CIS 487/587 Bruce R. Maxim UM-Dearborn Gameplay and Balance CIS 487/587 Bruce R. Maxim UM-Dearborn 11/29/2018

Goals List 5 games What in one sentence what is the objective of each? 11/29/2018

Rules, Play, Culture Rules Play Culture Organization of the game system Play Human experience from the game system Culture Larger contexts engaged or inhabited by the game system 11/29/2018

Implementing Gameplay Gameplay is the union of the game environment and game rules A game is a series of choices To be worthwhile gameplay must provide players with non-trivial choices Choices should have both good and bad consequences to ensure that no one strategy can become dominant 11/29/2018

Rules Operational Rules Constituative Rules Implicit Rules Guidelines to allow for orderly play Constituative Rules Logical or math basis of the game Example: Nim or Taxman Implicit Rules Etiquette or sportsmanship Example: everyone can reach the board 11/29/2018

Rules Can you think of a game with no rules? How about a game with only one rule? Why is it hard to find a game without many rules? 11/29/2018

Strategy vs Tactics Strategic choices Tactical choices Affect the course of the game over the medium or long term Tactical choices Apply to the immediate situation 11/29/2018

Dominant Strategy Problem Dominated strategy option so bad that is is never worth using Dominant strategy option so good that it is always used Games with lasting appeal will avoid the use of near dominated (limited use) and near dominant (excessively used) options 11/29/2018

Choice and Outcome Choice Outcome Possibility space A question asked of the player Outcome The end result of a given choice Possibility space Represents the set of possible events A “landscape” of choice and outcome

Choice and Outcome Well-designed choice Often desirable and undesirable effects Should relate to player goals Balanced against neighboring choices Too much weight to every choice is melodrama Orthogonal choices – distinct from others Not just “shades of grey”

Ensuring Interesting Choices Avoid paper-scissors-rock type absolute transitive relationships Players should be required to make a judgment to select an optimal strategy only after taking into account the aspects of each game situation (e.g. terrain, weather, time, opponent actions) 11/29/2018

Tradeoffs Option does the most damage but it is the slowest Option is fastest to use but leaves player defenseless Option is best defense but does little damage Option is never the best or worst, but is the most versatile 11/29/2018

Supporting Investments To reach the primary game objective (destroy enemies) players may have to attend to secondary aims (like building farms to produce food to encourage trade to make money to recruit soldiers) By including multilevel decisions creates the need for players to think strategically 11/29/2018

Compensating Factors Costs that any be added to game to make selection of option less attractive Example: Helicopters can cross any type of terrain Make them slow Make them easily destroyed Limit their ability to look far ahead Make them expensive 11/29/2018

Impermanence Sometimes an advantage associated with a strategy might only be temporary Destroyed by enemies Stolen or converted Require the use of something not always present Limited number of uses Time limit on use 11/29/2018

Shadow Costs The underlying costs to the player associated with making a decision Resources or experiences required to be able to use some option Can be costs related to make supporting investments 11/29/2018

Game Balance Types Player/Player Player/Gameplay Gameplay/Gameplay Player’s performance is based on skill and a little “luck” Player/Gameplay Player should not feel the game is too hard or too easy Gameplay/Gameplay The cost of a game’s features must match the power of acquiring the feature 11/29/2018

Achieving Game Balance Ensure that skill matters, do not allow a few random elements to determine outcome Give all players access to the same features having varying power/cost Good game play involves allowing the players to make interesting choices Need to make sure that no strategy is unbeatable 11/29/2018

Golden Rules Player/Player Player/Gameplay Gameplay/Gameplay Players should never be put in unwinnable situations through no fault of their own Player/Gameplay Game should be fun to learn and fun to play (game is more fun when more is learned) Gameplay/Gameplay All game options must be worth using sometimes and the cost must be commensurate with payoff 11/29/2018

Balance in Capture the Flag Describe how you might ensure player/player balance? Is it important? How would you ensure player/gameplay balance? How would you ensure gameplay/gameplay balnace? 11/29/2018

Player/Player Balance Symmetry in opponent skills and resources player have the opportunity to do the best with what they start with Symmetry in level design levels are functionally equal in difficulty for each player Symmetry in game design all players have functionally equivalent choices presented during gameplay 11/29/2018

Player/Gameplay Balance Want a fair game where the player feels that all features are worthwhile Balance game challenges against player’s improving abilities Reward the player Let the machine do the work Let player play with the game not against it (this is a usability issue) 11/29/2018

Gameplay/Gameplay Balance There should be an interesting set of non-dominant player choices Optimum choices are not easy to recognize since the require knowledge of previous player choices Not easy to see how frequently different choices will be worth making 11/29/2018

Save Game Problem Often players complain about how hard it is to get the a “save” point Problem is not the mechanism used to allow a save Problem is symptomatic of arbitrary game behavior or a steep learning curve that makes it hard to progress using skill alone (i.e. trial and error with starting over at beginning the punishment for failure) 11/29/2018