Worms Armageddon 3.8.0 changelog sneak peek

[The Extremist]

I was expecting a lot, but this...you guys threw in an entire China's worth of kitchen sink factories.

[DC] Bug introduced in v3.7.2.1: Opening a team for editing, in which an animated gravestone (numbered 1-6) was selected, and then clicking OK to save the team (even if nothing was changed), would reset the grave to Gravestone 1.

This is the one I was waiting for. I don't know why it couldn't have been a hotfix, but it's still great to finally have it.

[DC] In the team statistics viewer, "Overall Team Rank" was incorrectly calculated, and had a maximum of 85% instead of 100%.

This one's been around as long as can remember. It'll be weird to see it corrected. ^_^

[DC] The registry tweaks TimerWorkaround_*.reg (introduced in v3.6.20.1) and RegisterAssociations_*.reg (introduced in v3.6.30.0) were in Unicode format, making them incompatible with Windows 98.

[DC] Bug introduced in v3.6.28.0: Compatibility with Windows 95 was broken and has now been restored.

[DC] This version of W:A can now emulate and interoperate with W:A v1.0. It is possible for an online game to have mixture of v1.0 and v3.7.2.20+ users, and it doesn't matter who is hosting.

Still kickin' it old school!

[DC] The instant replay countdown timer was displayed in the format 00:00:00, with the last two digits indicating hundredths of a second, making the second colon misleading. The second colon has been replaced with a decimal point, yielding the format 00:00.00.

[DC] The background debris in the front end had a 80 pixel empty area on the bottom upon being initialised. This was a very minor flaw; the gap would quickly be filled as the debris moved from its initial position.

Now THAT'S some serious attention to detail!

[DC] The front end had quite a bit of latency in its response to input. It is now much faster.

[DC] The centering, alignment, and spacing of front end controls (buttons, text, edit boxes, group-boxes, etc.) have been improved in all dialog boxes and screens.

Awesome!

In general, it's really great to see so much front end menu jank being fixed. I always thought it was one of WA's clear weak points. Polish is king!

[DC] All in-game motion and animations are now rendered at the hardware refresh rate, rather than being locked to 50 Hz as before. The game engine still runs at 50 Hz, so "tweening" is used to accomplish this. As a result, most in-game motion that used to appear somewhat jerky will now look quite smooth. (Note, tweening of animations is still limited by the number of pre-rendered frames in Gfx.dir. The difference is that now, the available frames are used as effectively as possible.)

Hmm...will it be possible to turn this off if one thinks the game looks/feels too different?

[DC] W:A can now be used in windowed mode, with all renderers (except for 8-bit DirectDraw with hardware rendering). (Special thanks to StepS for lots of research and testing contributing to this feature.)

I'm guessing this and the new fully-loaded scheme format were big parts of why the update took so long?

On that note, nice to see glitches can be turned off via scheme editing. This could fix some problems in the competitive scene.

I wouldn't mind Girder Radius Assist being a front end option, BTW.

And as for this...

[DC] It is now possible to start an offline game with CPU teams only, and no human teams present, pitting the CPU to play against itself.

[lacoste]

Just by looking at the whole changelog you can tell how lucky we are to have these devs, theres so much depth and attention to detail being covered that even a layman with no proper knowledge about the game would be amazed. Can you even imagine finding and adressing all these little issues? In such a small community? And for free? Most paid devs would just leave them be because why bother.

These are ones that stand out for me the most with a direct impact at how WA will play now and what will be possible:

• If an object (e.g. a rope-knocking worm) that would normally slide up one-pixel increments of terrain, and would normally knock another object (e.g. a worm), collided with both a one-pixel increment of terrain and a knockable object at the same location, it would rebound in the opposite direction, instead of knocking the other object and continuing to slide in the same direction.

- this is actually huge, especialy for Intermediate and schemes where rope-knocking is the key to win, so expect rope-knocking to work properly now, sliding these 1 pixel slopes will work everytime without bouncing off the pixels

• It is now possible to save a snapshot of the current map in-game. The map is saved in its current destroyed/augmented state, with the water level set to its precise current level. There are two ways to do this: One is to press Alt+Pause, and the other is to enter /map in the chat panel (synonyms of this command are /mapshot, /snapmap, /savemap, and /getmap).

- I've been missing this feature on many occassions, not to mention how easy it will be now to make some great maps that would benefit from it (ie. battlerace)

• It is now possible to take screenshots with transparency. This can be enabled or disabled using the CaptureTransparentPNGs_On.reg and CaptureTransparentPNGs_Off.reg registry tweaks, respectively. This applies both to screenshots taken using the Pause key and to video frames captured using the Export Video feature. Note that transparent areas only exist when all background detail is turned off.

- i f@#!ing love this one, movie making will benefit the most from it, but not only

• It is now possible to have W:A play sound effects while it is in the background. To set this option, use the "Play audio in background" checkbox in the Advanced Options screen, or use the PlayAudioInBackground_Enable.reg and PlayAudioInBackground_Disable.reg registry tweaks. Even with this option enabled, ambient sounds (front end menu loop and in-game ambient music) will still be disabled while W:A is in the background.

- this is so useful

• W:A now has a new scheme format, supporting the tweaking of many options that were previously internal. Access to a limited subset of these options was previously opened up by a third-party module called "RubberWorm", and earlier versions of W:A had bundled some subsets of options in the form of the TestStuff, RacingStuff and BoomRacing hosting options, but the options are now all individually accessible.

- thats obviously one of the most important features, needed for so many years and finally here, so many possibilities and QOL improvements, I could actually write a whole page about this one... seriously!

• Tweening!

[Godmax]

Ok so....it fixes non existing bugs (I have never encountered?!). How about a way to continue games after a disconnect how about that?

[Sensei]

As coste said - amount of details you went through.. Unbelievable. On lots of those bug fixes I was wondering how it's possible to even discover that stuff. Even if someone else pointed it to you, it's beyond me how you found time and will to fix those "1 in 100000 situations" bug appearing. Thank you!

[DC] It is now possible to save a snapshot of the current map in-game. The map is saved in its current destroyed/augmented state, with the water level set to its precise current level. There are two ways to do this: One is to press Alt+Pause, and the other is to enter /map in the chat panel (synonyms of this command are /mapshot, /snapmap, /savemap, and /getmap).

Great addition. BnG players will appreciate it if some connection drop happens mid game. Closest we got to fully restarting a game (with damaged map and worms hp/position moment before drop), at least yet!

[DC] The /open command now optionally allows a host to change the game name and password when reopening the game, by popping up a dialog box allowing them to be changed.

I know goom had a sneak peak bit before us others.  He was using this feature months ago and I was thrilled to see it in game. Reopening and rehosting becomes boring when you do it 5+ times per hour. This is great time saver and can't love it more.

[DC] The /url command can now be used by a host who is using WormNAT2. This is accomplished by exporting a function from WA.exe (see Footnote 5).

Hmm. What exactly "/url" command does and when/why it should be applied? I couldn't find footnote that explains it.

[DC] It is now possible for the host in an online game to add CPU teams. The game will only be allowed to start if all clients present support this feature.

Haha! You're telling me we're now able to use AI worms if 1 man short for 2v2/3v3?
This is fun addition but does it make any sense? Could AI be able to handle shopper, aerial, elite...?
Anyway, this is gonna be good for laughs, if nothing else.

[DC] It is now possible to start an offline game with CPU teams only, and no human teams present, pitting the CPU to play against itself.

Will be nice to use this while on a break during some twitch streaming. Thx.

[DC,CS] W:A now has a new scheme format,
Physics
Wind can be adjusted, either as the maximum strength randomised wind shall have, or as a constant strength the wind shall have on every turn.

Finally! For long time I've been saying that ttrr/bigrr are closest schemes to reach perfection. Only thing that was in their way - wind luck. Imagine one player having a turn with no wind, and other have full red. If they are turned on right side and get stuck on right wall with parachute turned on -> guy with no wind will just deploy rope and continue with turn, while guy with full red wind would need to spam chute in air to reach bottom of a pit before continuing turn. We're talking about 5-6 seconds difference in big rr, which is game breaking!

RR schemes need to get updated with 0 wind throughout whole game. It's mandatory! 

[Kradie]

I am flabbergasted of how much amount of work and energy that's put into this. At least that's what I get from this. it's beyond me. You have my gratitude! Thank you so much for your hard work CyberShadow & DeadCode!

This will surely put smiles on many faces and continue to bring life to this legendary epic game! I am so proud of everyone

[derp]

AI...shopper, aerial

Tried both of these against the AI a couple years ago during a period of spotty internet - no, no it can't

in shopper (with bazooka) it just fires bazooka from the ground, refusing to do anything else
in aerial it never moves as it takes about 5 seconds to think what it should do

[lolicon-guy]

I just wanted to see two fixes... Move the "Display Rankings" button a few pixels upwards so it doesn't clash with the chat's inbox, and have some way to enable custom maps in a ranked channel. Is it too difficult?

[StepS]

[DC] It is now possible for the host in an online game to add CPU teams. The game will only be allowed to start if all clients present support this feature.

Haha! You're telling me we're now able to use AI worms if 1 man short for 2v2/3v3?
This is fun addition but does it make any sense? Could AI be able to handle shopper, aerial, elite...?
Anyway, this is gonna be good for laughs, if nothing else.

This is the so-called "CPU teams in online games" feature that has been requested by casual players for many years. This is among the top requests by casual players (along with controller support), most of whom play teamed games with friends against bots. Team17 once promised to add this feature in Worms WMD, and the thread on steam discussions had the most posts in the WMD boards. However, after a while of silence, Team17 ultimately cancelled the feature, citing "unresolvable bugs". No Worms game previously had it.
This will please many outside players.

[Ytrojan]

Finally, we won't have to waste our time tracking down and downloading RubberWorm.


However, Project X is still needed, as it hasn't been implemented in 3.7, let alone 3.8, probably because the creator abandoned it.


Now, I think I'll keep 3.7.2.1 ONLY for replay preservation, but keep 3.6.31, as the former is obsolete, while the latter is still necessary for Project X,  while Rubberworm is basically gonna die, since it's basically been implemented in Vanilla Worms Armageddon.


However, I fear what will happen to those old Rubberworm schemes and games. Will they be converted to the new scheme format? Or will they be lost to history because of an obsolete format?


EDIT: Rubberworm will be edited, so that means 3.7.2.1 is obsolete, and not only that, but I can FINALLY uninstall it from my computer, but I still have to keep 3.6.31.0, as Project X hasn't even been updated for any later version, and 3.8 hasn't implemented its tools, which is why I've kept an older version in the first place

[solido]

Amazing release, thank you for all the dedication and hard work, I haven't played in years, but I still have a soft spot for WA.

[KinslayeR]

looks like it is time to install WA again...     I will not even try to read whole this things whos got repaired,   did not even know there was so many bugs in this game I just hope roping will be nice and will solve gorilla map bug xdd  and I hope it is not new year joke or some thing like this and tomorrow u tell us we were all drunk and delete this topic ,  anyway great job guys who made it! and f@#! T17 of course...

[Woshee]

Can't wait for the update! Will be working hard on finishing my Worms Reloaded speechbanks today.

[StepS]

However, I fear what will happen to those old Rubberworm schemes and games. Will they be converted to the new scheme format?

Yes.

[Deadcode]

Now, I think I'll keep 3.7.2.1 ONLY for replay preservation, but keep 3.6.31, as the former is obsolete, while the latter is still necessary for Project X,  while Rubberworm is basically gonna die, since it's basically been implemented in Vanilla Worms Armageddon.

3.8 is actually better at playing replays recorded by 3.7.2.1 (and all previous versions) than 3.7.2.1 is. There are some cases in which 3.7.2.1 (and other previous versions) would desync playing a valid replay, that 3.8 will play correctly. And also 3.8 plays back replays with tweening, so they'll look better than they did when they were originally played.

Of course, keep 3.7.2.1 if you want, but it's unlikely to be needed except maybe for other game-logic-changing modules besides RubberWorm.

However, I fear what will happen to those old Rubberworm schemes and games. Will they be converted to the new scheme format? Or will they be lost to history because of an obsolete format?

I considered implementing automatic conversion of RubberWorm schemes into the new format, but there were some complexities involved and I decided to leave it out of 3.8 rather than delay 3.8 further by taking the time to implement this properly. There's a good chance I'll add the feature in a later version (as well as live play interoperability with 3.6.x/3.7.x + RW), but by then perhaps most schemes will have been manually converted anyway.

(Actually, there is a very easy way of implementing built-in conversion. It is rather distasteful in a programming sense, but I suppose I should probably do it, because of the big impact on convenience it would have for all players of RubberWorm schemes, at least in the initial period of time after 3.8's release.)

[Ytrojan]

Now, I think I'll keep 3.7.2.1 ONLY for replay preservation, but keep 3.6.31, as the former is obsolete, while the latter is still necessary for Project X,  while Rubberworm is basically gonna die, since it's basically been implemented in Vanilla Worms Armageddon.

3.8 is actually better at playing replays recorded by 3.7.2.1 (and all previous versions) than 3.7.2.1 is. There are some cases in which 3.7.2.1 (and other previous versions) would desync playing a valid replay, that 3.8 will play correctly. And also 3.8 plays back replays with tweening, so they'll look better than they did when they were originally played.

Of course, keep 3.7.2.1 if you want, but it's unlikely to be needed except maybe for other game-logic-changing modules besides RubberWorm.

Well, Time to uninstall it. Besides, 3.6.31.0 is the only previous version I use anyways, because Project X demands it, and I would've uninstalled THAT if it was implemented in Worms Armageddon or a WormKit module for a newer version anyways, but I still fear for the arrows feature of RubberWorm.

However, I fear what will happen to those old Rubberworm schemes and games. Will they be converted to the new scheme format? Or will they be lost to history because of an obsolete format?

I considered implementing automatic conversion of RubberWorm schemes into the new format, but there were some complexities involved and I decided to leave it out of 3.8 rather than delay 3.8 further by taking the time to implement this properly. There's a good chance I'll add the feature in a later version (as well as live play interoperability with 3.6.x/3.7.x + RW), but by then perhaps most schemes will have been manually converted anyway.

(Actually, there is a very easy way of implementing built-in conversion. It is rather distasteful in a programming sense, but I suppose I should probably do it, because of the big impact on convenience it would have for all players of RubberWorm schemes, at least in the initial period of time after 3.8's release.)

I feel that you should do it in a minor release after this one, which shouldn't take 6 years (We shouldn't wait until 2025 for a new Worms Armageddon release). That way, people will actually download the new version.