Game Balance

CCS16 – Game Console Integration

Game Balance
• Balancing a game is adjusting the elements of the game until
they deliver the experience you want.
• Balancing a game is far from a science.
• It is more about understanding the subtle nuances in the
relationships between the elements of your game.
• It is then determining what elements to alter, how much to alter
them, and which ones to leave alone.
Game Balance
• Balancing a game can be thought of as like creating a new recipe
for baking for example.
• One part is determining the ingredients that you need.
• Another is deciding how much of each to use and how they
should be combined.
• Some of these decisions will be based on hard math, such as the
number of teaspoons or flour to use.
• Others, like how much sugar to use, is usually a matter of
personal preference.
Game Balance
• These are the twelve most common types of game balance:
• Fairness
• Challenge vs. Success
• Meaningful Choices
• Skill vs. Chance
• Head vs. Hands
• Competition vs. Cooperation
• Short vs. Long
• Rewards
• Punishment
• Freedom vs. Controlled Experience
• Simple vs. Complex
• Detail vs. Imagination
Fairness
Game Balance
Symmetrical Games
• One quality that players seek in games is fairness.
• Players want to feel that the obstacles that they are against do
not have unfair advantages.
• One way to do this is making your game symmetrical.
• Symmetrical in this context means giving equal resources and
powers to all players.
Symmetrical Games
• Symmetrical type games are great if you want to put players in
direct competition with each other.
• This is especially true if you expect them to have roughly equal
levels of skill.
• These are good systems for determining which player is the
best, since the deciding factors will be skills and strategy.
Symmetrical Games
• Perfect symmetry is not
always possible as there are
minor issues such as “who
goes first”?
• This can give one side a small
advantage over the other.
• Generally, random selection,
such as a coin toss, is the
solution.
Symmetrical Games
• Though it gives one player or
team a small advantage, this
is remedied over many
games.
• This is because over time the
advantage is distributed
evenly.
• The advantage can also be
given to the player with the
least skill.
Asymmetrical Games
• It can also sometimes be beneficial to give different opponents
and players different resources and abilities.
• This is what we might refer to as an asymmetrical game.
• If you do plan to create this kind of game, a lot of balancing will
have to take place.
• There are reasons why you would go for the “harder” route of
balancing, some of which are discussed on the next slides.
Asymmetrical Games
• Here are some reasons you might create an asymmetrical game:
• To simulate a real-world situation
• Simulating real world events will require you to mirror the unfair circumstances that
have led up to those events.
• To give players another way to explore the game space
• Exploring a game in a different manner and with different rewards or playstyles will
provide players a lot of replayability for your game.
• To give players customization
• Giving players the option to tweak their own characters, equipment and skills will allow
them to shape the game to emphasize the thing they are best at.
Asymmetrical Games
• Here are some reasons you might create an asymmetrical game:
• To level the playing field
• Your opponents in a game can have radically different skill levels.
• Providing options or mechanics for challenging players at different skill levels ensures all
players of all skill levels get a fulfilling experience.
• To create interesting situations
• Providing different goals to uneven forces allows your game provide interesting
experiences for the players.
• This can encourage players to experiment and try out new strategies in the game.
Juggling Numbers
• When including different attributes for characters, we might
want to shift the different attributes to balance their power.
• We can do this be imagining an RPG game with different
classes.
• Each class has three states, Power, Speed and Endurance.
Character Power Speed Endurance
Berserker High Medium Medium
Archer Medium High Low
Paladin Low Low High
Juggling Numbers
• Let us try to define each of the values for the three attributes as
numbers.
• In this case, low = 1, medium = 2 and high = 3.
• The new table with the added values can be seen below:

Character Power Speed Endurance Total

Berserker High (3) Medium (2) Medium (2) 7
Archer Medium (2) High (3) Low (1) 6
Paladin Low (1) Low (1) High (3) 5
Juggling Numbers
• We can see that the Berserker type character has the highest stat
distribution out of the three.
• The Paladin is also the weakest with the lowest total stats.
• We can try to balance this be adjusting the stat values to be
equal.
Character Power Speed Endurance Total
Berserker High (3) Low (1) Medium (2) 6
Archer Medium (2) High (3) Low (1) 6
Paladin Low (1) Medium (2) High (3) 6
Juggling Numbers
• Another method is to introduce “multipliers” for certain stats or
classes.
• For example, giving the paladin twice as much defense to
compensate for low speed and power.
• The multipliers don’t have to be equal for all classes.
Character Power Speed Endurance Total
Berserker Very High (6) Medium (2) Medium (2) 10
Archer High (3) Very High (6) Low (1) 10
Paladin Low (1) Low (1) Very High (8) 10
Juggling Numbers
• The previous two examples now have balanced stats for all
characters in theory.
• The only way to confirm this is by playtesting the game.
• If by playing the game, we find that the gameplay is roughly
fair, then our model is good.
• If we find a class is losing too often or feels underpowered, we
will need to change our model and try again.
Rock, Paper, Scissors
• One way to balance elements for fairness is to make sure that
each element has both a strength and weakness.
• This strength and weakness is against other elements in the
game.
• The most straightforward example of this is Rock, Paper,
Scissors where:
• Rock breaks scissors
• Scissors cuts paper
• Paper covers rock
Rock, Paper, Scissors
• In this case, none of the
elements can be overpowered,
because they are overpowered
by another element.
• This is a simple way to ensure
every game element has both
strengths and weaknesses.
• Take note that this does not
guarantee perfect balance for
your game.
Balance vs. Success
Game Balance
The Flow Channel
• Before talking about balance, let us discuss the concept of the
flow channel.
• The flow channel is the state in which you are focused and
invested in an activity, such as playing a game.
• When a player first starts playing a game, they will be exploring
new content but will also have trouble in the game.
• This can be described as the anxiety of the player.
• If the player gets too strong and the game no longer represents
a challenge, this will instead increase their boredom.
The Flow Channel
• The state between anxiety and boredom is the flow channel.
• This is when the skill level of the player matched the challenges
that is given to them.
• This will motivate the player to play the game and invest
themselves into the game world.
• This can be difficult to achieve as the player’s state is always
fluctuating.
The Flow Channel
• As the player gets more skilled, they become more bored.
• As the player gets more challenge, the more anxious they
become.
• Ideally, we should try to achieve a balance, as seen on the figure
below:
The Flow Channel
• This will keep the player in the “zone” for longer and have
them invested in the game.
• Even better, we can have a flow channel which flows like this as
well:
The Flow Channel
• Having a “wavy” flow channel will feel much more interesting
for the player.
• It will become a cycle of increasing challenge, followed by
rewards, which gives an easier period of less challenge.
• After a while, the challenge will increase again.
• This can make the gaming experience interesting for the player.
Balance vs. Success
• Make sure that the player stays in the flow channel is one of the
objectives of balancing the game.
• This can be difficult since players may have all different levels
of skill.
• What one player finds difficult can be easy or boring to another,
and vice versa.
• Many games attempt to remedy this with different systems,
such as difficulty levels, MMR, ranks, level caps and others.
Balance vs. Success
• Some techniques to help us balance a game are the following:
• Increase difficulty with each success
• This is a very common pattern in games with each level being harder than the last.
• Players build their skill to complete a level, after which their skill is tested with a greater
challenge.
• Let players get through easy parts fast
• Allow skilled players to clear easy levels faster to get to the harder content in the game.
• Less skilled players can take their time clearing the easier levels so that they will not only
feel challenged but also build up their skill level.
• This allows each player to get to a part of the game that is a challenge.
Balance vs. Success
• Some techniques to help us balance a game are the following:
• Create “layers of challenge”
• A common game mechanic is giving a level grade for a level such as “A”, “B” or “C”.
• This be encouraging for new players if they get a “B” for a particularly hard level for
example.
• This can then be used to challenge the player by beating all levels with an “A”.
• Let players choose the difficulty level
• You can have your player select the difficulty level they would play at when they start the
game.
• This may require you to balance different levels of the game if you have multiple
difficulties.
Balance vs. Success
• Some techniques to help us balance a game are the following:
• Playtest with a variety of players
• A good practice is to test the game with both skilled and new players to get both
perspectives on how they play and enjoy the game.
• This ensures that the game is not too easy for skilled players and isn’t too difficult for new
players.
• Give the losers a break
• Provide some way for players on the “losing” side of a game to catch up so that they do
not fall further and further behind.
• This helps keep losing players engaged as they know that they still have a chance at some
sort of comeback.
• Winning players also do not become complacent because they know their opponent could
catch up at any moment.
Balance vs. Success
• A common practice that game designers do is to make later
levels in game very difficult to beat.
• This may provide a challenge to players, but it can also cause
them to outright quit the game in frustration.
• This can cause them to stop playing your game and move on to
other games instead.
• This method does work for some games such as MMORPGs
which require multi-player raids to clear end game content.
Balance vs. Success
• Another thing to keep in mind is that learning to play a new
game is a challenge.
• This is why the first few levels of a game are usually quite easy
as the player is already challenged understanding the controls.
• Additionally, early successes can build a player’s confidence
early on.
• This confidence can then push them to complete the harder
content of the game.
Meaningful Choices
Game Balance
Meaningful Choices
• Meaningful choices for a player lead them to ask themselves
questions, such as the following:
• Where should I go?
• How should I spend my resources?
• What should I practice and try to perfect?
• How should I dress my character?
• Should I try to get through the game quickly or carefully?
• Should I focus on offense or defense?
• What strategy should I use in this situation?
• Which power should I choose?
• Should I play it safe or take a big risk?
Meaningful Choices
• A good game gives the player meaningful choices.
• These choices should have a real impact on what happens next
and how the game turns out.
• It is easy to end up offering meaningless choices to the player.
• An example of this is offering many cars to choose from in a
racing game, but all the cars have no noticeable differences.
• It also goes in the reverse, which offering choices that have an
impact but are useless to the player.
Meaningful Choices
• When players are given choices, but one of them is clearly better
than the others, this is called a dominant strategy.
• If you find that your game has a dominant strategy, you much
rebalance to game to no longer make the strategy dominant.
• When a game is initially developed, dominant strategies are
common, but these are balanced out through development.
• When balancing a game, you should then take a second look to
see how the new strategies play out.
Meaningful Choices
• Micheal Mateas is a professor who spearheaded the Game
Design Degree for the University of California.
• He pointed out that the number of choices a player seeks is
dependent on the number of things they desire:
• If choice > desires, then the player is overwhelmed
• If choices < desires, the player is frustrated
• If choices = desires, the player has a feeling of freedom and fulfillment.
• This is important to keep in mind when deciding how many
choices to give the player.
Meaningful Choices
• In some situations, the player
only wants a small number of
meaningful choices, such as
choosing a path in a road to
take.
• Other times, they may want
many choices, such as when
choosing the clothes for their
character.
Triangularity
• One common decision players
make is whether to play it safe
and go for a small reward or
take a big risk for a big reward.
• This can be thought of as a
triangularity.
• The player is one point in the
triangle, the low-risk choice is
the second point, and the high-
risk choice is the third.
Triangularity
• There are many examples of
these in many games.
• One game which makes use
of triangularity quite well is
Mario Kart.
• This game has multiple low-
risk and high-risk choices
with appropriate choices.
Triangularity
• This game requires you to make
many meaningful choices in a
single match:
• Manual or automatic?
• Kart or bike?
• Grab power-ups?
• Use power-ups?
• Keep the power-up?
• Use speed boost pads?
• Hit the gas early?
• Left or right?
Skill vs. Chance
Game Balance
Skill vs. Chance
• We discussed the concepts of skill and chance in the previous
lecture.
• These are two opposing concepts in game design, as too much
of one will negate the other.
• You can focus on one mechanic depending on the type of game
that you are creating.
• For example, if you are creating a fighting game, the focus will heavily be on
the skills of the player.
• If you are creating a party game, a higher degree of randomness can be fun for
the players.
Skill vs. Chance
• One common method of
balancing these is to alternate
the use of chance and skill in
a game.
• An example of this is in RPGs.
• You make use of skill to defeat
the enemy boss.
• Chance comes in when
deciding what rewards, you
will get from the quest.
Head vs. Hands
Game Balance
Head vs. Hands
• This is concerned with the physical and mental aspects of your
game.
• How much challenging physical activity should be placed in the game, such as
steering, throwing, or pushing buttons?
• How much thinking and puzzle solving should be involved in the game?
• You can alternate between the two types of game play for
variety.
Head vs. Hands
• A game can have intense
physical activity, say during
action sequences or intense
scenes.
• It can require the player to
physically exert effect to
complete tasks or overcome
the challenges of the game.
Head vs. Hands
• It can also have portions
where the player will have to
think things through.
• This can involve puzzle
solving, critical thinking,
decision making and strategic
planning.
Competition vs. Cooperation
Game Balance
Competition vs. Cooperation
• Competition and cooperation are common human traits.
• Games can provide a way for us to explore how people behave
in stressful situation, how they cooperate and compete.
• Generally, competitive games are much more common than
cooperative games.
• Some games allow for both playstyles to be made available to
the player.
Competition vs. Cooperation
• Some examples of
competitive games are
multiplayer games.
• These are usually in the form
of FPS games, MMORPGs,
fighting games, racing games
and so on.
Competition vs. Cooperation
• Cooperative games on the
other hand usually come in
the form of co-op games.
• These allow a group of
players to clear a game
together, usually fighting
against the A.I. of the game.
Competition vs. Cooperation
• Many multiplayer games
these days make use of both,
with some good examples
being battle royale games and
FPS games.
• These have “squads” of
players cooperating to
compete with other squads in
a match.
Short vs. Long
Game Balance
Short vs. Long
• One important concept to balance in every game is the length
of the gameplay.
• If the game is too short, players may not get a chance to develop
and execute meaningful strategic actions.
• If the game is too long, player may get bored, or avoid the game
due to the time commitment required.
• Depending on the “rules” that are set in game, they can be
extended or shortened by the player.
Short vs. Long
• The main factors that affects when a game ends are win or lose
conditions.
• By altering these conditions, you can dramatically change the
length of the game.
• A great example of this is battle royale games, which uses a
“field” to decrease the playable area on the map.
• This makes it so players will not just camp in one spot for the
entire game’s duration.
Short vs. Long
• While this method is not
perfect and can sometimes be
exploited in certain ways, it is
a way to set time limits in a
game.
• This not only helps manage
game time but also
encourages players to be
more active in the game.
Rewards
Game Balance
Rewards
• Rewards are a simple way for a game to tell a player they have done
well.
• These are some ways you can reward your players:
• Praise
• Points
• Prolonged play
• Gateways
• Spectacle
• Expression
• Powers
• Resources
• Status
• Completion
Rewards
• These are the common types of rewards we can give to players:
• Praise
• The game simply tells you that you did a good job.
• This is usually done via animation, sounds or special effects.
• Points
• The points usually does not directly affect the gameplay but provides a measure of success
for the player.
• The points can be used as the basis for additional rewards.
• Prolonged Play
• This is extra lives or extra time that is given to the player in a time-based game mode or a
game with limited lives.
• This is also seen in the “energy” systems of many mobile games today.
Rewards
• These are the common types of rewards we can give to players:
• Gateways
• This reward is in the form of new areas to explore.
• This can also be in the form of new content or mechanics to unlock.
• Spectacle
• These are usually cutscenes which are meant to be visually appealing to the player.
• These are paired with other rewards.
• Expression
• These are cosmetic rewards which don’t affect gameplay but allow the player to customize
their avatar or express themselves.
• Examples of these are emoticons, chat icons, costumes, etc.
Rewards
• These are the common types of rewards we can give to players:
• Powers
• This reward is in the form of new powers and abilities for the player.
• This will allow the player to use new skills and gameplay mechanics which can make them
feel stronger.
• Resources
• This is one of the most common types of rewards, such as in game currency, items,
equipment, ammunition, health, magic, stamina and so on.
• These allow the player to upgrade themselves or purchase items to enhance their gaming
experience.
Rewards
• These are the common types of rewards we can give to players:
• Status
• This reward is in the form of leaderboards, titles, special achievements and other rewards
which can be shared with other players.
• This is quite common in competitive games.
• Completion
• This can be considered a common reward in many games, reaching the “end” of the game
and concluding the story or plot of the game.
• This can also be in the form of getting all achievements or unlockable content in the game.
Balancing Rewards
• You can mix and match these rewards to create different reward
systems for the player.
• If you reward the player with points for example, you can then
give them resources after reaching a certain number of points.
• You can also provide a special item, a resource, with grants the
player hidden abilities, a power.
• You can mix and match these rewards to provide the player
with different options.
Balancing Rewards
• When balancing rewards, the general rule is that the more types
of rewards you can work into your game, the better.
• One thing to keep in mind is that people tend to get used to
rewards the more they receive them.
• This means that a big rewards an hour ago might become
common or expected now.
• A simple method to address this is to increase the value of
rewards as the player progresses in the game.
Balancing Rewards
• Another thing to keep in mind is using variable rewards and
fixed rewards.
• Generally, variable rewards provide more excitement and
interest for the player over fixed rewards.
• If the player expects to get a reward, then it will dimmish the
effectiveness of the reward.
• If the player is surprised by the type of reward or the frequency,
then they are more likely to appreciate it.
Punishment
Game Balance
Punishment
• The idea of punishment may initially sound counterintuitive, as
the basic purpose of games is to have fun.
• Punishment can be used to increase the enjoyment that players
get from games.
• Here are some reasons games might punish players:
• Punishment creates endogenous value
• Taking risks is exciting
• Possible punishment increases challenge
Punishment
• Let us take a closer look at how a game might punish players:
• Punishment creates endogenous value
• Resources in a game are worth more if there is a chance they can be taken away.
• Taking risks is exciting
• If the potential rewards are balanced against the risks, then this will encourage some
players to take risks to get better rewards.
• The bigger risks should also come with bigger punishments or drawbacks.
• Possible punishment increases challenge
• When failing means a punishing setback in a game, the motivation to succeed increases.
• Increasing the punishment that comes with failure can be one way to increase the
challenge.
Punishment
• Here are some of the common types of punishment used in
games:
• Shaming
• The opposite of praise, this is simply the game telling you that you are doing a bad job.
• This can also make use of discouraging animations, sound effects, and music.
• Loss of points
• This is applicable for games which have points but is generally not practiced.
• Points that cannot be taken away are much more valuable.
• Shortened play
• This includes penalties such as losing lives or losing playtime.
Punishment
• Here are some of the common types of punishment used in
games:
• Terminated play
• Simply put, a game over.
• Setback
• This is used when a player is returned to a checkpoint after death.
• Removal of powers
• This is a delicate feature to add, it can be added in terms on weakened powers to
temporarily disabled powers.
• Resource depletion
• Loss of money, items, equipment, health and other consumables fall into this category.
Punishment
• Generally, rewards are better than punishment.
• You can try looking at turning punishments into rewards to
better encourage players.
• Do take note that it is crucial that all punishment in the game is
for things that the player is able to understand and prevent.
• When punishment feels random and unstoppable, it makes the
player feel a complete lack of control.
• If the player starts calling the game “unfair”, then it will be very
hard to regain their interest.
Freedom vs. Controlled Experience
Game Balance
Freedom vs. Controlled Experience
• Games are interactive, and
the point of interactivity is to
give the player control over
their experience.
• It is not necessarily a good
idea to give the player control
over all the content in your
game.
Freedom vs. Controlled Experience
• You sometimes need to cut
out boring, complex, or
unnecessary decisions and
actions.
• One kind of game balance
that every designer must
consider is where to give the
player freedom and how
much to give.
Simple vs. Complex
Game Balance
Simple vs. Complex
• Simplicity and complexity of game mechanics can seem very
paradoxical.
• Calling a game simple or complex can both seen as a
compliment and a criticism.
• To make sure that your game hits the positive side of these two
concepts, you will need to balance the two.
• There are two types of complexity that shows up in games.
Innate Complexity
• Innate complexity refers to when the rules of the game get very
complex.
• This generally arises when you are trying to simulate a complex
real-world situation.
• This also occurs if extra rules need to be added to a game to
balance it.
• Games like this can be hard to learn, but some people really
enjoy mastering the complex rulesets.
Innate Complexity
• Innate complexity can help
you simulate a real-world
situation, such as re-creating a
historical battle.
• This can also help with
balancing your game.
• This can also help enhance
emergent complexity.
Emergent Complexity
• Emergent complexity is similar
in concept to emergent actions.
• The idea here is to create a
simple ruleset out of which
emerges complex strategies
created by players for a game.
• If a game can achieve emergent
complexity, people will be more
likely to play and replay that
game.
Natural vs. Artificial Balancing
• Adding innate complexity to balance a game can backfire on the
game designer.
• Adding too many rules to balance the game is called artificial
balancing.
• Natural balancing comes when a desired effect arises naturally
from interactions in a game.
• An example of this is Space Invaders, which has a simple rule –
the invaders adhere to a simple rule:
• The fewer the invaders are, the faster they go.
Detail vs. Imagination
Game Balance
Detail vs. Imagination
• Games do not have to have detailed content in every part of the
game.
• Games should provide some level of detail but leave it to the
player to fill in the rest.
• Deciding exactly what details should be provided and which
should be left to the player’s imagination is a type of balance.
• Some guidelines for how to achieve this are discussed in the
next set of slides.
Detail vs. Imagination
• Here are some ways to provide balance for detail and
imagination:
• Only detail what you can do well
• If there is content in the game that you can present in lower quality than you players will
be able to imagine, then go for that option instead.
• You can use these in scenery, environment, cutscenes and so on.
• Give details the imagination can use
• Provide details or real-world references to provide a foundation for the player’s
imagination.
• This can help players fill in the gaps of various aspects of your game such as the lore, the
story or even the mechanics.
Detail vs. Imagination
• Here are some ways to provide balance for detail and
imagination:
• Familiar worlds do not need much detail
• In line with the previous point, you can make a game world that is like existing
environments in the real world, past or present.
• Use the binocular effect
• This refers to providing detailed introductions or showcases for characters or elements in
the game.
• The game can then switch to simpler designs or models.
• Give details that inspire imagination
• Give players scenarios that they can easily imagine on their own.
• This can be thought of as “roleplaying” on the part of the player.