Welcome to our first Angry Birds Go strategy lesson. This lesson was originally written by @les-toreadors of Pigineering, with support of @dh-kim. This is the first guide in a multi-part series that will be adapted from Les’ awesome Angry Birds Go “Offensive Driving” course written on Pigineering.com.
In this chapter we will cover the basics of driving in Angry Birds Go!, and only driving. It’s up to you to look out for any route shortcuts, game-beating exploits and other undocumented features that Rovio adds to each Angry Birds game for fans’ enjoyment! Drive hard, drive fast, and don’t just follow the beaten track. Explore and appreciate the surprisingly detailed track environment, and you just might be amazed at Rovio’s trademark attention to detail. If you find something interesting please be sure to share it with the community by leaving a comment below.
While not intended to function as a realistic driving simulator, Angry Birds Go’s features a dynamic and entertaining physics model that can be used for maximum advantage for your own entertainment. AB GO provides excellent feedback for every bump, jump, and even the slightest of steering inputs. This attention to detail allows you to implement a variety of racing tactics commonly used in more serious racing simulators. Let us proceed to explore the idea of bacon-dynamic driving techniques and concepts such as:
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Your daily job involves carefully ferrying eggs down the mountainside, but sooner or later you are going to be beset by a horde of upstart pigs who want to relieve you of your precious cargo! Soon, you are forced to make a ‘flight or fight’ decision on whether to confront those unruly rolls of bacon fat, or try to outrun the opposition. But they pigs are too many, and you decide that, as the impromptu defender of avian honor on this very road, you are going to take a stand…
Pigs and birds have never got along on Piggy Island. Tactical driving is part and parcel of winning in Angry Birds Go! In the early stages of the game, punting opponents into the side of the track is a perfectly acceptable way to gain the upper hand. So is slingshotting your kart right on top of an opponent’s and dismounting him right at the start line!
But eventually, the Bacon Strikes Back! (Sometime in Episode V I think.) The “offensive driving” AI is very good in ABGO and frequently will run you out of line and into an unfavorable position in a blink of an eye, especially in the crucial Champion Chase levels. Knowing to anticipate attacks is part and parcel of survival in this epig struggle for egg, cake and coin. As the driver-in-charge, you are also expected to make split-second decisions on whether to fight opponents directly, or out-drive them in the hope your speed and precision outdistances them decisively. At other times you can also out-maneuver or ‘counter-spell’ an enemy’s ability such that its negative effects are only felt by the opponent while you cruise on by to victory!
As the game progresses to a high stakes bird vs pig slugfest at breakneck speeds, expect direct and continuous attacks on your kart. It’s up to you to make sure you have a winning chance, and often, offense is the best defense! So get crazy and ram those pigs off their karts!
If you have watched or participated in any form of track-based motorsports, you’ll know what a driving line is. It’s a line that is designed to carry as much speed as possible through the course, and with exceptions, it isn’t driving in the center of the track. You see Formula One cars diving in to the inside of each corner so they can get back on the power as soon as mechanically feasible. You see rally cars dunk their front wheel into a ditch to help sling them around a corner while drifting at insane speeds. A driving line not only allows you to maintain speed, it exploits physical features of the environment such as terrain and track geometry.
The closer you get to the inside of a corner (called the apex), the shorter the distance your kart has to travel. Aggressively attacking each corner gives obvious benefits over an opponent using a more conservative (and safe) driving line. The vehicle that is closer to the apex can potentially shave off precious seconds when traversing that particular corner.
But there is a bit of planning to do before you attack a corner. You do not want to hug the ‘inside’ wall all the way, because it will force you to execute a sharp turn, shaving off precious momentum in the process. You have to note as well the tilt or camber of the track, because it affects the steering input required to tackle the course. Off-camber, or track tilting away from the direction of the turn, will require greater effort to turn as gravity will drag you away from the apex.
So drive hard! Drive fast! Get into that apex and hug it and literally, slingshot your way through the course! It’s easy! Even 2 year old piglets can do it!
Credits & Thanks!
Originally posted on Pigineering here.
by Les Toreadors (@les-toreadors)
Screenshots by “Dried Ham” Kim (@dh-kim)
