| [ goodies | tips | Captain Spadge's Battle Tactics ] |
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Many a young recruit has come up to me over the years asking for advice on how I've
survived umpteen battles and I've always answered them with a good hearty breakfast,
a focused battle plan and above all a wriggle of steel.
With Worms 2 however, I've decided that some serious pre-battle training would be needed
if you whipper-snappers could survive more than the first Cluster Bomb. So to give you all
the chance your Grandad Worms never had in the battle of Wormsong I welcome you to Captain
Spadges Cadet Commando Training Camp.
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Battle Recognisance
The key to winning any battle is to ensure that you and your team are fully briefed before
you're dropped off on to that unknown landscape. Your platoon will have to work together as
a solid unit and you're going to have to know how each of the weapons work in different
locations. Once you're ready to take on a platoon who don't just wear frilly pink knickers
its important to know what options and weapon sets will be used in the coming battle. Without
knowing this, your opponent commander(s) will be at a strategic advantage. It's vital that you
understand the battle options at hand.
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Number of Worms
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The number of Worms in your platoon and their starting energy values will effect how
cautious you are with particular weapons. If you are in a six player game with one Worm
each on 400 units you might decide to call an all out Air Strike and take out as many
enemy Worms as possible from the start. Or if you are in a three player game with teams
of four Worms each on 100 units you may be more careful when initially picking of your
enemies making sure that your platoon don't suffer under friendly fire.
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Rounds to win
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Make sure you know what sort of battle you are going into, is it a 2 round skirmish or
a 9 round campaign? If you are entering into a 2 round skirmish you really don't have
time to mess about with risky manoeuvres, just take out the opposition the best way you
know how. In a 9 round full-blown campaign you could try some really risky manoeuvres such
as unleashing a Holy Hand Grenade in a densely populated cavern.
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Round Time
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Remember before battle commences whether a round time has been set. Whilst you may
not know exactly when Sudden Death will commence if you have a rough idea it should
help you make any evasive moves before you end up being a sitting duck on one energy
point.
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Turn Time
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The time you have to plan out each move will vary between battles. Knowing how long you
have for each turn will indicate whether you can adopt a relaxed strategy and spend time
contemplating over each turn or whether your going to have to be quick off the draw and
think well ahead of your current turn.
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Land Mines
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The number of mines will vary per battle. The chosen number of mines will give you an idea
of how cautious you need to be. Inadvertently setting off mines whilst using a weapon can
drastically increase the resultant damage and could take your Worm out with the enemy. The
time delay on mines also varies and can add further chaos if you're not careful!
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Friction Level
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Altering the friction level affects weapons that move along the battle surface before
detonation. If friction is set too high they won't travel as far, whilst if friction is
low their range will increase. Practice with a variety of friction levels on different
weapons, this will allow you to judge their range far more accurately.
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Gravity Setting
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Changing the gravity setting affects the amount of bounce a weapon has and the higher or
lower its resultant explosions. With gravity set to low a weapon such as a Grenade will
bounce high and its resultant explosion will cover a far greater area. As with friction
it's important to practice using weapons under different gravity settings, it could make
all the difference to taking out the enemy rather than your own troops.
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Wind Setting
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As with gravity and friction changing the strength of the wind can have a dramatic affect
on some weapons. It's important to get to know which weapons are affected by wind. If it's
blowing a gale it makes sense not to choose a weapon which you're going to have no control
over and will probably land on one of your own troops. For the real sharp shooters out
there it's seriously impressive to show your skills in the wind with a Bazooka.
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Sudden Death Mode
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Sudden Death has taken many an ill-prepared platoon on the hop. An intricate part of battle
recognisance is to fully understand what has been agreed between you and your enemy teams'
leader(s). If you've not set the game up so that the leading team wins or it's a draw at
the end of the round you'll have to start thinking quick. Whether all surviving Worms are
reduced to one energy point; the water table starts to rise or the dastardly tactic of
combining them both your tactics will have to change to going for lightning fast kills.
Act fast, look after those troops who could drown first, and take out the enemy with some
careful sharp shooting.
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Retreat
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Whilst I have always stood by the principle of facing my enemy head on, it does make sense
to move out of the way after a troop has planted some Dynamite. My foolhardiness as a
youngster did result in me losing the end of my tail, and I still get laughed at to this
day. The longer you have to retreat after using a weapon the greater the chance you have
of getting out of the way of the explosion. Don't be fool hardy, wriggle away and save
that tail, Mrs Spadge never forgave me. Using the rope retreat is the same principle,
just make sure you have time to get out of the way before whatever mayhem you've chosen
is set off.
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Fall Damage
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Don't go diving off cliffs to get close enough to sniff your enemy's yellow fear if your
troop is going to sustain damage as a result. If fall damage is set to on play it safe
and Parachute or Bungee to jeer at the enemy at close quarters.
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Battle Tactics
Once you've fully briefed your team of intrepid Worms as to what they could expect going
into battle, the only way you can ensure their safe return is to have a clear battle
strategy. Tactics is the name of the game, and you should have a few clever manoeuvres
tucked into your khakis. Make sure you have considered the following when deciding on your
battle plan.
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Final Battle Preparations
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Just before you march into battle it's always worth checking just what weaponry your
troops will be packing. The artillery you have at the ready will make a big difference
to your battle strategy and influence considerably whether you are the victor or the
victim. So, make sure you have fully memorised the weapons set-up, stockpiling and
reinforcement crate options. If stockpiling is set to 'on' you and your troops have
to face a nine round campaign you should really consider saving some of your favourite
weapons for later battles to take out your enemy in style and seriously demoralise them.
It's also worthwhile knowing how frequent weapon drops will occur, the strength of first
aid crates and whether dud crates will be deployed as emergency tactics if your team is
running low on ammunition or points. But beware the booby-trapped crates; being too greedy
can backfire on your troops - greed kills.
Make sure you give your team a decent send off as they march into battle. If they're not
up to scratch they probably won't be coming home, apart from in a Worm bag. I hate having
to send out 'missing in action' letters so they had better be commandos and not green around
the ring rookies.
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Survey New Landscapes
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Every time your troops march into battle the landscape will be different and your platoon
will be randomly placed. It's important that you quickly survey the battleground and start
work on your tactics. When you survey the landscape you should at least identify which of
your troops are vulnerable to attack and consider whether they should be moved into
attacking positions as well as identifying which enemy troops are poorly positioned
and can be easily taken out. Quickly decide what strategy is called for and get attacking
those enemy troops. Numerous enemy commanders find it difficult to recover from a surprise
accurate attack at the start. Show them who is in command and lead from the start.
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Turns tactics
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The whole of Worms battle strategy is based around turns. Some of the best platoon
commanders that I have had the pleasure to train plan at least two or three turns
ahead. It's important that you use each turn wisely ensuring that your troops are
not left on open ground and vulnerable to your enemy Commanders next turn. Decide
at each turn what is most important to do and act quickly.
As the battle develops, your enemy commanders strategies should start to unfold and
you'll have to instruct your team to take counter measures to combat against them.
If you face a particular commander who has weakened and fallen to the dark side,
there is only one answer, TOTAL ANHILILATION OF THEIR WORMING SPECIES. Such breeds
of Worm have failed the teachings of Captain Spadge and Commander Davidson and should
be disposed of forthwith.
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The clock's ticking, use it wisely
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Your troops have a set time to make their move and an overall set time to conclude
the battle before Sudden Death commences. It's important that you as their 'commander
in chief' use their time wisely. If you have 60 seconds in a round for each move you
have plenty of time to think about different strategies and your plan of attack, use
the time and don't just rush in with your gut reaction to take out the first enemy
Worm you set eyes on. If however you're faced with a 15-second turn battle you'll
have to think much quicker and rely on your Worming instincts. The most powerful
commanders spend years learning to use the force and act swiftly in battle with
skill and finesse.
Dependent on which Sudden Death mode is operative in the field you may decide to rush
the time taken between turns to try and avoid a shoot out which may fall to your
disadvantage. Your strategies may need to change as the battle develops and it's
important that you use the remaining time available to your advantage.
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Carefully select your weapon
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In my early battles platoons had little more than a shotgun, a few grenades some
dynamite and a couple of ninja moves picked up in battle in the far east. Today,
troops have a huge arsenal of weapons at their disposal. Whilst this means that
you can pick a weapon for just about every event, it does mean it takes longer to
master them all. If you are eager to enter battle and smell the sweet aroma of
enemy Worm gloop, it's wise to select a range of key weapons to master.
At a minimum I recommend that you master the use of Uzis', Grenades, Ninja Rope,
Bazookas, Dynamite and Dragon Balls. These weapons cover the basic different styles
used and once you have these under your belt you'll be able to master weapons that
use a similar technique far quicker. You should also remember that weapons vary in
the degree of mayhem that they cause. It's important that you become fully familiar
with the strengths of each weapon to decide when it is best used in a battle and
under what circumstances. You may decide that you should call an Air Strike to
deplete as many enemy Worms energy levels as possible and then pick off the remaining
Worms with a Shot Gun if you have a Worm on a cliff.
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Developing different strategies
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Each Worms commander opts for different strategies to take into battle. These can
only be experienced to their full within the field. I strongly recommend that as a
commander you will mature more quickly and learn to adapt to different strategies
with the more commanders you play against. One of the best ways to encounter these
is through Internet battles, which herald a new era in Worms warfare. Let the force
flow through you and adapt to the landscape you are battling on, the weapons at your
disposal and above all the enemy commander you are playing against. The very best
commanders select an overall strategy that should be implemented for the landscape
and have sufficient counter measures up their sleeve to combat a variety of enemy
Worm advancements.
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Keep track of your troops
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As a crack platoon commander you will rely heavily upon the battle intelligence that
you have to hand. The battle commentary will highlight which Worms pose the greatest
threat and these should be dealt with as soon as possible. Keep an eye on the turn
time, as there's nothing more embarrassing then running out of time whilst you're
planning your next move. The wind strength bar must always be considered if you select
a weapon affected by it. Not keeping track of the wind can result in disastrous results
and many a rookie platoon has died under wrongly directed friendly fire. Above all
however, as an astute commander you should keep a close eye on your overall teams
status and each Worms energy level. These will dictate what strategies can be used
throughout the battle and whether you need to be cautious in your attack or can
afford to unleash Total Wormage on the battleground with little thought of the
consequences.
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