Uncle Worm
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Uncle Worm is a video game created by a programmer going by the alias Badja. It can be run on the Mirage operating system of Texas Instruments' TI-83 Plus graphing calculator.
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[edit] Gameplay
Uncle Worm is a simple game that plays very much like the old classic Snake. After choosing which speed he or she wants to play the game at, the player controls a 1-pixel wide "worm" in a quest to eat dots that appear on the screen one at a time. Each dot eaten increases both the player's score and the worm's length, which makes it increasingly difficult for the player to maneuver the worm without hitting himself. After eating ten dots, the player is able to progress to the next level by proceeding through a narrow opening at the top of the screen, ending the level and earning himself a bonus. The process is then repeated, with each level increasingly narrow and more difficult - level 5 is practically impossible on a "fast" setting. When the player hits any of the four walls (more common amongst amateurs) or himself (more common amongst experts), the game is over.
The primary difference between Uncle Worm and its more famous predecessor is that, while in Snake one can only turn the snake at 90-degree angles, one can turn the worm in Uncle Worm at any angle he or she so desires.
For a long time there was much controversy as to the amount of levels in Uncle Worm, but Michael Cardace proved that there are only 6 levels to the game after beating it on 'Medium' speed: a task that is virtually impossible. As of September 2006 he is the only known person to beat Uncle Worm.
[edit] Scoring
After each level is finished or the player gets a game over, the game tells the player his score, which is computed as follows:
- Each tiny dot - Adds 4 points
- Each small dot - Adds 5 points
- Each mid-size dot - Adds 6 points
- Each large dot - Adds 7 points
- Each huge dot - Adds 8 points (note: the larger dot sizes, though they are easier to get with the worm and do score more points, also increase the length of the worm more than do the smaller sizes.)
- The bonus - Adds 16 points * the number of the level just finished. For example, if a player finishes level 2, he scores 32 additional points. If the player also beats level 3, he or she scores 48 additional points on top of the 48 bonus points the player received for beating levels 1 and 2.
Each size of dot nominally appears with the same frequency, so a bit of arithmetic shows that the average amount of points one scores on average per level is 10 dots * 6 points/dot = 60 points. Add this to the bonus of 16 points and the player gets the average score after level 1, 76 points. (The amount of points scored on a level is rarely more than 10 above or below the average; for example, it's most common to score (60±10)+32 = between 82 and 102 points on level 2.)
Another quick bit of arithmetic shows that the mean score after beating level 4 should be (60*4 + 16 + 32 + 48 + 64) = 400, but in practice it's usually less. This is because smaller dots are actually slightly more common than larger dots, simply because there's more space to put them. This is most evident in the later levels, where there's less room.
Commonly defined, a "good" score is 300-350 points, while a "great" score is anything above 420. (Scores between 350 and 400 rarely occur, due to the 64-point bonus for beating level 4.)
[edit] Proper Play
Playing Uncle Worm (or " uncle worming") at a high level requires extreme discipline and patience, but these are worth nothing if the player's technique is poor. Firstly, all expert play is done on the most difficult setting, which is "fast" - the "medium" and "slow" speeds are for amateurs only. Once the difficulty is selected from the starting screen, the game of Uncle Worm immediately begins.
The first difficulty that most beginners run into is a simple inability to control the worm, due to improper fingering. It is optimal to place the thumbs of each hand on the left and right keys; this allows for quick turns in either direction, which becomes of paramount importance the further in the game one progresses. Some players prefer to use one thumb, stating that they are less likely to press the wrong direction on an impulse during a time when quick movements are necessary. This technique is called the "Baltimore Tigerstyle".
After proper fingering is established, though the new players can now turn correctly, they often end up trapping themselves against the side, resulting in a premature game over. The key to avoiding this is to "always leave oneself an out". The most effective way to do this (and the only way to progress into the further levels of Uncle Worm) is to double back on oneself, thus creating a compressed "S" sort of shape. This allows for much more free maneuvering space, reducing greatly the possibility of unforced errors on the player's part.
Finally, the last mistake beginning Uncle Worm players make is to play too quickly. There is no bonus for finishing a level quickly, so when one misses a dot (sometimes experts do this on purpose, to avoid growing and to give themselves time to regroup), it's best not to rush after it, but to patiently wind around and try again. Using proper fingering, doubling back on oneself constantly, and remembering to be patient, one can become an Uncle Worm juggernaut in no time at all, earning one the adulation of one's peers.
