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Worms iPhone shares its engine with PS3 version

But is fully optimized for the touchscreen device

Worms iPhone shares its engine with PS3 version
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During our recent visit to Team17, creators of the wonderful Worms series, it was revealed that the imminent iPhone version has some very special tech running behind the carnage. In fact, the game's engine has been lifted from the PS3 version, with only a few minor tweaks needed.

Lead programmer Matt Bishop told us that "we took the shaders out, but it's still got the water in there, it's still got the particle system in there, the wind system is in there, essentially this is the PS3 version".

He explained that the process was surprisingly simple: "OpenGL is what we're used to working on, and a lot of our renderer on PS3, syntax-wise, was pretty much the same, and we also had our underlying engine which just needed porting to the Mac."

This is no lazy port, however, as Team17 put the game through a rigorous test regime using local kids. As well as providing cheap labour, this method also served to show the team a fresh perspective on their touch-screen efforts.

"It's been really helpful putting Worms through our strict usability tests," they said. "There's so many things you just can't think of on paper.”

Stay tuned for more Worms titbits as the week progresses.

Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.