WormsDCAF

(Up to Worms: The Director's Cut/Development)

WormsDCAF is the name given to a prerelease build of Worms: The Director's Cut.

Build discovery and release

In 2020, Perifractic partnered with Cloanto and Team17 to release a full dump of an Amiga A4000 computer previously used by Team17. The computer contains a number of oddities relating to 1st-gen Worms titles, including sprite sheets, unused animations, raw data for the FMVs seen in CD-ROM editions of the game, and an early build of Worms: The Director's Cut.

This early build is found in an LhA archive labeled "wormsdcaf.lha". This, along with the "Amiga Format Preview Version" text overlaid across the WormsDC logo on the title screen, suggests this was the build of the game used by Amiga Format to review the game for their Xmas '96 issue.

Build information

The main WORMSDC tool has a file creation date of "11-Nov-96 03:39:28", and is 204,164 bytes (approximately 0.2MB). This is in contrast to the final retail version of the game, which has a file creation date of "04-Mar-97 12:00:58", and is 225,976 bytes (approximately 0.23MB).

Perhaps most interestingly, this version of WormsDC features copy protection. This is interesting as the final release of the game does not feature copy protection of any kind. The protection is identical to other Team17 titles of the era, most notably the previous Worms game. However, attempting to use codes from booklets included with other Team17 titles does not yield positive results.

In August 2020, English Amiga Board user LanceT brute-forced past the title screen by saving an emulation state and trying different codes. After some time, LanceT was able to access the game and take some screenshots, principally of the title screen. Of note, this build uses the same cursor graphic as the original Worms as opposed to the more detailed version used in WormsDC, and the next "AMIGA FORMAT PREVIEW VERSION" is laid on top of the logo at the top of the screen. In-game screenshots show the version of the HUD as seen in the final game, as opposed to the "WORMS+" version seen in preview screenshots.

Later that same day, another EAB user by the name of Radertified provided instructions for how to modify memory in the WinUAE Amiga emulator to bypass the copy protection.

Key differences from final build

Unless otherwise noted, gameplay is identical to the v1.0 retail release of the game.

Menus

General

• The mouse cursor is the same one used in the original Worms. This cursor also appears in-game, but with a broken color palette.
• The mouse cursor does not interact with the grenade object in any way.
• Cheat codes are non-functional, so it is not possible to unlock cheat modes or view hidden messages.

Team Entry

• "Team Name" is abbreviated to "TEAM NM" in this build.
• There is a "SAMPLE SET" option which appears to provide the option to give each team their own soundbank. It doesn't do anything when clicked, even if additional soundbanks are added to the TWSAMPLES drawer. It appears to be purely cosmetic.

Options

• Page 2 of the Options screen includes the "CD Mode" and "CD Audio" options from the CD32 version of Worms, however they are set to "N/A" and don't do anything, even if the game is launched on an Amiga with a CD-ROM drive. As with the Sample Set option on Team Entry, this appears to be purely cosmetic.
• The ability to adjust ammo for Super and secret weapons is unlocked by default - 1 of each secret and super weapon is provided (3 x Mad Cows are provided).

Records

• Identical to the original Worms - there are only two pages, with no additional page for changing soundbanks or loading/saving options. There is also no way to view saved Graffiti levels.
• Clicking "Team List" and then clicking "Exit" takes you to a blank page with the only available options being "EXIT", which takes you back to the main menu, or "NEXT", which takes you to the first page of the Records menu.

In-Game

• Ninja Rope behavior is much closer to that seen in the v1.05 patch, however rope swings sometimes taking more effort to get going. Additionally, the worm sprite does not have full rotation.
  • It's possible these physics are still in use for the Sheep-on-a-Rope in the final build, as the Sheep-on-a-Rope has always had a "heavier" feel to it.
• The Handgun uses the Shotgun sounds for loading and firing.
• The Holy Hand Grenade does not play the "Hallelujah!" choir sound prior to detonation, and simply detonates once the grenade has rested and at least 3 seconds has passed.
• No sound plays for the Old Woman.
• The Sheep Strike drops 5 Sheep that immediately detonate on impact, dealing 75 damage, as opposed to bouncing as they do in the final build and later games.

Loose/extra file information

The game includes TOYS and HOME, the same colour maps included with the retail release. The file extension used, however, is .WRM, not .WRM16 as would be used for colour maps in the final retail release of WormsDC. They are, nevertheless, 16-colour maps, as opposed to the 8-colour maps used by the original Worms. A copy of TOYS.WRM is also found in the root of the archive.

This version of the game does not include WormPrefs, which would track with the game's ReadMe describing the application having been written "in a VERY short space of time". Presumably, it was not yet ready at the time this build was provided to Amiga Format.

The archive also includes a .DOC file containing an unfinished version of the manual. This can be open in any word processor without issue.

There is also a file called GRASS.DIY located in the drawer alongside the main executable. Though the file extension would suggest this a DIY terrain, it's actually an IFF/AIFF graphics file and can be opened in any graphics editor that supports the format, such as Deluxe Paint, Brilliance, or Adobe PhotoShop.