About the Angry Birds 2 Arena

[DJLarryt]

Rovio is definitely tinkering with the game settings today.

I just played “Dash Wings” (another cutesy bird name, hmmm) whom I outranked on every single bird except one.

My score was dashed by two and a half million points…. for the very same reason that @heybert17 said above… suddenly all my shots were useless… birds dropped in mid-air when there was nothing there for them to hit… structures barely budged no matter how direct my shot was… pigs bouncing off debris like ping-pong balls and not popping.

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Rovio you will be pleased to know that I talked 5 potential players out of downloading this game today. All they had to do was watch me play it :P

[cognitive]

Oh, yea, there seem to be an awful lot of close games lately. Like a few thousand points out of 4 million (we of level 7 bird fame).

But I am astonished as to the quality of players I get pitted against. Every once in a while I get to play a bozo – in which case he’ll likely have a bunch of spells – or a good player who simply does not make mistakes. Said good player pretty much can win because he’s scoring thru the roof with what he has.

Bottom line – it’s like bringing NBA players to compete in high school basketball. It defeats the purpose when you lose 5 streak 1 games in a row, win a streak 2 game once in a while, and always get nuked in streak 3. I haven’t seen streak 4+ in a couple weeks.

[heybert17]

Streak 3 games are over on the first bird, you are so outmatched even if you play perfect they only have to play halfway decent to destroy you, every bird gets 100,000 more than yours.

[heybert17]

They must be tweaking the Arena again. Even though I just watched a video to get a free chest, I can not get into the Arena, keep getting connection error.

Plus another thing, I am having trouble figuring out how I can destroy everything but maybe 1 piece of wood in room one, yet my opponent, with the same level bird, can still outscore me by 50-100,000 points.

[DDeck]

@david-martin

Last week, when I didn’t get any gems or notification of tournament standing, there was also no “streak broken” prompt waiting for me last week because I had won the match I entered. I had however quit out of the game from the arena, so that would probably be it, perhaps.

This time I took your advice and made sure not to quit from the arena, and backed out to the levels. All worked as expected, and I got gems. So, it perhaps seems important to not quit out from the arena.

[DJLarryt]

OMG, just when I thought I had seen everything in AB2 Arena.

1. I just had to beat a player by scoring 10,000,000 points. I know my game is going to go into the annals of Arena matches that nobody else can beat, so please don’t hate me for Rovio using my match as a match against you honest players. It took 5 spells and everything I had to beat this all level 12, 5-spell joker.

2. This person is using an avatar of someone’s ass.

Nice one Rovio.

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[kedik22]

@heybert17

Hi.
I think it has to do with the way they are destroyed.
Direct hit, against each other or little by little.

But I agree with you, arena opponents always seem to have the upper hand: no mistakes and higher scoring.

What astonishes me is the darkness with which this and other issues are handled by Rovio.
They never come clean about any of the rules/systems/methods; they think like lawyers not wanting to be liable when tweaking the game in their favour or just plain rigging it.

[Angry Beaver]

That’s all. I’m quit. Thank you Rovio for “good” game. May i ask if i have l9 birds
why i get in winning streak #1 opponent with l12 birds and 5 spells. 4 times in a row! This sucks! With whistle! So long. Maybe i will return when game is fixed.

[heybert17]

@kedik22 I get what you are saying about the way the structure falls. But most first rooms are an easy structure that there is really only 1 sweet spot that destroys everything. So there really couldn’t be much difference in the way you get a complete destruction.

And since most of our opponents lately have been playing near perfect games I have been paying close attention to their bird lineup. and I play the exact same birds in the same order they play them for as long as I can, usually only about 3-4 birds tops before I no longer have the same birds to use. But I have noticed they almost always have the PERFECT bird for the structure to start room 1. Many times they will start with Bomb, Chuck and Terrence while I get Red, Blue and Matilda, all birds that require specific material or more skill to get good hits.

[Dwhite]

It’s been a broken record playing for a year. They say “Wait until our exciting, new update!” Then the update comes and the only true way to prepare for it is to get out the lube. Their aren’t many FOR SURE things in this world we live but it is 100% for sure that the new update will be centered around one thing and one thing only- $$$$$ and ways to manipulate the player to get it.

Feel free to review the comments on here for the last 6 months. The unfair matchmaking is by far the #1 subject. Has anything been done about this to make the game more fair? Absolutely not. Amazingly it actually goes in the opposite direction and the matchmaking becomes more and more atrocious.

Deleting this abomination was the best decision I’ve made in a while. Absolutely no regrets. What Rovio has done to the players with this game is borderline criminal. My last day playing I got beat in the first round six times in a row by 5 spell opponents. That’s beyond comical.

I have compassion for the beginning players because the game is fun at first. That’s when they put the hook in their mouth. They have hope and faith that improvements will be made to make the game fair. But they will be sorely disappointed.

After all, to have a FAIR game is just asking for too much. Do yourselves a favor and delete this game. It is nothing more than a jig intended to get you hooked while totally manipulating you from every angle possible to get in your wallet. But most importantly you have to ask yourself “Am I even having fun?” I doubt it.

I was an extremely loyal customer of Rovios. I played all of their games and spent lots of $$$$. They have lost all of my business forever. I have zero tolerance for being lied to and manipulated. This company cares absolutely zero about the player and only about their profit margin. Of course I’m in the “huge minority” but that’s ok.

[kedik22]

@heybert17

Yes, they usually play perfect and also have the right birds.

When they bring in five spells, have you noted:
1) They get to use them right away. First and second rooms always, sometimes the third. Therefore they get replaced very quickly. When I have brought in spells, I don´t get to use them till the third or fourth room.
2) They always get to use the sardine can at least two times. Saw someone using three of them against me.

And yes, the bird line up is mostly stacked in their favor.

Again I ask @hank, is all of the above random?
And may I ask, what is your opinion on @djlarryt and @sambeaver posts above?

[Jon S]

Man, I can’t begin to tell how much the arena is frustrating me right now. The many issues I’ve been having are

1) Unfair game matching… streak 3-5 I’m faced with all level 12 birds with all spell cards sometimes 3-4 in a row. You can’t even compete with them unless you bring spells yourself and spend gems so you can keep up with them…most of these guys score easily over 8-10 million points. This also happened with battles with battles with level 10-11 birds/5 spells.

2) The constant use of spell cards…once upon a time a spell card counted for an equivalent of a vanilla level bird…now it’s equivalent to that of an elder gold/azure card. Using one chili, or duck can easily give you half a million points if not more if it hits the structure’s sweet spot. Opponents love these cards since get these them win them so quickly in the 1st and 2nd rooms of the battle.

3) Double vision. I’ve been lately seeing opponents drawing either 2 bombs or 2 matildas in their 3 card current lineup. What’s with that?

4) Even tho I have the latest update, I still have a bug where it shows I’m winning but the game prompts me as to pay or watch an ad since they haven’t updated the other guys end score

5) I think this is the reason that frustrates me the most. Yesterday’s tournament ended and I finished first with 600 points, 2nd place 550. I played until the last possible second so it can attempt to get at least one of my birds into elder azure. I received absolutely nothing. From it. No 300 gems to be seen, no gold medal either. Even restarted and tried again. What the heck? I feel completely ripped off since I spent a whole week working hard to get where I did. New tournament started 8 hours ago and the first place has already 180 points :(

[ABeggerToo]

I am experiencing the same “no-win” matchups as most. The few times I have been tempted to pay 60 gems to beat an opponent (my score is within a few 100,000 points) I play my three birds, top their score, then when I go to the end page I receive the “so close” notice and the opponent’s score is now magically higher. A waste of gems and another source of AB2 frustration. This isn’t the players, this is a Rovio game management issue.

The new levels are repetitive and dull (I’ve finished them), matched against higher level bird players using 5 spells makes the Arena non-competitive (and even when I am successful, somehow the ‘win’ magically disappears), and while the daily challenges can be beat, that is only once a day.

40 pages of complaints in this thread and Rovio stopped responding long ago. Most of the ‘seasoned’ nest players seem to have abandoned this game. Maybe just pull the plug on AB2 Rovio. I hope it is profitable for you in terms of forcing player in-game purchases and advertising other game-makers’ junk, as it certainly seems to have wiped out your credibility with the players who were dedicated in the past.

I am tired of complaining about this game – I’ve never written a single complaint about the previous games. Time to join the smart players ahead of me and put this game to rest by deleting it. At the very least, Rovio received the money from my initial purchase. I wonder if my few dollars spent will offset the reaction of the three people who may still be invested enough to read this and my complete disinterest in what Rovio brings next? A good run with AB games Rovio, but all good things seem to come to a meek end.

[Jon S]

@abeggertoo

That’s another thing…the main levels are getting old and repetitive. Madagooscar = Snotting Hill, even I’ve seen 2-3 levels in a row had the same room type. Recycling. Sadly, The only mildly interesting ones are the end rooms boss levels. At least Angry birds Seasons doesn’t have this problem and I’m happy with that one. Rovio should base their focus on reading these complaints and fixing the arena instead of adding 20 more levels and a new tier

[kedik22]

@hank

Hi.
Two weeks ago I came in tenth, but won the tournament.
This week I came in eleventh, but finished fourth place.
If there are no cheaters (as you stated), where did everybody else go?
What is the point in competing against who knows who? Ghosts? Fillers?

As @dwhite40704 stated, six months have gone by with you guys promising to make thing better and fairer, and it only has gotten worse.

People are not only not having fun or having a whole bunch of bad experiences, just check out @abeggertoo and @jon3800 posts.
We are frustrated and irritated!!!

Please share with us what Rovio´s management is thinking, and not just convey their empty promises.

[kelshe]

Here’s a new one for me…I faced an “opponent” today with a 6☆ rank and 5 spells. He only had 5 birds, all level 12. Also, I backed out. 10 games in a row and got the same match up 6 times. Hank said that Rovio used a third party for arena match ups and that he would look into it. Guess he hasn’t had time. I face the same opponents at least 50% of the time.

[Anonymous]

@dwhite40704 “That’s when they put the hook in their mouth”

https://www.google.com/search?q=bait&client=ms-android-verizon&source=lnms&tbm=isch#imgrc=g6ZLxdmXHqsOXM%3A

I had to do it. Was almost crying when I read that. :D

[heybert17]

One day I will figure how I have never gotten 4 million without using gems, but the 1st round opponents that I actually outmatch can do it almost every time.

[cognitive]

I’m now at the point where I have a decent chance of LOSING to opponents ranked LOWER than me (if you go by sum of all bird rankings). Especially at the last couple birds where getting 700k-800k from a single bird is not out of reach for those well-trained (cough) opponents.

Playing someone with birds higher ranked remains a lost cause, I occasionally win if I play a perfect game and they don’t, but this is very rare. Ironically this week I’ve made streak 5 two or three times, not bad.

I’m also thinking some changes have been made to the physics.

[DJLarryt]

@dwhite40704 well said. And considering how fast the ‘exploits’ get patched (except hacking) compared to how fast the actual player game experience gets improved, I’d say Rovio’s priorities are self-centered at best.

Well the movie’s been panned… hugely… I read it did well on the box office open but plummeted afterwards. This will make LOLvio more desperate to generate income… which is why players are losing 90% of the time, having to watch videos (and losing after that anyway), and paying gems for a chance at another win (and losing after that anyway too). They will stoop to nickel-and-diming their loyal player base to make their bottom lines.

I still wonder about Bankler’s sudden move. When you’re the prime creator on one of the company’s biggest products, had a long career developing their games, are likely the foremost authority on their output and suddenly announce you want to “find new horizons”, isn’t that a little suspicious? I mean, if your job is established and you’ve got a history there, who just decides to up-and-leave without another reason? I think he smelled the crap that is Rovio and jumped ship for his own future.

BTW has anyone noticed that the plot of the AB movie is about pigs tricking an independent community by immigrating there, falsely winning confidence from the existing residents, then trying to take over, only to get ballasted out by force and damage?

And how the leader, Leonard ‘Pig’ resembles a Muslim Emir? Kind of hard not to keep this in mind when reading about the immigration situation in Denmark and their recently passed new laws… just sayin :-P

[Dwhite]

I totally agree with your assessment of Bankler @djlarryt. I thought all along something suspicious was going on there. I just picked up a vibe that he had integrity and was more than a “yes man”. The App Store is full of thousands of reviews which are much harsher than what we deliver here on the nest. Another “huge minority” I suppose. Glad I’m not fighting this game anymore. It was an around no win/no fun situation. The greed in this game was somewhat hidden in the various manipulation up until about 6 weeks ago. Then it just became blatantly obvious. It is totally rigged. I’d say you are also spot on about the movie and the Nickel and diming. It all lines up perfectly on the timeline of the downfall of this game.

[DDeck]

I’m not sure what immigration in Denmark has to do with Rovio, a Finnish company. While getting pretty bad reviews, the movie has to date pulled in an estimated $231 million worldwide, more than 3x it’s $73 million production budget. That’s not exactly tanking…

[Rovio_Hank]

Hello flingers!

There are lots of questions and I won’t be able to answer them all, but I can share what I have for now.

I’ve told you before that things take time, this is unfortunate for us as well as for you. We did some live tests last week (as previously mentioned) to test our live tweaking abilities and it looked promising. However, during summer we’re short staffed and releasing an entire new update with a lot of new content with just a few people puts a bit of stress on us. Our goal is to make the changes as soon as possible.

So what is our Arena intention?
We agree with your sentiment and our goal is to change how the matchmaking is done. Our goal is to make the Arena fun and competitive, right now it’s not.

We’re looking into how we should treat spells in the Arena.

Other notes…

The fixed bugs as mentioned before will be in for the next update, they are not live yet.
The AB Movie did very well, we’re happy about it.

Take care!
/Hank

[Pappybear]

Hi All. I have been following this thread since it started. I find it quite amuzing that Rovio has not been able to sort the issues reported. Actions speak louder than words. Rovios actions speaks clearly. The users of the games input means nothing.

The final score issue HAS NOT BEEN FIXED AND ANYONE WHO SAYS IT HAS IS A LIAR. See below.

[URL=http://s782.photobucket.com/user/samcel/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image.png.html][IMG]http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy101/samcel/Mobile%20Uploads/image.png[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s782.photobucket.com/user/samcel/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_1.png.html][URL]

[KLM13]

I’m fairly new to this game…2-3 weeks, so I’m still figuring things out…but I just won the Arena 6-day challenge and got the 300 gems. That was an hour or two ago. I just went back in and I now have only 150? This is my 4th win and this hasn’t happened before. Can someone explain or is this a known bug?