Shopper

Map
	Specially designed map; Examples at the WMDB

Game setup
Scheme
	Shopper: Download View scheme settings
Map
	Specially designed map; Examples at the WMDB
Worms
	Usually 3

	W:A replay: An example of a Shopper game; (3vs3) with DarK, Random00, SPW, Incog,; Paya and REM; taken from Worm Olympics
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Use the rope and 'shop' for crates

Shopper (originally Rope Shopper) is a scheme in which players start with few or no weapons and must use the Ninja Rope to navigate a specially-designed, indestructible map and collect crates to build their arsenal. The scheme and its variations are generally the most popular schemes played on WormNET.

Description

The goal in Shopper is to kill all opponents using weapons obtained from crates, collected within the relatively short turn time by using the Ninja Rope, which is provided in unlimited quantity and given a power setting of 5 to allow unlimited repeat swings.

Maps designed for the Shopper scheme provide a roof along the top and wide open spaces in which to swing around on the ninja rope, and typically include a large number of platforms, nooks and crannies where worms can try to stay safe from enemy attacks. Maps usually also include some hazards, such as holes at the bottom or sides of the map through which worms can fall and drown.

Considerable skill with the Ninja Rope is required for playing Shopper competently. However - unlike some of its variations, noted below - the classic Shopper scheme is very accessible to new players and suitable for practicing with the ninja rope.

The scheme is supported by HostingBuddy.

Rules

The principle rules for Shopper are as follows:

Crate Before Attack (CBA) - Players must collect a crate at the start of each turn before attacking with a weapon from their inventory.
All But Last (ABL) - Players must not injure any worms belonging to the team in last place, with the exception outlined by the Pile rule below.
Pile - Players may only injure worms belonging to the team in last place if they also injure other worms in the same attack. Only applicable if the ABL rule is in force.
Kill The Cow (KTC) - Should anyone violate the rules, players must target that player (regardless of the ABL rule) until they have been killed off.

These four rules are collectively known as the PACK rules (standing for Pile, ABL, CBA and KTC).

The ABL rule is often substituted with KTL:

Kill The Leader (KTL) - Players must injure worms belonging to the team in first place.

Around 2000, Shopper started to adopt a rule which originated with the Roper scheme:

Attack From Rope (AFR) - Players must attack while using the ninja rope, unless the weapon being used cannot be used from the rope.

The combination of AFR and the PACK rules then became known as the proPACK rules. Throughout 2003, the AFR rule became so integral to Shopper, that the difference between PACK and proPACK was largely forgotten.

As well as the rules above, Shopper was sometimes played with additional rules prohibiting certain super weapons and the way that weapons can be used:

No girders. - Players must not use girders, even if they collect girders or a Girder Starter Pack in a crate.
No nukes. - Players must not use the Nuclear Bomb, even if they collect one in a crate.
No permanent blocking. - Players must not use any weapon in such a way that it permanently blocks a worm from fully navigating the map.

Shopper rules are generally addressed purely by the acronyms of the 3 fundamental rules - AFR, CBA, KTL/ABL; others (such as a the rules on the use of weapons above) are considered common sense.

Variations

Of all the schemes known in Worms, Shopper probably has the most variations. Because of its extensive popularity, many people came up with their own variations to the Shopper scheme, some better known than others. The variations often rely on the specific design of the map, and sometimes involve new rules. In some cases, variations require the use of TestStuff.

Wall-X-Wall Shopper

Main Article: Wall-X-Wall Shopper

In this variation, an additional rule is in force: the player must touch a number of specified number of walls during their turn before attacking. This is played on specially-designed maps which highlight the walls to be touched.

Fly Shopper

In this variation, the map has an open roof and a large pillar in the middle. Players must fly their worms over the pillar at least once during their turn before attacking. For this, an additional rule is in force:

Fly Before Attack (FBA) - Players must use the ninja rope to fling their worm over the map's central pillar, without touching it with their worm, and without the ninja rope being attached to anything during the crossing, before attacking.

The rope may be attached to the central pillar before and after the crossing - e.g. when doing a special kind of fly called "mexi".

The player is not required to attach the rope again after the crossing - e.g. if the worms hits terrain and the parachute activates, the fly is still considered to be valid. Also, when TestStuff is activated, it is common practice to consider a fly valid if the player activates the parachute manually after the crossing.

Chamber Shopper

Map
Specially designed map Examples at the WMDB

In Chamber Shopper, the map has an open roof and is divided horizontally into several chambers, typically 4 or 5, separated by vertical pillars.

The FBA rule (see Fly Shopper, above) is sometimes used in this variation.

Pod Shopper

Map
Specially designed map Examples at the WMDB

Pod Shopper maps are designed with 2 or more 'pods', which may be considered miniature shopper maps in and of themselves. These pods are separated from each other by open space.

Players typically have to travel from pod to pod during their turn in order to collect a crate and to find a worm to attack. Pod Shopper games tend to be short, as drowning is more common. The common Shopper rules KTL and ABL are sometimes omitted to allow players to more easily find a target.

Moon Shopper

Played on regular Shopper maps, this variation makes use of an additional rule:

Use Low Gravity every turn - Players must activate Low Gravity at the start of their turn.

Surf Shopper

Map
Specially designed map Examples at the WMDB

In Surf Shopper, players must skim their worm across water onto an island. This variation is played on maps specially designed for this, and an additional rule comes into play:

Surf After Attack (SAA) - Players must skim their worms over water during their retreat time, after having made an attack.

The variation is often played with TestStuff, which stops worms losing their turn after skimming water and also allows for firing the ninja rope while a worm is still in flight after skimming. In this case, a slightly different rule is used:

Surf Before Attack (SBA) - Players must skim their worms over water during their turn before attacking.

Attack From Air Shopper (or AFA Shopper)

Map
Specially designed map Examples at the WMDB

Played on specially designed maps, and with TestStuff enabled, this variation makes use of an additional rule:

Attack From Air (AFA) - Players must attack during a "rope-roll", where a worm has disengaged the ninja rope and is in flight. Players do this by pressing Enter while their worm is in the air.

The common Shopper rules KTL and ABL are usually omitted for this variation.

This variation was created in December 2008 by Crowe, originally under the name of Air Shopper.

Bungee Shopper

This is a Shopper with bungee instead of ninja rope, and maps designed for bungeeing around. Players must attack from bungee or during flying. The use of TestStuff is required.

Chute Shopper

A variant without ninja rope, and with maps designed for parachuting around. Players must attack from parachute.

Drive-by Shopper

Map
Specially designed map Examples at the WMDB

Played on maps designed with a circuit, this variation makes use of an additional rule:

Lap the map - Players must make a lap around the map before attacking.

Loser Shopper

Played on any regular Shopper map where it's impossible to drown, players must attack their own worms. The first to kill all their own worms wins the game.

Crate Collector

Map
Randomly generated cavern map

This variation can only be played with Worms World Party, making use of that game's WormPot mode "Super Rope" and "Crates, crates and even more crates". It is also known as Ropes and Crates or RnC.

Other minor variations

Tunnel Shopper - a blend of Rope Race and Shopper, with the Shopper scheme played on maps designed for Rope Race.
Speed Shopper - played with 10 or 15 second long turns.
Power Shopper - played with weapons on higher-than-normal power settings, along with 15 second long turns.

History

Shopper was first created around 1999 on Worms Armageddon. It was commonly known at the time as Rope Shopper to distinguish it from the original Team17 "Shopper" scheme, which did not make so much use of the Ninja Rope. Though it is unknown who originally created this variation, it is clear that one of the most important contributors from the very start was the player Dogma. With the creation of his Shopper map City Shopper (a colorised version of which can be found on the Worms Map Database here), he set the tone for the design and layout of Shopper maps for many years to come.

In the earlier days of Shopper, the scheme was commonly considered to be a game for newbies. The most popular roping schemes at the time were Roper and Proper, which required a lot more skill with the ninja rope than Shopper and did not rely on the luck of crates. Newbies would typically start practicing their rope skills with the Shopper scheme, and then move to the more difficult rope schemes as their skills grew.

Around 2002, the attitude towards the scheme had started to change. Many who were considered to be elite Roper players had left the Worms community and took with them their strong dislike of Shopper. The Shopper scheme became more and more popular, passing Proper as the most popular scheme on WormNET.

In 2004, Star Worms created the Wall-X-Wall Shopper, a variation of the Shopper scheme which became very popular very quickly.

The scheme has featured consistently in competitions, featuring in every year of the Worm Olympics from when it started in 2006 to when it ended in 2016, and in cups and tournaments hosted on The Ultimate Site between 2010 and 2019.

External links

Shopper on Nanacide
Complete explanation of Shopper rules on The Ultimate Site of Worms Armageddon

	This article has a to-do list:
	add replays for the various variations add a line about the history of each variation