Basics of Weapon Design

Everyone has in them the creativity to make nasty Warheads weapons. Hopefully by understanding the basics of each type of weapon component, I can help build a new generation of .WEP files for the warehouse.

Weapon Patterns
Every weapon has a pattern. It determines how the weapon will react, and in what way it will deliver its warhead(s). Weapon Patterns are free. If you are only planning to have one warhead, Spread or Bombard are harmless choices.

Spread All of the warheads are fired at once, each spaced exactly 2 degrees apart.

Split Dummy warhead flies 75% of the way to the target, then splits into it's warheads, at 16 degree increments.

Bombard All the warheads are launched one-at-a-time, at about 1 second intervals, with identical speed and angle.

Scatter Dummy warhead flies 75% of the way to the target, then splits into it's warheads, in random directions and speeds.

Spew Dummy warhead impacts with target, then launches all warheads away from the target with a 10 degree spread and 1/2 the speed, causing them to "rain down" on the target.

Popcorn Similar to spew, but all the warheads are launched in random directions and speeds.

Piledriver Again similar to spew, but all warheads are launched directly away (no 10 degree spread), and at a spread of speeds to have them "pile-drive" the target.

Bounce On each impact, one warhead is detonated, the remaining launched back into space at 80% of the speed.

Bracket Bomb Similar to bounce, but the warheads are launched in the opposite direction each time, bouncing back and forth.

Leaflets Each warhead is released at equal intervals on the way to the target, at half the speed of the main warhead. IE if you had 3 warheads, each would be released at 33% of the distance.

Crazy Bomber Identical to Leaflets, but each warhead is released at a random speed and angle.

If you don't have a fly stage in Crazy Bomber and Leaflet warheads, the warhead will detonate as soon as it splits from the main warhead...
Split warheads split when they touch a planet's ring. Bug or feature, you decide.

Now, the launch pattern would be nothing without warhead(s). Each of the Components below can be used in any order, unless otherwise noted. When a weapon is put together, it has one or more WARHEADS, which are grouped together by the Launch Pattern. Each Weapon can have up to 10 Warheads, and each Warhead is made up of up to 8 of the Components listed below.

Weapon Cost Description / Features / Quirks

Fly

Fly 0 Usually the first stage of any warhead, this is what makes the weapon loft it's way from point A to point B. Without some kind of fly stage, the warhead is likely to go off as soon as it is released by the launch pattern, probably in your face.
But... Depending on the launch pattern, you may not want to have a fly stage... depending on the effect you wish to create. Experiment.
HeatSeek flies, ignoring gravity, until it hits something or comes within range of a target (other than the launcher), at which point it will speed up and curve towards the target, depending on its distance from that target. It seeks the closest target, regardless of direction. HeatSeek is perfect vs Repel shields, pretty good against Evade, and pretty much useless against Bounce.
Note: Each HeatSeek stage doubles the total cost of that warhead. Also, it costs 10 credits ONLY if it is the first stage, otherwise it's free.

Heat
Seek *2
(See
below)

Explosions

Tiny 2 These are the "workhorses" of the weapons. They are usually the last thing the victim sees before he dies. They are the stage of the weapon that does the actual damage.
Explosive projectiles also damage the area around the impact point, based on the size of the explosion. Explosives can be used to remove dirt, as well as doing damage to nearby opponents.
Damages, based on direct hit (and approximate), are as follows:

Tiny Explosion: 15 points
Small Explosion: 20 points
Medium Explosion: 30 points
Large Explosion: 40 points
Massive Explosion: 60 points

Small 5

Medium 10

Large 30

Massive 60

Blasts

Small 5 Again, these components of a warhead are the ones that do the damage. They differ from Explosions in 2 important ways: They do very little damage to the surrounding dirt, and they they "kick" the target ship back, violently... They can kick your opponent so hard that he will be embedded into a planet, a ring, even another ship! (I wish I had gotten a screen capture of THAT one...)
Another important feature of Blast is that you can "stack" them, one after another, in the warhead, and they will go off, one after another, each one doing damage (assuming the target hasn't been kicked out of range).
Damages, based on direct hit (and approximate), are as follows:

Small Blast: 20 points
Medium Blast: 30 points
Large Blast: 40 points
Massive Blast: 60 points

Medium 10

Large 30

Massive 60

Fires

Small 10 Often unpredictable, flame-based weapons can do a great deal of damage, if they hit. They continue to do damage for the duration of the burn, while they are in direct contact with the target ship.

Fire: 6 points at a time, lasting depending on size, and sits on the surface of the planet only
Napalm: 8 points at a time, and can seep into the planet
Unfortunately, they can appear to be in direct contact with the ship, but do no damage. They are also rendered completely impotent by REPEL shields, sending them flying in all directions (sometimes back at the person who launched them!), doing little or no damage to the target.
One thing to remember, Fire placed after Explosions usually malfunctions.

Large 20

Napalm 20

Burrowing

Straight 10 This stage is just like "fly", but through the ground. The first open space it touches (even if it's just 1 tiny little pixel) will end the stage and start the next. For example, if you have a straight burrow, followed by a small blast, the first open pixel it hits after entering the ground causes the blast to go off. Split can only occur once in a warhead, but you can use it more than once in any weapon.
(Straight Burrow is a good way to ignore intervening planets)
If you don't want the warhead to explode as soon as it touches the surface, add a fly stage after the burrow stage.

Anti-Gravity burrow digs in a curve from the surface, against the gravity of the planet.
Split burrow splits as it "flys" through the ground.
Split (Large) burrow splits as it "flys" through the ground, but to a much greater degree than just Split.
Note: Split multiplies the cost of THAT WARHEAD by 5 times, and Large Split multiplies it by 10 times. Also, the slower the weapon enters the ground, the more time it has to split.

Splitting *5
(See
below)

Splitting
(Large) *10
(See
below)

Anti-
Gravity 10

Terraform

Small 10 Terraform creates a small or medium planet at the point of impact. This can be used to either immobilize your opponent, spoil his shots, or just annoy him (which can be fun too).

Large 20

Kick Off

KickOff 15 Your opponent has himself blocked in, and you want to shake him up? He has your number and you know the next shot is going to cream you? Just want to throw some mayhem into the game? KickOff will send everyone on the impacted planet flying straight away from that planet, as if they jumped.

Orbitter

Orbit 40 This stage will make the warhead circle the current planet 360 degrees (all the way around), or until it hits something (including you). It flies in the direction opposite the direction of impact.

Smoke

Smoke
Bomb 10 Smoke is the one way to remove lots of dirt. It is also the only "detonation" that does you no damage, so you can fire this point blank to dig yourself out of a terraform.

Walker

Walker 25 This stage "walks" 18 steps, or until it hits something, whichever comes first. Hitting anything (usually dirt) that impedes its path makes it halt that stage and go on to the next (usually exploding, depending on what you've programmed).
You can stack Walk stages, increasing the distance that the warhead walks, but the direction it walks after the first walk stage is largely random.

Keep your opponent off-guard. Create weapons that will surprise him, even when he thinks he's safe.
Most warheads do not have to end with an explosion or blast. Try Blast-Blast-Terraform, to hurt him, then keep him from retaliating...
You can stack Blasts, or alternate blast-fire-blast-napalm, or many other strange combos (Imagine a Fly-Orbit-Blast-Blast-Napalm weapon. Ouch.).
BE CREATIVE... CREATIVITY KILLS!!!!!!!

NOTE ON MULTIPLIER EFFECTS...
Heat Seek, Splitting Burrow and Large Splitting Burrow cost 10 credits each IF they are the first effect, other than "Fly". Then the multiplier is factored in.

This is just a small lesson in Warheads weapon creation. The only way to really learn is to try out different weapons, in different configurations. Most of your weapons won't always work the way you've expected, but that is how you learn the game.

If you have any ideas of how to make this help file more helpful, let me know!

Return to Weird Al Walker's Warheads Weapon Warehouse

Weapon Patterns Every weapon has a pattern. It determines how the weapon will react, and in what way it will deliver its warhead(s). Weapon Patterns are free. If you are only planning to have one warhead, Spread or Bombard are harmless choices.
Spread	All of the warheads are fired at once, each spaced exactly 2 degrees apart.
Split	Dummy warhead flies 75% of the way to the target, then splits into it's warheads, at 16 degree increments.
Bombard	All the warheads are launched one-at-a-time, at about 1 second intervals, with identical speed and angle.
Scatter	Dummy warhead flies 75% of the way to the target, then splits into it's warheads, in random directions and speeds.
Spew	Dummy warhead impacts with target, then launches all warheads away from the target with a 10 degree spread and 1/2 the speed, causing them to "rain down" on the target.
Popcorn	Similar to spew, but all the warheads are launched in random directions and speeds.
Piledriver	Again similar to spew, but all warheads are launched directly away (no 10 degree spread), and at a spread of speeds to have them "pile-drive" the target.
Bounce	On each impact, one warhead is detonated, the remaining launched back into space at 80% of the speed.
Bracket Bomb	Similar to bounce, but the warheads are launched in the opposite direction each time, bouncing back and forth.
Leaflets	Each warhead is released at equal intervals on the way to the target, at half the speed of the main warhead. IE if you had 3 warheads, each would be released at 33% of the distance.
Crazy Bomber	Identical to Leaflets, but each warhead is released at a random speed and angle.
If you don't have a fly stage in Crazy Bomber and Leaflet warheads, the warhead will detonate as soon as it splits from the main warhead... Split warheads split when they touch a planet's ring. Bug or feature, you decide.

Weapon	Cost	Description / Features / Quirks
Fly
Fly	0	Usually the first stage of any warhead, this is what makes the weapon loft it's way from point A to point B. Without some kind of fly stage, the warhead is likely to go off as soon as it is released by the launch pattern, probably in your face. But... Depending on the launch pattern, you may not want to have a fly stage... depending on the effect you wish to create. Experiment. HeatSeek flies, ignoring gravity, until it hits something or comes within range of a target (other than the launcher), at which point it will speed up and curve towards the target, depending on its distance from that target. It seeks the closest target, regardless of direction. HeatSeek is perfect vs Repel shields, pretty good against Evade, and pretty much useless against Bounce. Note: Each HeatSeek stage doubles the total cost of that warhead. Also, it costs 10 credits ONLY if it is the first stage, otherwise it's free.
Heat Seek	*2 (See below)
Explosions
Tiny	2	These are the "workhorses" of the weapons. They are usually the last thing the victim sees before he dies. They are the stage of the weapon that does the actual damage. Explosive projectiles also damage the area around the impact point, based on the size of the explosion. Explosives can be used to remove dirt, as well as doing damage to nearby opponents. Damages, based on direct hit (and approximate), are as follows: Tiny Explosion: 15 points Small Explosion: 20 points Medium Explosion: 30 points Large Explosion: 40 points Massive Explosion: 60 points
Small	5
Medium	10
Large	30
Massive	60
Blasts
Small	5	Again, these components of a warhead are the ones that do the damage. They differ from Explosions in 2 important ways: They do very little damage to the surrounding dirt, and they they "kick" the target ship back, violently... They can kick your opponent so hard that he will be embedded into a planet, a ring, even another ship! (I wish I had gotten a screen capture of THAT one...) Another important feature of Blast is that you can "stack" them, one after another, in the warhead, and they will go off, one after another, each one doing damage (assuming the target hasn't been kicked out of range). Damages, based on direct hit (and approximate), are as follows: Small Blast: 20 points Medium Blast: 30 points Large Blast: 40 points Massive Blast: 60 points
Medium	10
Large	30
Massive	60
Fires
Small	10	Often unpredictable, flame-based weapons can do a great deal of damage, if they hit. They continue to do damage for the duration of the burn, while they are in direct contact with the target ship. Fire: 6 points at a time, lasting depending on size, and sits on the surface of the planet only Napalm: 8 points at a time, and can seep into the planet Unfortunately, they can appear to be in direct contact with the ship, but do no damage. They are also rendered completely impotent by REPEL shields, sending them flying in all directions (sometimes back at the person who launched them!), doing little or no damage to the target. One thing to remember, Fire placed after Explosions usually malfunctions.
Large	20
Napalm	20
Burrowing
Straight	10	This stage is just like "fly", but through the ground. The first open space it touches (even if it's just 1 tiny little pixel) will end the stage and start the next. For example, if you have a straight burrow, followed by a small blast, the first open pixel it hits after entering the ground causes the blast to go off. Split can only occur once in a warhead, but you can use it more than once in any weapon. (Straight Burrow is a good way to ignore intervening planets) If you don't want the warhead to explode as soon as it touches the surface, add a fly stage after the burrow stage. Anti-Gravity burrow digs in a curve from the surface, against the gravity of the planet. Split burrow splits as it "flys" through the ground. Split (Large) burrow splits as it "flys" through the ground, but to a much greater degree than just Split. Note: Split multiplies the cost of THAT WARHEAD by 5 times, and Large Split multiplies it by 10 times. Also, the slower the weapon enters the ground, the more time it has to split.
Splitting	*5 (See below)
Splitting (Large)	*10 (See below)
Anti- Gravity	10
Terraform
Small	10	Terraform creates a small or medium planet at the point of impact. This can be used to either immobilize your opponent, spoil his shots, or just annoy him (which can be fun too).
Large	20
Kick Off
KickOff	15	Your opponent has himself blocked in, and you want to shake him up? He has your number and you know the next shot is going to cream you? Just want to throw some mayhem into the game? KickOff will send everyone on the impacted planet flying straight away from that planet, as if they jumped.
Orbitter
Orbit	40	This stage will make the warhead circle the current planet 360 degrees (all the way around), or until it hits something (including you). It flies in the direction opposite the direction of impact.
Smoke
Smoke Bomb	10	Smoke is the one way to remove lots of dirt. It is also the only "detonation" that does you no damage, so you can fire this point blank to dig yourself out of a terraform.
Walker
Walker	25	This stage "walks" 18 steps, or until it hits something, whichever comes first. Hitting anything (usually dirt) that impedes its path makes it halt that stage and go on to the next (usually exploding, depending on what you've programmed). You can stack Walk stages, increasing the distance that the warhead walks, but the direction it walks after the first walk stage is largely random.
Keep your opponent off-guard. Create weapons that will surprise him, even when he thinks he's safe. Most warheads do not have to end with an explosion or blast. Try Blast-Blast-Terraform, to hurt him, then keep him from retaliating... You can stack Blasts, or alternate blast-fire-blast-napalm, or many other strange combos (Imagine a Fly-Orbit-Blast-Blast-Napalm weapon. Ouch.). BE CREATIVE... CREATIVITY KILLS!!!!!!!
*NOTE ON MULTIPLIER EFFECTS...* Heat Seek, Splitting Burrow and Large Splitting Burrow cost 10 credits each IF they are the first effect, other than "Fly". Then the multiplier is factored in.