Parachute
From Worms Knowledge Base
 Parachute
| |
|---|---|
| Type: | Wind Based Movement utility |
| Keyboard selection: | F8 (x3) |
| Standard effects: | Moves worm |
| Present in: | Worms, Worms DC, Worms 2, W:A, WWP |
The Parachute (sometimes referred as Chute in worms terminology) is useful for gliding to another location, or traversing a large drop without recieving fall damage. You can also drop/fire certain weapons by selecting them in your inventory while gliding, then pressing enter to fire. The parachute is strongly affected by the wind, however you can control the parachute slightly with the arrowkeys. Holding right or left will cause the worm to push against the direction you pressed. Pressing down will cause the parachute to sink faster. Pressing up will cause it to fall at a slower rate. Pressing nothing will cause the parachute to glide only affected by gravity and wind. Your turn does not end by using this utility.
Tactics
- Always have the parachute equipped if you're jumping/walking down a high plateau - The parachute will activate automatically just before reaching the sufficient height in which the worm would loose control and receive Fall Damage.
- You can travel faster by using a parachute than by walking if the wind is very strong.
- When knocking a worm by using the Ninja Rope, you can survive a potentially damaging fall after knocking by equipping a parachute beforehand. The parachute activates automatically after touching the land if your worms' horizontal speed and height fallen is lower than the limit to receive falling damage.
- If you are trying to backflip onto an obstacle that is just too high to reach, you can get onto it by activating the parachute at the apex of the jump and holding up and moving into the direction of the obstacle. This will cause the player to rise a few pixels initially, which may be enough to make it onto the obstacle. This only works if the wind is blowing into the direction of the obstacle, with no wind or even with very, very weak wind blowing into the opposite direction.
- When using the Invisibility utility, it is better to move around using the parachute. The reason for this is that it is silent, so the other players will find it more difficult to guess where you are travelling.
- On dual-layered cave maps, parachute can guarantee access to the lower floor of the map if the wind is in favor for that and you are at the left or at right higher floor edge of the map. You just need to step outside of the map, and fall with parachute selected, the worm will appear parachuting on the lower layer.
Criticisms, Problems and Weaknesses
- If you have fallen a considerable distance and try to activate a parachute manually, some players may press the spacebar just after automatic activation. This will cause the parachute to close again, which is usually undesirable.
Secondary weapon icon
Most weapons can be used while using the parachute. While selected, the weapon's icon appears above the parachuting worm, visible to all players. Some weapons are selected by default when the parachute is activated, provided that they are available in the player's inventory. All other weapons must be selected manually, using either the F-keys or the right-click weapons menu.
The subset of weapons that is eligible to be selected by default exists in a hierarchy, with the highest available weapon always being selected (and no weapon being selected if none are available). Not all weapons in this subset can be used from the parachute, and not all weapons that can be used from the parachute are in this subset. It is not known what determines whether a weapon appears in the subset or its position in the hierarchy. The full list, in order from highest to lowest, is below:
- Aquasheep
- Mole
- Dynamite
- Mine
- Sheep
- Salvation Army
- Skunk
- Ming Vase
- Mad Cow
- Old Woman
- Bazooka
- Mortar
- Grenade
- Cluster Bomb
- Battle Axe
- Shotgun
- Handgun
- Uzi
- Longbow
- Firepunch
- Blowtorch
- Pneumatic Drill
- Ninja Rope
- Flamethrower
- Petrol Bomb
Notable exclusions include the Banana, Super Banana, Sheep Launcher, and Holy Hand Grenade, all of which can be easily dropped from the parachute. The Earthquake, Scales of Justice, Indian Nuclear Test and Armageddon can also be easily used from the parachute. Some weapons, such as the strike weapons, Girder, or Teleport, can be used from the parachute, but they cause loss of control of the parachute with the arrow keys when they are selected, and so will not be selected by default.
In schemes where knowledge of opponents' weapons provides an advantage (such as Team17), the default selection of a weapon can be a handicap to the player. Not only does the icon reveal what weapon the player does have, but it also reveals what weapons the player does not have. Some players mitigate this by rapidly selecting another weapon (often the parachute itself) immediately after the parachute is activated, so that the icon for the default selection does not have time to appear.
Tricks and glitches
- See Chute flare and Chute landing
