Guide to Balancing

The Goal of Game Balancing

Balancing isn’t about making everything equal or eliminating all overpowered items. Instead, it aims to enhance enjoyment by removing elements that feel unfair.

Unfun Mechanics

The following elements typically feel unfair or unfun:

• Facing unexpected defeats with no warning
• Being forced into unwinnable situations
• Being completely unable to act

These often make gameplay feel frustrating, though some mechanics may include these elements without necessarily feeling unfair.

Improving Game Mechanics

These tips won’t guarantee perfect balance but can inspire better design:

• Favor Active Over Passive Abilities: Passive boosts (e.g., flat armor increases) often feel less engaging and fair than abilities players actively use. Active abilities also allow opponents to anticipate actions, making them feel more balanced.

• Avoid Hard Counters: Instant-win items or absolute defenses often make items situational and limit their use. Hard counters can be fun if balanced but are usually best avoided.

• Communicate Clearly: Losing feels unfair if players don’t know why. Make outcomes and counter-effects clear to help players understand what happened.

• Use Randomness Wisely: Consistent mechanics aid strategy. While randomness can add excitement or close skill gaps, it should be used thoughtfully.

• Consider New Players: Designing with new players in mind often improves the experience for everyone. Helping players feel in control enhances overall satisfaction.

• Encourage Fun Scenarios: Mechanics should add to the story and create enjoyable interactions. Elements involving many players should be more impactful to promote fun, emergent gameplay.

These are guidelines, not strict rules—deviate as needed to enhance gameplay.

Balancing Considerations

Balancing requires weighing goals against potential downsides.

• Removing convenient features can help balance but may also frustrate players.
• Some elements may need to be removed entirely, but consider cuts carefully to maximize benefits without excessive losses.
• Preserve power where it adds fun. A feature too closely balanced with its counter may lose its unique appeal or restrict players’ strategic options.
• Use the mechanic you are balancing and discuss changes with others. Balance affects both users and opponents.
• Communicate your goals and accept trade-offs transparently to avoid misunderstandings.
• Avoid setups where players are too easily stopped, as they’ll disengage. Mechanics should encourage players to create interesting scenarios.