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
	Download · Info

(Up to Schemes)

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 (KTC) - 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:

Wall-X-Wall Shopper

Main Article: Wall-X-Wall Shopper

In this variation, the player has to touch a number of specified number of walls highlighted by the map before attacking each turn, in addition to collecting a weapon crate.

Fly Shopper

In this variation, the player has to fly across a pillar in the middle of the map at least once before attacking. For this, a new rule was created: FBA, meaning Fly Before Attack.

The Term "Fly"

Beginners to this scheme sometimes have difficulty of understanding what a valid "fly" is. Here are some basic concepts concerning this:

During a fly, the worm can not touch the object in the middle, doing so makes the fly invalid. For obvious reasons, however, it is allowed to touch it before and after the fly - eg. when doing a special kind of fly called "mexi".
For the fly to be valid, the rope can not attach to anything while going over the object - eg. it isn't enough to just swing the worm over the top of the object.
The fly must always be initiated from rope, but the player doesn't necessarily have to attach the rope again on the other side - eg. if the worms hits an object on the other side (the opposite wall, for example) and the parachute activates, the fly is still valid. Also, when TestStuff is activated, it is common practice to consider a fly valid if the player activates the parachute manually while still flying over the central object, and then descends to the other side.

Chamber Shopper

Map
Specially designed map Examples at the WMDB

In a Chamber Shopper, the map is divided into several chambers, often with open tops and separated by a number of vertical pillars. The overall feeling of the game is akin to that of the Fly Shopper.

The FBA rule (see above) may apply.

Pod Shopper

Map
Specially designed map Examples at the WMDB

This scheme's uniqueness lies in that the map consists of 2 or more separated pods. The players must go from pod to pod in order to collect a crate and to find a worm to attack. The games tend to be short, as lots of worms fall into the water accidentally or due to attacks. There are no specific rules whatsoever besides the normal Shopper rules, although KTL/ABL is sometimes omitted.

Moon Shopper

The only thing separating this scheme from Shopper, is that the players have to activate Low Gravity in the beginning of each of their turns.

Surf Shopper

Map
Specially designed map Examples at the WMDB

In Surf Shopper the players must skim their worm across water onto an island. Since TestStuff enables firing the rope after skimming on water, many people prefer to use it, so the rule will usually force the players to Surf Before Attack (SBA). However, if for some reason TestStuff is not turned on, you still have to skim on water, but since you will loose control of the worm while surfing, the rule will be Surf After Attack (SAA).

Attack From Air Shopper

Map
Specially designed map (example)

In this variant, which is also known as AFA Shopper, the players must attack during a rope-roll, by pressing "Enter" while in the air. This creates a specific rule called AFA, meaning Attack From Air. Usually, the rule KTL is omitted, and only CBA and AFA are used.

In order to be able to fire the a weapon mid-air, it is imperative to activate TestStuff.

This scheme was created in December 2008 by Crowe [1] and its original name is "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.

Tunnel Shopper

A mix of Rope race and Shopper.

Speed Shopper

A Shopper with 10 or 15 second long turns.

Power Shopper

A Shopper with high power weapons and 15 second long turns.

Drive-by Shopper

Map
Specially designed map (example)

The player has to make a lap around the map.

Loser Shopper

Shopper played on any map where you can't drown. First to kill all their own worms is the winner.

Crate Collector

Map
Randomly generated cavern map

A WWP scheme with WormPot's "Super Rope mode" and "Crates, crates and even more crates" settings are on. It is also known as Ropes and Crates or RnC.

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