BlameThePixel!

Quoted :: T17 Forums

I've been working incredibly hard on the Worms Armageddon patch. It's really an amazing feeling, after such a long break... For the past couple months I've been more inspired than ever! I've very much been following my intuition in choosing which parts to work on, and what to aim for.

This has led me unexpectedly to implement something much sooner than I thought I would be doing. I was streamlining the recorded-game file format... But this morning I suddenly realized that I was doing more than just creating a file format – I was laying the foundations for fully customisable hosting!

Because, it so happens that the header format I designed for recorded games will also be ideal as a new scheme file format, that can be sent online in a hosted game! You get all the things The Fiddler used to be able to do – fully customisable weapons, and the ability to create missions.

So for this reason, I have made the decision to name this patch Version 4.0 Beta.

So, now that I've figured out what my intuition was leading me to, I will update you on what I've accomplished so far and where it is leading. First, what I've done since the previously posted Beta Patch Update:

* Implemented a flexible and efficient "game initialisation" format, to be used in recorded-game files, schemes, and online games. The format will easily accomodate additions while being backwards-compatible. By that, I mean that future versions of W:A will be able to parse and recognize older versions of the format; if a hosted game contains players with older versions, the newer versions will emulate the older for compatibility.
* In all front-end screens with a Chat Bar, the chat bar now gets default focus (so you don't need to click on it before typing)
* In host/join, the Message History: a) Now carries through to extra rounds and the finish of a game, b) Can now be read after the host or all other players have left a finished game.
* Localisation is improved. Your Nation is set directly from geographic location information if available (Location in Regional and Language Options), and your Language is set in a more direct manner. It will be easy to implement a Language Override option if this is desired.
* Volume can be changed in-game and in the Options menu of the front end. Using this allows you to balance the game volume with MP3s, voice chat software, etc.
* Fixed: Flag and rank icons were loaded all at once outside a channel, but one by one, slowly, inside a channel. This has been fixed; they now refresh along with the game listing.
* Fixed: Previously, if – at the continued-round stage – only players of a single ally remained after others quit, all buttons would be disabled and the game would have to be killed externally. This has been fixed.
* Fixed: Before, powerful weapons with Damage×2 could have their blast radius artificially limited, resulting in a bizarre combination of widespread damage with a relatively small hole. Now the effective blast radius limit is doubled.
* Fixed: The glitch in which graves could absorb arrows was not fully fixed in the first beta; an arrow hitting a grave at the same time as it would have hit land was still absorbed. This is now wholly fixed.
* Fixed: At a certain water level, Crates and Oil Drums would float, throwing the game into an endless loop.
* Fixed: There was a mismatch between the Fall Damage threshold speed, and the threshold speed at which the Parachute was activated. There was a small space between where your Worm could accrue fall damage without the parachute activating. This only happened when the worm was sliding, for example from the Rope.
* Fixed: A bungeeing worm used to look very odd when pointing more than 45 degrees from downwards. Now it progresses smoothly through 360 degrees of rotation.

Primary things that are to follow:

* Take the now-finished "game initialisation" format and apply it to things other than just recorded games – i.e., loadable schemes and hosting. Since the format covers everything, it will then be possible to host Custom Missions.
* Ability to Import Fiddler schemes.
* An Editor for the new scheme format. At first it will be necessary to first import a Fiddler scheme to get the already-existing options, then use the editor to modify newly added options – but then the Editor will be expanded to be self-sufficient.
* Add a button in Host/Join screens that parses the Effective Version and shows you what legacy game-logic bugs will be effectively fixed or emulated, and what post-legacy game-logic features will be effectively present or missing.
* For Hosts, show which players possess older versions of the game, and red-flag them if features are being used (i.e. colour maps or new scheme options) that will prevent them from being able to play, forcing the host either to downgrade the map/scheme or boot the players.
* Supplement the above with a Scheme Comparator, which will compare a Host's scheme with all the schemes you have yourself, find the most similar one, and show you a list of differences which will be viewed as an expandable/collapsable outline.
* Create a Server and Client/Server protocol that will take full advantage of the new paradigms/features of W:A 4.0. This may involve modifying the existing one, or starting from scratch – this will be decided when the time comes.