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Note: WWP has been developed and tested under the Windows 95 / 98 platform. It is not guaranteed to be fully compatible under Windows Me and Windows 2000 due to current individual hardware driver availability and / or requirements. If you are experiencing problems running WWP on Windows 2000 it is recommended that you update your operating system and install Service Pack 1. Please contact your software vendor or Microsoft directly regarding service pack availability. WWP utilizes DirectX 7 and is not compatible with Windows NT. Media Care CD-ROM discs can be susceptible to producing errors if not correctly taken care of and there are a few steps you may take to minimise problems occurring: .
Store the CD-ROM in a location that is not prone to extreme heat or humidity... Store the CD-ROM safely in the case provided when not in use to avoid marking the data surface... Handle the CD-ROM by the outer edge to avoid marking the data surface with scratches, dirt or dust... Ensure that the CD-ROM is not written upon, bent or labelled with stickers.
1.2 Installation System Requirements If you are experiencing any form of problem whatsoever with WWP please ensure that your computer system complies with the minimum requirements for the program listed below. Minimum Specification. IBM PC Intel Pentium ^a 100 Mhz and compatibles... Microsoft ^a, Windows 95 ^a, Windows 98 ^a, WindowsMe ^a, Windows 2000 ^a or WindowsXP ^a operating system... Microsoft ^a DirectXTM 7 (supplied) or later... 32 Mb System RAM...
40 Mb Hard Drive Space. 300 Mb free post-install (virtual memory)... Double-speed CD-ROM... Microsoft ^a DirectDrawTM compatible 2 Mb video card... Microsoft ^a DirectSoundTM compatible 16-bit soundcard.
Recommended Specification. IBM PC Intel Pentium 200 or faster... 64 Mb System RAM... 40 Mb Hard Drive Space. Eight-speed CD-ROM or faster... Microsoft ^a DirectDrawTM compatible 4 Mb video card...
Network / Modem connection for net play... Individual CD-ROM discs required for multiplayer net play. If this is not the case you will most likely experience severe performance problems during and after the install procedure. Team 17 cannot be held responsible for any damage sustained to your system software if installation on a non-compliant OS, software or hardware configuration is performed as a consequence. Note: If your system requires an update or a complete install of DirectX 7 this will require additional hard drive space. This can of course vary and is solely dependent on the hardware components that are present within your system.
Performance Improvement Recommendations As with the majority of entertainment software titles that run under the suite of Windows operating systems, you should ensure that you have the maximum amount of system resources available. If you experience any form of performance problem please consult the recommendations list outlined below: . Play WWP directly after initializing your system... Increase your amount of system RAM... De fragment your hard drive prior / post installation of WWP... Ensure your hard drive has enough free space available post-install should Windows need it to create virtual memory.
We recommend that a minimum of 300 Mb of space be freely available for this purpose... Use a video card that has a minimum of 2 Mb RAM, or 4 Mb or more of memory for playing WWP, especially when playing in higher detail or resolution modes... Set your Windows desktop at a lower resolution and colour depth. The minimum requirement for this is 256 colours at 640 x 480 resolution...
Reduce in game detail to a lower setting... Reduce sound quality to a lower setting... Reduce the level of full scene anti-aliasing (FSA A) if your video card supports this option... Ensure that your monitor display and / or refresh rate is set correctly within Windows... Do not install and run the game on a compressed hard drive and / or partition...
Do not run the game while other applications are running. Problems may occur especially with software that puts high demand on system resources or has scheduling options such as disk scanners, disk optimiser programs or virus checkers. It is also advisable to disable the active desktop, if this option is enabled on your system, or alternatively any screen savers prior to commencing play... Do not run the game with background tools resident that either generates a toolbar on your Windows desktop or alternatively has an icon within your Windows system tray.
For example if your system has the Microsoft Office toolbar enabled please close this down prior to commencing play... Do not minimise or switch tasks during play and quit out of the game should you require access to the full resources available on your system. WWP is not designed to run at the same time as other major Windows titles and applications. Continually minimising and task switching between the game and other applications may lead to system problems due to the amount of resources required. Manual Game Installation If the CD Autoplay function does not automatically run the WWP installation program when inserted into your CD-ROM drive you can install the game manually. From the Windows start bar: .
Select 'Start'... Select 'Run... '. .. Select 'Open' and in the text box type 'd: installersetup'. (Assuming that D: is the label for your CD-ROM drive)...
Select 'OK'. Automatic Game Launching If the CD Autoplay function does not automatically run the WWP launcher program when inserted into your CD-ROM drive it is highly probable that this feature is disabled on your system. To enable this feature within Windows, please follow the steps below: . Select 'My Computer' with right mouse button... Select 'Properties'... Select 'Device Manager'...
Select 'CDROM' (and manufacturer type)... Select 'Settings'... Select and check 'Auto insert notification'. Game Save Files If for any reason you wish to uninstall WWP, all custom made save files such as terrain, option and sound schemes will be retained within their respective designated folders and will have to be removed manually. The WWP uninstaller will only remove program components that are specified within the original install procedure. Under a default installation the save files are located within the C: TEAM 17 Worms World Party SAVE subfolder if you wish to make a backup.
Note: Uninstalling WWP will not remove any installed DirectX components and these are retained as an extension to your existing Windows system. Laptop Systems Because of the limitations of laptop system hardware configurations we cannot therefore guarantee full compatibility with all types that are currently available. Post Install System Hardware Modification When any alteration is made to your system hardware specifications, we recommend a reinstall of both WWP and DirectX. This will ensure that no subsequent errors occur due to possible incurred hardware conflicts. 16 bit MS-DOS CD-ROM Device Drivers If you experience an error code prompt interruption during the installation procedure there may be a possibility that there is a conflict with MS-DOS CD-ROM device driver software. If this is the case then you may require an update to a 32 bit Windows CD-ROM device driver to alleviate the problem.
Alternatively initialise commands included within your system start up files may require slight amendment. Please consult your CD-ROM drive manufacturer regarding this, in order to successfully remove related MS-DOS CD-ROM (MS-DOS Compatibility Mode) device drivers or alternatively contact your hardware vendor. Power Saving Modes Some systems may incorporate power saving functions that could inadvertently interfere with the running of WWP. It is therefore recommended to disable such functions prior to playing the game.
2.0 DirectX Issues 2.1 DirectX Introduction DirectX from Microsoft is basically a program interface for creating and managing graphic images and multimedia effects in games such as WWP and is a required resource for the game to run correctly. The DirectX installation program is supplied with WWP to ensure that your computer system complies with the minimum requirements of the game. DirectDraw and DirectSound (components of DirectX) are utilised by WWP to handle 2 D display and sound devices respectively. If you encounter any video or sound related problems with the game then please confirm initially that you are using the very latest available drivers to ensure complete compatibility.
Please refer to the DX Diagnostics section later in this document for information on how to achieve this. 2.2 DirectX Installation DirectX is an extension to your existing operating system and is produced by Microsoft Corporation and is not a product of Team 17 Software Ltd. During an initial installation or an update of DirectX it may be possible that this process affects the workings of other programs or hardware components that you have within your system. This is in no way linked to WWP but can be known to occur after a DirectX install completes certain hardware and software driver updates.
If you do encounter any problems whatsoever after a DirectX installation please refer to the Microsoft Corporation web site at web for further details. Note: If you have difficulties installing DirectX through the WWP install procedure please update DirectX manually by running the 'Dx setup. exe' file located in the DIRECTX 7 folder on the CD. 2.3 DX Diagnostics The DirectX Diagnostic Utility (DXDiag) that is comprised within DirectX 7 will enable you to establish individual hardware components within your Windows system in order to verify their compatibility. If any components are non-compliant please contact your hardware manufacturer primarily for possible software driver updates. In all situations we recommend that you update any system drivers for your devices directly from the guidelines that are indicated by your hardware manufacturer.
It is also possible to perform basic DirectX driver tests on the main hardware components within your computer. Select 'Start'... Select 'Run... '. .. Select 'Open' and in the text box type 'dxdiag'...
Select 'OK'... When DXDiag has evaluated your system you will see a text box detailing your system information... Locate the gadget 'Save All Information' and click on it to save the data as a text file (you will be prompted for a name to assign to this file and a destination folder)... View the file using the Notepad program located within your Windows START PROGRAMS ACCESSORIES submenu... In the DXDiag text file the Display Devices section indicates the version and date of your videocard drivers. If these indicate FINAL RETAIL or CERTIFIED respectively it is DirectX compliant.
Please note that if your system has two independent display devices you may have to determine this in the Display 2 section to match your WWP display device selection... In the DXDiag text file the Sound Devices section indicates the version and date of your soundcard drivers. In the DXDiag text file the Input Devices section indicates the version and date of your game controller drivers. If your components are compliant and you are still experiencing problems it is most probable that the error is not DirectX related. Please contact Team 17 technical support for further advice in this case. 2.4 DirectDraw The DirectDraw component of DirectX determines how 2 D graphics are displayed in WWP.
If you are experiencing video problems with your video card there is a possibility that the chipset or drivers are not fully compliant with DirectDraw. For further details please visit the Microsoft web site for troubleshooting advice or alternatively contact your hardware vendor. Video Hardware Acceleration When running the game the graphics seem to run at a very slow rate a possible conflict may have occurred between the video driver and Windows hardware acceleration... Select 'Properties'... Select 'Performance'... Select 'Graphics'...
Select 'Hardware acceleration' and reduce level stepping accordingly... Restart the computer. Alternatively in some cases the hardware acceleration on your system may be set to 'none' and could have actually disabled DirectX. In this case the acceleration level stepping should be increased accordingly. Multi-Monitor Support WWP does not support either Windows multi-monitor or custom display modes such as Matrox Dual Head and NVIDIA Twin View.
If you experience any problem with the game, please disable such functions if present on your system prior to play, as indicated within your manufacturer guidelines. NVIDIA Based Chipsets It is recommended that you should download the very latest Detonator drivers for optimal performance. This should also address any issues if your video card is exhibiting any form of graphical corruption. Detonator 3 release drivers (version 6.18) or above are highly recommended. The drivers may be located on their official site at web Matrox Based Chipsets It is recommended that if your video card is exhibiting any form of graphical corruption to please ensure that the bus mastering option is disabled from within the Matrox Display Properties performance section. There is a performance problem with some revisions of Matrox drivers and this will be seen as a dramatic slowdown during play.
In order to fix this problem select a Matrox driver that is supplied with Windows, or alternatively you will require a driver update. The drivers may be located on their official site at web Voodoo Based Chipsets We recommend that you use the very latest reference drivers if you encounter any problems on a system with a Voodoo, Voodoo Rush, Voodoo Banshee, Voodoo 3 or Voodoo 5 card installed. Alternatively contact your hardware manufacturer for specific driver updates. The reference drivers may be located on the 3 dfx official site at web 2.5 DirectSound The DirectSound component of DirectX determines how sound is played within WWP.
If you are experiencing audio problems with your soundcard there is a possibility that the software drivers are not fully compliant with DirectSound. It is highly likely that you will require a driver update. For further details on this please contact your hardware vendor / manufacturer. External Sound Control Systems Some systems incorporate sound control programs that have to be configured separately from the standard Windows sound mixer. If you experience any problems customising sound within WWP please consult the documentation that was supplied with your sound device. Note: WWP music is provided by streamed audio tracks.
The streaming function will automatically disable if the music sound volume is turned off from within the audio options menu. 2.6 DirectInput The DirectInput component of DirectX determines how device input is handled within WWP. Keyboard Limitations Some keyboards are limited in that they may not recognise certain combinations of three or more simultaneously pressed keys. If this is evident during play this problem is not software based but is directly attributed to the hardware limitations of the keyboard. Usage may also prove problematic on systems with compacted keyboards that incorporate keys that are assigned with multiple functions. 3.0 Network Issues 3.1 General Should you have any difficulties running WWP over network, please check below for common problems and solutions.
If you continue to experience difficulties, contact the Team 17 support department. Network Improvement Recommendations. WWP supports connection methods under both the IPX and TCP / IP protocols. These are accessible from the network connection screen.
We do however recommend that if you have an IP address available that you choose TCP / IP protocol over IPX as your particular method of connection especially over LAN. This will enable you to ensure that you receive the maximum performance possible from your network games... If you encounter any network problems whatsoever please establish that you actually have a viable connection under your chosen protocol. We have listed basic details on possible causes and solutions under each protocol later in this section.
However, if you are in any doubt at all on the reliability of your connection please contact your network administrator or ISP for assistance... If you are experiencing problems with connection it is possible that your network could include devices such as switches, routers, bridges or firewalls within its structure. In this instance contact your network administrator for a viable solution or consult the firewall support section... Ensure that the Host machine for network play has the highest specification and the fastest available network connection. As this machine manages information for the Client players you may experience possible slowdown or unacceptable game frame rate if this is not followed... If you are experiencing slowdown with a large amount of players or spectators please reduce the level of entrants to the game accordingly.
Chat Menu Using the PgD n key will open the in-game chat menu box. Similarly the Pg Up key will remove it from view. It is also possible to chat directly to other players and spectators via the 'F' keys while the chat box is in use. Note: It is not possible to join a network game without a WWP CD inserted in your CD-ROM drive even if the game has already been previously installed on your system. 3.2 LAN IPX / SPX Connection It is strongly advisable that games are played under an identical IPX / SPX connection environment. Machines must have the same frame type and if possible the same network drivers also.
WWP has been tested extensively under drivers such as the Microsoft IPX / SPX compatible protocol for Windows 95 / 98. Ensure that you have the correct protocols and network libraries installed and working prior to play. If your machine is on a local area network, please check with your network administrator to rule out any problems. It is important to check the properties of your network settings within your Windows control panel. You must ensure that this section has included within it an IPX / SPX compatible protocol.
If you select IPX / SPX as the protocol, you must have SPX available as well as IPX. In some circumstances it may be possible that only IPX is available, in this case the IPX / SPX protocol button should be disabled automatically. This protocol has been tested with the IPX / SPX provided with Windows 95 / 98, it is unsure how any other IPX protocol provider may behave. TCP / IP Connection Connection under TCP / IP is simple as WWP will automatically look for IP addresses running the game. 3.3 Internet TCP / IP Connection You need a TCP / IP connection (and a valid IP address, dynamic or fixed) in order to play via the Internet and connect to the WWP game server or other user via direct connection. If you are connecting via the Internet, some online services such as AOL or CompuServe may automatically have become inactive if you have not accessed for a given period.
Note that if you cannot obtain an Internet connection at all you should contact your network administrator or ISP for a viable solution. Note: If you intend connecting to the Internet then ensure that you enable your Internet TCP / IP connection prior to running the game. Close down any applications such as mail programs, web browsers that may also be running to ensure maximum performance. Ping Command Despite our best endeavours, we cannot control the speed of connections and data flow over the Internet. This option within the network menu allows you to establish if your IP address and other IP addresses are currently active and working. It also determines the general overall quality of your Internet connection to other players.
This sends a small amount of data to another specified computer IP address and estimates the incurred time period for transfer to and from it. Winipcfg Command For Windows 95 / 98 / Me In WWP your IP address can be obtained from within the network screen under your connected machine name. However on some systems, especially if you have two possible Internet connection methods such as a network card and a dial-up adapter you will have to use the winipcfg command within Windows to establish your active IP address. Select 'Start'... Select 'Run... '.
.. Select 'Open' and in the text box type 'winipcfg'... Select 'OK'. A window should be displayed and this contains all the relevant information relating to your IP configuration including your currently active IP address. Ipconfig Command For Windows 2000 In WWP your IP address can be obtained from within the network screen under your connected machine name. However on some systems, especially if you have two possible Internet connection methods such as a network card and a dial-up adapter you will have to use the ipconfig command within Windows to establish your active IP address.
Select 'Start'... Select 'Run... '. .. Select 'Open' and in the text box type 'ipconfig'... Select 'OK'.
Firewall Support In addition to the firewall settings being set in the server configuration, the firewall administrator must make available port 6667 (outgoing) and the high ports (client side). Internet connection uses both Http (World Wide Web) and IRC (Internet Relay Chat) protocols, the IRC protocol uses a single TCP socket connecting to port 6667 on the server (client port is normally a random high port). Note: It is not possible to play a game of WWP under IPX protocol via the Internet. Although IPX can exist in some form on the Internet with the help of programs such as Kali, WWP will only work on true IPX networks. 4.0 Customisation Issues 4.1 Speech WWP features the ability to create new or modify any of the existing speech banks using standard WAV (wave) sound format. It is also compatible with the hundreds of sound banks available on the Internet.
The sound bank editor is a separate utility from the main WWP program and runs on the Windows desktop for total ease of use when transferring sound files. Scheme Select a speech bank file from the list. This list is obtained by looking in the USER SPEECH folder within your WWP directory. To add new speech banks, simply place them within this folder. The editor / game will then automatically detect new additions and make them available for use. By default, the English set has been placed in the folder to enable you to start modifying a new set immediately.
All the default speech banks are stored on the WWP CD and you can increase loading performance by having these speech banks located on your hard drive within the SPEECH folder. Note: Please take into account available hard drive space when transferring speech banks as an individual speech bank typically takes between 1-4 Mb. Save As... When you have finished modifying your sound set, you can save it with a new name. This will be created in the speech folder and detected by the game.
You can copy folders to friends or upload them to the Internet. Sample List Samples used within the game are shown in the main screen. The sample size is also displayed and it is important to realise that larger sound sets take more memory to run. This affects the game performance, considering that up to six different sound banks can be loaded at any one time. You may also double-click on a name to hear the current sample held for that effect.
Play Play the currently highlighted sample. Stop Stop playing the current sample. Delete You can opt to delete the selected set if you wish. Set Brings up a file selection box, you can look for other samples to replace the current one. You may also preview (hear) the samples you are looking at whilst you do this.
Restore If you make any changes, you can restore the sample set to default. 4.2 Landscapes WWP features an option to load an accepted standard graphics file into the Terrain Editor in order to make a completely new level to play on. Whilst the actual technical procedures of this process are fairly complex, we have endeavoured to make this as easy to achieve as is possible. There are a number of rules and considerations to follow in order to ensure that your levels look and play as good as they can be. Accepted Image Formats The editor will import the most commonly accepted image formats, including Bitmap, JPEG and Targa standard. A file must be of a compliant. bmp. jpg or. tga file extension type.
There are no other requirements to load your images in a special format. If you intend importing digitised images, you will have to consider that a lot of images will result in a 'solid' level since there is not much background. The game will create holes to play in, but the level will not play particularly well. It's best to clear some area for background prior to importing. Simply copy your image to the USER IMPORT folder in the WWP game directory (an optional shortcut can made to the desktop for this purpose). Specified Image Size Whilst the pixel size of the terrain is 1920 x 696 the size and proportion of your imported graphic is not important.
The editor will shrink the file if it is larger, or offer to expand or centre it if it is smaller. Some clipping of the level may occur if the height is too great (more than 696 pixels). If you load an image smaller than the terrain size (less than 1920 x 696 in proportion) you will be asked if you would like to: Stretch the image - the image will be stretched to fill the entire terrain area. Centre the image - the image will be placed in the middle of the terrain.
The smaller the image, the greater the loss of detail will be when it is stretched to fill the level. If you want to make the best use of the available area, then create a new image that is 1920 x 696 pixels in size and save your import levels with that size. Refrain from using very small images, as these will give poor results. Transparency / Background Colour The most important thing to note is that any pixel that is coloured black (i.e. RGB 0, 0, 0) will be treated as transparent. It is these areas that will act as the background, where worms are placed and can move.
You can edit the image you wish to import in any of the popular image processing applications, colouring black any areas that you wish to appear as transparent / background in the game. This way, you can open sections, add tunnels and more besides. The game will check levels and automatically make holes (for Worm placement) if a landscape does not have enough free background space to start the game. Hints and Tips It is important to realise that WWP uses a fixed colour palette during the game. This is for a number of technical reasons, not least the performance of the game's sprite engine. Since it is a fixed palette, all the colours for everything on screen must be included in this palette, including colours that must not change (used for Worm colours, weapon colours and effects, water, explosions etc.
). The number of colours than can change during a level is fairly limited and the editor will have to take all this into consideration when it colour-processes any image that you import. The result being that the more colour information the picture is comprised of, the lower quality the results will be. Colour digitised images are most likely to be grainy and washed out in appearance.
To get an idea of what the results may be before you import the image, you could use a colour reduction tool in a graphics application to reduce the image to 64 or 128 colours (a 6 or 7 bit colour palette). For these reasons, it's quite important to 'clean up' your image before importing it into the editor, removing large areas of background and colour that would otherwise consume areas of the colour palette. The best way to build levels is to draw onto, begin from or render to a black background. It is not possible to use the terrain editor painting functions with full colour levels. The levels are processed in a different format.
If you wish to edit the import graphics, then use Microsoft Paint, Adobe's Photoshop or a similar application. It is not possible to edit the starting water level with a full colour custom level. This is due to the fact that changing the water level would mean re-processing of the image every time, which takes time. Should you wish your level to start nearer the water, we suggest that you edit the image directly in an image processing application and move the graphics towards the bottom of the screen. Note: You cannot play full colour custom levels within network games unless every player has the same level, since the time taken to transmit the file to each player would be too prohibitive.
4.3 Gravestones WWP features the ability to modify gravestones. It is possible to change / modify one of the gravestones in USER GRAVES folder within the WWP directory. Save it and you can access it from within team options in the game. 4.4 Flags WWP features the ability to modify a flag or team banner. It is possible to change / modify one of the flags in USER FLAGS folder within the WWP directory. This facility is useful for players who enjoy Allied (CLAN) games on network events.
A number of user-designed flags have been included with the game, our thanks to everyone who submitted them. 4.6 Weapon Prices Here are the prices of weapons when using the 'Points for Weapons' Worm pot mode. Starting Cash = 100 Prod Price = 1 Handgun Price = 1 Mortar Price = 1 Bazooka Price = 2 Bazooka Infinite = 5 Grenade Price = 2 Grenade Infinite = 5 Bungee Price = 2 Pneumatic Drill Price = 2 Dragon Ball Price = 2 Suicide Bomber Price = 2 Kamikaze Price = 2 Uzi Price = 3 Cluster Bomb Price = 3 Fire Punch Price = 3 Low Gravity Price = 3 Girder Price = 3 Fast Walk Price = 4 Parachute Price = 4 Mine Price = 4 Shotgun Price = 5 Laser Sight Price = 5 Longbow Price = 5 Petrol Bomb Price = 5 Skunk Price = 5 Blowtorch Price = 5 Worm Select Price = 5 Battle Axe Price = 6 Baseball Bat Price = 7 Ninja Rope Price = 7 Invisibility Price = 7 Teleport Price = 7 Jet Pack Price = 8 Homing Missile Price = 8 Mini Gun Price = 8 Airstrike Price = 9 Mole Bomb Price = 10 Sheep Price = 20 Dynamite Price = 20 Flame Thrower Price = 25 Homing Pigeon Price = 25 Mad Cows Price = 25 Old Woman Price = 25 Sheep Launcher Price = 25 Napalm Strike Price = 25 Banana Bomb Price = 25 Holy Hand Grenade Price = 25 Super Sheep / Aqua Sheep Price = 25.