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| [ about | the team | Andy Davidson ] |
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Original Concept
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The man who's become known around the world as the mad creator behind Worms,
Andy Davidson. Approach with care if you ever meet Andy, he's a real nutter!
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Let's go right back to the beginning.. O years BW (Before Worms). What was the
proverbial seed, which grew to become the big pink monster we all know of as Worms?
It started when it became obvious that exams were terminally boring, and something
drastic had to be done - like invent a multi-player game that would keep everyone
amused (and conscious!!). Things sort of snowballed from there, and it became so
popular that I decided I might as well try and get it published. So I started a
re-write of it under the name Total Wormage.
Why Worms? Why not a more aggressive animal..a wolf or something?
Back in 1993, Worms were about the only animals that hadn't been in a game, and
also none of them had ever been called Jim! I also thought I could get a lot of
character into the animations, and also worms have a violent-side to their nature
that the public had a right to know about.
Worms has been described as a classic game, with unrivalled gameplay.
Why do you think Worms was such a winner?
I didn't set out to make a 'commercial game' - I think this is why it stands out.
I just wanted something that me and my mates could have a laugh with, and something
that would last for a very long time. A good game is one you want to play for months,
not days - and with Worms I wanted to make a game that had no end, that was different
every time you played it, and a game where sheep exploded!!
Worms has got quite a cult following. Have you got any funny 'fan' stories?
Well, after I had the flashbacks of the Concrete Donkey and what had happened in my
childhood to give me all these weird ideas, the Donkey soon developed a religious status.
As a child I was convinced that the stone donkey in the garden was a real donkey that my
parents had covered in concrete. I therefore spent quite a bit of time chipping away at
it's tail to see if there was fur under there. This probably explains the state I'm
in today!! Since the release of Worms, several 'sacrificial gifts' have been placed between
its ears. The first were a used supermarket charge card and a bus ticket, and finally reached
the heights of a can of baked beans (unopened). Sadly, things have tailed off recently but
hopefully the release of Worms2 will prompt more gifts - hopefully a small car =)
Are there any common characteristics of Worms fans?
Well some people describe me as 'mad' (I can't think why though...) and I suppose this
description would apply to some of the people who play the game as well!! - and all of
them enjoy the sight of a small furry animal exploding!!
Which nationality are the biggest Worms fans?
Well the UK is full of worms, but very few people knew what violent creatures they were.
So the general public was very interested in seeing the truth. The Welsh are very keen
on the sheep connection....
Outside the UK, the Swedes are very into Worms, and the Concrete Donkey - called the
Betong Asna in Swedish by the way (useful fact #254). However, with the introduction
of Internet play international relations could be put under strain.
What are the good and bad points of working in the Software industry?
I can't think of any bad points!! Writing games is the only thing I've really wanted
to do - it may be a lot of work at times, but at the end of the day it's doing what I
enjoy. And besides, this is all good 'therapy' for me - if I wasn't doing this I'd
probably be in some nice padded room somewhere, and I doubt they'd understand exactly
how important Concrete Donkeys are.
What do you consider to be the most important qualities of a top game?
A good game is one you want to play for months, not days, and if it includes
a sheep or two so much the better!!
Don't you think the worms have got enough weapons now? Which is your favourite?
A worm can never have enough weapons!! The steerable-flying Super Sheep is probably
my favourite, although once the Old Woman is armed with one of those tartan-shopping
trolleys she will be highly effective.
Who's your favourite worm and why?
'Joanna Lumley' is a bit of an old slapper as worms go now, as she has been
in the game for ages - right back to the Total Wormage days - but this means
she has got quite a 'reputation' now. Worms like 'Shalamer' are definitely
no match for her!!
Tell us about the CDP (Concrete Donkey Party).
There has been much talk about the effect computer games have on people, and
from research we have conducted there does seem to be some truth in it.
Since the release of Worms, concrete donkeys have been appearing everywhere
- most disturbing of all is that a number of these were baby donkeys. When
we questioned 100 people, 7 of them admitted to concreting a donkey 'for a
laugh' - this is WRONG. Obviously we don't want the release of future Worms
games to make this situation worse.
The aim of the CDP is to stamp out this disgusting practice of concreting
over donkeys for pleasure. We will show people what goes on at the EVIL
'Donkey Farms' where donkeys are bred for the explicit purpose of becoming
nothing more than "garden ornaments" - undercover video footage and Open
University style flow-charts will bring home just how shocking this process
is.
What is the party's stance on the European Union?
This isn't just a UK problem, we have evidence of such going-ons world-wide.
The Betong Asna Partiet (BAP - pronounced BOP) is the Swedish-wing of the
CDP, and will be showing this is a Europe-wide problem. Hopefully we will
be able to establish a "Common Donkey Policy" which will help us tackle the
problem more effectively.
How do the worms feel about the Brussels ruling on standardised bananas?
Obviously they aren't too happy about the prospect, as highly explosive
bananas are likely to be made illegal. This is something we will do
everything in our power to stop.
Donkey Watch UK - a four legged faction of the neighbourhood watch scheme
or an effort to teach little horses to tell the time?
No, teaching horses to tell the time would just be silly. 'Donkey Watch UK'
is being set-up to allow us to monitor just how widespread the problem of
concreting over donkeys is. People will be able to report sightings of
distressed donkeys and we will plot them on a big map of the UK.
What's the Bananafish getting up to?
Sadly, although there was a reported sighting in Milton-Keynes just before
Christmas, this turned out to be a false alarm. I am still convinced
Bananafish is alive though, despite his pond being turned into what now
looks like a helicopter-landing pad.
What does the Pope think of the holy hand grenade?
We did have a report that he had tried it out personally in the Vatican,
although at this time we haven't been able to confirm it.
The mad cows are worrying. Is there any danger of an annelid strain of BSE?
Yes, Mad Worm Disease is already with us I'm afraid. For years,
unscrupulous farmers have been feeding cows to earthworms with no thought
for the safety of those worms at all. Even now no action has been taken
despite the terrible sight of worms stumbling around and crashing into metal
railings. How many more worms have to suffer before action is taken??
Worms operate within an ochlocracy, discuss:
Personally I don't think the ochlocracy will last much longer, not with the
way that 'Charles' worm has been carrying on.
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| [ about | the team ] |
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Team17 would like to extend their thanks to all who played a big part in Worms2 and the success of the
original game, not least the thousands that gave us much valued feedback on our web-site.
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| Producer |
[ Martyn Brown ]
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| Development |
Craig Jones
Paul Kilburn
Paul Sharp
Espen Lyngaas
David Watson
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| Artists |
[ Danny Cartwright ]
Animation, Graphic Design & Additional Background Art
[ Rico Holmes ]
Lead Background Artist
[ Cris Blyth ]
Video Sequence Design, Animation & Production
[ Rory Little ]
Modelling Support
[ Mark Taylor ]
Modelling Support
Paul Robinson
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| Programmers |
[ Karl Morton ]
Game Code Design & Lead Programming
[ Colin Surridge ]
Menu System & Network GUI Design
[ Phil Carlisle ]
Network & Additional Programming
Rob Hill
Martin Randall
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| Sound and Music |
Bjorn Lynne
Allister Brimble
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| Web Design |
Paul James
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| Quality Assurance |
Paul Field
Paul Dunstan
Kelvin Aston
John Eggett
Mark Baldwin
Grant Towell
Andy Aveyard
Guy Palmer
Emma Aspinall
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| Original Concept |
[ Andy Davidson ]
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