How do you determine 'balance'? |
I'm curious to more experienced modders, how you've solved the question of what is balanced. It seems each mod is balanced differently, with each having its own conclusion of what balance is.
I tried to work it from a ship construction angle at first; I balanced stuff until a DN-sized ship could down smaller ships instead of getting owned by them due to their size penalty. This, of course, 'unbalanced' things in favor of DN designs (but this did work out better for the AI since the AI seems to always use the largest hull designs).
So, here's some points I've considered and re-considered:
a) High mineral/maintainance cost would keep 'super' weapons/ships/components from proliferating to every ship in the empire (economic balance). Often these ships dominate in combat but the loss of a single ship could mean 1.7 years or more to construct a new one (that is including max level Temporal Space Yard + 5% SYConstruct rate and +25% SYConstruct rate racial bonuses).
b) Accuracy/ROF of certain weapons could be modified; i.e. I'm of the opinion that most or all beam-type weapons should have a much higher degree of accuracy, however this would make them a class of 'uber' weapon. By modifying the ROF, less accurate but faster-firing weapons would have parity.
c) Damage/ROF of certain items could be modified, similar to the Wave Motion Gun with a 6s reload time but super high damage.
Other stuff I've considered with less detail, Damage/Range ratios, Damage/Accuracy ratios and the like.
How've you solved the balance equation, and what was your thinking behind your solution?
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
The ratio (Damage / kiloton / fire rate) is the fulcrum for balancing weapons. This damage ratio determines how fast an average weapon will kill an average ship. All other factors should modify the weapon's damage ratio in some way; there is just no clean formula that can mathematically balance other factors, like accuracy and range. Does a 10% bonus to hit merit a 10% drop in damage ratio? Maybe, maybe not. How about a weapon with 2x damage to shields? Is it "balanced" if you simply drop base damage in half? Depends on other factors in the mod, such as relative strength of armor vs. shields. Range is also tricky; is 25% range increase worth 25% damage ratio? Depends on ship speeds vs. max range, typical to hit values based on ECM, CS, vehicle bonus, etc. Balance is more of an art than a science.
Note that just ramping up minerals cost isn't always the best solution; you can throw cost into the damage ratio formula to see if a strong, but ultra-expensive, weapon ever even makes sense to use. If another weapon is half as strong, but 1 fourth the cost (due to making the "uber" weapon very costly), there is little reason to use the uber weapon, since you can field twice as much damage capacity with the cheaper weapons. Of course, cost is still an important factor in balancing special weapon properties. Just don't rely on it as the main factor.
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
My guess would be that balance is firstly and foremost determined by the flavor of the mod.
I also agree that "the goal of game balance is to ensure that a variety of strategies can be used to achieve victory." However variety for the sake of variety is not acceptable. Adding more rocks papers and scissors can become daunting.
No one really knows the true shape of real space combat in the future, so there are no right or wrong choices when making a mod.
In the end there is only one truth: just build a mod that you and perhaps your friends would like to play, and forget all about balance.
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
Easy. You stick Balance in the mod's title and when people complain about something being unbalanced, you ignore it and tell them it's a strategy issue. 
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
This is by far the best answer! LOL *Makes a note of this*
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
Well said Captain Kwok, we will never doubt you again.
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
>Now why could I not think or that. . .
Note to self all mods should have the word Balance in there title, will save me hours and hours of work.
Thanks Kwok.
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
Another balancing factor is research. Building a sphere world is both costly in materials but also in research to get there.
Another example is in SEIV the religious talisman (automatic hit) Ubber!
SEV, more than a feeling.
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
Research is a dangerous thing to use as a major balancing factor; once the item is out, it is out and doing what it does best. Research cost can be one factor, but don't assume that you can make one tech twice as powerful as another just because you make the research cost twice as much (or even 4x).
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
Re: How do you determine 'balance'?
The goal of "game balance" is to ensure that a variety of strategies can be used to achieve victory. There should not be any single weapon or ship design which is always better in all circumstances. Every weapon should have drawbacks of some sort: cost, range, target types, accuracy, etc...
If everyone is using the same strategy (e.g. use almost all Meson Blasters) then the game balance is probably broken. Similarly, if nobody is build a certain weapon or ship component, then it's probably unbalanced in the opposite way (or the players don't understand how to use it). There needs to be a lot of gave-and-take to ensure that games stay interesting.