage you will do to the opposition. GAME TACTICS: When you're in control ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ When you find yourself in control of a round Ä when you are the one in the good positions and with the worms which still have high energy Ä do not rush into the game trying to win it as quickly as possible. Instead, take your time and ensure an easy victory by moving to dominant positions in the play area, collecting weapon crates even if this means teleporting around a bit to get them, and making at least one of your worms completely safe from attack by teleporting to a enclosed area or digging into the land. Also, why not try a few original moves or practise some new tactics? GAME TACTICS: Big explosions vs. carefully planned moves ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ A good thing to remember is that it is not always the biggest explosions which cause the most damage. Sometimes, careful planning of seemingly minor moves can cause a lot more damage, and, of course, you have much more control over these types of moves and are less likely to make a mistake. A good example is using a dragonball or fire punch to propel a worm into a mine. In this way, the dragonball or fire punch will take off 30 energy points, and the mine anything up to 40/50 depending on how sweetly the worm hits it. This means that you could take off 80 points in one move, which is more than one stick of valuable dynamite will do! GAME TACTICS: The best ways to kill a worm ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Further to the above point, it is, of course, easier to kill a worm by propelling him out of he screen or into a pool than it is to blast him with weapons like the bazooka and grenade, which can often take several hits to complete the job. With this in mind, take all the chances you get to kill worms in the water or out the screen, particularly against computerÄoperated worms which are prone to teleport away from precarious and dangerous positions as soon as possible. It is a useful point to remember that you don't have to use the dragonball, fire punch, or prod to push a worm over the edge, and often you wouldn't want to or wouldn't be able to because these involve getting very close to your target worm. Instead, you can fire at the worm from long range with the bazooka or grenade. If you are going to do this, however, just make sure you hit the opposite side of the worm to the edge of the screen or pool you are attempting to kill them into. In this way, the explosion caused by the weapon will blow the worm to their doom, either into the pool or out of the screen, case depending. Another useful way of pushing a worm into a pool or out of the screen is with the shotgun, but more of this later... GAME TACTICS: Waiting for the best time to strike at the enemy ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ When you get into a situation where there are perhaps only one or two enemy worms remaining from the same team, and one of your worms, and you are in a safe position where you cannot immediately be hit, do not rush into trying to win the round. Instead, wait until your enemy uses his teleports, which he will often do if he has nothing else to do. Usually you will find that he will teleport into an area from which he will be easier to kill such as on top of an exposed object. At this point, make use of this advantage and fire at him, perhaps with your airstrike which I suggest you save for these late confrontations, or maybe with a homing missile to ensure success. More on the saving of airstrikes later as well... GAME TACTICS: Using slippery ground to your advantage ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Something which can be both a great advantage and a great disadvantage in Worms are those landscapes with greatly reduced friction, notably the arctic but also others including, it would seem, the candy world. By learning to cope with these, and at the same time, using them to your advantage, you can have a much greater chance of winning rounds than you do in other landscapes. The most obvious tactic of them all in slippery conditions is to push worms down the slippery slope by means of the fire punch or the dragon ball. These pushes, which will result in the target slipping down the slope a lot further than they would under normal conditions, can be used to push the worm out of the screen, over the edge and into a pool, or into a mine. The other main attacking tactic which can be used in slippery landscapes is the use of big explosions to propel worms into long slides which will often take them to further danger, in, for example, the form of faraway mines. This is best achieved by causing the explosion just by the side of the target worm so they are propelled to the side rather then upwards which they may be if you hit them dead on. If you are using the dynamite or mines, drop them beside rather then on top of the worm, and then watch the results! The best method of coping with the down side of slippery slopes Ä that is, your worms slipping to their doom in a variety of ways Ä is to be aware at all times of the danger your worms may be in, and acting on this. For example, you may wish to put up a girder between your worm and a danger at the bottom of the slippery slope which they're standing on so that they do not get pushed onto this danger. Another good idea is to dig in, or teleport to a safe location, at least one of your worms early in a round taking place on a slippery location because these rounds can often be over very quickly, and to have one worm protected will be a great advantage and will ensure that your whole team isn't wiped out before you know it! GAME TACTICS: Inducing the computer into certain moves ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ It becomes fairly obvious from watching the computer that he goes for maximum injuries on every move. That means that if at all possible he will aim to mix up more than one opposing worm in each of his moves. With this in mind, you can induce the computerÄ operated teams into making certain moves for you with the advantage of both saving your worms from being hit instead, and of helping you to win the round. The best way to inducing the computer into a move is to try and huddle at least two worms together which are neither in your team or the computerÄoperated team you want to carry out the move. This can be achieved either by pushing or blasting a worm into another. When the computer sees these two worms next to each other, he will not be able to resist the temptation to blast them, unless of course there is no way for him to do this. In order to protect your worms from being caught up in multiÄworm incidents, just keep your worms separate both from the opposition's worms and from your own. This way, the computerÄoperated teams are far less likely to want to go for you because you are a single target and therefore you will be seen as having only limited scope for damage. On the large scale, try to stay out of groups of worms early in the round where the computerÄoperated teams use their airstrikes. Instead, push worms into huddles so the computer teams will use up their airstrikes on these both with the advantage of saving your worms from being airstriked and of injuring several enemy worms in one go. GAME TACTICS: Pressurising opponents/inducing the use of teleports ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ An interesting tactic which I doubt is used very often is to teleport onto the heads of computerÄoperated worms. This should only be done right at the end of a round where the only teams remaining are your's and the one which you are teleporting onto. There are two main advantages of doing this. The first advantage is that the computerÄoperated worm will get scared and teleport away if he has any teleports left, even if he has far more energy than you and could kill you by sticking around. The main reason for wanting to make computerÄoperated opponents teleport is that they often do this to exposed locations such as on top of high points, and from there they can be easily picked out and killed. The other main advantage of teleporting onto the heads of enemy worms, this time when they don't have any teleports remaining, is that you will obviously end up very close to them. This means that so long as you have enough energy to survive one battering from them, you will then be in a prime location to kill them next move. The best way to utilise this tactic would be to leave one worm in a safe place, and teleport your other worm into the danger zone. This way, you can kill or at least injure the enemy worm and still have one worm hidden away so if you are killed first you will not have lost the round. With this second worm you can then teleport onto the head of the enemy worm again, this time with him seriously injured, and then it will be the simple matter of finishing him off with your next move. I suggest you do NOT teleport onto the head of a humanÄoperated worm, because it is likely that the human in question will know some way to kill you from close range, and will be unlikely to teleport away. If he has only a very small amount of energy and you have loads, teleporting onto his head may be a fun way of pissing off the computer opponent and scaring him, however! GAME TACTICS: The explosive personalities of weapon crates ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ As it says in the game's manual: exploding weapon crates is a tactic in itself. If you manage to explode a weapon crate next to an enemy worm, this, in association with the damage caused directly by your weapon, can be quite devastating. If you can't hit a worm directly, but a weapon crate stands very close by which you can hit, blast this instead and the ensuing explosion will take in the enemy team member, causing some damage. Unfortunately, the blasting of weapon crates is one of the computer's favourite occupations and so a worm of yours close to a weapon crate is likely to be a target for computerÄoperated fire. It is good practice, therefore, to keep your distance from weapon crates, and one way to do this is to teleport on top of any that are near. Of course, this means you will collect the crate's contents at the same time which can often be a valuable addition to your weapon inventory. The fact that computerÄoperated worms go for other worms standing close to weapon crates can be used to your advantage Ä by pushing another worm close to a weapon crate you will create an attractive target for a computerÄoperated hotshot! ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ MOVEMENT SKILLS: Ensuring the blow torch blasts proper tunnels ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ A problem which sometimes occurs with the blow torch is it stopping almost as soon as you start blasting into a wall because the area you are digging into is 'messy' and there are air holes. If you hit an air hole big enough with the blow torch it will stop, and you will have got nowhere. To ensure this does not happen, first use the shot gun to tidy up the area you are digging into. If one shell is enough to do this you could use the other shell to hit an opposing worm, or you could get yourself under some cover before firing the other shot into the air, thus ending your turn. MOVEMENT SKILLS: The best way of safely emerging from a tunnel ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ One problem which is often encountered with the digging of tunnels is the tunnelling worm being hit between the move when he opens the tunnel to the outside world, and his next move when he gets the chance to strike out against the opposition. This will often occur when you dig a tunnel with the aim of finding safety, but later decide to extend the tunnel so you may get back to battle. The problem is, your turn will finish when the blow torch used to complete the tunnel reaches open air, and then you are badly exposed to enemy fire until your next go when you can move on or shoot the threatening worms. The solution to this problem is to use a firing weapon to open up the tunnel instead of the blow torch. This may be achieved by starting the horizontal movement to the outside world with the blow torch, but when you get near the open air, by stopping and retreating back to the start of the horizontal tunnel. From there you can face back down the tunnel once again and blast the remainder of the distance to the open air. This blasting can be achieved with the shotgun if the distance left to blast is small, the oozi if it is a bit greater, or with the bazooka for larger distances. You could even use the dynamite if you can retreat a good distance and if you wouldn't rather save this for a more constructive use. When carrying out the blasting process, make sure you don't stand too close, of course, otherwise you will injure yourself in the resulting explosion. When your weapon has opened the tunnel to the open space beyond, you will still be standing in safety, a little way back down the tunnel. This time, however, you will be able to continue down the tunnel, climb back out into the open air, and strike out at the enemy worms. MOVEMENT SKILLS: The Bungee ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Remember to always use the bungee at those times where it is possible that you will need it to protect your worms against falls long enough to end your go. This includes those times when you don't think it will be necessary, because if you don't bother and it turns out that you did need it, you will have wasted you go and you may be left in a very exposed position until your next turn. Remember also that the bungee will only kick in if you walk off a high point, and not if you jump over it, so make sure that you keep your feet firmly on the floor when going over the top if this is at all possible. Do not use the bungee as an easier replacement for the ninja rope when you want to swing underneath a platform which you are standing on to get to a particular location. You will find that this will not work because you cannot extend or retract the bungee once you're swinging on it and so you will find yourself stranded on the end of the bungee in a tricky situation, particularly if over a pool! Instead, you should shoot the ninja rope into the side of a hole in the platform you are on, and if not available into the side of the chasm below you which you are hoping to swing into. MOVEMENT SKILLS: Vertical tunnelling ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Have you ever got into the situation where you have tunnelled in, near the bottom of a large mound of earth, and now you want to tunnel upwards to get into the open land at the top of the mound? This cannot easily be achieved because the blow torch will not tunnel vertically, and zigzagging upwards with diagonal blow torch tunnels will not work (you'll see why if you try it). The answer lies in the fire punch which can be used to cut a narrow shaft upwards. However, this on its own will only be successful if the distance needed to get to the top of the mound is small, because one fire punch will only reach a certain distance, and if this is not long enough you're stuck...or are you? The answer to this problem is to first use the fire punch, and then on your next go to fire a bazooka at full power, vertically up the shaft. This will result in a round 'cave' being formed at the top end of the shaft. You can now use the ninja rope on your next go to climb up the shaft, then when you reach the top, you can swing from side to side for a minute, before releasing your grip on the rope so you land on one of the rounded sides of the 'cave'. To get a rope up this shaft, and to climb up it, will require a bit of experimentation and shifting around, because the computer will only let you throw the rope if you are standing in the perfect place and facing in the right direction. Once you are up in the round 'cave', you can do a further fire punch, fire your bazooka again, and then climb up further. This process can be repeated until you reach the summit of the mound where you can happily climb out into fresh air and once again cause havoc to enemy worms! MOVEMENT: Doubling back, diagonally upwards, on horizontal tunnels ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Something which many people think to be impossible is to use the blow torch to go diagonally upwards in the opposite direction to a horizontal tunnel which has already been dug. It is, in fact, possible to do this, although it is difficult and will therefore cost you a girder, and a few moves to complete. To carry out the manoeuvre, first move your worm to the far end (end, not start) of the horizontal tunnel you have already dug, then lay a horizontal girder along the tunnel which traps your worm in a very small space at the end of the tunnel. Now, in your next move switch to the blow torch, face your worm back down the tunnel and start tunnelling diagonally upwards. Often, this first effort with the blow torch will not work because it does not successfully 'catch' into the girder and start blasting through. If it does not work, wait for your next go and then try again, perhaps moving from your previous position slightly. Eventually, and sometimes immediately, your blow torch will 'catch' into the girder and you will dig diagonally upwards in the opposite direction from the horizontal tunnel as you hoped. MOVEMENT SKILLS: Using the Ninja Rope most effectively ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Having being playing Fury of the Furries quite a bit recently, where one of the many means of getting around is by wildly swinging on a rope and then releasing it to fling you to your location, this is how I expected the ninja rope to be used in Worms. However, in almost all cases you should not use the ninja rope in this way because when you release the rope you will fall almost vertically, even if you were swinging vigorously when you release. Instead, the trick to using the ninja rope is to swing backwards and forwards (by holding down either the left or right button), and then, when you reach the desired height, to suddenly lengthen the rope so your worm extends onto your desired location. To lengthen the rope, simply press the down arrow. This requires a little practice but is easy to master. Because the ninja rope is of limited length, be aware that this tactic will not be possible on all swings where to extend to your desired location would require a rope of extreme length. A useful point to remember is that the rope will link onto weapon crates, so if it easier to join onto one of these than to a physical piece of the landscape then go ahead. You can then climb the rope to collect the crate, although you should approach the crate slowly because otherwise when you collect it and therefore leave your rope with nothing to keep hold of, you will be flung away. Remember that your rope will not be able to join onto other worms. Something which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage about the ninja rope is that whilst swinging on it your move timer is not counting down, but instead a standard 5 seconds are deducted each time you throw a rope. With this in mind, line up the rope crossÄ hair carefully so you don't miss your target and have to have another go. To use this stoppedÄclock feature to your advantage, take all the time you need to make sure you get to exactly the right spot once you are joined onto a sucessfullyÄthrown rope. You can even extend the rope further than you need to so that you end up past your target location and therefore don't need to walk as far after your swing, saving a couple of seconds of valuable time! A final point about the ninja rope is that you should watch out for mines as you swing around because you often forget about them when you are careering about in mid air, but if you happen to set one off you will be injured and your turn will be over. MOVEMENT SKILLS: Avoiding being hit in a tunnel ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ This point is quite an obvious one, but one which should be remembered at all times. It involves the way in which tunnels are started. My general rule is that no tunnel should be started with the pneumatic drill because this offers an inviting pit for an enemy worm to drop a grenade or bomb into. Instead, you should start off with the blow torch, and if you need to, use the drill on your second tunnelÄdigging turn when you are no longer at so much risk. Similarly, if it is at all possible you should aim to start your tunnel with a upward diagonal blow torch move so that grenades or bombs can't be rolled down your tunnel. Once your tunnel has been started, aim to vary the direction you tunnel in so that it will be far more difficult, if not impossible, for an enemy worm to find a way of harming you. For example, you may choose to zigzag you way along, using first a diagonally upward blow torch stroke, and then a diagonallyÄdownward one. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ WEAPON SKILLS: Ensuring accurate shots with the shot gun or oozi ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ A problem which is sometimes encountered when lining up to hit a target with the shot gun or oozi is that you can't get the crossÄ hair at exactly the right degree to hit the designated target in exactly the right spot. If this is the case, don't give up and go for the next best angle, but instead move your worm slightly to either side. In this way, you will change the line between yourself and your target and may therefore be able to line the crossÄhair up perfectly this time. Getting the right angle by experimenting for a few seconds in this way will certainly be worth it! WEAPON SKILLS: Dormant Mines ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ One tactic which may be of use in some circumstances is the laying of dormant mines Ä that is, mines which do not explode when laid Ä on goes when you have nothing better to do. These mines can then be used to good effect in later goes. An example when this may be a good tactic is where there is a group of enemy worms which are yet to be hurt much. By laying a mine fairly close to this group, but not so close that they immediately explode, you will then be able to blast into the group of worms on your next turn (with an airstrike, perhaps), and this strike, combined with the resulting explosion from the mine, may be enough to kill off some of the worms in one go. Of course, once you have laid the mine you will have to get out of the area yourself, otherwise it will simply blow up in your face, so only lay one if you have a good escape route, preferably away from the worms which you want to hurt with the mine later on, for obvious reasons! WEAPON SKILLS: The Shotgun ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ It is worth considering the use of the shot gun at all times because of its twinÄshell advantage. One useful way in which it can be used is to push a worm out of the screen or to their death into a pool. By using the shot gun to carry out these tasks rather then the prod, dragonball or fire punch, you will get another shot, and therefore the chance to do further damage. To ensure that you propel the worm in the right direction so as they fall out of the screen or into the pool, simply shoot at them from the opposite side to that which they must be propelled into. Another advantage of using the shot gun is that because you have two shots, you can move after your initial shot. This will be useful when you have a worm which is safely under cover and whom you don't want to move into a shooting position because when you turn is over they will be left prone to attack. By using the shot gun you can emerge from your cover, have a pot shot at an enemy worm, then return to your cover before firing the other shot at a wall or whatever to end your turn. The most obvious advantage of the doubleÄbarrelled shot gun, however, is that you can shoot at two separate targets, and so long as both of these have low energy, you can kill two worms in one move. If the target you are shooting at cannot be killed with just one shotgun shell, however, try to see a way by which you can cause further damage with your shot. This may be achieved by firing your target into a mine or over an edge. Another option would be to fire an enemy worm into another worm with your first shot, so that so that when you shoot at him with the second shell, you will also damage the other worm into the bargain! WEAPON SKILLS: Rolling Grenades or Bombs down slopes ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ One great advantage of the grenades, cluster Bombs and banana Bombs which is often overlooked is that they do not explode on contact with the ground and can therefore be 'bowled' along it. For best results this should be done by 'rolling' the 'ball' down a slope so it travels far enough from your worm to keep you from harm whilst exploding in the face of some unsuspecting enemy worm at the bottom of the hill. To carry out this trick of rolling grenades or bombs down hills, you need to calculate the time it will take for the 'ball' to roll down the hill and to reach your target, and then adjust the detonation time by pressing a number between 1 and 5 on your keyboard. Now, to roll the weapon down the hill simply stand close to the top of the slope and fire the weapon with little force. The ball should go forward only a short distance, bounce a couple of times down the slope, then roll and come to a rest, hopefully when it comes into contact with the target worm. Bombs and grenades can also be used from close range to hit a worm standing at the bottom of a pit, perhaps one dug with the pneumatic drill. By standing by the entrance of this pit, and firing one of these weapons with absolutely minimal force, you will, for all intensive purposes, simply drop the weapon down the pit, causing extensive damage particularly with the cluster and banana Bombs. WEAPON SKILLS: MakeÄshift Airstrikes with Banana or Cluster Bombs ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ An interesting alternative to the valuable airstrikes which you may like to try is to detonate a clusterÄ or banana bomb while it is still in the air so that it showers the ground below with the small Bombs contained within it. To so this, simply calculate the time it will take for your bomb to get above your targets (usually one second), and set the detention period to this time by using the 1 Ä 5 keys on your keyboard. Now fire the bomb into the air and watch the results. Of course, it is not as accurate or powerful as airstrikes are, but since you get five cluster bombs and only one airstrike as the default, it is an alternative when you have no other choice. If you are shooting from long range and if the bomb detonates high in the sky, the pieces of the bomb will also be spread wider than from an airstrike, and this could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on the exact situation. WEAPON SKILLS: The Dynamite and the Mine ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ It is useful to notice the differences between mines and dynamite. The first is that you get only one dynamite as the default and two mines, so if a mine will suffice it is best to use one of these. The most noticeable difference other than this is that the explosion caused by the dynamite will fling worms caught up in it much further than the explosion caused by a mine. If you are interested in your target worms being flung a long way (perhaps if they are close to the edge of the screen and you want to blast them out of it), you should, therefore, use the dynamite. If you are only interested in the amount of damage the weapon itself will cause, then note that the mine will take 50 health points if laid perfectly, and the dynamite 70. Use these figures to decide which weapon to choose. The other main difference between the two weapons is the way in which your worms lay them. With the dynamite, worms place it in front of them a small distance. However, with mines, then are dropped directly on the spot where the worm is standing. With this in mind, you must stand on the head of your target worm when dropping a mine for it to have full effect (and take the full 50 points of damage), whilst you should stand a little to the side of a worm which you are targeting with a stick of dynamite. The fact that dynamite is placed a little in front of the worm can be useful if you want to drop the dynamite into as pit or over an overhang. To do this simply walk right up to the edge of the pit or overhang, and when you drop your dynamite it will be placed past the edge of the ground you are standing on ad therefore drop below. This is a good way of killing a worm which has drilled itself down into the ground, or a worm on a precarious platform which you don't want to drop down onto just to kill it. As with all other weapons, think about which side of your target worm you are placing the dynamite or mines so that they are flung in the best direction for you (e.g., into a mine, out of the screen, into a pool, or away from your worms so they don't injure you with their death explosions). WEAPON SKILLS: The Girder ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Although the girder could not exactly be classed as a 'weapon' as I have suggested in the title for this point, it can be used in a number of very useful ways, some of which are very attackÄminded, and has therefore got a place in this section of my document. Of course, the obvious example of a very defensive way in which a girder may be used is in trapping your worms in an enclosed space so they cannot be got at by enemy worms. This may be a particularly useful move when you have a worm other then the one which you are currently moving, which is in danger. Using up your move to protect him with a girder could quite possibly reap rewards in the long term, although it won't always be the best move if it leaves the worm who is laying the girder in trouble. This defensive use for the girder is not all the girder has to offer, however. One very good way in which the girder can be used is to block in the enemy's worms so they cannot go anywhere, and cannot shoot at anything. This is an excellent way of making the opposing teams use up their teleports, because without using a teleport, the worm which has been girdered in will be effectively put out of the game and will have to skip goes. Some of the most stupid computerÄoperated teams may injure themselves from attempting a shot of some kind from inside their enclosed space, and so this is another example of how the tactic could be very useful. The other advantage, of course, is that the enclosed worm will no longer be able to attack your worms, which may be a life saver if you have an exposed worm in danger of being picked off. If the worm which is girdered in has no teleports he will be no danger to you and you can start to move around the level without fearing attack from him. Do this to all the enemy worms and then you can wander around the whole landscape, picking up all of the weapon crates in readiness for an attack on the enemy when you get back into hiding. It is useful to remember that your target worm does not need to be in some sort of threeÄsided pit or cave to be blocked in by a girder. Instead, if they are simply standing on a suitable hillside, or in open space beside a vertical structure of some kind, the diagonal girder can be used to block them in. YOU MUST REMEMBER, however, that you should not lay the girder too close to the worm because otherwise he will be able to shoot grenade or bombs through it. Instead, try to leave at least a 3mm gap between him and the girder, and he should be well and truly disabled. The other main use of the girder is in providing a structure for your ninja rope to join to. An example of how this may be very useful is if you have a canyon which you are standing on one side of and which you want to get to the other side of. If the canyon is too wide for your rope to reach from one side to the other, you can put up a horizontal girder above your worm and half way between one side of the canyon and the other. Next move, you will be able to send your rope up to the girder, and then swing across to the other side. WEAPON SKILLS: Shooting whilst in a tunnel ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Firstly a most important point: do not use the cluster bomb, grenade or banana bomb whilst standing in a standard height tunnel dug by the blow torch. Doing this would result in your worm attempting to kick the 'ball' but it getting stuck in the ceiling above his head and exploding with often devastating effect, particularly in the case of the banana bomb. I suppose this could be used to your advantage if you, with very low energy, were standing next to an enemy worm in the tunnel who had higher energy. You could attempt to kick one of these weapons, it would get stuck, explode, kill your worm, but more importantly kill or seriously injure the other worm who would have probably killed you with his next go anyway! What can be done in a tunnel, however, is to shoot a bazooka, or preferably a homing missile. These should be shot from fairly close to the mouth of the tunnel, in the exact direction that the tunnel goes, and with fairly high power, otherwise they won't make it out of the tunnel. Experiment with this one, it can be very useful but at the same time quite damaging if you get it wrong. Treat the tunnel like a arrow slit Ä you can get them, but they can't get at you! WEAPON SKILLS: Using Cluster Bombs and Banana Bombs to best effect ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Sometimes it is desirable to have the cluster bombs and banana bombs exploding into several miniÄbombs and these being scattered over a fairly wide area, taking in many worms in the process. However, often the cluster bomb or banana bomb is used simply because it, and all the separate explosives within it, pack a greater punch than, say, the grenade with its single explosion. In these cases, it would be desirable for the bomb and the inner explosives to explode immediately upon impact so they all injure the target worm. For this to happen you should fire the bomb into an enclosed space such as into a fairly enclosed pit, down a tunnel or into some sort of threeÄsided cave. If this goes to plan, the ensuing explosion will cause massive damage on the target worm, and will take off far more than 100 points of damage, particularly with the banana bomb. This attack, when successful, is the most powerful attack in the whole game, but because of the lack of situations where it would work, and the difficulty of pulling it off properly, you will not be able to use it very often, if at all! WEAPON SKILLS: The Kamikaze ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The kamikaze can be perhaps the most destructive weapon in Worms, although you must use it sparingly and carefully otherwise you will forfeit your worms for little gain. There are two main points to remember about the kamikaze: it will cut through the first piece of landscape it comes to, but if it meets air and then attempts to go through another piece of landscape, it will end; it will be blown off course or ended completely if it sets off a mine. The kamikaze is used most often in association with a bridge. The only reason for this is that, due to bridges being flat, all of the worms on them will be on the same level and will therefore all be hit my the kamikaze king! Despite this, you can, of course, use the kamikaze in all situations where you are level with one or more worms. The main advantage of using the kamikaze is that it flings all worms it hits a huge distance, both upwards and across. By using it fairly close to the edge of the level, therefore, you can kill several worms by charging them off the screen. If they don't fly off the screen they may fly into pools or mines, and this may cause damage in other parts of the level, which may be both good or bad for your team. The kamikaze move will also knock 30 energy point from each worm hit, so even if you can knock them out of the screen you may be able to kill off some badly injured worms nevertheless. A nice trick to use with the kamikaze is to do it when in line with the middle of the bridge, rather than in line with the top of it. That way, your worm will charge 'through' the bridge, cutting it all away and leaving nothing for the worms previously standing on the bridge to stand on. They should plummet to their doom in the pool below. This trick is hard to do however, and will be spoilt by holes in the bridge or mines. It will also not work on fancy bridges like those in Hades which are made from bones and are therefore too thick to be cut in one go. The main decision you have to make about the kamikaze is whether it is worth using it in the first place considering since it will kill the worm who uses it. You need to work out how many worms you will kill, what teams they are on, and make your final decision from this. Take into account that if the worm due to make the kamikaze run is almost dead, or in grave danger of dying anyway, you may as well use him so long as by doing the kamikaze run won't affect other team members. One final way in which the kamikaze may be used is to kill off the final enemy worm in a round, possibly from very close range. This may be done to win you the round if you have two or more worms left, or to draw it if you have one and there is one other which you will kill. You may want to draw the match if you are pretty sure that to try and win would eventually result in you losing or the round dragging on and becoming boring. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ ANGLES OF ATTACK: From below ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Although perhaps a tactic which is not immediately obvious, it is often useful to fire at a worm who is standing on a narrow ledge from below. In this way, although you won't hit the worm itself, but instead the ground which he is standing on, he will still lose a certain amount of energy, and if you shoot with a powerfulÄenough weapon he will often be flung into the air. This, in turn, may result in him activating a mine to cause further damage. A very satisfying way to finish a worm in this way is to shoot at him from underneath so the ground he is standing on is blasted away and he plummets down into a pool below. By blasting to one side of the ground below the worm, you can affect the direction which he is flung into, and this may be used to blast a worm out of the screen, into a pool or into a mine. If the worm is standing on only a very narrow piece of ground, using the shot gun will often be enough to send him falling, and in some circumstances this will be useful in that you will then have another shell to fire at another target. ANGLES OF ATTACK: From the side ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ This point has been touched upon many times in this document already and concerns your ability to affect where target worms will be flung by explosions you cause around them. By causing explosions to the left side of the worm he will go flying off to the right, and vice versa. The degree to which he is flung depends on the distance from the worm that the explosion is made, and the ferocity of the weapon. By controlling where the worm is flung you can make sure that you get the most from your move. For example, for worms near the edge of the screen you can blast them out of the screen, for worms on the edge of pits which lead into the pool at the bottom of the screen, you can blast them into the pool, and for worms close to mines you can blast them into mines. Alternatively, in those cases where you need to protect your worms from the enemy worm which you are attacking, you can blast him away from your worms and into a location more safe for your team.