Why do so much people talk about balance? How can a game be balanced?

E: brb
Edited by Welcome To Earth on Mar 3, 2010 at 08:40 PM

Make it balanced by not making it unbalanced.
ie. dont give the red team a tele directly to and from the flag, and not blue. Done give red team lasers, rl and frg and just give ar to blue.

Ah, what else besides that makes it balanced? Like weapons and stuff, cause people are complaining about Reach not being balanced.

One single overpowered weapon can unbalance a map.

Edit:stupid mouse
Edited by hjm65 on Mar 3, 2010 at 08:51 PM

Think of it this way:


Fire can beat ice.
Ice can beat water.
Water can beat fire.

BUT THEN EARTH COMES ALONG AND USES ITS 1337 SKILL TO PWN ALL DEM N00BZ!1111


Another example.

Heartbeat sensor in MW2< Ninja.
Thermal sights< Cold Blooded.
Explosives<Blast sheild.
Blast sheild< Danger Close.

However if the game were balanced it would take no more than a little skill instead of using overpowerd weapons and bombs.

Ice is water. Just in a solid state.

Think more of Pokemon:
Fire beats Grass
Grass beats Water
Water beats Fire
Edited by Advancebo on Mar 3, 2010 at 09:30 PM

I haz level 100 ghost-dragon fusion pokemon thingy. I r can beat teh game ten times over with no sweat.

^This is why you need balance.

Just don't make one vehicle or weapon too much more powerful than the rest.

Rock, paper, scissors SHOOT!

Throwing Knife.

Like the longsword?

Really I think the key is not so much "don't make anything too powerful" but "make sure everything has a disadvantage that can be exploited."

Take the rocket launcher for example. It almost always wins a fight up close, hence the popular "rocket noob/whore". But really those who complain about rockets are mistaken because it's balanced out by the rocket's slow speed, slow firing rate, 2 rounds per clip, long reload, and only 8 spare rockets max. Things like that.

I think the general rule is to balance the game so that picking up any weapon will give you a fair chance in a fight if you know how to use it, while each weapon has unique and interesting functions that give each weapon it's own advantages and disadvantages.
Take the plasma pistol for example:

Pros:
Great against shields (charged shot)
Can disable vehicles when charged

Cons:
Relatively slow rate of fire
Prone to overheating
Not great against armor/flesh
Edited by UnevenElefant5 on Mar 3, 2010 at 10:59 PM

Cons:
Everyone seems to remove it from their maps after I beta test it :(

Don't whore it in the beta tests, then you can use it all you want after the final release :D

Self restraint is much harder than you think ;P

Bloodgulch:
2 Sniper Rifles
Each team gets 1.
16 rounds to start off.
Leading your targets.

Everyone spawns with a pistol.

k?

this thread made me lol :)

Well, you don't always have to give each team the EXACT same thing.
For example. Playing halo 3 High Ground. It is pretty balanced.
1 team gets a rocket and sniper while the other gets a spartan laser only. Some people may think this is uneven but...
Spartan laser = rocket power + sniper rifle accuracy = everyone =D
The rest of the weapons are scattered around quite evenly as far as grenades, short range weaps, and mid range weaps.
And of course the vehicles are even.

It's not like you have to say "two BRs for you and two for you. Four ARs for you and four for you".
I just recently decided I can't stand it when you look at maps and they are EXACTLY symmetrical as far as weapon placement. It is OK to give 1 team different weapons as long as the weapon's overall potential destructive power is equal.

If you wanted, you could just observe weapons and rate them on a point system involving accuracy, and strength of weapon and place them according to your own ratings. so that the placements are not too overpowered for one side.