Balance or not Balance

[zerotacg]

since the artikel is english and u might also want to read it

http://mikesalsbury.com/mambo/content/view/388/

[ajsuk]

[sidusar]

Let me just quote the most important part

For example, let's say you're the development team for Ultima Online. You've noticed that the characters who chose to max out animal taming and musicianship are leveling up the quickest, making the most money, and generally really "cleaning up". You could take out the "nerf bat" and make taming or musicianship weaker. That's just going to alienate the players who spent all that time training these characters. Instead, you need to introduce new monsters that are immune to the charms of music and which scare off tamed pets.

Ofcourse you don't want things perfectly balanced. If you can't find a strategy that's more effective than others, what's the fun in the game? I think most players when calling for balance just mean to give a skill some use at all though. Maces aren't 'unbalanced' even if nobody's using them, they do have their uses, but staffs are another matter.

[ffxjosh]

but staffs are another matter.

Was reading your post while drinking... Spat out my water laughing while reading that bit. now i have to dry up my keyboard...

[acridiel]

The thing is, with the best rule set in the world, the most well-balanced character designs, equally skillful players, and challenging content, there are still going to be some players who are simply more successful than others. Just as everyone who plays baseball isn't capable of becoming the next Pete Rose, or everyone who tries football can't become Joe Namath, or everyone who sings in the shower can't be the next Elvis Presley, everyone who plays a game can't be the "best" player. Game designers need to recognize that fact and even embrace it. No MMO is ever going to be perfectly balanced, nor do you want it to be. If you somehow magically balance it, you've most likely created the next tic-tac-toe. No one's going to pay $10/month to play that for very long. Remember, as Koster says, games are "disposable". We will stop playing when it's not fun anymore.

If only Players would recognise that too and stop whining for this or that class to be nerfed, because it´s "Imbalanced"...
The learning process should be mutual, he´s just shifting all the blame to the Devs again.

But all in all a good Blog.

CU
Acridiel

[moyaku]

interesting article thanx for sharing

[arafelis]

bleugh. While I agree that no game will ever truly be balanced, I don't think that game developers have ever believed it would be either. Shifting class abilities introduces novelness to the game without needing to exponentially expand the number of options available to players; WoW's constant rebalancing, for instance, is one of the few things that makes the game interesting.

He's also neglecting player v player competition. This doesn't occur only in PvP combat, but in any situation where two players are struggling for a resource or element (even if it's only bragging rights). The ultimate goal of a balancing attempt is to allow as many ability combinations as possible to have roughly equal odds of success when played by players of equal skill. That's all it is... not the fascism of mediocrity he seems to believe in.

[aranykai]

Good read, and he does have some valid points to game balancing techniques.

However, that being said, I still think ryzom is somewhat immune to these problems simply in because of its class system, or lack thereof. Most games force you to chose this or that, and once you have, theres no going back. Ryzom isnt so stringent.

Ive been told by several players over the last few weeks of playing that this game is about adventure and interaction, not just levels and combat. I am reminded of my Pen and Paper roleplaying days, and find myself actually developing a roleplay story behind my character, something I havent done in a long while in an MMORPG.

[iwojimmy]

Quote:
The thing is, with the best rule set in the world, the most well-balanced character designs, equally skillful players, and challenging content, there are still going to be some players who are simply more successful than others. Just as everyone who plays baseball isn't capable of becoming the next Pete Rose, or everyone who tries football can't become Joe Namath, or everyone who sings in the shower can't be the next Elvis Presley, everyone who plays a game can't be the "best" player. Game designers need to recognize that fact and even embrace it.

What is required is a world/gamesetting that caters to differing 'levels' of player ability and interest. Ryzom has been pretty good for this, but the perceived trend towards a PvP focused game is a bad sign. Competitive focused play ends up being elitist and discriminatory against the casual gamers.
Games with a large userbase can afford to split their populations, and provide entire servers for demographics with different goals, but Ryzom doesnt have that option. It needs to look after all its players on the one server (by language)

[iceaxe68]

Quote:

What is required is a world/gamesetting that caters to differing 'levels' of player ability and interest. Ryzom has been pretty good for this, but the perceived trend towards a PvP focused game is a bad sign. Competitive focused play ends up being elitist and discriminatory against the casual gamers.

I certainly agree that exclusively PvP play can be discouraging for the "casual" player, however one might define that term.

But I have found in my 7 months on Atys that every time I log in I find something new to see or do, new homins to meet, new lore to learn or be part of, on and on...

It will take me far more years than Ryzom has already existed to grow tired of Atys itself, completely aside from PvP, or even leveling skills. Those are just good excuses for getting out there to see and experience and learn.

Just as I will spend a lifetime on Earth and never grow tired of its endlessly changing vistas.

For me the best thing about Ryzom is that I can go with my mood, fight or craft or dig or trek or chat or just sit and look around. I have gone through phases where I was focused on leveling up a certain skill. I have gone through phases where I didn't care about levels and just went exploring. I have fought in OP battles and in duels. I have taught new homins how to do things. I have sought out knowledgeable Homins to teach me in my turn.

I think that those who focus too much on one aspect or phase of the wealth before us are sadly missing out.

It ain't about the ding.