September 2000
- Avault article: The End of the Smurfs? Zak Jarvis
- End of volunteers? Peter
- End of volunteers? Greg Underwood
- End of volunteers? Peter
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Lovecraft
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? F. Randall Farmer
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Koster, Raph
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? John Buehler
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Dave Rickey
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Jeff Freeman
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Madrona Tree
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? John Buehler
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Madrona Tree
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Koster, Raph
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? David Frank
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Koster, Raph
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Ananda Dawnsinger
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Matthew Mihaly
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Madrona Tree
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Koster, Raph
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Greg Underwood
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Greg Underwood
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Koster, Raph
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Greg Underwood
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Matthew Mihaly
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Greg Underwood
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Matthew Mihaly
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? David H. Loeser Jr
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Madrona Tree
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Josh Olson
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Jeff Freeman
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Josh Olson
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Jeff Freeman
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Zak Jarvis
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Matthew Mihaly
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Zak Jarvis
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Madman Across the Water
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Dave Rickey
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Madrona Tree
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Josh Olson
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Matthew Mihaly
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Dave Rickey
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Willowreed@aol.com
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? David H. Loeser Jr
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Willowreed@aol.com
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Batir
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? David H. Loeser Jr
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Dave Rickey
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Madrona Tree
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Corey Crawford
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Willowreed@aol.com
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Willowreed@aol.com
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Koster, Raph
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Dave Rickey
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Erik Jarvi
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Ananda Dawnsinger
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Willowreed@aol.com
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Erik Jarvi
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Shawn L Johnston
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Willowreed@aol.com
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Josh Olson
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? David H. Loeser Jr
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Willowreed@aol.com
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Mud Imp
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Greg Underwood
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? david.l.smith@home.com
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Koster, Raph
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Zak Jarvis
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Christopher Allen
- Criminalize Community Volunteers? Mud Imp
- MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #216 - 11 msgs Greg Miller
- MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #216 - 11 msgs Jon Lambert
- graphical arrogance Matthew Mihaly
- graphical arrogance Koster, Raph
- graphical arrogance Vincent Archer
- graphical arrogance Zak Jarvis
- graphical arrogance Matthew Mihaly
- Skotos Beta Test Signup Christopher Allen
- Side note (was: Criminalize Community Volunteers?) Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Shadowbane Matthew Mihaly
- Game Balance and Mortal Complaints SmokEater952@aol.com
- Game Balance and Mortal Complaints David Bennett
- Game Balance and Mortal Complaints Lovecraft
From: Sulux, SmokEater952@aol.com:
>I guess I am looking for ways to handle the PR aspect of these sort of
>changes, or the question of should they have been made at all. Should we
have
>eft it alone and just made sure that all new adds where balanced?
This list's archives likely has fruitful comments: www.kanga.nu/search but I
rarely, if ever, found distilled examples or directions. Unfortunately, I
also failed to find a game balance document in the Kanga.Nu library.
Refer to the "Laws of Online World Design" (compiled by Raph Koster) for
some mantras.
Balance
Note: If it is grossly imbalanced, then you'll need grosser solutions than
these.
1. Know the balance. Log it, snapshot it, or otherwise derive it from
comparison of new and old data over a given period of play-time. Measure
points gained per hour played.
1.1. Do not make any balance judgments based on user comments. User
comments are great for deciding what users want and how they feel, but are
always personal and biased.
1.2. Know the weighted value. For example: mana may be almost worthless
to the average warrior; therefore if mana is calculated into your _warrior_
balance, it's weight is very little.
2. Add, don't subtract. Players hate asset losses. Players love new and
improved features.
Enhance the weaker skills, spells, classes, items. If <a> has rate <x>,
and <b> has rate 2<x>, then increase <a> to 2<x>, or otherwise change the
attributes, for example: <a>.cost=<b>.cost * 0.5.
2.1. Creativity combined with statistical confidence will yield balance
and quite impressed players.
2.2. When designing new realms/features, of course, make it balanced
while making it integrate well with the rest of the game. If the new realm
or feature is significantly less profitable than the old, the
profit-conscious players won't use it. (See John Hopson's post "Matching
and Maximizing: How players choose between activities")
Public Relations
Note: Compassionate, loving, and loyal players, by their nature, create your
PR for you. For the other 99.9%:
1. Poll
1.1. Get player opinion.
How much do players care about game balance? If you run your game
for your players' sake, your effort to balance the game will be no more than
their relative concern. Many players will let things slide that game
designer's would grind teeth over. Even some bugs may be considered
"features" and may enhance their entertainment. [1]
What do players think of your plan to do exactly ... <so and so>?
1.2. If possible, make your poll valid by a user vote. Relying on user
feedback puts you at the mercy of the loudest shouters, which is more often
your least desirable players.
2. Add, don't subtract.
2.1. Always announce good things. Show the goodness of what you are
doing. Explain how it will increase their assets (the previous characters)
and profits (their future play). Don't lie. If you can't truthfully
explain this, then re-design.
2.2. If you absolutely must harm someone's asset, trade with them for
something better.
3. Ask for suggestions to your plan.
3.1. Players feel like they are participating. When they do, they feel
partial ownership in the plan. Therefore, they will be more willing to
think about it and accept it.
3.2. There's a wealth of experience to be tapped. Mostly, they'll
suggest things that are not good, but a dedicated few will provide good
suggestions. At least you'll understand what the players' needs are
regarding your plan.
3.3. Pat your players' on the back and publicly recognize that you are
doing what they suggested.
3.5. If there is a FSS (frequent stupid suggestion), then politely
incorporate the rebuttal in your plan's document.
3.4. A similar method is to seek player-experts. Identify them and get
their suggestions.
4. One Step at a time.
4.1. Players usually hate balance changes, so don't wound their morale
all at once.
4.2. If you take one step at a time, you'll have time to adjust to what
the players' think and how they use your changes. Your plan, most likely,
will need a few fixes for the damage it creates, and will certainly need
refining. There's at least a hundred or a thousand times more brains and
hours of play-time in your players to discover the most profitable solutions
(often what designers call abuses or design flaws) of your balancing.
5. Announce ahead of time your schedule.
Consider how you would feel if you woke up one morning and discovered the
cost of gas doubled, the risk of cancer from watching a computer screen
jumped 100 fold, and all wages for all jobs were reduced to minimum wage,
and over-time declared an unfair "bug". These are intentionally absurd
examples. Consider your changes deeply, as if your world were the only
world for your players, and as if the imbalance that exists now were as
solid, real, and dependable as the law of gravity.
Dave Kennerly | Game Director | www.DarkAges.com
[1] For example: in Dark Ages, when you become unconscious, if you log
out, your state of dying is frozen until you log in again. I would have
fixed this, but there wasn't time. Later I realized it was a fun feature.
The player would use another character to form a rescue team while he was
frozen. In my mind, that's cheating (My character always died with dignity
of not logging out). But, also, it was _fun_, exciting, and built community
relationships. - Game Balance and Mortal Complaints Patrick Dughi
- Game Balance and Mortal Complaints Val Trullinger
- The Solution to Criminalizing Community Volunteers? Jon Morrow
- The Solution to Criminalizing Community Volunteers? nbossett@herbert.com
- The Solution to Criminalizing Community Volunteers? Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Dave Rickey
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Koster, Raph
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Vincent Archer
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Dave Rickey
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Corey Crawford
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? gmiller@classic-games.com
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Koster, Raph
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Travis Casey
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Jeff Freeman
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Tess Lowe
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Jeff Freeman
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Andy
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Timothy Dang
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Taylor
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Nathan Clemons
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Madman Across the Water
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Corey Crawford
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Joe Andrieu
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Madman Across the Water
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Joe Andrieu
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Madman Across the Water
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Madman Across the Water
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Joe Andrieu
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Jon Lambert
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Peter
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Jon Lambert
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Koster, Raph
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? yvesk@brutele.be
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Dan Merillat
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Jeff Freeman
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Dave Rickey
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Jeff Freeman
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Eli Stevens
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Eli Stevens
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? John Buehler
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? John Buehler
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? John Buehler
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? John Buehler
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? John Buehler
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? rayzam
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Matthew Mihaly
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Luc Van den Borre
- Are eBay sales more than just a fad? Dave Rickey
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Michael Tresca
- MUD Coding Staff Structure David Bennett
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Erik Jarvi
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Marc Bowden
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Malcolm Tester
- MUD Coding Staff Structure David Bennett
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Daniel Podlejski
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Lars Duening
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Matthew Mihaly
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Steven Kaskinen
- MUD Coding Staff Structure gmiller@classic-games.com
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Taylor
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Matthew Mihaly
- MUD Coding Staff Structure rayzam
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Matthew Mihaly
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Michael Tresca
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Dave Rickey
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Matthew Mihaly
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Vincent Archer
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Malcolm Tester
- MUD Coding Staff Structure Koster, Raph
- OT: short abscence Greg Underwood
- MUD Licensing UCMM Administration
- question Matthew Mihaly
- Nomenclature (was: MUD Coding Staff Structure) Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Nomenclature (was: MUD Coding Staff Structure) Dave Rickey
- Nomenclature (was: MUD Coding Staff Structure) Steven Kaskinen
- Nomenclature (was: MUD Coding Staff Structure) Michael Tresca
- Conditioned reinforcers: Getting players to do things for free John Hopson
- Society Scaling Brad Wyble
- MUDs vs. MMUDs (was MUD Coding Staff Structure) Steven Kaskinen
- MUDs vs. MMUDs (was MUD Coding Staff Structure) Steven Kaskinen
- MUDs vs. MMUDs (was MUD Coding Staff Structure) Matthew Mihaly
- MUDs vs. MMUDs Steven Kaskinen
- MUDs vs. MMUDs Steven Kaskinen
- Mud-dev FAQ 2 Marian Griffith
- startup script for you Matthew Mihaly
- Bad Name Lists Christopher Allen
- Bad Name Lists Josh Rollyson
- Bad Name Lists William Katzell
- Bad Name Lists Michael Tresca
- Bad Name Lists Eli Stevens
- Bad Name Lists Matthew Mihaly
- Bad Name Lists Mordengaard
- Help and Reference Systems Study Jon Morrow
- Help and Reference Systems Study Peter
- Help and Reference Systems Study Colin Coghill
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Koster, Raph
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Jeff Freeman
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Dave Rickey
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Josh Olson
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Dave Rickey
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Travis Nixon
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Dave Rickey
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Jeff Freeman
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Dave Rickey
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Norman Short
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's KevinL
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Norman Short
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Jeff Freeman
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Dave Rickey
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Matthew Mihaly
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Geoffrey MacDougall
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Corey Crawford
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Myschyf
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- FW: [uodevlist] OT - Lawsuit on Lum's Nathan F. Yospe
- Lawsuit vs. EA/Origin Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Lawsuit vs. EA/Origin Koster, Raph
- Lawsuit vs. EA/Origin Dave Rickey
- DoS and muds Josh Rollyson
- DoS and muds Patrick Dughi
- DoS and muds Chris Jacobson
- DoS and muds Shawn L Johnston
- Interesting Page on Magic Chris Lloyd
- paying volunteers Matthew Mihaly
- paying volunteers Patrick Dughi
- paying volunteers Matthew Mihaly
- paying volunteers Nicholas Daley
- paying volunteers Chris Lloyd
- paying volunteers Matthew Mihaly
- paying volunteers Chris Lloyd
- paying volunteers Geoffrey MacDougall
- paying volunteers Jeff Freeman
- paying volunteers Sellers, Michael
- paying volunteers Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- paying volunteers the_logos@www.achaea.com
- (no subject) Ian Hess
- (no subject) Matthew Mihaly
- Chicagoland MUD-Dev Dinner Erik Jarvi
- StoryTelling Devices: "Magic Book" Eric Rhea
- StoryTelling Devices: "Magic Book" Madrona Tree
- StoryTelling Devices: "Magic Book" Nathan F. Yospe
- Portable Device Integration Eric Rhea
- Pricing structures and selling characters and items Myschyf
- Pricing structures and selling characters and items Matthew Mihaly
- Pricing structures and selling characters and items Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Interview with Vault Koster, Raph
- [rpg-create] Combat Abstractions (fwd) J C Lawrence
- [rpg-create] Combat Abstractions (fwd) J C Lawrence
- [rpg-create] Combat Abstractions (fwd) J C Lawrence
- [rpg-create] HP triangle (fwd) J C Lawrence
- [rpg-create] HP triangle (fwd) J C Lawrence
- [rpg-create] HP triangle (fwd) J C Lawrence
- [rpg-create] HP triangle (fwd) J C Lawrence
- [rpg-create] combat thoughts (fwd) J C Lawrence
- [rpg-create] Combat System Checklist (fwd) J C Lawrence
- ADMIN: Volunteer vs paid employee thread J C Lawrence
- OT: qnx released Steve Houchard
- customer service Matthew Mihaly
- customer service Corey Crawford
- Squeezing the ink from "Magic Book" Eric Rhea
- Importance of User Documentation Jon Morrow
- Importance of User Documentation Sanvean
- Importance of User Documentation Alex
- Importance of User Documentation Dave Kennerly
- Importance of User Documentation Jon Morrow
- Importance of User Documentation Sanvean
- Importance of User Documentation Richard Tew
- Importance of User Documentation Ben
- Importance of User Documentation Sanvean
- Importance of User Documentation rayzam
- Importance of User Documentation Jon Morrow
- Fw: Importance of User Documentation Stephen Newby
- Fw: Importance of User Documentation Inq Admin
- Fw: Importance of User Documentation David Bennett
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Jon Morrow
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Bruce
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Willowreed@aol.com
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation John Hopson
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Marc Bowden
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Richard Tew
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Ryan P.
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Marc Bowden
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Richard Tew
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Melinda Davison
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation KevinL
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Dave Rickey
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation KevinL
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Colin Coghill
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Richard Tew
- Convincing Players to Read Documentation Michael Tresca