Monday, March 26, 2007

Worms Update

We're finalising the update to Worms for XBLA which fixes a few issues (the major one being a problem with 4-player games crashing - although this is currently eased if the host waits for 10-20 seconds until the audible 'beeps' of other players trying to join stops). This update has to go through another certification loop before we can release it. I'll post again when there's news on when that might be, but these things tend to take a little bit of time.

We've also fixed a couple of exploitation issues that have been brought to our attention and also a couple of silly things that crept through the testing net. I'll post a full list when the update goes live (I don't wish to point out some of the exploits!).

Downloadable content is coming soon too, the first lot should include a new theme, a bunch of audio we couldn't fit into the 50mb limit (present at the time we did Worms and recently raised to 150mb), a stack of additional voice-banks and the usual themes & gamer-pics.

By the way, we've had people grumbling about the word-filter on the game, we'd like to point out that this is Microsoft's not ours! :-)

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Please fix the AI "thinking" too long issue. It drags the single player game mode down.

Otherwise, nice work!

Martyn James Brown said...

Yeah, that's actually been fixed and now the AI takes 1-2 seconds max. It has also been adapted so it doesn't do any ludicrous grenade shots :)

Anonymous said...

besides the usual question of adding any new weapons that were removed ... what about the ability to choose which worm will go when it's your turn?! Or how about being able to choose WHERE your worms will be on the map before the game starts? It's always annoying when they are grouped so close together. Thanks for any info! -- Alex

Martyn James Brown said...

We can't really add too much or else we'll be in bother actually. Worm select was added in later modes and whilst it's cool, it does remove the self-balancing aspect of the game and the more cerebal thinking of which worm moved and which is next. With worm-select on as a default, players tended to hide a worm or two away and it got even more negative, which is why later on it arrived as a collectable utility.

Worm placement spoils the whole chance factor of placement really - tiny things can make or break the game. Placement was (as far as we know) largely un-used.

Anonymous said...

Yeah I agree, placement and turn selection would make a whole different game. If you're blaming your losing on not having those abilities, them probably Worms isn't for you!

Keep up the good work Spadge, I can't wait for updates!

Anonymous said...

I think worm selection ruined the game anyway... I'm glad it's gone and hope it never returns!

The one and only thing I think is lacking from this otherwise spiffing game is either the parachute or bungee rope... Or at least some way to get down big drops other than the ninja rope!

Anonymous said...

When is it coming? Has it still got to go through certification? (Which means it'll probably be a few weeks away, knowing how lax MS is with that sort of thing)

Martyn James Brown said...

Using the rope to drop is quite easy, backflip off and make sure your rope angle is like 45 degrees to the rock you hope to cling to. Takes a bit of skill. The bungee was fairly rarely used and the parachute made things a bit too easy I think. Rope in this game is more like it was intended and not the crazy rope-centric antics that W2/WA descended into online (imho).

Regards the update, it has to be tested, run through a pre-certification test, then be certified, then hosted. As soon as I am aware of its impending release, I'll inform folks. Obviously we don't need to wait for a release or such.

I should know about the DLC soon, too. That's all packaged up and as far as I know, pretty much all the paperwork is done. Folks have been busy at MS since GDC really.

Clint said...

I like being able to become skilled at the rope. I have finally got the hang of flipping over top of things. And I love that it's not easy, so at times while I'm trying to pull off a cool move for an advantage, I sometimes mess up and end up drowned.

Also, the backflip move, if you just hold down the rope button after you flip, it should latch onto something. I still get "woahs" when I go it. I like to do it on the double tier levels that are open on the ends to get to the bottom level.

I applaude the balance of weapons in the game. While it's annoying at first, after playing over 100 ranked matches I tried a player match. It only consisted of players jet packing over to each other and dynamiting.

Yes, I'd certainly like to not crash 3 out of 4 games anymore.

And my one request! Bring back napalm weapons!

Martyn James Brown said...

By the way folks, best place to discuss the Worms stuff is at:

http://forum.team17.com

I mention stuff on my blog since it's widely tapped by other sites :)

Anonymous said...

WOW! WOW! WOW! You fixed the AI taking forever!!! This was THE thing that has drove me nuts about all versions of 2D Worms for years (could be a decade). I'm so excited that you finally fixed that. I can now play Worms in single player without slipping into a coma! Absolutely fan-friggin-tastic! Whoever fixed that, give them a big raise..