Seite 2: Interview mit Team 17 zu Worms auf dem iPhone

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We talked to Mark Baldwin from Team 17 about the current iPhone game Worms. Find out what the attack friendly crawlers have to do with ngmocos Plus+ network and what Worms 2.0 on the iPhone has to offer.

PanetiPhone.de Can you tell us more about Team 17 and what you have done till now?

Mark Baldwin This year will be our 20th year as a developer. During our years of operation we have created over forty titles and over 130 releases on 16 gaming formats.We are respected for our approach, autonomy, attention to gaming detail, professional discipline and also for being good sports after hours.We initially made our name self-publishing a number of Amiga titles back in the early 1990's - titles such as Alien Breed, Project-X, Superfrog and Body Blows to name but a few.

Currently we have approximately 70 staff and are developing titles for current, next-gen, digital platforms and handheld technology and we haved recently made strides back into self publishing across a variety of digital platforms. Our major breakthrough title was Worms, released in 1995 - which was a huge hit on all systems, making UK number one in the All Formats chart and going on to become one of the worlds' most revered game-franchises, now in its 14th year.




PanetiPhone.de What is Worms all about, for those who are not familiar with the series?

Mark Baldwin Worms combines the best elements from the very best games ever created. It requires great thought, strategy and elements of sheer outrageous fortune. Worms is a side-scrolling video game involving controlling a team of worms and using a collection of weaponry to eliminate the opposing team(s). The worms can walk and jump around and use tools such as the ninja rope and parachute to move to otherwise unreachable locations.

The worms have an arsenal of dozens of weapons, ranging from dynamite to bazookas and from fireball to Holy Hand Grenades. Some of these weapons are present in the worms' initial arsenal while others can be collected from randomly appearing crates during the game. For some weapons, such as grenades, holding the launching key longer shoots them further. The landscape can be deformed with any weapon, forcing the players to adapt to changing environments. Also, in addition to the nature-made obstacles, the maps may contain land mines which explode when a worm comes close to one, and barrels which explode when shot, spreading out some burning napalm. These often lead to fancy combinations where, for example, a worm is first hit with a grenade and is then thrown against a mine which sets off another worm, which hits a third worm who slips into the water.

Over their heads the worms have their names and hit points. The color of the text indicates the team the worm belongs to. Each team can be customized by the player's will, including the language the worms speak and the headstone that is left when a worm dies. The worms can also be drowned, in which case no headstone is left. In the bottom of the screen the remaining time and the wind speed are shown. When the time runs out, the water level starts to raise on each turn, drowning the worms at the lowest points of the map (this is called Sudden Death). The wind speed affects some weapons. Failing to account for it may turn a missile back into the worm who launched it.

The player can play against the computer, or can play against people on the same computer or over the Internet .The player can set up many options prior to battle to tailor the experience. There are also single-player and multiplayer missions available to help refine the player's skills with the various weapons and utilities.



PanetiPhone.de Why did you chose to join the Plus+ Network and what benefits does the system bring to Worms?

Mark Baldwin The Plus+ network were already up and running (and doing a fine job on the platform) when we wanted to begin looking into more multiplayer options, so they were ideal. We also get all the benefits of the Plus+ service (friends, leaderboards etc).

PanetiPhone.de How do developers have a chance to join Plus+ and what is there a license fee to join?

Mark Baldwin We can't say too much about this. Visit the Plus+ web site and take it from there.
Regarding the trophies in Plus+ how much freedom do developers have? (Points, kinds, etc.)
We had lots of freedom on this.

PanetiPhone.de Will Worms on the iPhone ever have an online multiplayer?

Mark Baldwin We certainly hope so, watch this space.

PanetiPhone.de What is your favorite weapon and why?

Mark Baldwin Bazooka – ability to do the coolest shots in the game and possibly the most deadly weapon.



PanetiPhone.de What is your opinion about digital distribution? Will further systems follow like DSiWare or PSPminis?

Mark Baldwin It’s great. No doubt the trend will continue (just look at the numbers of units shifting through the App Store, it’s a huge market)

IPanetiPhone.de s there anything you would like to tell our readers?

Mark Baldwin Yeah, We would like to shamelessly plug buying Alien Breed Evolution on the 360 for the bargain price of 800 points oh and to say that if you call yourself a gamer, you are incomplete if you don't own a version of Worms. :)

The interview was held by Kevin Jensen for PlanetiPhone.de.

Thanks to Mark Baldwin for his kind support.