The mechanics have been vastly different, I do admit that. Reloaded is the worst of the bunch IMO. It was hard to maneuver in that game because if you tried jumping onto a bit of terrain that was even somewhat steep, you'd just slide off. The friction was also weird too. Sometimes Worms would barely slide at all, and other times they'd slide like you lubed the terrain with oil. The rope also behaved like the inbred/retarded cousin of the rope from the previous games.
Overall though, I'd say what I've said before: It's not that the mechanics are "bad" per se, it's just that they are different. Compared to W:A they seem bad, but judged on their own, they are what they are. I am in full agreement that the most pleasing mechanics/physics of any of the games is W:A, but W:A isn't perfect by any means. Did you see that thread of weird/wtf shotgun attacks? Most of those simply should not have been able to happen, let's be honest. They are a result of learning the flaws in the mechanics of the game and exploiting them. There's a lot of W:A gameplay that is based around that.
As far as physics goes, the physics model in Rev/CW is far more realistic than that of W:A. Does this mean it's more fun? That's subjective. I like the physics of W:A and in some ways I like the newer physics of Clan Wars. In W:A, the wind has a *much* stronger effect than in the newer games, which I like because it allows for more creative shots, especially with low gravity. Conversely, I kinda prefer the way the grenades bounce/roll in Clan Wars vs. W:A because it's more realistic and just makes more sense. That's not to say I don't like the W:A model; I merely prefer certain aspects of certain Worms games.
From what I've seen of WMD footage, the gravity looks just fine. The thing that looks off is friction/sliding. Also, the animations of the worms while roping look too static. I like it in W:A when you're flying through the air and your worm is tumbling and spinning at different speeds because that really imparts a sense of momentum.
Anyway, I think that WMD has promise. I hope that Team17 knocks it out of the park.
You are turning into a fanboy Vince. Call a spade a spade. The physics in reloaded are shit. Not just comparatively, they are standalone shit. Peltzi makes a good point here. If you want me to expound on why the phsyics in reloaded sucks, I will, but it seems pretty obvious. WMD is already going to have better physics than any of the other shit worms games, its obvious if you watch the videos and the stream.
I've always been a fanboy of the Worms franchise.
The physics in Reloaded aren't as bad as you're making them out to be. They are definitely less desirable than that of W:A, but they're not shit. The physics model in Reloaded isn't the problem. The bigger issues are:
-sketchy jumping/maneuvering (certain angles of terrain = impossible to land on)
-the friction is way too high IMO (worms slide like crazy)
-the ninja rope is simply awful because it was designed to work for consoles
-4 teams max
-no global player lobby/chat
etc, etc, etc
The physics in Rev/CW are actually pretty sweet when it comes to grenades. The zooks are way different than W:A because the effect of the wind is far more subtle. As I said, I kinda prefer the W:A zook because of how it's more sensitive to wind speed. The way the grenades roll, bounce, and spin in the newer (2.5D) games is awesome though. It simply makes far more sense than how grenades react in W:A. Min/Max bounce would be a great option for W.M.D. though since they're going old school with it.
All of the Worms games have things about them that rock. What Team17 needs to learn to do is keep what is already great about previous Worms games (don't reinvent the wheel), and then expand upon that. I think we can all agree with that.
Jonno - I've spoken with you several times on Facebook and Steam as well, and let me tell you that this crowd here at TUS is definitely going to be the most hard-to-please, discriminating bunch of all. That's not a bad thing. The older community is who Team17 needs to primarily listen to because we have the most experience / knowledge... although for many people here, their Worms knowledge ends at WWP.