Reply To: AB 2 Glitches and Bugs

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Sutekh137
@sutekh137

@mvnla2

@bankler

OK, maybe not fully computerized, but there is no way someone at Rovio is painstakingly creating levels the same way they did for, say, the original AB. Just do the math:

— 500 AB2 levels.
— Estimate an average of 4 rooms per level (that’s probably low, but early levels have fewer rooms).
— That equals 2000 “rooms”, or what would be equivalent to a single level in AB.
— The original AB has a total of 573 levels, by my count. And let’s not forget how cool some of that game play was. Remember Red’s Mighty Feathers, levels where the game play was totally novel and different? Or the introduction of new birds like Short Fuse?

So, 2000 rooms vs 573 levels. AB was released in December of 2009 and had several enhancements over the next 3-4 years. Even a five-year release. AB2 was released just last July — 9 months ago. Even if we said the bulk of AB’s levels were released on 3 years to make level release look denser, that means about 600 levels in 36 months, or roughly 17 levels per month.

AB2 has released, essentially, 2000 levels in 9 months, or 222 levels per month. That’s THIRTEEN TIMES as much content in terms of churning a single frame of play.

And let’s not forget the re-use of structures. Eiffels, squat pyramids, standard towers, balloon suspensions — we see a LOT of the same constructs over and over again in AB2. Staff at Rovio is churning out levels more than ten times as quickly as they did with AB1, and it shows — the levels are soulless and samey. Snorkler pigs are diabolical? I guess, a bit (I’m through seven new levels in just two hours — they ain’t that tough). But that’s been the theme of AB2 this whole time, hasn’t it? Level design isn’t necessarily more clever or interesting, it’s random and usually more difficult (even though we have aiming help with the dotted arcs).

Your point about presents is a good one, but it sort of solidifies my point: we end up needing/wanting to play the game for all kinds of reasons that differ wholesale from why we played AB. We played AB because it was FUN. We play AB2 to grind out completions, stars, and gifts just so we can…go grind out some more when yet another 20 levels (80+ rooms!) are churned out just 14-20 days later. This is a treadmill, not a delightful run in the park.

A lot of folks say, “duh, it’s all part of the money grab”, but I see it more as a misdirected, desperate attempt to recapture the magic of the original AB. That’s where I am coming from; trying to turn that misdirection into fun game-play focus. Because if someone at Rovio is designing these new levels WITHOUT using a computer, they should be fired. These new levels have almost zero creativity to them. Case in point? The first new Boss level (486) once again requires you knock the Boss in the water, clear out what is behind him, then pop him out to send him off the right side of the screen. This is the fourth or fifth boss fight to require that sort of tactic. Zero creativity.

Thanks,
sutekh137