Game Balancing - Fundamentals of Game Design - page 337

Also, make sure that spending a point on one attribute magnifies the unit's power
in that dimension to the same degree that it magnifies powers in other dimensions
if the player spends that point on any other attributes. This means that, for exam-
ple, if the player can spend 10 points on strength to double the unit's strength,
spending 10 points on intelligence should not multiply the unit's intelligence by
1000. If using a point on intelligence produces a significantly greater chance of
winning than using it on strength, a dominant strategy will emerge: Players will
always put all their points into intelligence.
THE EXAMPLE OF STARCRAFT
StarCraft offers the most well-balanced combination of asymmetric features in any
war game available, which explains why, despite being over 10 years old, it remains
a favorite at gaming tournaments. The game offers players a choice of three races
called the Terrans (or humans), the Protoss, and the Zerg. Each race produces flying
attack units, construction units, small infantry units, and so on. Most important,
building these units carries approximately equivalent costs, in terms of raw materi-
als needed: A Zerg, a Protoss, and a Terran each must use similar amounts of
resources to build units that provide equivalent fighting power. The capabilities of
the units, however, vary from race to race; therefore, the game is asymmetric. The
Terran constr uction unit can repair damaged units, so assigning additional con-
struction units to a job can speed repairs. Damaged Zerg units may heal themselves
without a repair unit, but only at a fixed rate. Protoss units possess both health,
which cannot be replaced by any means, and shields, which the Protoss may
recharge at special locations. Because Protoss units possess both health and shields,
they usually cost about twice as much as their counterparts in the other races.
StarCraft is an excellent example of a well-balanced asymmetric game, and well
worth taking the time to study. Buy a strategy guide for the game and read about
the attributes of the units. Notice how their costs tend to balance their abilities.
The balance in StarCraft makes use of both direct costs (computed from the amount
of raw material required to build a unit) and shadow costs—hidden weaknesses.
Balance Issues for Persistent Worlds
Persistent worlds are multiplayer online games that run continuously, offering a
game world that persists even if a player is not logged in. Chapter 21, “Online
Games,” discusses persistent worlds but this section addresses a couple of issues
in the context of balancing.
Persistent worlds are never symmetric and are always intrinsically unbalanced
because long-time players accumulate significant resources and experience that put
newcomers at a disadvantage. As a result, online games must provide protection and
encouragement for beginning players. Most now allow players to avoid PvP combat
unless they specifically want to engage in it (Chapter 21 addresses this at further
length), but online games must also give new players a chance to earn resources,