Balancing online games to create a fair and positive experience for players is a constant challenge for developers because it requires a delicate trade-off between different variables. In slots, the underlying systems must be complex and engaging while also ensuring the “house” edge is retained, while in video games, characters’ abilities must be balanced so they are not too overpowered.
Balancing is difficult because there are so many different factors that feed into principles such as fairness, stability and engagement. Changing one aspect of a game can have an adverse impact on another aspect of a game, which can ruin the experience for the user and make it less likely that they will return to play. Central to the concept of balance is delivering the appearance of “fairness”.
Video game designer Chris Crawford notes: “The game must appear to be winnable to all players, beginners and experts, but it must never truly be winnable or it will lose its appeal.”
This “illusion” of winnability is what makes certain games so popular. They can be complicated or random, but players must always feel like they can achieve their objectives. This is where balancing comes in.
When playing casinos on a phone today, gamers will marvel at how the casino games and video slots are expertly balanced to offer both risk and reward during gameplay. The core principles of fairness, stability and engagement will be evident as these games have been created by some of the leading developers in the industry. Players signing up can trigger welcome bonuses and free spins.
In multiplayer games, the concept of balancing is slightly different. While underlying systems still have to be robust, the developers of these games also have to juggle another variable – real players competing against each other in real-time. They will have to ensure that players have similar levels of resources and abilities when first starting out, which can be supported by better matchmaking.
In general gameplay, the abilities and perks that a player uses must also be balanced. The terms “buff” and “nerf” are popular in online games as developers often increase or decrease the power of weapons over time to ensure the game’s balance is maintained. If a weapon becomes too overpowered, it can throw the whole experience off kilter and make it less enjoyable. This is something MMORPG designers are constantly optimizing.
Another aspect of balancing comes in the form of offering meaningful decisions to players. Developers must decide how difficult and complex they want different aspects of their games to be. Providing meaningless decisions is a sign that a game has not been balanced correctly. This is not desirable and can harm the experience. Decisions should always have an impact on how the game plays out, unless they are linked to basic selections such as choosing cosmetics and skins.
Balancing is a critical part of game design and something that developers are always attempting to maintain across single-player and multiplayer titles to ensure their games are successful and appeal to the broadest audience possible.
