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Balance

Balance. What is game balance?. Getting the numbers right Some explicit, some implicit All about relations between numbers Nuance of relationships Game and metagame Metagame examples Poker tells Sports leagues rules. Aspects of Game Balance. Single-player Multi-player Within game

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Balance

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  1. Balance

  2. What is game balance? • Getting the numbers right • Some explicit, some implicit • All about relations between numbers • Nuance of relationships • Game and metagame • Metagameexamples • Poker tells • Sports leagues rules

  3. Aspects of Game Balance • Single-player • Multi-player • Within game • Objects

  4. Types of Balance • Challenge/Success • Fairness • Meaningful choices • Skill /Chance • Head/Hands • Competition vs. Cooperation • Short/Long • Rewards • Punishment • Freedom/Control • Simple/Complex • Derail?imagination

  5. Determinism • Determinism: given a move in a particular context, will always have the same result • Chess, go deterministic, but very large state space • Original Pac-man AI too deterministic – became a game of memorization (added ransdomnessisn Ms Pac-man)

  6. Solvability • Trivial • Tic-Tac-Toe • Theoretical complete • Chess, go • Checkers? • Non-deterministic: maximize probability • Perfect vs. privileged information

  7. In the Flow • Individual differences • Choosing difficulty level • Pacing • Levels: increase difficulty with success • Go through easy parts quickly

  8. Why Asymmetry • Real world • Exploration • Personalization • Level playing field • Interest

  9. Dealing with Asymmetry • Asymmetry of starting position • Turn-based: who goes first • Balancing asymmetry • Class equivalence • Different objectives

  10. Balancing Strategies • Dominant strategy • Eliminates all other decisions • Multiple winning strategies

  11. Game Objects • Cost/benefit ratios • Purchases of spells, units, … • Each object • Too weak: useless • Too powerful: makes other object useless • Techniques • Cost curve (transitive) • Rock-paper-scissors(intransitive) • Incomparable

  12. Object Relationships • How significant • Linear • … (Pascal’s Triangle) • Exponential • One-way or two • Gold may buy food but has other purposes as well • Do you have a central measure?

  13. Helpful Hints • One change at a time • Rule of 2 • Balancing first-turn advantage • Resource: Ian Schreiber on-line course (blog)

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