The Unofficial Team 17 Forums FAQ v2.1

Edited by Paul.Power

© All images copyright Team 17.

1. Introduction
   1. Preface
   2. Preface to v1.0/1.5
   3. Version History
   4. Acknowledgements
2. Forum FAQs: Netiquette
   1. Forum Info
   2. Ten Golden Rules
   3. Quick Guides
   4. What's the Forum Line on...
3. Forum FAQs: Technical
   1. Avatars
   2. vB Tags and HTML
   3. Post Counts / Titles
   4. User Profiles
   5. Searching the Forums
4. Worms FAQs: The Games
   1. Early Worms Games (W1, WR, WU, WDC)
   2. Worms 2
   3. Worms Armageddon
   4. Worms World Party
   5. Worms Blast and Worms Pinball
   6. Worms 3 (in development)
   7. Miscellany
5. Worms FAQs: Related Stuff
   1. Mythology
   2. The Worms Stories
   3. Worms and Team 17: A History
   4. Fangames
   5. Forum Who's Who (Semi U/C)
6. Appendices
   1. Glossary of Terms
   2. Useful Links

Well, it's been some time. But people have been asking me to write a new version of the FAQ for a while now, and I must admit there are a fair few new questions:

"How do I become a Game Junkie?"
"Why won't the rope in Worms 3 be in full 3D?"
"Will x weapon be in Worms 3?"
"Star Worms II? What's that?"
"Could someone please explain the Worms Mythology?"
"How long until we get Worms 3 screenshots/demos/etc.?"
and so on...

As you can imagine, all this can be pretty tiring, particularly when coupled to all the questions covered previously in this FAQ which are still asked (Sometimes I wonder why I bother :-/). And then there's all the old questions which, due to new information, need revised answers...

But enough chat. I hope you find this FAQ useful, and that you'll appreciate my sense of humour. I also hope for world peace, the renationalisation of the railways and that people will actually read this instead of skipping straight to the questions. Some of these may happen, some may not. That's the whole point of hoping. On that note, I end this preface.

Paul.Power - still pushing back the bounds of lunacy...

Having spent quite a few months now on the Team 17 Forums as a Senior Member, helping the new members find their feet in the world of Worms, sorting out the queries that help keep things going, I, along with other big contributors to the Forums, was starting to get fed up with being asked the same questions over and over again...

"How do I make an avatar?"
"Worms Armageddon won't work with Windows XP!"
"When's the patch coming out?"
"I can't get the cheats to work for W2!"
"How do I get the Full Wormage in Worms Armageddon?"
etc...

Over half the messages were along these lines, and they got in the way of real discussion about cool, fun or simply plain bizarre stuff.

Anyway, one day people were saying "we should make an FAQ about these things" and like a fool I volunteered for the job. So here I am, giving you answers to some of the most common questions on the board. As I like to say, HTH (hope this helps)...

Paul.Power
(Paul R. Varley, behind a keyboard, somewhere in Swansea...)

P.S. As I discovered during the making of versions 1.0 and 1.5, I now realise that I've got another big job on my hands. I've got to teach etiquette as well. And this with the number of times I've been called a Spammer...

DISCLAIMER: You try these solutions at your own risk, and no blame can be attributed to Team 17 or myself if something goes wrong with your machine. This FAQ is completely unofficial and is not sponsored in any way by Team 17

v1.0 (May 2002)

First version: questions about the Forum, Worms, a glossary of abbrieviations and some useful links. You can see an archived version of it here. Why you want to see a load of out of date info, I dunno, but nostalgia gets some people like that.

v1.5 (June 2002)

Forum FAQs split into two sections: technical questions about the forum itself, and nettiquete questions about other stuff. Also added some new subsections, added some more links, terms, and QandAs, and corrected a few typos. For those really interested in nostalgia, there is an archived edition here.

v2.0b (January 2003)

Beta addition with parts missing. Notable changes include the "Related Stuff" section and adoption of the Forums' colour scheme. Again, for the old at heart, the archived edition is here.

v2.1 (February 2003)

Filled the gaps left by 2.0b, also added a Miscellany section under the game FAQs section and a couple more images. Reorganised layout into 6 (as opposed to 8) different sections. I've still got work to do on the Who's Who.

This FAQ is dedicated to Spadge, Nutter, APJ, thomasp, Worm Mad, SnipperTheWorm, Luther, svenneundulat, Fudd, FlipNautix, andy aveyard, Kheldar, MrLee, ThePaladin, fuch, NZKiwi, Deadcode, Andy Snook, and everyone else who gives or gave help to newbies at the Team 17 Forums. Without their efforts, I wouldn't know where to start with my research and consequently this FAQ would not exist.

Thanks once again to those who helped proofread my FAQ, inc. thomasp, Nutter and DrumsofWar, to Worm Mad again for his excellent Worms 3D FAQ, likewise to SupSuper for his also excellent WWP Wormpot FAQ and Team 17 webmaster APJ for promoting the FAQ on the forums. Oh yes, and to Team 17 for creating the Worms series and thus making it all possible.

For v2.x I would especially like to thank SargeMcCluck, svenneundulat and SupSuper for their work filling in the beta patch and fangame sections. Also to the armies of proofreaders who continually spotted my "intentional mistakes" ;-), including SargeMcCluck, SupSuper, Blinx, svenneundulat, thomasp, kjatte and Worm Mad.

You may notice that a lot of stuff in this section is repeated about two or three times. I know that in the interests of economy, etc. that this shouldn't happen, but I can't express these simple facts enough...

There are currently eight different forums at the Team 17 Forums. People get a bit annoyed if you post something in the wrong forum, so try to remember what each forum is meant to be about (Note: there is one grey area here, in that technical questions about Worms Blast can go in either the Worms Blast Forum or the Support/Technical Forum). NB threads put in the wrong forum are usually moved to the correct one, so if you can't find your new thread, check in the other forums.

Announcements

Only moderators can post here, although anyone can view the posts. Check this forum for important information about software development, announcements about competitions, and the like...

Worms Blast

This is where stuff specific to the game Worms Blast happens. Please don't start posting stuff here about any other Team 17 game.

Worms 3

Here's where you ask questions about what's up and coming in Worms 3, such as weapons, etc. Please don't post about the other games here, unless there's some kind of relation.

Games Discussion

Talk about other Team 17 games, usually Worms ones but you can post about others if you like. However, if you have a question that is technical, or about Worms 3 or Worms Blast, please don't post it here.

Support/Technical

If you have a technical problem or query, this is the place to come. Please don't start talking about how good/bad the games are here; reserve that for Games Discussion/Worms Blast/Worms 3.

Related Discussion

Stuff related to Team 17 and Worms, but not strictly to the games, goes here. If you're creating a fan game, asking about avatars, doing a Worms Story, or want to contribute to that rich seam which is Worms Mythology, do it here. If you want to write something daft about toast, I wouldn't try it personally (and that's saying something, coming from me!), but you're most likely to get away with it here.

Beta Testing

Strictly for stuff about the betas for the new Worms: Armageddon patch (yes, it is coming!). If you're testing the beta, and spot a problem, this is the place to go to report it.

Ten golden rules follow in order to lead a happy and care-free existence on the Forums. Follow them, and we should get on famously...

1. DON'T SHOUT! In other words, don't talk in CAPITALS unless you really need to emphasise something.
2. If you write a post, post it, and then realise you missed something out, or spelt something incorrectly, don't post another post after it detailing your ommission/mistake. There's an Edit Post button - use it please!
3. Before you ask a question, check that it's not in this FAQ or the official FAQ or a question that someone else has already answered about ten times (writing the same stuff over and over really cheeses us guys off). Of course, if you didn't understand the answer, feel free to ask for clarification.
4. If your question is technical, try to include as many details about your computer as possible eg RAM, graphics card and drivers, operating system, version of DirectX, and of course what game you're playing (Worms, W2, WA, WWP, WB, etc.)
5. As a general rule, spamming is a bad idea. Unless you have a number of helpful but completely unconnected things to say, try to restrict them all to one post.
6. Don't slag anyone off, or most likely you'll get it back in spades. If you don't bother someone, they won't bother you (usually...). If you think something will be offensive, don't post it, or maybe place a warning or apology in with your post such as "Warning: Anti-Darkside" or "Anti-Proper alert!"
7. Don't support copying or downloading the Worms (or other T17) games without paying for them. Remember that this an official forum. It's not a brilliant idea to persistently go on about Worms clones like Liero, either...
8. Be patient. If you're champing at the bit waiting for a patch, don't flame Team 17 about it. They are working as hard as they can. Also, if you're waiting for a reply on a technical matter, again be patient. Team 17 staff can't be at the forums all day long, you know!
9. Don't go overboard on smilies. One of each is enough to get people's attention. (There's now actually a limit of three vB smilies per post by the way)
10. Last but not least, correct SPAG is important. These are message boards, not chat rooms. You've got plenty of time to read your message through and check that it's comprehendable. And it's easier for one person to improve their spelling than for hundreds of others to learn to translate gibberish... Oh yes, while we're on the subject, l33t talk doesn't go down particularly well either.

A guide to asking questions on the Forums:

1. Check this FAQ. If you can't find an answer to your question here, or your question does not have a satisfactory answer, proceed to step 2.
2. Use the "Search" facility at the forums. More often that not, someone will already have asked it. If you still can't find an answer to your question, or your question does not have a satisfactory answer, proceed to step 3.
3. Ask the question on the Forums. If it's a WB question, post it in the WB forum. If it's W3D, post it in the W3D forum. If it's technical, post it in the Support/Technical forum. And if it's a question about another Team 17 game, post it in Games Discussion. If it's about something else, post it in Related Discussion.
4. If the question is technical, remember to give as many details as possible. Most importantly, mention which game it is (you'd be amazed at the number of people who forget to do this). Other important things are your OS, your version of DirectX, your graphics card and drivers, etc.
5. Wait patiently for a reply. Nothing gets a Forum Member's back up faster than someone writing "PLZ HELP ME!!!!! :(:(:(:(:(" if they don't get a response within an hour or so.

A guide to posting replies on the Forums:

• Avoid posting monosyllables like "yeah", "lol", "hmm", "okay", or the like.
• If you're making a post with something that might cause the forum to go kooky (an attatchment, say), always copy the text of your post so you don't have to type it all out again if things go wrong. Just like saving a file in a way.
• If you write a post, post it, and then realise you missed something out, or spelt something incorrectly, don't post another post after it detailing your ommission/mistake. Instead, use the Edit button to add a postscript, or correct your typo.
• Make sure you understand what on Earth is going on. If the topic's about servers, and you don't know the first thing about servers, keep out. (Incidentally, the first thing about servers is that you have got to give them a really good name [like Bob or Doris]). Again, I have to admit this is one of those "Do as I say, not as I do" jobbies, but it is sound advice anyway.

A guide to posting polls on the Forums:

• Firstly, be warned that many people dislike polls and consider them a pointless waste of time. I'm okay with them, as long as they're about something sensible. For example, please try not to post "what's your favourite weapon/Worms game/website" threads as we've already had tons of these, and it severely antagonises people when another one pops up.
• Try to include "Other" options in your polls as often as possible, as some member of the Forums will almost certainly come up with a smart answer that doesn't fit neatly into one of your categories.
• Please, please give your threads a descriptive title so we know what's going on (in fact this is good practice for any new threads you make). You wouldn't believe the number of times people have posted a poll with the thread title "Poll". You also wouldn't believe the number of times that people have misspelt it as "Pole".

... Flame Wars?

Frowned upon, but not a capital offence. Oh, if flame wars do start to appear in threads, the thread may be closed, but members only get banned if they are really awful, or keep starting new ones.

... Copyright Infringment?

As a general rule, T17 are quite relaxed on this issue - as long as it promotes Worms and the people using the stuff ask permission. For example, using copyrighted material (pictures, music, soundbanks) to make a fan page is okay. Creating a worms clone other than for fangame purposes isn't so good though.

... Downloading full Worms (or other Team 17) games for free?

Generally a bad idea. If you like a game, you should buy it and support the developers, so that the developers can continue to make improvements to it. There are however two occasions where it's acceptable. The first is if you bought a game for a computer that no longer works (such as the Amiga), and wish to download a PC emulation of it so you can continue to play it, then that's fine providing you've bought the game already. The second is if your old disk is broken. Basically, if and only if you've already bought the game, go ahead.

... Spamming?

Definitely frowned upon, and one of the major causes of a "Being Watched" status. Members are encouraged to use the edit button to edit their posts rather than post new ones, to stay on topic (although that rarely happens) and to not post monosyllables. If someone has helped you out, it is not essential to give them thanks, as it's just another space waster. It's all in a days work, really.

... Trolls?

A troll is basically someone who persistantly goes around posting caustic comments that often lead to flame wars. Being a troll is generally the second most popular way of getting a Being Watched status. You might get away with it if the recipients of your posts are already breaking rules, but reasoned argument is always preferable (and, I hope you'll find, more satisfying).

... Hogs of War, and other "worm-a-likes"?

As Basil Fawlty said, "Don't mention the War!" In this case, we mean Hogs of War, HoW for short. Now I like the game myself, but practically no-one else on the forums does. You're not going to get banned for mentioning it, but prepare to be caught up in a flame war... (PS, I'm afraid that I break this rule all the time. But it's still good advice). Similar rules apply to other Worms clones such as Snails, Worms Half Life and especially Liero, which really deserves a section of its own (Maybe I'll put one in).

... Ropers vs. The Rest?

A very delicate issue that divides the Worms community and has often caused flame wars. Definitely a topic to be avoided if you can. This kind of thread is often closed.

What on earth's an Avatar?

Avatars, or "sigworms" as they are known to Worms veterans, are the little pictures underneath your forum nickname, to the left of your posts. Avatars aren't essential, but personally I feel they add a touch of personality to a forum member.

How do I make a Still Avatar?

First you'll need a program such as Paint Shop Pro or Corel Photo-Paint to edit your image in. MS Paint will do the job, but it isn't the best. Second, unless you plan to create your avatar from scratch, you'll need some wormy images. Two places to start from: Worms Armageddon: The Page of Light or the Sig Development Kit (which also provides downloads of useful avatar-making programs). Then, make your avatar, and save it a GIF or a JPEG.

How do I get a see-through background to my Avatar?

Firstly, your avatar should be a GIF. Secondly, make the background colour of your avatar one single colour that doesn't appear anywhere else (a bit like Blue Screen Technology, really). Then, when you save your avatar, it may say (depending on the program) if you want a transparent back. Choose the colour that you've used as you backdrop. Hopefully, when you view the image in a webpage or something, the backdrop should be transparent.

How do I make an Animated Avatar?

This isn't my expert area, but you might find some useful tips at the Sig Development Kit.

How do I upload my Avatar?

Go to the forums, and log in. Click USER the Edit Options. Scroll down to the bottom and there will be a box about Avatars. Select Change Avatar, and follow the onscreen instructions. Avatars must be less than or equal to 50x50 pixels, or 20000 bytes (approx 19.5kB), whichever is the smaller. They should also be either a GIF or a JPEG.

Can't I just steal someone else's Avatar?

No. Well what did you think I'd say? Someone who steals someone else's avatar will be told politely but firmly to remove it.

So what's vB code?

vB code (or vBulletin code) is the markup language used on the forums, and you can use it to do things like add italics or bold to your text, or to quote something. In the same way that HTML code is enclosed in <> signs, vB code is enclosed in [] signs. In Normal Mode, if you click a tag a dialogue box will open and you can type your text in there. In Enhanced Mode, the opening tag appears and you close it by clicking Close Current Tag.

Can I use HTML code instead?

No, HTML code is disabled. This is so that people don't start putting huge chunks of JavaScript or something into their pages...

I can't get the [IMG] tag to work!

Team 17 disabled the tag, to avoid people filling the screen with pointless images. The only way to put an image in your post is to post it as an attachment (as a GIF or JPEG). If you're trying to include an image in your signature, why not make an Avatar?

Hey, I can't get vB code to work in my signature!

This too has been disabled.

I don't want to be a Newbie! How many posts do I need to be a Junior or Senior?

100 to progress from Newbie to Junior, 500 to progress from Junior to Senior.

What about other Titles?

There are now so many different titles, and some people have multiple titles, that I have to recategorise them somehow...

• Webmaster - APJ's title.
• Administrator - volcadmin's title.
• Beer Guzzler. - Spadge's title.
• Moderator - Together with APJ and Spadge, these people have the power to shape the forums! Muahahaha... okay. Pretty much all the Mods are Team 17 members, except Nutter, who got it through being incredibly helpful and also the former webmaster of the T17 websites. And no, you can't become a Mod just by posting loads of posts (believe me, I've tried... ;-))
• Team 17 Staff - well, a member of Team 17 other than one of the Mods... although sometimes a Mod changes his title to Team 17 Staff anyway. And some members of Team 17 who used to be Mods are no longer Mods, but still have "Moderator" as their title. It's jolly confusing...
• Anorak, Pea Warrior, Blast Compo Winner, Game Junkie, Armageddonist, Mission Editor, Team 17 Fan, Worm Spotter, Cubic - winner of some competition or other, where the prize included a custom status. Some people have "combination" statuses because they've won more than one compo (examples include Kheldar, Batman, and -R-)
• Generous (and variations), Honorary - Two slightly more specialist titles that the above ones, explained below.
• Top Poster, Top Threader, Top Waffler, Top Spammer - the 2002 Forum Awards given to, respectively Nutter (most posts in 2002), Worm Mad (most new threads in 2002), myself (most content in 2002) and Lawd (lowest content to post ratio in 2002). I imagine content is measured in "number of letters" or "number of words" or something...
• Permanent Newbie - ThePaladin's title - see below.
• Being Watched - title given to those who persistently break forum rules (Name, dragon, Cheech, etc.) or recklessly spam (Lawd, etc.). One you definitely don't want, as as well as branding you as an unpleasant or foolish type, it removes rights such as the right to post new threads, the right to post attatchments and the right to edit your User Profile. In recent times, a few people have managed to clean up their act, lose the "Being Watched" status and lead a useful forum life (kjatte, Lawd and others). Still, it's definately a stigma you don't want.

So if I post loads of posts, will I earn a lot of respect?

NO! Quality beats quantity any time. If you start posting like that, you'll be called a spammer (like me... :-/ maybe I should practise what I preach...). You may get a new status though: Being Watched.

How can I get a special title (like Game Junkie)?

Win a competition. APJ runs a compo every so often, and if you win that, then in addition to any material prizes available, you'll probably get a special status as well. The title you gain generally depends on the prize - for example, if you win a Game Junkie T-Shirt you get a Game Junkie custom title.

How come AndrewTaylor and Squirminator2k are Honorary Game Junkies?

Right. When I received my Game Junkie T-Shirt, I discovered it was too small. APJ kindly sent me a larger one, and I ran a "semi-official" competition to find a home for the too-small one. AndrewTaylor won that competition, and APJ made him an "Honorary Game Junkie". Okay? As for Squirminator2k, MrLee won a T-Shirt but he didn't want it so he asked APJ to give it to someone else (hence him earning the title "Generousity Junkie"), and APJ offered it up to the first person to reply, and S2K won. Similar things apply to Star Worms (Cubic and Generous) and whoever he gave his Saitek Gamecube Steering Wheel to.

Why is Kheldar an Anorak Pea Warrior Blast Compo Winner?

I told you not to ask, but... only a day or so after the Worms 3D Website peeked its head out of the door, APJ ran a mini-competition to see who could predict what the hit count would be at a certain time. The winner would have their status changed to "Anorak". Kheldar got closest, and won this privelige(?). The Pea Warrior got added afterwards, as he won the aforementioned Peashooter contest. And then he won the other Worms Blast competition. He's just a serial title collector.

What is an Anorak, anyway?

• A hooded coat; a parka
• The kind of thing that trainspotters wear (I of course am not a trainspotter - I'm a "railway enthusiast"). Hence, Anorak = British colloquialism for "nerd".

What did ThePaladin do to become a Permanent Newbie?

He edited his avatar so it made him look like he was a Moderator (by writing "Moderator" at the top in the same font used to write the user statuses). Team 17 retaliated by changing his status to "Definitely Not A", so it read "Definitely Not A Moderator". ThePaladin retaliated by editing his avatar so it now read "Definitely Not A Newbie". Team 17 made the decisive blow though, by changing his status to "Permanent Newbie". In short, he fought the law and the law won...

If you accidentally said you live in Sellafield when you meant Salford, or you want to change your Avatar or sig, or you feel the need to change your password, you need to go to your User Profile. Delving into it can sometimes be a messy business, so here's some help.

Edit Profile

The Edit Profile menu allows you to change things about yourself, including your location, hobbies, biography, sig, homepage, e-mail address, ICQ number, etc.

Edit Options

There is one important thing about this screen: it's where you alter your Avatar. Right at the bottom, there's a bit all about it

Buddies

You can create Buddies - in other words, if there's someone one the forums you like, you can make they a Buddy. What actual function this actually performs, no-one is quite sure, but...

Private Messaging

Just to clarify, this is disabled. It may be re-enabled later once APJ has finished making changes to the forums.

Whether you want an answer to a question, need to do a bit of research to back up your argument, want to drag up some long gone topic, or are simply just curious about what the heck these Worms Stories were that everyone keeps talking about, the archives of the Forum provide a valuable resource. Provided of course you understand the idiosyncracies of the Forum Search Engine...

Search terms must be at least four letters long

A real pain, this one, especially given Worms' reliance on acronyms. Anyway: the solution for three letter acronyms is to fill the end in with asterisks. Like BnG*, or SDK*, or WWP*. For less that two letters... um... I dunno...

What are these four games?

Worms 1 is, as you might expect, the original Worms. Worms Reinforcements is an add-on pack, Worms United is Worms and Worms Reinforcements packaged together, and Worms: The Director's Cut is an Amiga-only version of Worms, which debuted many major weapons (including the Holy Hand Grenade) and features some weapons not included in any other versions of Worms, such as the Sheep-on-a-Rope.

Sheep-on-a-Rope? Eh?

A weapon from Worms: The Director's Cut (a game only realeased on the Amiga). It was a sheep that travelled by Ninja Rope, and could do anything a worm on a Rope could, but if it touched the ground when not on a rope, it exploded...

A patch! Hey, I'd love to see XXX implemented in Worms 2...

It isn't worth trying. Worms 2 is now a very old game and, though it has its good points (better customisation, weapons like the Homing Air Strike), it is unlikely that, in the coming patch, there will be anything more major than some network updates. Besides, if Worms 2 was made more like WA and WWP, it wouldn't be Worms 2 any more...

I can't get the cheats to work!

First of all, they only work in multiplayer mode. Put Caps Lock on, hold down Shift, type **yourcheathere** and press Backspace.

Worms Armageddon doesn't work with WinXP or Win2000!

Correct. You have six options:

• Buy Worms World Party, as it is compatible with Windows XP.
• Download the official beta patches.
• Wait for the official full patch to be made (it should be done fairly soon).
• Get the unofficial Silkworm patch (v4.11 is the correct one, I believe).
• Change your OS to one that supports WA (not recommended)
• Use fuch's compatibility solution.

Wow, beta patches!

Exactly :-). It may have taken three years, but better late than never, I say. Thanks to SargeMcCluck and svenneundulat for help with this section. The sections in quotes are SargeMcCluck's own words.

• Beta 1: "Essentially an official Silkworm - It stopped the Silkworm cheats, made WA work in Win2k/XP. It also enabled a few more things such as moving the cursor in the chat window left or right to edit typed text, and pushing T to make the ? bubble that the AI uses to appear. It also allowed extra resolutions above 1024x768. The map editor was improved, keeping the water level when a level was saved, adding a 1 pixel (4 pixels ingame) drawing tool, and allowing holding (Shift?) to draw straight lines with the drawing tool."
• Beta 2: "Fixed the text problem and removed a few bugs here and there. IIRC anyway."
• PreBeta 3: "A quick release by Deadcode because of people abusing WormNET, but it was since fixed server-side rendering PreBeta3 useless."
• Beta 3 (still in development): "A major revamp of Worms Armageddon, rather than the minor (compared to Beta3) things that Beta1/Beta2 did. Beta 3 will have a new EXE file with a new server, but you will be able to connect to the old server with the old EXE, and play people with Beta1/2 or v 3.0. Beta3 will have secure logins, and according to a recent post by Spadge, the long awaited ranks. It will also have many, many bug fixes."

Silkworm? I thought that was for cheats!

It was, originally, and up to and including v3.5, no decent player would touch it with a bargepole. But Deadcode cleaned up his act remarkably with v4.11 ("Anti-Silk"). This not only nullifies the effect of the old Silks, but allows compatibility with WinXP and Win2000! Deadcode has now been hired by Team 17 to work on the official patch (No, I'm not going to use the poacher-turned-gamekeeper cliche... oh, I just have. Oops...) For more information, see the Beta Testing forum at the forums.

Fuch's compatibility solution? Eh?

(NB: this will not work with XP Pro)

1. Right click the icon that you usually start W:A from (ie: Desktop Shortcut, Start Menu shortcut, etc.), then select properties from the menu that appears.
2. Next, click the compatability tab under properties and search for the the checkbox next to "Run this program in compatability with:" and check the box if it is unchecked.
3. After you have done this, select the pull down menu under the checkbox (it should of turned regular color from gray after you checked that box) and select Windows 98//Me from the list. Press apply and close the window.

How do I activate The Full Wormage?

Three options:

• For the patient: Complete all missions on Gold, all training on Gold and win at Elite on Deathmatch. It should then appear in your list of schemes.
• For the straightforward: Buy WWP as the Full Wormage is available on it without you having to do any hard work.
• For the technically minded: Download the Full Wormage scheme off the Internet. This is an improved version that does not remove all your current teams or stats like the old one did, so it's safe to use. Thanks to DrumsofWar for this...

I'm stuck on Mission X...

The official strategy guide at the Worms: Armageddon Website should help you out here.

Are ranks coming to WWP?

Yes indeedy. The final WA patch will allow WWP users to log on to Wormnet 1 (the WA server) so they can play ranked games. All WWP-only features will of course be disabled on Wormnet 1, so as not to give WWP players an edge.

I have a question about WormPOT...

In that case I direct you to SupSuper's WormPOT FAQ.

How can I increase my money in Points-for-Weapons mode?

You can't, sorry. You have £100, no more, no less. I suppose it's all in the interests of fair play...

The lag on Wormnet 2 is dreadful! Team 17 should be ashamed of themselves!

They're doing the best they can. Don't forget that they don't charge you to play online like many companies do; you're getting Wormnet 2 for free. And they're making a patch to correct the lag, also for free. So please don't launch into a big attack on Team 17.

What do the various awards mean on the awards screen?

I've just done a few here to set the ball rolling; more to come...

• "Worm X turned a strange yellow colour" - Worm X was cowardly, i.e. kept away from the heat of the battle.
• "Big Billy's Circus Award goes to Worm X" - Worm X spent a lot of time on the rope.
• "Florence Nightingale Anniversary Hot Water Bottle goes to Worm X" - Worm X collected a lot of health crates.
• "Doctor Dolittle Award goes to Worm X" - Worm X used a lot of "Animal" weapons (Sheep, Skunk, Mad Cow, etc.)

I'm stuck on Mission X...

The official strategy guide at the Worms World Party Website should help you out here.

Worms Blast won't load!

To play Worms Blast, you need DirectX 8.1. If you have the full game, DirectX 8.1 comes on the CD. If you only have the demo, try the Microsoft website.

This game isn't anything like Worms! What's with all the coloured blocks? You call this a sequel?

No, it's a "spin-off" based on the Bust-A-Move genre, in the same way that Worms Pinball is a spin-off of Worms based on the Pinball genre. There's no law again making spin-offs, you know...

The characters are all funny colours (black, blue, etc)

I had this problem, too. You need the latest graphics drivers for your graphics card, the makers of graphics cards (Intel, nVidia, etc.) have their drivers on the internet available for download.

It said on the box that I could play over a LAN connection, but I can't...

That was a publisher's error, I'm afraid. WB has no LAN capability...

Note: Worm Mad has created his own FAQ specifically for Worms 3D, which is admittedly far more comprehensive that my own and also contains the official Team 17 answers to many questions. Also check out the Worms 3 Development Diary, as this will be able to answer a number of your technical questions.

Wow! Is there really going to be a 3D Worms?

You betcha. The current estimate for the release date is October 2003 (Well, it's a big project, and mega-groundbreaking, so it'll take a while).

Is it like Hogs of War?

Not according to Team 17, no. Unlike HoW (and like the other Worms games), W3 will have fully deformable terrain which is not height mapped but relies on a completely new technology that combines polygons and voxels (and yes, it is known as "poxels" or "volygons"). Oh, and by the way, HoW is a bit of a sensitive issue, so try not to mention it too much.

Hang on... Worms, Worms 2, WA, WWP... shouldn't this be Worms 5?

Worms 3 is indicative of the fact that this is the third generation of worms, the first being Worms, WR, WU and WDC, and the second W2, WA and WWP.

Will the game still have a Ninja Rope?

Yes, but you won't be able to swing about in three dimensions on it - just back and forth and up and down the rope. There is a reason for this: camera angles. The random nature of worms terrains means that the camera could end up in the ground if it tries to follow the rope everywhere...

I think Realtime would be a great feature in Worms 3...

It's not planned, and as far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing. I like to have time to think...

How long until we get screenshots / videos / demos / beta-tests?

Well, a couple of screenshots have now arrived, thanks to the Team 17 Advent Calendar. And I must say they are stunning, particularly as the game is still apparantly pre-alpha. Expect some more when Team 17 get back to work after the Christmas Holidays. Demos will appear some time in 2003, and beta-tests are unlikely.

I've had a really great idea for a weapon for Worms 3...

There will be some new weapons in Worms 3, mainly due to the incompatibility of some old ones, but it's unlikely that your ideas will be picked. It's certainly advisible not to start a new thread, but to post in another thread someone else has made - there are some incredibly long threads on the subject. However, there should be a "Worms 3D" 2 out some time, and new weapon ideas may be included in that. Have hope... :-)

What weapons are definitely in?

Team 17 have pretty much confirmed that the following are already implemented: Bazooka, Grenade, Holy Hand Grenade, Banana Bomb, Fire Punch, Viking Axe, Prod, Sheep, Super Sheep, Jetpack, Parachute, Airstrike, Scales of Justice, Girder (but perhaps not as we know it).

What weapons are definitely out?

Aqua Sheep (but Super Sheep will still be there), Bungee (all "safe drops" will now be undertaken by Parachute)

Any new ones?

Probably. Look out for a "sun-ray weapon" (purpose unknown), a "Fireman's Strike" (Team 17 wields the Sabre of Satire once more), the replacement for girders, and... uh... I'm not sure yet :-). But like I said, don't expect many of the oodles of weapons suggested by the ever-hopeful hordes of Forum goers to get in.

Every time I try to take a screenshot of a Worms game using Print Screen, the resulting picture is all weird!

Print Screen just won't do the job, I'm afraid. You'll need HyperSnap, a screenshot capture program (download a demo from http://www.hyperionics.com.

What are the criteria for a reasonable weapon idea?

Although there's not much chance of your weapon idea ever reaching Worms 3, there's still quite a bit of entertainment derived from discussing weapon ideas. If you don't want people to laugh in your face, your weapon idea should fulfil the following criteria:

• Practicability. Weapons that need a major code rewrite are unlikely to be considered in a positive light. Stick to weapons that don't do overly weird things.
• Originality. If your idea is too much like one of the weapons currently in the game, you aren't going to get very far. In short, the weapon should fulfil a role not performed by the other weapons.
• Utility. Will people actually use your weapon if they have a chance? There's no point in a weapon with a high chance of backfiring, or that doesn't actually do much.
• Fairness. On the other hand, your weapon shouldn't be too powerful. Weapons that kill worms in one shot without involving water are not well liked. Don't make things too easy.
• Entertainment value. Not strictly necessary (after all, you can't say the Fire Punch has much entertainment value), but a help. Can your weapon be put to spectacular ends?
• Humour. Again not essential, but if your weapon has some sort of satirical connection behind it, or is a nice parody, then that's all to the good.

What are the Lightside and the Darkside?

Lightside and Darkside are the two main ways of playing Worms. If you're a Lightsider, you are a heroic, gung-ho type who kills the enemy in a straightforward manner, albeit with some suicidal tendencies. If you're a Darksider, you prefer to hide away until the action's over. As you can probably guess, this has its origins in Star Wars.

What is the Concrete Donkey?

Superficially, a very powerful weapon that comes down from the sky, smashes through to the water, and will almost certainly kill any worm in its path. But to many wormers, it is a god, specifically the god of the Lightside (best weapon around for unearthing Darksiders) and some of the less evil Darksiders (for its great power). The Concrete Donkey originated in Andy Davidson's back garden when he was young. It was a statue of a donkey made from concrete, and he thought it was a real donkey that his parents had covered in concrete. Clearly an impressionable lad...

What are concrete donkeys?

concrete donkeys (lowercase) are cheap replicas of the Concrete Donkey, probably made from cheap '70s concrete. They are evil and must be stamped out :-p.

What is the Buffalo of Lies?

The Buffalo is to the Lightside what the Donkey is to the Darkside. Apparantly he is evil, absolute evil. But he does have a large store of cheap electrical goods which he tempts Lightsiders with...

What is the Angular Wooden Giraffe?

No-one's quite sure, actually. Another crazy Andy Davidson creation, this time from a small wooden giraffe (of the sort you might find at a craft fayre or an African bazaar) with a missing ear, which he took a shine to. It appeared in a "fake screenshot" from W:A, and also as a mission backdrop in WWP. Possibly a god, possibly not, we just don't know.

Any other sides?

Officially, no, but unofficially yes. We have the Greyside (a mix of Light and Dark), the Sewerside (pronounced "Suicide"; they go for all out mayhem and destruction), the Flipside (a bunch of jammy b******s who win a lot whatever happens), Ropers, BnGers and of course the Brightside (a recent creation to describe those intelligent players who don't have a particular strategy, but play the one that makes the most sense at the time) and the Dullside (Prod your way to victory!). For the record, I'm a Brightsider.

Any other gods?

Again, officially no, but unofficially there are loads and Worms Theologians are discovering new ones every day. These include the Concrete Buffalo (Greyside), the Kamikaze Pig (Sewerside), the Amazing Rope-Shaped Rock (Ropers)

What were/are the Worms Stories?

A series of ten serial stories, with each person contributing a few more words - most of the community got involved. Read the first five at Mission: WORMPOSSIBLE, or the first nine at Worm Dimensions, Worm Mad's site. WSX is finished, but hasn't been properly SPAGed yet.

Who were/are the main characters?

The two main protagonists were Jim, your typical reluctant hero and star of WS1, 2, 3, 4 and 0, and Yipee Two-Face, an EEEVIL villain and star of WS3.5, 4, Y-1, Y-2, Y-3 and 0 (Yes, I know they both starred in Worms Stories 4 and 0. So what?). They also both played subsidiary roles in WSX, although that centred mainly on the Authors (Worm Mad, Paul.Power, SupSuper, etc.)

Who were/are the supporting characters?

The supporting characters came from three main sources: mainstream Worms mythology (the Concrete Donkey, the Buffalo of Lies, etc.), posters on the Forum (collectively known as the Authors) and our own warped and twisted imaginations, (Wikapoo the Magic Tree, the Inflammable Johnson's Baby Lotion [still going strong even in WSX], the villainous Windows XP Time Machine, etc.)

What were/are the plots?

I wish you hadn't asked me that. Okay, here goes:

• Worms Story 1: In which Jim (the hero of the story) does a lot of mad stuff in an attempt to defeat the Buffalo of Lies, eventually cumulating in him stepping through a door...
• Worms Story 2: What Happened to Jim After He Stepped Through The Door/Jim's Excellent Adventure. Jim steps through the door into the Jurassic Era! He does a lot of time-travelling, and in an attempt to defeat his new nemesis the Windows XP Time Machine, eventually blasts off in a rocket along with all the authors to find Nutter...
• Worms Story 3: The Search For Nutter. In which Jim and the authors go looking for Nutter, do a load of weird stuff, meet Worm-Man, and find Nutter encased in a block of ice. After they unfreeze him, he tells them of the mysterious and villainous Yipee Two-Face...
• Worms Story 3.5: Another Worms Story! Yipee Two-Face`s version of events, kind of parallel to events towards the end of WS2 and during WS3
• Worms Story 4: Worms Armageddon... And now it`s the curtain pull, the final onslaught... As for what happens, read it and find out!
• Worms Story Y-1: Set some time after the end of WS4, it details what happens to Yipee after he arrives home from his battles with Jim, only to find that things are no less weird back home... Starring Spadge, a Morris Dancing Time Machine, an infinity of Arnolds and a large number of Plotholes.
• Worms Story Y-2: Into the Plothole. In order to save his world from the attack of the Plotholes, Yipee jumps into one to sort it out once and for all. From then on, it's a race to avoid the machinations of the evil, smelly Buffalo of Lies!
• Worms Story Y-3: Yipee's Revenge. Fed up with saving everyone for hardly any gratitude, Yipee reverts to type in an attempt to discover a first edition Mario comic and, together with his mega-rich son Wahoo, build a giant laser on the moon and take over the world. Fortunately, the Authors are around to stop him. But there's a big twist at the end...
• Worms Story 0: Enter the Jim. A prequel, detailling the origins of Jim, Yipee & co, the rebel alliance led by Agent Dennis, and including the now infamous Operation Who Left The Floodgates Open... Also dovetails nicely with WS1, which is nice...
• Worms Story X: The Final Worms Story. WSY-3 was meant to be the last non-prequel Worms Story, but the Authors couldn't resist one final bow. Quite a bit of different stuff, but it centres around the Authors making their way through a huge castle filled with strange traps. In terms of number of posts, the longest since WS1.

Are these the only ones?

Heck, no. There have been a number of "unofficial" Worms Stories and the odd "semi-official" one such as TSS (which starts with the Authors trying to get at Worms 3 screenshots but ends with Zombie Worms and the Earth blowing up), but none of them have ever really taken off, and they're not considered part of the "official" canon. I'm pretty sure there's one going on at the moment now that's on it's fourth page, although for possibly the first time ever I've failed to post in it or even look at it. I'm afraid I have no idea how well it's doing or even if it's related to the "official" ones.

Who is Andy Davidson?

The creator of Worms and many of its more bizarre concepts (Concrete Donkey, Buffalo of Lies, Angular Wooden Giraffe, etc.), he originally came up with the idea for "Total Wormage". He met Team 17 at a games fair, and they got together to produce Worms, the game we all know and love. He left Team 17 during the making of Worms Armageddon, and not much has been seen of him since.

Who are Team 17?

A software company in Ossett, West Yorkshire responsible for many famous games (Superfrog, World Rally Fever, Alien Breed to name but a few). Their big break came when they saw the potential of Andy's idea, and Worms was born.

How did Team 17 get their name?

The company was founded in the days of 16-bit software, so they called themselves "17-Bit Software" as they were "that bit better than the rest" (They had a bizarre sense of humour even then). Over time, this changed to Team 17.

How many Worms games are there?

Let's see... there's Worms, Worms United, Worms: The Director's Cut, Worms 2, Worms Armageddon, Worms World Party, Worms Pinball (originally Addiction Pinball), Worms Blast and the up-and-coming Worms 3. So 8, 9 if you count Worms 3. And Worms Reinforcements, but I guess that's covered by Worms United. On the other hand, if you count console versions as separate games... oodles!

What's Star Worms Episode II?

The sequel to Star Worms, and a platformer fangame being made in Klik 'n' Play (I'm on the development team! As one of the composers. Bjørn Lynne, eat your heart out, j/k). Consists of a single player "mission-based" mode and a multiplayer mode.

Who're the development team for it?

Worm Mad is producer, lead designer/programmer, etc. SupSuper is the deputy designer/programmer, Compudragon and I are the composers, Yoshi and (someone else, look this up) the artists.

What's Super Forum Fighters Melée?

This is really just an idea at the moment; Worm Mad doesn't want to start work on it until he's finished Star Worms II. But a lot of the artwork has been done already. It's basically a take on Super Smash Brothers Melée, but in 2D and with forum members as the characters. It's going to be made with the Games Factory.

Who're the development team for it?

As with SW2, Worm Mad is the producer, lead designer/programmer. Many Forum members have provided artwork.

What's Wormbots?

A "pack of custom WWP multiplayer missions, designed by the team of Worms Mission Control, where you control a robot (from a wide variety) using the worms there are in it to destroy your opponent's robot. this can be only played multiplayer (hotseat mode included), but there are training missions which you play alone to practice using the bots."

What's Worms Breakout?

"Made by Darky, basically it's a wormy breakout game, where you can use some weapons like bazooka, shotgun, holy hand grenade, etc, to blow up the blocks (besides the ball, of course) which you will catch along the game, as well as a wide variety of levels, which can get pretty hard at times, cool utilities, stunning graphics and... lots of fun. Made with TGF (The Games Factory)."

What other fangames are there?

Worm Mad is our principle fangame creator, before Star Worms Episode II he did WormWar (by his own admission not very good, but worth a mention) and the original Star Worms.

AndrewTaylor

The resident sarcasm and irony expert, always ready to denounce daft ideas. Known by some as the Forums' "Victor Meldrew" ;-).

APJ

The webmaster at Team 17, he runs the Team 17 website and all the websites of its products. He also administrates at the forums.

Apollo

Coined the term "Brightside" to refer to a wormer who doesn't followany set strategy, but rather adopts their tactics to the situation. This term replaced the previous term "Atheist", coined by me as Brightsiders follow no worming god in particular.

Bjorn Lynne

Team 17's music man, he has done the music and sound effects for all the Worms games and is now at it again with Worms 3.

Grant

A xxx at Team 17

Kel

A designer at Team 17

Kheldar

The man with three titles, not to mention the first Forum member to receive a custom one (See Post Counts / Status for details). He's just a serial titlist. He doesn't post much now, however.

Kilburn

A producer at Team 17

kjatte

Location: Norway. Famous for being the first person to survive the "Being Watched" status without a ban, and he has rehabilitated nicely.

Lawd

Location: xxx. Another Forum member who's survived the Being Watched status, and winner of 2002's "Top Spammer" award for the lowest content-to-post ratio. He seems a reformed character now, though.

Liquid Silk

A designer at Team 17

Luther

An animator at Team 17, currently working on Worms 3. Luther's main responsibility is to do the animations for the worm, including facial expressions, weapon animations, and miscellaneous "idle" animations for the worms.

Macobsession

thomasp's deputy in the Apple Macintosh faction of the Forums and owner of the United Mac Wormers site. Like thomasp, he is also battling to get Worms 3 released on Mac.

MonkeyforaHead

The forums' lead cartoonist, whose hilarious cartoons were the inspiration for many other Forum members (including myself) to pick up their pencils and draw their own cartoons.

MrLee

One of the community's "older hands", i.e. he was a major member of the community a long time before many of us. As such, he's always shaking his head at our newbie-ish antics... :-p.

Nutter

Location: Australia. Apparantly, the difference between his and ANYONE is that he is not mad :-). Former Team 17 webmaster, and the only non-Team 17 member to get to be a moderator. Often the best person to ask on matters of a technical nature, and generally speaking a really handy guy to have around. For some reason he hasn't posted much recently...

NZKiwi

The Forums' most notable female member

Paul.Power

Witty, debonair fulcrum of the Forums... A complete and utter lunatic, and the original forum postaholic. I should know, I'm me. Also the unofficial (self-appointed too, I think :-/) reference librarian and statistician at the forums (i.e. often the only one who can be bothered to look things up or do the sums), and one of the composers on the Star Worms II project. Oh, yes, and I'm one of the few supporters of hogs of War on the Forums. And I helped Apollo invent the Brightside. And I write this FAQ. In fact, the only problem is that I'm not an expert Wormer :-/...

Peeling

A programmer at Team 17, responsible for programming Worms 3's revolutionary landscape engine.

Pickleworm

Location: USA. Arguably the most prolific postaholic this forum has ever produced (he was up to 30+ posts a day at one point), but since them he's mellowed down a bit. A decent sort of chap really, despite a few flights of lunacy.

-R-

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Spadge

"Creative Director" at Team 17 - i.e. he's the bloke in charge of the actual gaming side of things. Often the best person to ask if you want something straight from the horse's mouth.

Squirminator2K

Our resident Amiga expert, S2K is a big fan of Worms: The Director's Cut and is aways campaigning to get a new version of Superfrog released for the PC.

Star Worms

The fact that he has the same name as Worm Mad's fangame is completely coincidental (and WM doesn't mind; in fact it's free publicity).

SupSuper

Location: Portugal. Deputy designer and programmer on Star Worms II, responsible for the later missions.

svenneundulat

Location: Sweden. Arguably on of the Forums' most sensible members, he's always ready to steer a thread back on topic or inject a note of sanity into a bizarre conversation. Sven is now the Forums' current "top poster", with nearly 2500 posts...

thomasp

The Forum's lead promoter of the Apple Macintosh cause, his biggest ambitions are to see Worms Blast and Worms 3 released on Mac. Like svenneundulat, always ready to get back on topic in times of silliness.

volcadmin

The mysterious "number one" of the Forums (ie first person to join; APJ is "nubmer two". Hmm... shades of The Prisoner) who rarely posts, he deals with Team 17's servers.

Worm Mad

In posting over a hundred new threads this year, Worm Mad has been the Forum's premier conversation starter, and also one of its most inspirational members. Although not the creator of the Worms Stories, he has been primarily responsible for their widespread proliferation. He's also the producer and lead designer/programmer on a number of fangame projects, including Star Worms II and the in-the-pipeline Super Forum Fighters Melée.

Yoshi

A leading member of a fast-growing portion of the Worms commmunity with a talent for 3D graphics.

Zero72

Another major Forum Cartoonist, and quite a fan of Megaman.

Ahh... there's nothing like the Internet for confusing jargon (Well, maybe C++...). Here's a guide to some of the wormy words at the forums...