Automatically selected weapons

(Up to Game logic)

Some weapons are automatically selected at the beginning of a player's turn or when activating the jetpack, parachute or bungee.

Start of turn

At the beginning of a worm's first turn, the bazooka will be automatically selected. Otherwise, the selected weapon will be the weapon that was last used by that worm. If the bazooka or the previously used weapon is not available, another weapon will be selected. The weapons are ordered in a hierarchy that determines which weapon will be selected.

Examples:

• if the bazooka is not available, then the mortar will be selected
• if a shotgun was used last turn, but is no longer available, then the selected weapon for that worm will be the highest available weapon on the hierarchy
• if none of the weapons on the hierarchy are available, no weapon will be selected

The full hierarchy, in order from highest to lowest, is below:

1. Bazooka
2. Mortar
3. Grenade
4. Cluster Bomb
5. Battle Axe
6. Shotgun
7. Handgun
8. Uzi
9. Longbow
10. Fire Punch
11. Super Sheep
12. Aqua Sheep
13. Mole Bomb
14. Blow Torch
15. Pneumatic Drill
16. Ninja Rope
17. Flame Thrower
18. Petrol Bomb

Note that most weapons are not listed. It is not clear why the list only includes these weapons, or why they are ordered as they are.

On bungee, parachute or jetpack

Most weapons can be used while using a transport tool such as the bungee, parachute or jetpack. While selected, the weapon's icon appears above the worm, visible to all players. Weapons can be selected manually, using either the F-keys or the right-click weapons menu.

Some weapons are selected by default when the transport tool is activated, provided that they are available in the player's inventory. The weapons that can be selected by default are ordered in a hierarchy; with the highest available weapon being the one that is selected.

The full hierarchy, in order from highest to lowest, is below:

1. Super Sheep
2. Aqua Sheep
3. Mole Bomb
4. Dynamite
5. Mine
6. Sheep
7. Salvation Army
8. Skunk
9. Priceless Ming Vase
10. Mad Cow
11. Old Woman
12. Bazooka
13. Mortar
14. Grenade
15. Cluster Bomb
16. Battle Axe
17. Shotgun
18. Handgun
19. Uzi
20. Longbow
21. Fire Punch
22. Blow Torch
23. Pneumatic Drill
24. Ninja Rope
25. Flame Thrower
26. Petrol Bomb

This auto-selection is presumably to make it easier for the player to drop a weapon from a transport tool, but it is not clear why other droppable weapons such as the Banana Bomb are not on the list, or why weapons such as the Blowtorch or Axe - which cannot be dropped - are listed. It is also unclear why this particular order was chosen.

Notable exclusions include the Banana, Super Banana, Sheep Launcher, and Holy Hand Grenade, all of which can be easily dropped from a transport tool. 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 their exclusion from the auto-select list is understandable.

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 (i.e. those higher on the heirarchy). Some Team17 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.

Worms / WormsDC notes

• Worms and WormsDC do not have a weapons hierachy and the Bazooka is the default weapon even if none are available in the inventory.
• If a worm uses a Mine then it will be wielding the Bazooka at the start of its next turn.