Team 17 Interview

04 Aug 2010 at 11:00:14 by James Chalmers

James Chalmers gets to chat to Team 17's Martyn Brown about the recently announced Worms Reloaded as well as the Alien Breed series and the future of the company.

Last week you confirmed you are working on a brand new 2D Worms title for the PC entitled Worms Reloaded. What made the team return to the PC and whose decision was it to make it 2D?

We took the opportunity to return to 2D when we had the chance, a few years ago. Now that we are in control and self-publishing the title we didn’t need to fight with publishers over the fact it was or wasn’t 3d anymore. Fortunately we were assisted by the casual movement, a bunch of digital platforms, new handheld devices and a refresh in thinking that popular titles did not need to be 3d – and that really, the dimension used in a game has precious little to do with it’s entertainment value. We were very pleased with how Worms Mayhem turned out (our last 3D title) but we felt that a total refresh in 2D was what the series needed.

How is the development of Worms Reloaded going, can we expect to see the game soon?

The game is in the final stages now and we’re very happy with it, it’s got a ton of content and enough to please young and old. We’ll announce a release date shortly.

You have called Reloaded an ‘extended edition of the console versions of late.’ What do you mean by this?

We produced a few console versions in the last 2-3 years which featured new weapons and play modes. With Reloaded we’ve resurrected a lot of the weapons and play of both Worms Armageddon and Worms World Party and added the best of all the new items in the Open Warfare series. We’ve also given the game a complete visual makeover.

Will we see any new weapons added to Reloaded and will the full arsenal of weapons available in past Worms games be available to use?

Yes there are new weapons, it also features many classic weapons from the series. There’s plenty, really!

Can you tell us what new weapons you are introducing to Worms Reloaded and how they work?

• The Three Ferrets - when selected, your worm deploys three ferrets, one by one, in the direction the worm is currently facing. The ferrets scurry their way through tunnels, or across the landscape, exploding on impact causing damage to any worms they come into contact with. The three ferrets are ideal for getting at enemy worms with ‘Darkside’ tactics - such as those who choose to dig in and hide away. Not only that, but the Ferrets can be used to reach places your worm cannot get to!
• Termites - when used, three termites are released from your worm.  The termites then create tunnels within the landscape - ideal for travelling in safety, away from the surface.
• Worship - upon selecting the Worship item from the inventory, the player then deploys a totem onto the landscape which when active will add 2 points of health per turn to the players team, while removing 2 points of health per turn from the enemy. The totem can be destroyed, or its effects countered, by the use of another totem - so placement and protection is very important.
• Steal - Steal allows you to take an item from your opponent's inventory and add it to yours.
• Invisibility - once used, all of your worms become invisible to your opponent. Very fiendish!
• Marked for Death - by placing a Marked for Death on your opponent’s worms, a dark rain cloud appears above their heads. Now, I’m no expert but that doesn’t sound too nice? Why not attack them and see you’ll cause additional damage to them!

Previous Worms titles have been reliable on a magnificent physics engine requiring gamers to work out the trajectory of weapons to hit the opposition, have you enhanced it more for Reloaded?

The physics are tried and tested, you can’t really change the laws of physics, but the game has been heavily balanced.

Have there ever been problems when trying to program the physics?

Not really, Newtonian physics are a starting point, but we massage those to ensure the game feels and plays correctly. It’s an iterative process where we make tweaks and balances until we’re happy.

Will we see a more platform-based emphasis in Reloaded with many storeys within a map for the Worms to explore?

There’s options for vertical maps and custom maps, so the game will be able to be tailored how people wish to play it.

And I assume the scenery will be fully destructible like previous Worms titles?

Yes, naturally, although like much of the game, it’s optional.

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