Player Balance

Design structures in a game which works towards players having equal chances of succeeding with actions in a game or with winning the game.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Most players want games to have the mechanics that give them the same or better chances to win or succeed with actions as other players. As this typically means that all players need the same chances to win or succeed, most games try to have Player Balance. However, this Player Balance does not usually consider the skill of players and usually only apply to the beginning of games.

Example: the symmetry in traditional board games such as Chess or Go guarantee a high level of initial Player Balance, although being the first player to do a move usually has some advantage.

Example: fighting games can allow players to modify their health by a percentage to give different players different health values and thereby counter imbalances in the skill of damaging the opponent.

Examples

Anti-Examples

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Relations

Drop-In/Drop-Out Time Limits Achievements Massively Single-Player Online Games Randomness Game Element Insertion Dedicated Game Facilitators Player/Character Skill Composites Challenging Gameplay Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment Exaggerated Perception of Influence Determinable Chance to Succeed Combos Turn Taking Characters AI Players Enemies Freedom of Choice Heterogeneous Game Element Ownership Free Game Element Manipulation Multiplayer Games Late Arriving Players Handicap Achievements Power-Ups Single-Player Games Game Worlds Self-Facilitated Games Handicap Systems Evolving Rule Sets Varying Rule Sets Game Masters Persistent Game Worlds Massively Multiplayer Online Games Non-Player Help Purchasable Game Advantages Public Player Statistics Pottering Vehicles Asymmetric Starting Conditions Weapons Tools Crafting Abstract Player Constructs Character Development Balancing Effects Player Characters Strategic Knowledge Strategic Locations Privileged Movement Galleries Budgeted Action Points Privileged Abilities Decreased Abilities Ability Losses New Abilities First Player Advantages Sidegrades Player Killing Death Consequences Spawning Camping Damage Health Invulnerabilities Killcams Skills Orthogonal Differentiation Drafting Reconfigurable Game Worlds Procedurally Generated Game Worlds Variable Accuracy PvP Tiered Participation Entitled Players Early Leaving Players Sanctioned Cheating Resources Flip-Flop Events Scores Player Augmentations Game Time Manipulation Extra Turns TvT Team Development Team Balance Non-Renewable Resources Varied Gameplay Gameplay Mastery Negative Feedback Loops Positive Feedback Loops Asymmetric Goals Supporting Goals Symmetric Goals

Modulates: Player-Defined Goals, Competition

Instantiated by: Symmetry, Player-Decided Results, Paper-Rock-Scissors, Diminishing Returns, Negotiation

Modulated by: Tournaments, Red Queen Dilemmas, Symmetric Resource Distribution, Reconfigurable Game World, Right Level of Difficulty, Role Reversal

Potentially conflicting with: Asymmetric Abilities, Ephemeral Goals, Red Queen Dilemmas, Empowerment, Asymmetric Resource Distribution, Geometric Rewards for Investments

Can Instantiate

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Can Modulate

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Can Be Modulated By

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Possible Closure Effects

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History

An updated version of the pattern Player Balance that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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