Just finished playing all the levels of Angry Birds on Facebook and I must confess to feeling a bit under-squaaawwwked!
Sure, the game’s trademark excellent production values are all in place but why has the gameplay not got all chirpy and cuddly with the social element?
Friends can gift Power-ups, but really?!! I can 3-star each level without having to use any of the Power-Ups, which – just to make it worse – are in abundantly free resupply in any case.
Maybe designing harder levels for FB to justify Power-ups was a huge opportunity cost for Rovio, what with Angry Birds Space coming up.
But why miss out on the obvious opportunity for multiplayer synchronous gameplay that FB provided the Angry Birds franchise?
So, here’s my riff with cooperative and competitive gameplay for you and your FB friends …Buds.
Angry Buds! (When Friends Attack!)
I, Bird – Given the iconic bird characters that Rovio has so lovingly slaved over and their immense popularity, well except for the Green Bird (heh!), the obvious place to start is with each player choosing which bird they want to be!
(I heart Yellow Bird...you?)
Matchmaking Lobby –Works pretty much like most matchmaking systems. There is one twist, however!
If FB Friends are playing they always get assigned to opposing teams as the Angry Bud. Beating your BFF/drinking buddy is always special, right!
(The Google Images algorithm clearly does not understand matchmaking!)
Battle Stations! – So that’s you in the left corner with the opposing team on the right. Similar structures to destroy, in this example similar team composition but that might not necessarily be the rule.
(Angry Buds - Multiplayer!)
The team that causes greater damage = gets the higher score = wins!
With Great Power-ups comes Great Responsibility – now Power-ups have real meaning, each player brings their own Power-ups to the fight and premium players are highly sought after as team members. You really can’t be social without establishing hierarchies - something totally absent in the current FB game.
This enhanced gameplay also allows for some fun new Power-ups!
Medal of Honor – No, not the shooter, how about some Badges for player achievements?
A Mode for Every Mood – If you are going multiplayer, increased game depth is something that is a must have. How about different game modes?
So, off to the GDC in ‘Frisco next week! If you are attending as well and would like to get in touch mail me at rajit at fatwallet dot com or rajit dot ojha at gmail dot com.
(Note: All copyright for images used for purposes of illustration vest with their respective owners)
Comments