Difference between revisions of "Battle Race"

	W:A replay: An example of mine walking
	Download · Info

Game setup
Scheme
	Battle Race: Download View scheme settings
Map
	Specially-made map; Examples at the WMDB
Worms
	One worm per player.

	W:A replay: An example of a Battle Race game; with KRD and M0rph1umDuck; taken from Worm Olympics
	Download · Info

Latest revision as of 17:11, 4 January 2024

(Up to Schemes)

Navigate a labyrinthine map while setting traps for your opponents

Battle Race is a racing-style scheme where players must navigate their sole worm through a specially-designed, indestructible map to reach a finish line from a designated starting point. The player to reach the finish line first wins the game. A selection of weapons are provided that can be used to delay opponents.

Description

Players begin by each placing their single worm on the designated starting location.

With no transport tools available, players must carefully navigate the course by only walking and jumping. Some Battle Race maps contain elements that can be very difficult to pass, requiring exact positioning and precise jumps. They can even require such movement to be pixel-perfect for successful passage. Elements within a Battle Race map are often designed so that missing a jump will result in a fall, setting a player back to an earlier position in the course and requiring the player to re-attempt the element from the beginning. A map's difficulty lies not only in the precision required but also in how severe these setbacks can be.

Weapons are also provided in the Battle Race scheme, though they cannot be used to injure opponents, as worms are invincible (except to drowning, if the map contains such hazards). Instead, weapons are used to gain retreat time at the end of a turn or hinder an opponent's progress, by knocking them down from a climb or propelling them along a tunnel. Mines can also be placed to delay an opponent. In some cases, a player will use an explosive to blast their own worm forward if the terrain is suitable.

The weapons provided usually include the Grenade, Shotgun, Fire Punch, Dragon Ball, and Prod in unlimited supply, along with a few Mines and a single Baseball Bat.

Weapon crates are also provided, containing more powerful weapons that players won't have from the start, such as Dynamite, Sheep, or Holy Hand Grenade, or containing weapons that are likely to run out quickly due to their limited starting ammo. Towards the end of the game, however, crates will tend to accumulate in parts of the map that have already been traversed by all players, and will never be collected.

Battle Race is known to be a rather slow game, especially if there are more than 2 players participating, and a single round can take a few hours. In fact, it is - among some others - one of the longest games played.

The scheme is supported by HostingBuddy.

Rules

Place at the start - Players must place their worms on the spot labelled Start, S, or similar.
No shortcuts - Players must take the path intended to be taken by the author of the map.
No skipwalking - Players must not use skipwalking to gain a speed advantage.
Optional: No drownings - Players must not drown an opponent's worm. Violating this rule forfeits the game.
Optional: No blasting own worm - Players must not use weapons to propel their own weapon around the map, but only to setback opponents.

It's generally recommended that players, when joining a Battle Race game lobby on WormNET, use the term "STF" (standing for Start To Finish) to indicate to the host that they understand the concept of the scheme and will follow the rules.

Tactics

It is a common strategy to use fire punch or dragon ball to hit back the opponent, as it will cost the player some time - this ranging from a couple of seconds to even several turns, depending on the landscape - to get back the worm to its original location. A setback of this strategy is that it ends the attacking player's turn, so it is mostly used at the end of the turn, if possible, or if it sets back the opponent considerably.

Another common trick is to use the first shot of a shotgun to hit the opponent, and only use the second shot at the end of the turn, giving the player the retreat time as well. Although the shotgun doesn't impart as much momentum as the fire punch or dragon ball, it has the advantage that it can be shot from a much greater distance, the topology of the map permitting.

Mines are usually used to block the path of the opponent, but only achieve this where the opponent can't simply jump over it and escape the blast. They are mostly used in narrow tunnels, where even if the worm is able to walk back to a safe distance after triggering it, will still be delayed by several seconds. To counter this, mines can be hit or shot away from the path, or sometimes its blast can be used to move the worm forward, at the cost of losing the turn.

Tricks

Mine walking

Mine walking

Mine walking is a trick where a player drops a Mine from a height and then walks off the cliff after it, landing on the bouncing mine, using it as a stepping stone on descent, and so not losing the turn to falling. Although dropping a mine still ends the player's turn, the retreat time can be used to make more progress than if the worm had simply walked off the cliff. For this trick to work, a wall must be present in front of the worm attempting the trick, off which the mine can bounce, slowing its descent and thus allowing the worm land on it mid-air. This trick requires practice, good timing, and a bit of luck.

Variations

Walk Race / Jump Race

The name Battle Race was probably used because of the weapons that can be used to delay the opponents. However, some players (mainly with those played in tournaments) use a variation of the scheme, mainly for tournaments, with no weapons. This allows players to compete without interacting with each other.

This can also be achieved with special maps with parallel courses example.

Low Gravity Switch

In this variation the players are equipped with infinite Low Gravity, which can be turned on and off anytime and as many times as the player wants. This variant was introduced during the Winter Worm Olympics 2008, with some maps resembling Jetpack Race maps.

Grenade Race

Grenade Race, Nade Battle Race, Nade Jumping, NJBR or Nade Challenge is a mixture of Battle Race with Unanchored Boom Race, but only with grenades. The scheme explores the so called Nade Jumps, in which a grenade is dropped and the worm jumps (usually a backflip) right before the explosion of the grenade to gain speed and then be launched very far by the explosion. Some special maps were designed for this scheme, with parts that can only be reached with nade jumps.

History

The author of the scheme is unknown, the oldest map for this variation on WMDB dates 10th April 2004 by AnAmAt, but the scheme is probably older than PNG maps.

History

The origins of Battle Race trace back to the Worms 2 days, with rudimentary tunnel maps designed for Worms to navigate through. What is now known as the modern Battle Race was pioneered by GARG0YLE (Team17 archive source), who created the first BR maps for W:A with indestructible terrain and weapon sets, with the purpose of racing through obstacles while hindering the opponent with the weapons at the players' disposal. The only rules for the scheme were to start on the designated start area and not to use skipwalking. Killing all the opposing worms or arriving at the finish first resulted in a victory.

Players that had a hand in creating and honing the scheme, as well as designing maps, include NZkiwi, Foxylady, RaptorStrike, and Silentworm. The early maps were broad tunnels created in the in-game editor, but the use of MS Paint soon allowed for the creation of complex obstacles.

Deadcode's testmap, demonstrating a vast range of pixel-perfect map elements that can be included in a Battle Race map.

One of the W:A maintainers, Deadcode, is also a battle race fan and designed a pixel-perfect template that tested the very limits of the jumping mechanics in W:A, further advancing map creation for the scheme. Today, many of the maps feature these pixel-perfect jumps that require precise positioning and knowledge of the in-game mechanics. Focus on this has made the scheme less battle-centric and more centered on complex jumps.

Competitive events

Battle Race has consistently remained a popular scheme for competitions.

Leagues

In 2010, the Battle Race scheme was officially adopted in a major league for the first time by The Ultimate Site as part of its free league. Before that, two Battle Race-specific leagues existed: GARG0YLE's Battle Zone was created by Silentworm in 2001 but was short-lived, and Battle Race League, was created by Bloopy in 2004. The latter enjoyed the most league play the scheme had ever seen across both W:A and WWP.

Tournaments

More recently, Battle Race has featured consistently in the Worm Olympics between 2006 and 2016, and in a tournament on The Ultimate Site in 2015.

Cups

It also has featured in TUS cups, one in 2015, other in 2016 and an attempt in 2017-2018.

External links

Battle Race on Nanacide

	This article has a to-do list:
	add Grenade Race scheme

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{ParentArticle|[[Schemes]]}}
 {{ReplayBox|Battle_Race.wagame|An example of a Battle Race game|with KRD and M0rph1umDuck; taken from [[Worm Olympics]]}}
+[[Image:Battle Race screenshot.png|thumb|Navigate a labyrinthine map while setting traps for your opponents]]
-A [[Battle Race]] is played on an indestructible map fashioned into an assault course, with a start point and a finish point. Players race their sole worm from start to finish, with the first player to reach the finish point winning the game.
+'''Battle Race''' is a racing-style scheme where players must navigate their sole worm through a specially-designed, indestructible map to reach a finish line from a designated starting point. The player to reach the finish line first wins the game. A selection of weapons are provided that can be used to delay opponents.
-== Details ==
+== Description ==
 {{Game setup|file=Battle Race.wsc|scheme=Battle Race|map=Specially-made map|wmdb=battlerace|worms=One worm per player.}}
-With no transport tools available, players must carefully navigate the course only by walking and jumping. Some Battle Race maps contain elements that can be very difficult to pass, requiring exact positioning and precise jumps. They can even require such movement to be pixel-perfect for successful passage. Elements within a Battle Race map are often designed so that missing a jump will result in a fall, setting a player back to an earlier position in the course and requiring the player to re-attempt the element from the beginning. A map's difficulty lies not only in the precision required but also in how severe these setbacks can be.
+Players begin by each placing their single worm on the designated starting location.
-Weapons are also provided in the Battle Race scheme, though they cannot be used to injure opponents, as worms are invincible. Instead, weapons are used to gain retreat time at the end of a turn or hinder an opponent's progress, by knocking him down from a climb or propelling him along a tunnel. Mines can also be placed to delay an opponent. In some cases, a player will use an explosive to blast his own worm forward if the terrain is suitable.
+With no transport tools available, players must carefully navigate the course by only walking and jumping. Some Battle Race maps contain elements that can be very difficult to pass, requiring exact positioning and precise jumps. They can even require such movement to be pixel-perfect for successful passage. Elements within a Battle Race map are often designed so that missing a jump will result in a fall, setting a player back to an earlier position in the course and requiring the player to re-attempt the element from the beginning. A map's difficulty lies not only in the precision required but also in how severe these setbacks can be.
-From time to time, weapon crates are spawned on the map, which usually contain explosives like [[mine]] or [[grenade]], or [[Baseball_Bat|baseball bat]].
-Also, Battle Race is known to be a rather slow game, especially if there are more than 2 players participating. In fact, it is - among [[Warmer|some]] [[Boom Race|others]] - one of the longest games played.
+Weapons are also provided in the Battle Race scheme, though they cannot be used to injure opponents, as worms are invincible (except to drowning, if the map contains such hazards). Instead, weapons are used to gain retreat time at the end of a turn or hinder an opponent's progress, by knocking them down from a climb or propelling them along a tunnel. Mines can also be placed to delay an opponent. In some cases, a player will use an explosive to blast their own worm forward if the terrain is suitable.
+The weapons provided usually include the [[Grenade]], [[Shotgun]], [[Fire Punch]], [[Dragon Ball]], and [[Prod]] in unlimited supply, along with a few [[Mine]]s and a single [[Baseball Bat]].
+Weapon crates are also provided, containing more powerful weapons that players won't have from the start, such as [[Dynamite]], [[Sheep]], or [[Holy Hand Grenade]], or containing weapons that are likely to run out quickly due to their limited starting ammo. Towards the end of the game, however, crates will tend to accumulate in parts of the map that have already been traversed by all players, and will never be collected.
+Battle Race is known to be a rather slow game, especially if there are more than 2 players participating, and a single round can take a few hours. In fact, it is - among [[Warmer|some]] [[Boom Race|others]] - one of the longest games played.
+The scheme is supported by [[HostingBuddy]].
 == Rules ==
-=== Defaults ===
-The commonly used rules in Battle Race are:
-* Do not plop your opponent's worm. Failing this rule results in the attacker's default loss.
+* '''Place at the start''' - Players must place their worms on the spot labelled '''Start''', '''S''', or similar.
-* [[Skipwalking]] is not allowed.
+* '''No shortcuts''' - Players must take the path intended to be taken by the author of the map.
+* '''No [[skipwalking]]''' - Players must not use [[skipwalking]] to gain a speed advantage.
+* Optional: '''No drownings''' - Players must not drown an opponent's worm. Violating this rule forfeits the game.
+* Optional: '''No blasting own worm''' - Players must not use weapons to propel their own weapon around the map, but only to setback opponents.
-=== Variations ===
+It's generally recommended that players, when joining a Battle Race game lobby on WormNET, use the term "STF" (standing for Start To Finish) to indicate to the host that they understand the concept of the scheme and will follow the rules.
-* Do not use weapons to blast your own worm around, like in [[Boom Race]], causing sometimes a good advantage skipping part of the map.
-== Strategies ==
+== Tactics ==
-It is a common strategy to use [[Fire_Punch|fire punch]] or [[Dragon_Ball|dragon ball]] to hit back the opponent, as it will cost the player some time - this ranging from a couple of seconds to even several turns, depending on the landscape - to get back the worm to its original location. A setback of this strategy is that it ends the attacking player's turn, so it is mostly used at the end of the turn, if possible, or if it sets back the opponent considerably.
+* It is a common strategy to use [[Fire_Punch|fire punch]] or [[Dragon_Ball|dragon ball]] to hit back the opponent, as it will cost the player some time - this ranging from a couple of seconds to even several turns, depending on the landscape - to get back the worm to its original location. A setback of this strategy is that it ends the attacking player's turn, so it is mostly used at the end of the turn, if possible, or if it sets back the opponent considerably.
-Another common trick is to use the first shot of a [[shotgun]] to hit the opponent, and only use the second shot at the end of the turn, giving the player the retreat time as well. Although the shotgun doesn't hit as big as the two mentioned earlier, it is just as useful, as it can be shot from a distance, a feat the other two doesn't share - or at least, not to the same extent.
+* Another common trick is to use the first shot of a [[shotgun]] to hit the opponent, and only use the second shot at the end of the turn, giving the player the retreat time as well. Although the shotgun doesn't impart as much momentum as the fire punch or dragon ball, it has the advantage that it can be shot from a much greater distance, the topology of the map permitting.
-Mines are usually used to block the path of the opponent, but it is only useful where the latter can't jump over it and walk far enough before the explosion, thus dodging the effect of it. It is mostly used in narrow tunnels, where even if the worm walks back to a safe distance after activating it, still delays the opponent by 5-6 seconds. To counter this, mines can be hit or shot away from the path, or sometimes its blast can be used to move the worm forward.
+* Mines are usually used to block the path of the opponent, but only achieve this where the opponent can't simply jump over it and escape the blast. They are mostly used in narrow tunnels, where even if the worm is able to walk back to a safe distance after triggering it, will still be delayed by several seconds. To counter this, mines can be hit or shot away from the path, or sometimes its blast can be used to move the worm forward, at the cost of losing the turn.
+=== Tricks ===
+[[Image:Battle Race Mine Trick.gif|frame|left|''Mine walking'']]
 {{ReplayBox|Battle_Race_mine_trick.WAgame|An example of mine walking}}
-There is also a trick called "mine walking" where one drops a [[Mine]] from a height and then walks off the cliff after it, landing on the bouncing mine, ultimately not losing the turn because of falling. Although doing so still ends the player's turn, it is still better than falling down since some retreat time will be left after having landed. Furthermore, it is imperative that a wall is present in front of the worm attempting the trick, off which the mine can bounce, thus being slowed down so that the worm can land on it mid-air. This trick requires practice, good timing, and a bit of luck.
+==== Mine walking ====
+''Mine walking'' is a trick where a player drops a [[Mine]] from a height and then walks off the cliff after it, landing on the bouncing mine, using it as a stepping stone on descent, and so not losing the turn to falling. Although dropping a mine still ends the player's turn, the retreat time can be used to make more progress than if the worm had simply walked off the cliff. For this trick to work, a wall must be present in front of the worm attempting the trick, off which the mine can bounce, slowing its descent and thus allowing the worm land on it mid-air. This trick requires practice, good timing, and a bit of luck.
 == Variations ==
-=== No Weapons ("Walk Race") ===
+=== Walk Race / Jump Race ===
-The name ''Battle Race'' probably came because of the weapons that can be used to delay the opponents. However, some games (mainly with those played in tourneys) use schemes with no weapons or [http://wmdb.org/8273 special maps with parallel courses] (enabling players to play without disturbing each other), becoming this way a simple "jump race" or "walk race", because it's impossible to delay the opponents.
+The name ''Battle Race'' was probably used because of the weapons that can be used to delay the opponents. However, some players (mainly with those played in tournaments) use a variation of the scheme, mainly for tournaments, with no weapons. This allows players to compete without interacting with each other.
+This can also be achieved with special maps with parallel courses [http://wmdb.org/8273 example].
 ==== Low Gravity Switch ====
 {{Scheme|title=|file=LG Battle Race without weapons.wsc}}
-The players are equipped with infinite [[Low_Gravity|low gravity]], which can be turned on and off anytime and as many times as the player wants. This variant was introduced [http://2008w.wormolympics.com/tournaments/show/31#results here] during the [[Worm Olympics#Winter Worm Olympics 2008|Winter Worm Olympics 2008]], with some maps resembling [[Jetpack_Race|jetpack race]] maps.
+In this variation the players are equipped with infinite [[Low Gravity]], which can be turned on and off anytime and as many times as the player wants. This variant [http://2008w.wormolympics.com/tournaments/show/31#results was introduced] during the [[Worm Olympics#Winter Worm Olympics 2008|Winter Worm Olympics 2008]], with some maps resembling [[Jetpack Race]] maps.
+=== Grenade Race ===
+{{Scheme|scheme=|map=Specially designed map (examples: [https://www.wmdb.org/451], [https://www.wmdb.org/1299], [https://www.wmdb.org/5253], [https://www.wmdb.org/31682], [https://www.wmdb.org/3767], [https://www.wmdb.org/1327])|wmdb=}}
+'''Grenade Race''', '''Nade Battle Race''', '''Nade Jumping''', '''NJBR''' or '''Nade Challenge''' is a mixture of Battle Race with [[Boom Race#Unanchored_Boom_Race|Unanchored Boom Race]], but only with grenades. The scheme explores the so called ''Nade Jumps'', in which a grenade is dropped and the worm jumps (usually a backflip) right before the explosion of the grenade to gain speed and then be launched very far by the explosion. Some special maps were designed for this scheme, with parts that can only be reached with ''nade jumps''.
+===== History =====
+The author of the scheme is unknown, the [https://www.wmdb.org/451 oldest map for this variation] on [[WMDB]] dates 10th April 2004 by [[User:AnAmAt|AnAmAt]], but the scheme is probably older than PNG maps.
+== History ==
+The origins of Battle Race trace back to the [[Worms 2]] days, with rudimentary tunnel maps designed for Worms to navigate through. What is now known as the modern Battle Race was pioneered by [[People/GARG0YLE|GARG0YLE]] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20020614163007/http://worms.team17.com:80/archives.html?site=pc&type=news&load=040600 Team17 archive source]), who created the first BR maps for W:A with indestructible terrain and weapon sets, with the purpose of racing through obstacles while hindering the opponent with the weapons at the players' disposal. The only rules for the scheme were to start on the designated start area and not to use [[skipwalking]]. Killing all the opposing worms or arriving at the finish first resulted in a victory.
+Players that had a hand in creating and honing the scheme, as well as designing maps, include [[People/NZkiwi|NZkiwi]], [[People/Foxylady|Foxylady]], [[People/RaptorStrike|RaptorStrike]], and [[People/Silentworm|Silentworm]]. The early maps were broad tunnels created in the in-game editor, but the use of MS Paint soon allowed for the creation of complex obstacles.
+[[Image:Deadcode's_Battle_Race_testmap.png|thumb|Deadcode's testmap, demonstrating a vast range of pixel-perfect map elements that can be included in a Battle Race map.]]
+One of the W:A maintainers, [[People/Deadcode|Deadcode]], is also a battle race fan and designed a pixel-perfect template that tested the very limits of the jumping mechanics in W:A, further advancing map creation for the scheme. Today, many of the maps feature these pixel-perfect jumps that require precise positioning and knowledge of the in-game mechanics. Focus on this has made the scheme less battle-centric and more centered on complex jumps.
+=== Competitive events ===
+Battle Race has consistently remained a popular scheme for competitions.
+==== Leagues ====
+In 2010, the Battle Race scheme was officially adopted in a major league for the first time by [[The Ultimate Site]] as part of its free league. Before that, two Battle Race-specific leagues existed: GARG0YLE's [[Battle Zone]] was created by Silentworm in 2001 but was short-lived, and [[Battle Race League]], was created by [[People/Bloopy|Bloopy]] in 2004. The latter enjoyed the most league play the scheme had ever seen across both W:A and WWP.
+==== Tournaments ====
+More recently, Battle Race has featured consistently in the [[Worm Olympics]] between [http://2006.wormolympics.com/tourneys/26 2006] and [http://2016.wormolympics.com/results?scheme=8 2016], and in a [https://www.tus-wa.com/tournaments/search/Battlerace!QUOTE/ tournament] on [[The Ultimate Site]] in 2015.
+==== Cups ====
+It also has featured in TUS [https://www.tus-wa.com/cups/search/battlerace/ cups], one in 2015, other in 2016 and an attempt in 2017-2018.
 == External links ==
 * [http://wahelp.worms2d.info/scheme-battlerace.php Battle Race] on Nanacide
+{{todo|add Grenade Race scheme}}

Difference between revisions of "Battle Race"

From Worms Knowledge Base

Latest revision as of 17:11, 4 January 2024

Contents

Description

Rules

Tactics

Tricks

Mine walking

Variations

Walk Race / Jump Race

Low Gravity Switch

Grenade Race

History

History

Competitive events

Leagues

Tournaments

Cups

External links

Views

Personal tools

Search

Navigation

Tools

	W:A replay: An example of a Battle Race game with KRD and M0rph1umDuck; taken from Worm Olympics
	Download · Info

	W:A replay: An example of mine walking
	Download · Info


Map
Specially designed map (examples: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6])