| Features
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- The language used for front end and in-game text can now be chosen manually from the Options menu.
- The German translations have been improved and corrected by bonz.
- This version of W:A can now emulate and interoperate with W:A v3.0. It is possible for an online game to have mixture of v3.0 and v3.6.26.1+ users, and it doesn't matter who is hosting.
- Players using v3.0 will have their names crosshatched in black in the player list. If there is doubt over whether they are using v3.0 or v3.5 Beta 1, their names will be crosshatched in orange, but they will still be assumed to be using v3.0.
- Terrain Textures
- W:A v3.0 applied terrain textures differently, resulting in more vertical thinning of the landscape (especially with the Desert and Jungle textures). This must be emulated for v3.0 compatibility. However, since this is an integral property of the map, it is attached to the map data now rather than being automatically matched to the game version being emulated. To toggle v3.0 style terrain texture thinning, hold Ctrl while clicking the Terrain Texture button in the Map Editor; it is helpful to do this while in Preview mode. The texture thinning property is saved along with the map.
- When loading a .BIT or .LEV map with a date stamp earlier than 2002.08.08 (the approximate release date of 3.5 Beta 1), the file will be treated as if it had been designed for W:A v3.0.
- This can be toggled by Ctrl-clicking the Terrain Texture button. When enabled, the map will be rendered exactly as it would have been with W:A v3.0 (or would be with Worms World Party).
- Enabling this is useful for old Battle Race maps that exhibit blocked passageways when the newer texturing algorithm is applied (which could happen if the map was created for W:A v3.0 and the mapmaker always converted it to Hospital or Manhattan terrain before testing).
- The old texturing algorithm looks inferior, so if you know it is not needed (i.e. if the map is not a Battle Race or if you have tested it beforehand) you can safely toggle it off.
- W:A v3.0 had a doubled "Tribal" texture, which was removed in v3.5 Beta 1. As a result of this, the terrain texture index needs to be translated if it is "Tribal" or "Urban", and this is now automatically done in an online host/join session.
- The main reason for which I implemented W:A v3.0 emulation was to make it possible to play back a WAgame extracted from a network log of an online game played many years ago, before the Beta patch existed. It is now possible to do this, but the feature is not included in the release version of W:A. I would like to know if anyone besides me has kept network logs of their pre-v3.6 games; if you have, perhaps this feature would be useful to you. See the Team17 Forum link near the end of this Readme.
- WAgame files recorded online now include the character @ in front of the name of the player who recorded the game.
- The Tools terrain texture is now accessable through the Map Editor. All players must be using v3.6.26.1+ to be able to play on a map with this texture.
- More error reporting is done while playing back recorded games or extracting logs (before, only checksums errors were reported)
- The turn-end markers that were added in v3.6.19.15 are checked for proper timing.
- The logic is now more intuitive for handling keys that can either be game control keys or chat editing keys when the chat box is open.
- Previously, it worked like this: If you had Scroll Lock on or it was someone else's turn, the arrows keys would act as chat editing keys. If Scroll Lock was off and it was your turn, the arrow keys would close the chat box and act as game control keys (e.g. to move your Worm).
- Now, it works like this: If you have typed anything into the chat bar, the arrow keys will act as chat editing keys. Otherwise, they will act as game control keys (even if it not your turn, they will close the chat box, for consistency).
- With the Scroll Lock key is freed from its unintuitive function, it has been assigned to a different task: locking the viewport/camera from being scrolled by anything other than manual mouse movement. (Caps Lock had been assigned to this function in v3.6.21.1, but this was inconvenient because it could result in unintentionally typing all-caps text after watching a replay.) Scroll Lock functions as a camera override at all times except when it is your turn, because locking the camera in some cases could be considered cheating, and could also cause confusion if left on by mistake. (Holding the left mouse button also functions as a camera override, as it has since v3.6.19.17.)
- During replays, a retreat counter is shown in red, with hundredths-of-a-second precision.
- Export Log additions
- The name and number of a Mission attempt is now detected and printed at the beginning of the log. At the end it is noted whether the attempt was a success or a failure. Note that W:A does not yet detect whether the Mission is genuine; if the person who played it edited the .WAM file, it will still be identified according to the terrain it uses.
- Bungee use is now noted. (Previously, "fires Bungee" would only be reported when an attempt was made to fire it like a normal weapon.)
- The telephone icon (which shows up in-game when another player chats while the chat panel is retracted on your end) can now be disabled. This option can be controlled by executing the registry script Phone_Disable.reg or Phone_Enable.reg.
- In game, the hotkey Alt-Delete now toggles transparency for labels. Since the palette is shared with the current map, some maps will allow the transparency effect to look good with labels of various colours. If there are many labels displayed at once, the visual refresh rate may slow down with transparency enabled. This setting always defaults to being off at the start of a game; it is not remembered between sessions.
- The precise fuse display (introduced in v3.6.20.1) is now disabled at the minimum Info display level (pressing Delete cycles through Info levels).
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