New Arena: problems and suggestions for fixing

[MVNLA2]

Thought it would be useful to have a single place to discuss what we think is wrong with new AB2 arena, and our suggestions to fix it.

@clovos from Rovio has been kind enough to spend some of his/her holiday vacation answering questions and is interested in our suggestions.
Currently there are at least 3 threads with bits of the conversation with Clovos:

Link to Post

From Clovos (12/27/15):
Hey there!
I’m the programmer who made the behaviour of the opponent card drawing. Currently the opponent tries to draw cards to make the end as exciting as possible. This means if the opponent got more cards than you in the start then he will draw more than one card when you draw you first. In my opinion this is better than the enemy having more cards than you in the end. I’ve tried both and this felt like the best choice. However, the bird back function can change the behaviour quite a lot for better and worse.
Now this might get changed in later updates based on feedback from you guys. So if you got any good feedback how you would like to see it work then feel free to reply :-) I’m gonna try to be as active as possible here on the forums.
Happy new year!

Clovos

From @mvnla2 (12/27/15):

@clovos — Just noticed that you’ve replied to several threads. Thanks for the interest.
Some more questions:
* Sounds like the opponents are computer generated, not real people?
* Why would the opponent get more cards than you in the start?
* What do you mean by the “bird back function?”
* What determines the number of spells the opponents have? Seem like a lot of them are always using 5.

From @drpertree (12/28/15)
So my opponent can get more birds than me? I’m confused…

What I’m trying to figure out is – I had a good round (cleared all but one stage with a single bird) yet was beaten by over a million points. I can’t figure out how exactly that happened. I mean, I didn’t clear every single piece of wood/stone/ice but I wasn’t leaving much on each stage.

Also – at least in my opinion – i’d like to see how each bird i use is stacking up against my opponent on the same turn. So.. their score after bird #1 = my score after bird #1.. same for 2, 3, 4, etc.

I’m also not familiar with “bird back” function and am not sure what it means in actual gameplay.

“This means if the opponent got more cards than you in the start then he will draw more than one card when you draw you first. In my opinion this is better than the enemy having more cards than you in the end. I’ve tried both and this felt like the best choice. ”

When you said the quote above – several questions popped into my head. One – do we get the same number of birds? If not, how is it ever fair? Two – If we get the same number of birds, I’m not sure how it matters if the enemy has more cards first/last? Three – are we playing people or computer generated opponents? If it’s computer generated, how are their scores calculated?

From @clovos (12/28)
Hey again!
I will try to clearify as much as possible for you guys :)
The opponent are not computer generated. You are fighting real recorded opponent data and its imporant to know that we have not changed anything in this data. So the reson why the opponent can have more cards than you is because they might have selected more spells than you or they manage to fill the destructo meter faster then you. That way they trigger a bird back function. This means that you get a card back to your hand.
When it comes to number of spells the opponent have its just as many as they sele ted during their run. So if you are unlucky you might fight an opponent with all spells. In the higher leagues people prefer using more spells to get that little extra boost. Thats what I do myself. However, the spells does not have a score multipier like the birds do. So they are not as effective in later levels.

Got more questions just reply and I will answer as fast as I can during my holiday:-)
PS I’m writing from my phone so if my gramma is lacking I blame the swedish auto corrector.

From @daveotd (12/28/15)
No way I believe anybody gets triple a clean board score. There’s enough gobbledygook in your response to make it totally unbelievable. Make up a better answer please.

From @clovos (12/28/15)
I don’t know how to make it more simplyfied than that. This is facts. If you choice to believe it or not is up to you.
The only other factor that I could think of is if we somehow got a bug in our recording data. If so then we will fix it as soon as we recognize it :-)

Clovos

From @dmsral (12/28/15)
The recorded data for the opponent is interesting, I hadn’t considered that. I did realize the opponent score was definitely not a real-time shot-for-shot playout, and even if the opponent got out to a quick lead, they could usually be passed after they ran out of cards.

I don’t really have a problem with the play, but I don’t a week-long tournament for a small prize (if any). Shorten them to a day or two or bump up the gem awards significantly.

Link to Post

From @clovos (12/27/15)
Hey there!
I’m a game programmer at Rovio stockholm and I can garantee you that the opponent scores are recordet data from their gamedata. However I have not experienced those insane scores that you are talking about. I will inform the team and look into it as soon as I’m back from holiday. How do you like the new arena tho? I must say I’ve had a blast playing it since the update came live. Please leave feedback and I will listen as much as possible and present it to my colleges. Happy new year!

Clovos

From @mvnla2 (12/27/15)

@Clovos — Thanks again for the reply. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of feedback if anyone is still playing the AB2 arena by the time you get back. I’ll try to give you some constructive feedback, but you can count me among the people who are seriously thinking of quitting the arena, if not AB2 altogether.
A slightly different topic that you might want to discuss is that this update seriously reduced the number of feathers you can get. The arena used to be a decent place to get feathers. Now you don’t get feathers at all based on your position, and you only get an award once a week. Even the top spot only gets 100 gems, which rapidly falls to nothing. The top players in the leagues must be spending far more than 100 gems/week to get their position.
The reward from your cards is only 32 feathers. As far as I can see there is no way to buy feathers, and gems are only good for extra cards in regular levels or extra turns in the arena.

@clovos — In fact, can you even buy spells? If so, how?

From @Clovos (12/28/15)
Hey again!
We got a very talented analytics team for analyzing how the new arena impacts our daily users and I’m very curtaint that the new arena is doing well. But ofc we listen to you guys and the arena is not set in stone it will be tweaked and changed in the future. However there was a reason why we updated the arena. It did not hold the same quality as the rest of the game, and that is a fact.
When it comes to the reward you can actually got more feathers if you perform well. The new treasure boxes got big feather rewards campare to to the old rewards. And by winning the arena you can buy them to get your feathers!

Buying spells is possible in the spells selection screen. However I’ve been working on something really cool regarding this subject that will be released soon. Stay tuned!

Got more feedback or ideas then reply to me.

Happy new year!:-)

Clovos

From @dragonofheart73 (12/28/15)
I will NEVER advance in the Arena now… 3 weeks in row I always ended up with wrong lineup of birds that won’t help me advance each stage without 1-birding them. Also by day 2, the first place would have 55 to 70 stars already so there’s no way I can catch up without spending money.

This game has became no fun and now is no longer one of my top games… until they improve the Arena or give me some reason to pull me back to it.

Link to Post

From @Clovos (12/27/15)
Hey there!
This is not the case. The opponent score is recorded after each throw. However the amount of cards can differ from yours so the enemy might throw more than one card to make the end more intense. This feels like a better solution than letting the enemy have more cards in the end. Me as a player felt very helpless then, campare to how it currently works. But leave feedback how you would solve the case. I can bring it up for consideration :-)

Clovos

From @mvnla2 (12/27/15)

@clovos — Thanks for the info, but I still don’t understand how the opponent’s scoring works. Hope you also take a look at the thread on cheaters.
Some questions:
* Is your opponent playing the same sequence of rooms as you are?
* When you finish the first room with a score of 300,000 say, and your opponent has more than 1,000,000, does that mean that your opponent got 1,000,000+ points on the first room? Frequently I don’t think it is possible to get 1M+ on the first room I play, yet my opponent is at 1M+
* What multipliers are used on the score? We have concluded that the score depends on your birds’ levels. Does it also depend on your star level? Do you get extra points for using a spell?
* Does choosing a spell give you extra cards, at least in the arena?

From @clovos (12/28/15)
Hey again!
Regarding the room sequence I’m not 100% sure. I will get back to you on this one when I’ve asked the programmer who made it. After my holiday that is! :-)

So the score that the opponent have after throwing their card is the score they had before throwing their next card. However, like I’ve explained in other threads, the opponent can throw more than one card in the beginning to even out the card amount to the end. This can make the score look higher campare to yours but usually is possible to change during the match based on your performance. This is better than letting the enemy throw their last cards when you run out (if they have more than you). Thats what I believe after a lot of feedback when we tried it in-house at the office :-)
This problem is only there because we wanted players to fight real player.
I think its worth it. I like the feeling of fighting real peoples score.

I’m not 100% on the score multipier. But I think it’s the card/bird level * the score gained from the destruction made by the bird/card. So if they throw their highest level bird in thr beginning they might gained more score than you in their first throw if your bird is lower level.

Yes using spells give you the spells as extra cards. It does not affect your starter hand amount negatively.

Hope this answer your questions :-)

Clovos

I tried to condense all three threads above. Hope it will help to have all the conversation in a single place.

Topic

[MVNLA2]

@admins — Why are all the links to specific posts in other threads coming out as picture links to the main post of the thread? Why picture links at all?

[Clovos_RovioSweden]

Awesome commitment @mvnla2!
Yes I’m very interested to hear suggestions of improvements and I can suggest them to my collegues if I agree with them. However its important to know I’m here because of personal interest and should not be considered as Rovio or an representant of Rovio.

Clovos

[MVNLA2]

From @dmsral:
The recorded data for the opponent is interesting, I hadn’t considered that. I did realize the opponent score was definitely not a real-time shot-for-shot playout, and even if the opponent got out to a quick lead, they could usually be passed after they ran out of cards.

I don’t really have a problem with the play, but I don’t a week-long tournament for a small prize (if any). Shorten them to a day or two or bump up the gem awards significantly.

[Green Whacker]

@mvnla2 @clovos

I do agree a week long tournament loses the exciement quite quickly due to cash-players or cheaters taking a huge lead and leaving people who has actual jobs or life no chance on advancing.

If it was daily tournament, I’m sure many will keep playing.

One change I would like to see.. is as long the VS. player is a recorded set, have each stage played at same time instead of seeing the opposite jumping ahead.

[dmsral]

In the last three hours, I went from close second to very distant third as a couple of player added 100+ stars. I almost hope that they are cheaters because it’s certainly not cost effective to buy that many extra entries for the incremental gem awards.

[RizDub]

@mvnla2 @clovos

Here are a few issues I have with the new arena:

– Feathers are much harder to achieve.
– The league you are in is no longer based on the rank of your cards.
– The specific arena layout/level you play seems to be completely randomized every time.

At first I was confused as to why it seemed like my opponent always got a much higher score on the first stage, but after reading through the forums, this does make sense. If your opponent got further into the level than you did, then you would be forced to watch and wait for your opponent’s score to finish adding up.

Ultimately, though, I enjoy the more one-on-one arena. It makes it feel more competitive.

[Clovos_RovioSweden]

@Mvnla2 I agree with the tournament length. It feels way to long in my opinion as well. I will ask about the reason why its so long and see if there is by any chance a way to change it. When it comes to the reward its not as easy to change. It is balanced with the game economy.
Everyone want bigger rewards of course but its very imporant to keep a good balance in the game. And I’m afraid that I am not the guys to discuss this with any further.
I will try to bring it to consideration for sure!

Clovos

[MVNLA2]

@clovos — Either I’ve been totally unobservant, or the extra cards added when you use spells is something new. I always thought that when you selected a spell, it just replaced one of your cards, and did not add a card.
Just checked, and this is (currently) not true either in the arena or in the regular levels. So those people who are selecting 5 spells, are getting 5 extra cards to start with. This clearly shifts the advantage to those who have spent megabucks to buy spells. The other possibility is that the recorded opponent levels are not changing from day to day or week to week. If this is correct, then those opponents who used 5 spells when they were recorded will continue to use 5 spells every time you meet them, and it doesn’t matter whether in real life they ran out of spells to use days or weeks ago.
I think you should not get extra cards for using spells. I had a lot of spells when the update came out (20 or 30 each), because I have lots of friends who send me presents, and I rarely use spells. I am down to zero on a couple, and only have a few of the others.

[Clovos_RovioSweden]

@dragonofheart73
The tournament is designed as a long time game mecanics and not a daily mecanics as the daily quest. I doubt this would be changed.
Yes I agree its a very fragile subject to discuss haveing the tournament based on how much time you spend in the game or how well you perform during one session.
Having one and not the other is gonna make people angry. But its the same the other way around.

Hmm on the last point I’m a bit confused. The way you describe it stounds like the same way as it is currently. Or do you mean room by room?

Clovos

[Green Whacker]

@clovos
Yeah I meant room by room.

[Clovos_RovioSweden]

@DragonOfHeart73
Room by room could be a good idea if the opponent is fighting the same room. I’m not 100% sure if the room sequence is the same. If it is I will bring the suggestion to the table :-)

@dmsral
I like your picture!
These are not cheaters I guaranty you this. They are just very excited players, who wants to win. The tournaments is not really about the reward. Its much about status in my eyes. Being in the big leagues shows that you are both good at the game and spend a lot of time playing it. Like I’ve said before the tournament is both skill-based and time-based as it is designed at the moment. This can be changed in the future. Or maybe other things will be added that is only skill-based :-)
I like the way it is right now but I do understand that as a skilled player with not very much time, does not agree with me. Hopefully we might find ways to make both teams happy. Any good suggestions? We will not bring back the old tournament. It was lacking, even if some people liked it more.
I’m more positive on the thought of tweaking/fixing on the new tournament.

@RizDub
– Feathers are much harder to achieve.
I disagree. We’ve introduced a new gatcha box/treasure chest with bigger feather rewards available for in game currency. We’ve also added star rank level up rewards. You get a free gatcha for every level and for each fifth level you get a premium one. And if you win the tournament you get 100 gems with is more than one gacha. And that could be 250 feathers if you are lucky. That is a lot more than the previous arena reward. You also got the daily feather and daily gacha. And treasures in the world map. I don’t find any lack of feathers in Angry Birds 2 :-)

– The league you are in is no longer based on the rank of your cards.
This is true. With the newly designed arena this is removed. It’s now based on your performance in your arena activity. Personally I think the word tournament means more like a “competition” and the rankings should be based on your activity within that competition. And not on your birds levels.

– The specific arena layout/level you play seems to be completely randomized every time.
Yes, this is to bring different map to the players. Show them maps that is not really unlocked until the last chapters. It’s a good way to show our new people what we’ve introduced further in the game. Now this is till not the same maps as in the world map but they got the same mechanics.
If the opponent and the player is playing the same maps? As I’ve said, I’m not sure about this and will try getting an answer when I get back to work :-)

@MVNLA2
I always thought that when you selected a spell, it just replaced one of your cards, and did not add a card.”
What would the point be to replacing your birds with spells? the birds are usually giving you more score than spells as they do not have a score multiplier.
Spells is a way to get some extra points however, spells don’t have a score multiplier so they are not giving that big of an advantage. Replacing birds with spells are not an option. They are “additional” ways to enhance your play.
I usually try to match if I fight someone using a spell then I select one aswell. As you said spells are gained from friends and from the treasure chests. You should save them for when you are facing someone who used them or if you want to try to get that little extra score to gain more stars in the arena :-)

The recorded data is how the opponent was when the game was played. So if they used spells on that round they will be counted. The bird levels will be the same as when the game was played. Not 100% sure what you are talking about here, please fill me out with this one :-)

Hope this answers everyone and I will get back regarding all the stuff that I’ve noted. Thanks for all the suggestions. Keep them coming!

Clovos

[Anonymous]

@clovos Some things I’d like to point out:

“We’ve also added star rank level up rewards. You get a free gatcha for every level and for each fifth level you get a premium one.”

What about the players that already had a super high star level before the update? They didn’t get anything for that meaning they lost out on a lot of rewards. They should get something for the stars they already earned.

“Spells is a way to get some extra points however, spells don’t have a score multiplier so they are not giving that big of an advantage. Replacing birds with spells are not an option. They are “additional” ways to enhance your play.”

Sure they don’t give that many points but it does still give them a pure advantage. And that makes the arena heavily pay-to-win. It should be more focused on skill and getting on often for the most free tickets. It shouldn’t be about who has the most money like it is now. Imangine two players with equal skill went head-to-head, one with all five spells and one without spells, the player using spells would clearly win not only because of having five extra cards to work with, but also because of the free Strike from the Mighty Eagle spell.

It just doesn’t seem right that the game is becoming more pay-to-win with every update. I know you guys need money to stay going but it’s getting a bit ridiculous if you ask me.

Also you should check out this thread. It addresses some of the parts of the game that seems “rigged”:

Link to Post

[MVNLA2]

@clovos, @all — Some observations:
I’ve been keeping track of the opponents and their scores in the arena today. So far I’ve played 2 opponents twice each (plus a few others).
* I played the two of them right after each other this morning, and I played basically the same set of scenes.
* I played both of them this afternoon, again right after each other, but I played different episodes each time.
* Their scores and the number of spells they selected were different each time I played them.
So at least we know that more than one record of battles they’ve fought have been recorded. Still don’t know if the opponent is playing the same episode or series of rooms that we are.

[MVNLA2]

Has anyone won a battle against an opponent with 5 spells without using any?

[Dopey]

I have (beat an opponent with all five spells), but now if I see an opponent use all spells I exit the game.

Unless Rovio decides to fix the Arena mode I think I’m done with AB2 outside of the new single player levels they introduce. The asynchronous battle mode would make some sense, if the opponent played the same set of levels in the same order as I do and the graphics showed their progression. Now it’s a game of “beat this hidden random number, which might be impossible to beat with the levels you got”. I don’t look at the opponent animation at all anymore, because it’s just a condensed recording of some player playing some levels, which has nothing to do with the ones I’m in.

Thanks for Clovos for the insights about the design choices Rovio made, but you can’t convince me this is a change for the better, because for me, it’s the opposite. I’m sure there players playing the Arena mode much more because of it, but I think you’ll find soon it’s fewer players playing more frequently. The number of Arena levels is quite limited, and the more you play them the faster it starts to feel like a grind.

[Clovos_RovioSweden]

@partshade
I agree that this can feel unfair. However keeping tracking of this is no longer possible I’m afraid.
But if I would have been deciding I would have given an reward based on star rank when we introduce the feature.
Hopefully we can find other ways to make up for it somehow :-)

I would not consider spells as heavy pay-to-win. You can’t win the arena with money like in most free to play games. It can give you a slight advantage. But spells are not strictly for payers. Everyone get spells from playing the game. And its also a way for us to keep us bring able to give you new content every other month. I don’t agree with you on this one.

When it comes to the fishy rigged thread. We have not done anything to change the way of physics. Its all using Unity Box2D physics engine. I have not read the full post yet so maybe there is more to it. I will do that when I get home. However with every Unity update that we get things can be changed. This is not in our control. It’s up to what Unity does to their code. But we try to keep everything the same as before.

@MVNLA2
Yes I think we record every game people play so playing against the same recording is nearly impossible with our amount of players.
When it comes to what rooms you play in its random based on all our arena maps to keep the gameplay fun. But if you fight the same rooms is till something I need to ask my collegues!

@dopey
I’m sorry you feel this way and hope to see you soon when we release future updates.
It’s easy to say “Rovio decides to fix it”
The whole point of the Arena update was to fix our old one. The old one was not very good. This is based on how much players played the arena. But of course it will be changed and tweaked in the future. But I’m pritty sure the base concept is here to stay. If the data don’t tell us otherwise.

@All
I will make a post when I get home with all the useful suggestions and feedback that you give and post it here. And when I get back from holiday I will try to show it to my collegues :-)

Remember these are mostly my personal observations/opinions but I think I got a good perspective from both sides.

Clovos

[MVNLA2]

@clovos — When I played the person I think cheated, I played exactly the same recording twice in 3 battles.
Hope you are enjoying at least some of you vacation. We do appreciate your paying attention to our gripes and suggestions.

[MVNLA2]

@Clovos — Another question:
* Do you toss the rounds recorded more than a day ago? Seems like it would only be fair if your opponents ran out of spells to use. Facing opponents who are using 5 spells every time, day after day implies that either you have saved rounds recorded at the beginning of the new arena, or some people are spending tons of real money to buy lots of spells.

Your answers and my experimentation have answered a lot of my questions, so you will be glad to hear that I may run out of questions. : D

*Sal9 @mighty-red-1 — Has choosing spells always increased the number of cards you have, or is this something new? I never noticed before, possibly because I didn’t use spells very often.

[Mighty Red]

@mvnla2 Yes, the chosen spells are added as extra cards, meaning you could start a level with up to 12 cards. It’s always been this way.

[dmsral]

@mvnla2: Yes, I’ve won quite a few without using spells, however, I’ve been taking a beating in the last 24 hours but I think more a result of poor shooting. :-(

[RizDub]

@clovos For the third point – the possibility that you may not be playing the same rooms as your opponent was my main concern.

I can understand how the arena is meant to show newer players the physics/attributes of later chapters, and I enjoy this aspect (I’ve only finished six chapters of the game myself, haha). My problem is that, before the update, there was a specific level setup for each day, and the levels rotated between days. Now it seems completely random, regardless of when you play. This is probably why the issue exists of whether or not you’re playing the same rooms as your opponent.

Also @mvnla2 @partshade – one time I did go up against someone who used all five spells. I used zero spells and won.

[AndalayBay]

So the arena works the way I said it does in several of my posts. You’re playing against someone else’s play-through. As Clovos has said, they want to use up all your opponent’s birds, so if it looks like you are using more birds per room than your opponent did, they will “play” more birds and show more points for your opponent than you have. You may catch up to your opponent if you use fewer birds as you proceed through the rooms.

Here are the things I don’t like about the new arena and AB2 in general:
– gem rewards versus feathers. Since I don’t have many gems, I like the gem rewards, but it allows players to buy more arena plays as well. Suggestion: increase price of arena plays so players can’t buy wins.
– spell cards give extra play cards. Using a spell card should replace a bird. Otherwise players will buy spell cards and will dominate the arena. Even though spell cards don’t award as many points, they often allow you to clear a room with a single card. Clearing rooms is key in the arena, so coming in with several spell cards will usually allow you to clear more rooms. Suggestion: have spell cards replace birds so you don’t have as many birds when you use a spell card. Another possibility is to cap the number of rooms in the arena, so you would need the higher point rewards from using birds.
– tournament duration. A week is too long. Suggestion: reduce to three days.

Other:
– please fix the physics of some of the pigs. The umbrella pig should not be able to cling to vertical surfaces! Slowing his fall makes sense, but it would be nice if he popped when he tumbles off a block, and the umbrella should help his tumbling, not prevent it.
– please make the small pigs pop easier. They shouldn’t survive bricks falling on top of them!

@clovos – thank you for your explanations and taking the time to talk to us and listening to our concerns. :-)

[Dopey]

@clovos
I appreciate your reply.

I think the new battle system would make sense, if you faced the same room as the opponent, and the you could keep track of how many points your opponent got, and how many cards (and which ones) they used to clear the room before advancing to the next one. That would make it interesting. Even more interesting would be too see your opponent play, even if was just a recording.

The previous arena was like a sport, like long jump, admittedly with a little bit drunken record keeper. You got a few tries to see how long you could jump compared to the others, who were also long jumping on the same stadium. I usually tried twice a day, in the morning making coffee and in the evening before going to bed. You’re right that a battle would be more engaging, but I don’t see how the new system is a battle in any sense of the word? The opponent’s playing a different set of rooms, the score counting adjustments make any comparison meaningless before they’re finished, and your opponent has no idea they’re “battling” you.

I realize it’s your game and hence yours to modify any way you see fit. I don’t think the numbers long term will be better with the new system. You see someone gain a big lead by day two and the other people will lose interest when the big prize is no longer up for grabs.

[Clovos_RovioSweden]

@mvnla2
Hmm I must say that I’m not sure how we handle the recordings. This is not my field. But I will ask about this as well. Regarding you fighting the same battle is very rare. But if you got veeery high bird levels then there’s a lot fewer games. So that could be a reason why.
* Do you toss the rounds recorded more than a day ago? – This I will also ask about. As the feature is so new I’ve not really got around to asking it before!
When it comes to people using all spells this is all based on how your fellow combatants is choosing to use their spells. As you’ve seen having five spells in not giving you a win. I’ve also been fighting people with a lot of spells and bested them without using any myself.
As I’ve tried to explain, spells are a enhancement to your play but its not a pay to win feature. It does not guaranty you a win. It increases the odds but the bird tossing is still the deciding factor.
And thank you I’ve had a wonderful holiday so far. Awesome Christmas presents and wonderful Swedish Christmas food!
I even got a awesome ping-pong rack from my mother to use during lunch breaks in the office. 2016 looks like a good year for me, but not my colleges! Mohahaha!

@dmsral
Even the best can’t perform 100% at all times! I recommend watching a toons episode to gain you anger up towards those nasty pigs. Anger is always the reason why we perform good in Angry Birds, don’t you agree?

@rizdub
Fair enough, I agree. In my opinion the recorded data should be the same maps as you play. Maybe it is but I will look it up and get you a solid answer. And if its not I will try to change that!

@andalaybay
The recorded opponent data is not based on rooms at all. They throw a bird if you do. If the opponent card amount is greater than yours they will throw more than one when you throw yours to even it out to the end. Its a little bit confusing to wrap your head around but when you understand it it does actually make sense :-)

Well clearing rooms is not really a key in the arena. The score is the key. However yes clearing a room to get a new fresh one with a lot of thing to destroy is good. But replacing birds with a spell is not an option. Bird cards are considered better than spells, especially if their level is higher. That would make the spells worthless.
My personal opinion of spells is that it is not a pay to win feature. It does give a slight advantage but it does not give you a win. Using spells in the arena or not is a decision for Rovio to take as it does have huge consequences. I agree that removing spells makes a more plain field to the fights but it could also affect how we can deliver future updates. So you have to see the bigger picture here. I’m happy to see that there is no big pay-to-win feature in our game compare to many games out there on the free-to-play market.
I hope we all can appreciate that :-)

@tormave
I’m glad that you also agree to this. As I’ve said before I will look in to the room sequence. And I’ve got a lot of ideas how to change the UI in the arena to show the opponent room progress as well. I will try to make it happen!

I like your description of the old arena, haha. Well first of all we can’t assume that they are fighting different rooms yet. If it is different rooms I’m up for changing it, if my colleagues agree.
Well everyone might not see it that way. I can only relate to myself and if I see someone getting a head start I’m starting to play like crazy to get above that person. I’m here to climb the ladder and no one is gonna stop me. I recommend trying to optimize your runs if you short on time. I always find dead time to fill out. For example in the train station or during your toilet visits! I actually got a gold medal last week without using any spells or buying any gems. “very proud”

@All
The post with all the notes will have to wait a day or two. I need to find the time to do it and its new years soon so it might be delayed!

Clovos

[AndalayBay]

@clovos, I know it’s not based on rooms. I was just trying to simplify the explanation. Given the same bird levels of each opponent, then the opponent who clears the most rooms will USUALLY win. So if both players have level 3 birds and one player clears 7 rooms while the other clears 8, the player who cleared 8 rooms would probably win. More rooms mean more structure damage and more popped pigs. Now I am making the assumption that both players are playing the same series of rooms. I know that MVNLA asked you about that and you said you would check. I don’t think it would be fair if you aren’t playing the same sequence of rooms (and structures) because some structure arrangements are much harder to clear than others.