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What are some effective methods for balancing multiplayer games?

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Balancing multiplayer games is one of the most challenging and important aspects of game development. It can make or break the player experience, the game's reputation, and its longevity. But how can you achieve a fair and fun balance for different types of players, modes, and mechanics? In this article, we will explore some effective methods for balancing multiplayer games, based on game design principles and methods.

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Juan Pais

Project Manager at Ironhide Game Studio
Tim Ryan
Aleix Risco

?? Gaming Entrepreneur | Co-founder & Game Lead en Evil Zeppelin

1 Define your target audience

Before you start balancing your game, you need to know who you are designing it for. What are their preferences, expectations, and skill levels? What are the main goals and motivations of your game? How do you want to reward and challenge your players? By defining your target audience, you can create a balance that suits their needs and desires, and avoid alienating or frustrating them.

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Javier Vigor Cayetano

Dise?ador y Desarrollador de Videojuegos
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Es importante escuchar a la comunidad de jugadores. Si lo que piden o exigen está en conflicto con tu idea del juego, tu sistema de ganancias o demás, puedes optar a ignorarlo. Pero si una mecánica, personaje, etc. Es el causante de malestar general en el juego, y editarlo no afecta negativamente al juego, ?hazlo! La comunidad se sentirá escuchada y lograrás un juego más equilibrado.

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2 Establish your core loop

Your core loop is the main activity that your players will repeat throughout your game. It should be engaging, satisfying, and varied enough to keep them hooked. For example, in a shooter game, your core loop might be: find enemies, shoot them, loot them, upgrade your weapons, repeat. By establishing your core loop, you can balance your game around it, and ensure that every element supports and enhances it.

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3 Use data and feedback

Balancing multiplayer games is not a one-time process, but an ongoing one. You need to constantly monitor and analyze how your game is performing, how your players are behaving, and what they are saying. You can use various sources of data and feedback, such as metrics, playtests, surveys, reviews, forums, and social media. By using data and feedback, you can identify and address any issues or opportunities for improvement, and adjust your balance accordingly.

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Tim Ryan
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Balancing starts with calculating down to common statistics, like damage per second (dps), healing per second (hps), damage over distance (dS/dM/dL/dX), healing over distance (hS/hM/hL/hX), damage over area (dAOE), healing over area (hAOE), splash damage vs direct hit effectiveness which amount to accuracy. It is the trade offs like range and area effect that require more context and playtesting because level design can sometimes favor shorter ranges or cluster people together.

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Aleix Risco

?? Gaming Entrepreneur | Co-founder & Game Lead en Evil Zeppelin
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Utilizaremos los datos del juego para evitar y detectar estrategias dominantes, es decir, estrategias mucho mejores que el resto que hacen que el juego sea predecible y aburrido. Por ejemplo, podemos analizar la distribución de los personajes o armas usadas (Pokémon), el ratio de victorias de una estrategia concreta (Hearthstone), las estadísticas de da?o realizado, da?o recibido y curación realizada de un personaje (League of Legends) o la frecuencia y efectividad de las habilidades utilizadas (Guild Wars).

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Muhammad Shahbaz

Experienced Unity Game Developer | Crafting Precision Products | Expert in 2D & 3D Game Development | Augmented Reality Enthusiast
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Feedback is the key! In multiplayer games, networking errors are not a one-time occurrence. How to solve them? Always ask your players about their problems and work on resolving them

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4 Implement asymmetry and diversity

Asymmetry and diversity are two powerful ways to create balance in multiplayer games. Asymmetry means that different players or teams have different abilities, roles, or resources, but they are still equally matched. For example, in a stealth game, one player might be the hunter, while the other is the prey, but they both have tools and strategies to win. Diversity means that your game offers a variety of options and choices for your players, such as characters, weapons, modes, maps, or modifiers. By implementing asymmetry and diversity, you can create a balance that is dynamic, interesting, and adaptable.

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Juan Pais

Project Manager at Ironhide Game Studio
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Embrace randomness as a balancing element. In a game that is purely skill-based, a specific group of players will clearly stand out, leaving others feeling they have no chance to participate or have fun (let's take chess as an example). However, by introducing random factors, such as special modifiers, procedural level design, etc., they could function as 'natural equalizers.' While the best player will still have an advantage, this element creates the illusion that if luck is on my side, I can win too.

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5 Apply the Pareto principle

The Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In game design, this means that you should focus on the 20% of your game that generates 80% of the value for your players. For example, you might have a lot of features or content in your game, but only a few of them are really essential or popular. By applying the Pareto principle, you can balance your game by prioritizing and optimizing the most important and impactful aspects, and eliminating or reducing the rest.

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6 Test and iterate

The final and most crucial method for balancing multiplayer games is to test and iterate. Testing means that you expose your game to real players and observe how they interact with it, how they react to it, and how they feel about it. Iterating means that you use the results of your testing to make changes and improvements to your game, and then test it again. By testing and iterating, you can refine and polish your balance, and ensure that your game is fun and fair for your players.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are some effective methods for balancing multiplayer games?

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3

4

5

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1 Define your target audience

2 Establish your core loop

3 Use data and feedback

4 Implement asymmetry and diversity

5 Apply the Pareto principle

6 Test and iterate

7 Here’s what else to consider

Game Development

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What are some effective methods for balancing multiplayer games?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Define your target audience

2 Establish your core loop

3 Use data and feedback

4 Implement asymmetry and diversity

5 Apply the Pareto principle

6 Test and iterate

7 Here’s what else to consider

Game Development

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