Increased Cost For Continues

[Sutekh137]

Hey all,

Well, this is particularly lame (as in, “money grab”, Rovio): I went ahead and spent 60 gems on a continuation of three cards on a Boss fight. Then, I still failed, and lo and behind the next three cards cost 100 gems. Well, I’m in too deep now, so I go ahead — and still fail (hard boss level). The next three cards? 120 gems. I am all but certain that all continuations used to cost a flat, non-escalating 60 gems per trio of cards.

@bankler — Come on. Please tell your team this is a total, shameful grab for money. People who were spending money on gems for continues weren’t quite paying enough, huh? Had to escalate the cost? It is even more shameful because it is the type of thing that kicks the player when they are down, as in, “just one more bird, just one more bird”, and the deeper you get yourself in, the more you think you have to keep going in order to make it “worth it”. So then when you are all out of gems? Time to get out the wallet.

This is really predatory. And all it means for me is that I will NEVER buy any continues again because now I know it is a complete sucker’s folly to do so. You just got me to spend FEWER gems so I have a lesser chance of spending cash on the game. Was that your intent? You think that’s a viable business model? I’m disgusted.

(And I’m the guy currently getting rewards every thirty minutes — think about how a “normal” grinder feels…)

Thanks,
sutekh137

PS. It seems that since the update I do not get the chance to watch an ad for one more bird at the end (non-Arena play) as much. I got maybe two offers yesterday and then they stopped. Used to be able to watch a LOT more ads to get one more bird. Now, fewer chances with an escalating cost for continues. Coincidence? Come on. I’ve never been closer to uninstalling this game.

Topic

[MVNLA2]

@sutekh137 — Yes, I’m also sure that you used to be able to buy multiple continues all for 60 gems. For me this changed at least with the last update, if not earlier. However, my continues are 60 then 80 gems; don’t know what comes next.
BTW — Are you stuck on 466? I haven’t even been able to figure out how to get rid of the boss. Waiting for @mighty-red-1’s walkthrough. : (

[Sutekh137]

@mvnla2

Hm, I wonder if I sucked so bad that I actually had continues at 60, 80, 100, and 120. I bet I did. So, sorry I mis-stated that (and that I suck so bad at some of these levels… *laugh*).

466 — I don’t recall it being hard. When boss levels are only 4 rooms, I can usually end up with three or four birds at the end. Maybe I did use a continue, though.

As far as I can recall, 466 is a LOT like a previous boss level on these water ones (Pig Bay). You need to knock the boss into the water, clear out everything to the right, then go in the water and shoot up and catch the boss so he flies out to the right. If you beat a previous boss (which you must have, I think the first boss fight in Pig Bay) then you have already done this. I recall thinking it felt very same-y. And now that I think about it, I DID use a continuation and got a free bird from watching an ad. I believe I used all my normal birds (plus the ad bird) but the boss ended up sitting on the flat area to the right. In other words I popped him out of the water, but he didn’t make it all the way over. I drew into Chuck and Silver, and one of them easily popped him over the edge (I think I only used one bird from the continue…)

Good luck!

Thanks,
sutekh137

[MVNLA2]

@sutekh137 — Thanks for the advice. I think I just haven’t been lucky enough to get a bird that will get him out of the water. Getting him in is fairly easy.

[datguygamer]

You know, all this considered, out of ALL the Rovio games that involve flinging birds at structures via a slingshot, Angry Birds 2 and Angry Birds POP! might be the worst.

While I can excuse AB POP! for being a spin-off of some sorts, the freaking, actual, official sequel to the Original Angry Birds feel really boring to me. I don’t know, after I was done upgrading all my birds, I never went back and completed the levels. Hell, I got a notification this morning that I got demoted to Bronze League and I still didn’t give two dimes for that.

[Sutekh137]

@mvnla2

Yeah, I hear you. I think I got REALLY lucky with Matilda, of all birds — fired her egg while underwater and that blew me out in just the right direction. It is actually hard to time those underwater arcs properly.

Chuck and Red might work well, too, and Bomb and Terence might bounce him enough to at least get him up on the further-right land. Once he is up there, almost anything except Matilda can push him further to the right (Blues might have a hard time, poor guys suck).

@datguygamer

You might enjoy the levels — for a while. They get samey, too. AND they just. keep. coming. I am not sure why Rovio thinks releasing 20 new levels every 2-3 weeks is a good idea. If I saw this game just now with almost 500 levels, I probably wouldn’t start it. I’m a completionist, and that’s just too much to complete unless you’ve kept up with it! I know it sounds weird to say there’s too much content, but there, I said it — it’s too much!

Thanks,
sutekh137

[AndalayBay]

The increased cost for continues started with the update previous to the latest. I’ve been dumb enough to purchase two continues when I had a red gift that I was going to lose. It’s never worked – I lose the gift anyway. If I have enough gems, I might buy one continue, but never more than one now.

And now that there are no more red gifts, I’m even less likely to buy a continue. Just another reason to dislike this game.

[Sutekh137]

@andalaybay

Thanks for the info! I rarely buy more than one continue, have maybe done it three times on all levels before today. But yeah, now I am very likely to not buy any continues at all, especially if the level wasn’t particularly hard (just had a bad run).

As far as gifts, before I wouldn’t worry because I could always go to 9 and farm (and I don’t care about blue gifts). Now that’s a moot point.

Thanks,
sutekh137

[MVNLA2]

@sutekh137 — I finally got past 466 without being able to knock the boss to the far right. Managed to hit him hard enough times in the left side of the water that he expired. Cost a few continues (2 or 3).
I was going to say that I continue to get several / many ads to watch for an extra bird, but today I’ve gotten none. Also not getting any more gifts from friends, but then they might not be finding any.

[Anonymous]

Wow. More and more greed with every update. Well I guess I’m done spending gems on birds. Hope your happy Rovio because now you’ve lost even more money. THUMBS UP TO YOU GUYS! ?

[Sutekh137]

@mvnla2
Glad you bested it — I did the same thing, only it took me one more continuation. That was a TIGHT path to try to oust him out.

Oh man, I spent even more on the last level, 480. It was even tighter, and the boss gets stuck at the far right needing more birds to work him through. The boss levels in Pig Bay win the award for “all the same, ever harder”. Pretty lame. Especially because the regular levels were reasonably difficult (and you could use spells on them). Two of the three boss levels in the latest release were five-roomers (Rovio, come on — that’s stupid), and ended with the same “lift the boss out of the water” scenario.

In summary, if you want to keep releasing 20 levels every three weeks, please make them reasonably different and fun.

@partshade
Couldn’t have summed it up better myself, thumbs and all! Yet I did spend a bunch more, mainly because I am one of those lucky doofuses who is getting 30-minute rewards. Might as well spend it while I can…

Thanks,
sutekh137

[Anonymous]

@sutekh137 Can’t blame you there! If you have gems, spend them! I mean why not? :D

Besides, we all get that urge to buy more birds when you feel like your “so close” to beating the level. Honestly I just accept the lost rather than buying birds. Partially because I’m still using one of those little exploits to get lives. ;)

[ger_ych]

@sutekh137

Rovio keeps releasing 20 levels every other week lately…

[JacksonCannery]

Are these higher levels where you can earn the white/clear spotted Terence??

[MVNLA2]

@Bankler — What about this white terence with red spots? I haven’t heard anyone say they were able to get him, yet people are seeing him in arena. I thought Rovio had eliminated Rovio employees, especially with experimental birds, from being used as opponents in the arena.

[JezzaH99]

One more note of my frustration – if I get promoted to the top league am i likely to lose every game? I do this game for fun and not to be demoralized every time I play. It is ridiculous that I can still be top of the my league despite only having won one game in the last two days. Presumably everyone else is either losing or not playing as they have also lost interest.

Well done Rovio.

[JezzaH99]

Whilst I have played angry birds for the last 2-3 years and have three starred every level possible I am afraid that Angry Birds 2 is now boring me and doing my head in.

The adding of 20 levels every two weeks is quite frankly doing my head in. The problem is that if you don’t keep up then this clear money grabbing policy will get you. If you get left behind then you will never catch up especially as these latest 20 levels are so hard. 466 was virtually impossible and I am struggling to see how level 468 can be done. The thing is that if 20 levels are added every 2 weeks then in a year that’s 520 levels in a year which if you get behind can never be caught up.

The thing that is really frustrating me though is the Arena. I have been going along really nicely in the leagues getting promotions every couple of weeks. i am now top of the Amethyst league but bizarrely have won only 1 out of my last 12 odd games. i also note that few other players are getting points. I have to sat that this loses all motivation to play and I am fast losing interest in the whole game. What’s the point?

Two examples of the stupidity of the game- in the Arena I have been behind by about 10,000 points and played the video to get one more go. I normally get a bird that guarantees me no points. For example I get a blue bird (don’t know the name) against a stone tower. Guaranteed no points.

I can also be ahead in the arena and in one bird my opponent gets 500,000 points and takes an unassailable lead meaning I have no chance. I can’t believe I’m the only one this is happening to.

So I find this all frustrating and I don’t want to have to pay anything so i’m afraid it seems like Angry Birds 2 and me are about to say goodbye to each other.

Quite sad but life is too short to get worked up over a game which I have no chance in and I consider myself to be an excellent player in.

That’s all.

I don’t expect any replies – this was just a forum to vent my frustration.

[Circlerev]

@sutekh137
Continues cost too much, I think. I remember when I was stuck on level 246, I had to use at least three contiunes. Game version was 2.4.0 at the time when I completed it. That very hard boss level cost me 240 gems. :-)

I’m still on Pigsyland, but later levels will be lot harder than 246, if I understood correctly.

There are too many levels indeed, and those levels get repetitive very fast.

[Sutekh137]

@circlerev

Sometimes it just takes a lot of tries, including backing out of the first room before firing a bird if things aren’t to your liking. That helps less on 6-room levels (because you can still get an impossible room later), but it helps a little.

It does get harder, but if you keep trying you will often run across CRAZY success. There was one level that had me stumped for a while (can’t recall which), more than a day (25-30 lives, anyway). I didn’t use a continue because I had never even reached the final room. Then, one morning I tried again and I ENDED with something like seven cards. The key there was that I drew into at least one ME, clearing a room that had previously always taken me 4-5 birds to get through.

Sad to say, though — it is a LOT of content (that just keeps coming) and it is pretty samey. One thing I am realizing I miss is the strategy of the original Angry Birds where you had to chip away at a level, using each bird’s strengths. In AB2, you pretty much need to get lucky and Strike or Birdy every room, and that comes down to having the right birds at the right time (or getting very, very lucky). There isn’t really any overall strategy to very many rooms other than saying, “There’s some wood and I have Chuck — I will shoot for that.” or, more often, “Thank goodness I have Bomb showing — this looks like a nightmare.”

Thanks,
sutekh137

[Rovio_Bankler]

@mvnla2 The white Terence with red spots is a graphics bug. It’s same old Terence, but with broken graphics. Not an experiment or anything like that.