An unfair game, is never a fun game to play. No matter if it’s an RPG, a CCG or any form of competitive PvP. If you get the feeling that no matter how hard you try, you always struggle, then you’re going to put away the controller sooner or later. This is the reason why Game Balancing is a crucial point in Game Development and should never be underestimated. It not only makes everything more fun but it also keeps the players from getting frustrated and they will engage longer with your game.
What is Game Balancing?
Game balancing is the process of adjusting and fine-tuning various elements within a video game. It ensures that it offers a fair and enjoyable experience for all players. This involves making adjustments to different aspects of the game, such as characters, items, abilities, mechanics, and maps. All of this is done to prevent any single element from being impotent or overpowered. The objective is to create a level playing field where player skill and strategy are the primary determinants of success, rather than external factors, randomness or imbalances within the game. Effective game balancing enhances player satisfaction, promotes fair competition, and contributes to the longevity and overall quality of the game.
How to Figure out Balancing Problems
Every game is different when it comes to the types of balancing that can be done within the world. There is no universal solution. First you need to find the cause of the imbalance before you can decide what kind of balancing needs to be done. We’re going to show you some of the ways you can figure out the weak points of your game.
Play Testing
The easiest way to find out if your game is balanced or not is to play test the game before you release it. You’ll quickly notice if a game mechanic is broken and what needs to be fixed. But the longer you play test your own game, the easier it is to overlook things. Make sure to let various people play test it during development phase to ensure the best results
Community Feedback
Community feedback is very similar to play testing but there is a crucial difference. Play testing is often done in-house with a guide for people on how the game is supposed to be played. The community on the other hand is way more independent and often does things you wouldn’t even think of. A perfect example are competitive players who always look for the best strategy. It becomes quite obvious if one strategy dominates all others or if players complain about certain mechanics being too difficult. Try to engage with your audience as much as you can to figure out where you can improve.
Data Analysis
Collecting and analyzing in.game data can reveal patterns and imbalances in the games and player performances. This data-driven approach allows developers to make informed decisions about balance changes without having to rely on direct feedback.
Different Ways of Balancing a Game
After figuring out where the problem lies, it’s time to search for a solution. There are different ways to balance game mechanics that apply to various styles and genres of games. Sometimes you need to try a few different approaches and do a lot of trial and error until you find the results you’re looking for.
Rubberbanding
Rubberbanding is a very common practice, especially when it comes to racing games to assist players who are falling behind. I mean who doesn’t know the feeling of being first place in ‘Mario Kart’ only to see your imminent doom coming in the form of a blue shell? Or that if you find yourself at the end of the line that you suddenly get a Bullet Bill to catch up to your opponents?
This is the most prominent form of rubberbanding but there are more subtle approaches to it as well. Some games use it to balance AI opponents in case the player has a hard time completing a level. They intentionally slow down NPCs or let them make mistakes to allow a struggling player to move forward. Some games even amp up the difficulty if a player is doing exceptionally well to keep them entertained and challenged.
Resource Management
Many games give their players resources they have to be economical about like health, mana, ammunition, currencies or raw material like wood, stone and iron. Depending on the type of game and the play style of your audience, those things can be very different. You need to give the player enough resources so they can progress but not too much that it makes the game too easy. Making resources sparse can be a fun challenge but keep in mind that this often makes a game way more difficult and can easily frustrate the player, especially if it’s a matter of life and death.
Balanced Map & Level Layout
At first this might sound strange that you’re supposed to balance the layout of level but especially in multiplayer games this is very important. Every player or every team needs to have the same advantages. For example if one team starts with a high ground advantage and the other team has to work their way up with just a few boxes to hide behind, this can quickly become very frustrating for the players. So make sure to give them equal opportunities to strike their foes.
Randomness vs. Skill
Balancing the need of skill and random elements is a very important process. Arbitrarily elements can add a lot of diversity to a game while also changing the pace, making it more exciting and fun to play. But if the random aspects take over and skill becomes obsolete your audience will quickly become frustrated. Why should they put hours into a game when all their hard work can be destroyed in the blink of an eye despite their efforts? So make sure the player is in control of their own fate and that they have the ability to work around those elements with their own ideas and talents.
Character & Unit Balancing
Especially in games with multiple characters, units, or classes, you need to ensure that each one has their strengths and weaknesses. This not only opens up more opportunities for the players to choose from but it also creates interesting strategies and game play as well. On the other hand if one character is way stronger than the others, people will only play with them while on the other hand if all the choices are basically the same, the game will start to get boring rather quickly.
Balancing a game is an ongoing and dynamic process, as the player base evolves, new strategies and trends emerge. That’s why we need to continually monitor and adjust the game balance to ensure that the game remains competitive, engaging and enjoyable for all players.
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What is a Video Game Developer? – Twin Fox Studio
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