manual/plugins/wormlet.tex

   1 \subsection{Wormlet}
   2 \screenshot{plugins/images/ss-wormlet}{Wormlet game}{img:wormlet}
   3 Wormlet is a \opt{RECORDER_PAD}{multi{}-user }multi{}-worm game on a multi{}-threaded
   4 multi{}-functional Rockbox console. You navigate a hungry little worm.
   5 Help your worm to find food and to avoid poisoned argh{}-tiles. The
   6 goal is to turn your tiny worm into a big worm for as long as possible.
   7
   8 \opt{RECORDER_PAD}{
   9 For 2{}-player games a remote control is not necessary but recommended.
  10 If you try to hold the \dap\ in the four hands of two players
  11 you'll find out why. Games with three players are only
  12 possible using a remote control.\\}
  13
  14
  15 {\bfseries
  16 Menu controls:}
  17
  18 \begin{table}
  19     \begin{btnmap}{}{}
  20     \ButtonLeft\ / \ButtonRight & Controls number of worms in the game\\
  21     \opt{RECORDER_PAD}{
  22         \opt{RECORDER_PAD,ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD}
  23             {\ButtonUp\ / \ButtonDown}
  24             \opt{IPOD_4G_PAD,IPOD_3G_PAD}{\ButtonMenu\ / \ButtonPlay} & Selects number of players\\
  25         \ButtonFOne & Selects game mode.\\}
  26     \end{btnmap}
  27 \end{table}
  28
  29 %The following table is only for the recorder version of the game, since the
  30 %other versions do not support either multi player or different control modes.
  31 %It is however prepared for the other targets should they ever support these
  32 %features. Also some other parts of the text is "opted" out for these targets.
  33
  34 {\bfseries
  35 Game controls:}
  36
  37 \opt{RECORDER_PAD}{
  38 \renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.8}
  39 \begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{c X p{3cm} p{3cm} p{3cm}}\toprule
  40 \textbf{Players} & \textbf{Modes} & \textbf{Player 1} & \textbf{Player 2}
  41                         & \textbf{Player 3}\\\midrule
  42 %
  43 0 & Out of control & \multicolumn{3}{p{9cm}}{With no player taking part in the
  44     game all worms are out of control and steered by artificial stupidity.}\\
  45 %
  46 \multirow{2}{*}{1} & 2 key control & on \dap\ \ButtonLeft: turn left
  47                         \ButtonRight: turn right & {}- & {}-\\
  48                     & 4 key control & on \dap\ \ButtonLeft: turn  left
  49                         \opt{RECORDER_PAD,ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD}
  50                             {\ButtonUp}\opt{IPOD_4G_PAD}{\ButtonMenu}: turn up
  51                             \ButtonRight: turn right
  52                             \opt{RECORDER_PAD,ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD}
  53                             {\ButtonDown}\opt{IPOD_4G_PAD}{\ButtonPlay}: turn down & {}- & {}- \\
  54 %
  55 \multirow{2}{*}{2} & Remote control & on \dap\ \ButtonLeft: turn left
  56                         \ButtonRight: turn right & on remote control VOL DOWN:
  57                         turn left VOL UP: turn right & {}- \\
  58                     & No remote control & on \dap\ \ButtonLeft: turn left
  59                         \ButtonRight: turn right & on \dap\ \ButtonFTwo: turn
  60                         left \ButtonFThree: turn right & {}- \\
  61 3 & Remote control & on \dap\ \ButtonLeft: turn left \ButtonRight: turn right
  62                         & on remote control VOL DOWN: turn left VOL UP: turn
  63                         right & on \dap\ \ButtonFTwo: turn left \ButtonFThree:
  64                         turn right \\
  65 \end{tabularx}
  66 \renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.0}
  67 }
  68
  69 \opt{ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD,IPOD_4G_PAD,IRIVER_H10_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD,GIGABEAT_PAD,MROBE100_PAD}{
  70 \begin{table}
  71     \begin{btnmap}{}{}
  72     \opt{ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IPOD_4G_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD,IRIVER_H10_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD,GIGABEAT_PAD,MROBE100_PAD}
  73         {\ButtonLeft} & Turn left\\
  74     \opt{ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IPOD_4G_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD,IRIVER_H10_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD,GIGABEAT_PAD,MROBE100_PAD}
  75         {\ButtonRight} & Turn right\\
  76     \opt{ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD,GIGABEAT_PAD,MROBE100_PAD}{\ButtonUp}
  77         \opt{IPOD_4G_PAD}{\ButtonMenu}
  78         \opt{IRIVER_H10_PAD}{\ButtonScrollUp} & Turn Up\\
  79     \opt{ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD,GIGABEAT_PAD,MROBE100_PAD}{\ButtonDown}
  80         \opt{IPOD_4G_PAD}{\ButtonPlay}
  81         \opt{IRIVER_H10_PAD}{\ButtonScrollDown} & Turn Down\\
  82     \end{btnmap}
  83 \end{table}
  84 }
  85
  86 \subsubsection{The game}
  87 Use the control keys of your worm to navigate around obstacles and find
  88 food. Worms do not stop moving except when dead. Dead worms are no fun.
  89 Be careful as your worm will try to eat anything that you steer it
  90 across. It won't distinguish whether it is edible or not.
  91
  92 \begin{description}
  93 \item[Food.]
  94 The small square hollow pieces are food. Move the worm over a food tile
  95 to eat it. After eating the worm grows. Each time a piece of food has
  96 been eaten a new piece of food will pop up somewhere. Unfortunately for
  97 each new piece of food that appears two new ``argh'' pieces will
  98 appear, too.
  99 \item[Argh.]
 100 An ``argh'' is a black square poisoned piece {}- slightly bigger than
 101 food {}- that makes a worm say ``Argh!'' when
 102 run into.  A worm that eats an ``argh'' is dead. Thus eating an
 103 ``argh'' must be avoided under any circumstances. ``Arghs'' have the
 104 annoying tendency to accumulate.
 105 \item[Worms.]
 106 Thou shall not eat worms. Neither other worms nor thyself. Eating worms
 107 is blasphemous cannibalism, not healthy and causes instant
 108 death. And it doesn't help anyway: the other worm
 109 isn't hurt by the bite. It will go on creeping happily
 110 and eat all the food you left on the table.
 111 \item[Walls.]
 112 Don't crash into the walls. Walls are not edible.
 113 Crashing a worm against a wall causes it a headache it
 114 doesn't survive.
 115 \item[Game over.]
 116 The game is over when all worms are dead. The longest worm wins the
 117 game.
 118 \item [Pause the game.]
 119 Press
 120 \opt{RECORDER_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD}{\ButtonPlay}
 121 \opt{ONDIO_PAD}{\ButtonMenu}
 122 \opt{IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IPOD_4G_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD}{\ButtonSelect}
 123 to pause the game. Press
 124 \opt{RECORDER_PAD,IAUDIO_X5_PAD}{\ButtonPlay}
 125 \opt{ONDIO_PAD}{\ButtonMenu}
 126 \opt{IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD,IPOD_4G_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD}{\ButtonSelect}
 127 again to resume the game.
 128
 129 \item[Stop the game.]
 130 There are two ways to stop a running game.
 131
 132 \begin{itemize}
 133 \item If you want to quit Wormlet entirely simply hit
 134 \opt{RECORDER_PAD,ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD}{\ButtonOff}
 135 \opt{IPOD_4G_PAD}{\ButtonMenu+\ButtonSelect}
 136 \opt{IAUDIO_X5_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD}{\ButtonPower}.
 137 The game will stop immediately and you will return to the game menu.
 138 \item If you want to stop the game and still see the screen hit
 139 \opt{RECORDER_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD}{\ButtonOn}
 140 \opt{ONDIO_PAD}{\ButtonOff+\ButtonMenu}
 141 \opt{IPOD_4G_PAD}{\ButtonSelect+ButtonPlay}
 142 \opt{IAUDIO_X5_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD}{\ButtonRec}.
 143 This freezes the game. If you hit
 144 \opt{RECORDER_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD}{\ButtonOn}
 145 \opt{ONDIO_PAD}{\ButtonOff+\ButtonMenu}
 146 \opt{IPOD_4G_PAD}{\ButtonSelect+\ButtonPlay}
 147 \opt{IAUDIO_X5_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD}{\ButtonRec}
 148 button again a new game starts with the same configuration. To return to the
 149 games menu you can hit
 150 \opt{RECORDER_PAD,ONDIO_PAD,IRIVER_H100_PAD,IRIVER_H300_PAD}{\ButtonOff}
 151 \opt{IPOD_4G_PAD}{\ButtonMenu+\ButtonSelect}
 152 \opt{IAUDIO_X5_PAD,SANSA_E200_PAD}{\ButtonPower}. A stopped game can not be resumed.
 153 \end{itemize}
 154 \end{description}
 155
 156 \subsubsection{The scoreboard}
 157 On the right side of the game field is the score board. For each worm it
 158 displays its status and its length. The top most entry displays the
 159 state of worm 1, the second worm 2 and the third worm 3. When a worm
 160 dies its entry on the score board turns black.
 161
 162 \begin{description}
 163 \item[Len:]
 164 Here the current length of the worm is displayed. When a worm is eating
 165 food it grows by one pixel for each step it moves.
 166
 167 \item[Hungry:]
 168 That's the normal state of a worm. Worms are always
 169 hungry and want to eat. It is good to have a hungry
 170 worm since it means that your worm is alive. But it is
 171 better to get your worm growing.
 172
 173 \item[Growing:]
 174 When a worm has eaten a piece of food it starts growing. For each step
 175 it moves over food it can grow by one pixel. One piece of food lasts
 176 for 7 steps. After your worm has moved 7 steps the food is used up. If
 177 another piece of food is eaten while growing it will increase the size
 178 of the worm for another 7 steps.
 179
 180 \item[Crashed:]
 181 This indicates that a worm has crashed against a wall.
 182
 183 \item[Argh:]
 184 If the score board entry displays ``Argh!'' it
 185 means the worm is dead because it tried to eat an ``argh''. Until we
 186 can make the worm say ``Argh!'' it is your job to say ``Argh!'' aloud.
 187
 188 \item[Wormed:]
 189 The worm tried to eat another worm or even itself.
 190 That's why it is dead now.  Making traps for other players with a worm
 191 is a good way to get them out of the game.
 192 \end{description}
 193
 194 \subsubsection{Hints}
 195
 196 \begin{itemize}
 197
 198 \item Initially you will be busy with controlling your worm. Try to
 199 avoid other worms and crawl far away from them. Wait until they curl up
 200 themselves and collect the food afterwards. Don't worry if the other
 201 worms grow longer than yours {}- you can catch up after they've died.
 202
 203 \item When you are more experienced watch the tactics of other worms.
 204 Those worms controlled by artificial stupidity head straight for the
 205 nearest piece of food. Let the other worm have its next piece of food
 206 and head for the food it would probably want next. Try to put yourself
 207 between the opponent and that food. From now on you can 'control' the
 208 other worm by blocking it. You could trap it by making a 1 pixel wide
 209 U{}-turn. You also could move from food to food and make sure you keep
 210 between your opponent and the food. So you can always reach it before
 211 your opponent.
 212
 213 \opt{RECORDER_PAD}{
 214 \item While playing the game the \dap\ can still play music. For
 215 single player game use any music you like. For berserk games with 2 players use
 216 hard rock and for 3 player games use heavy metal or X{}-Phobie
 217 (\url{http://www.x-phobie.de/}).
 218 Play fair and don't kick your opponent in the toe or
 219 poke him in the eye. That would be bad manners.
 220 }
 221 \end{itemize}