Game Balance

Practical frameworks for tuning difficulty, stats, and systems to create fair, engaging challenges.

Core Principle: Balance Serves Fun

Balance isn't about making everything equal—it's about making everything viable and interesting. Good balance means:

• Multiple strategies are viable
• Challenge matches player skill
• Numbers feel meaningful
• Unfair deaths are rare

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Difficulty Design

Difficulty Curve Template

Intended curve:
100% │           ╱╲
 75% │         ╱    ╲
 50% │    ╱──╱        ╲__
 25% │  ╱
  0% │╱
     └─────────────────────→
       Start    Peak    End

Key points:

• Tutorial: 10-25% difficulty
• First real challenge: 40-50%
• Major bosses: 75-90%
• Final boss: 90-100%
• Ending: Drop to 70-80% for satisfaction

Difficulty Settings

Setting	Enemy HP	Enemy Damage	Player Resources	Target Audience
Easy	60-70%	50-70%	+50%	Story focus, accessibility
Normal	100%	100%	100%	Baseline design target
Hard	125-150%	125-150%	75-100%	Experienced players
Very Hard	150-200%	150-200%	50-75%	Mastery seekers

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Stat Scaling

The 2x Rule

Between game start and end, player power typically increases 2-4x:

Stat	Start	End	Multiplier
Health	100	300	3x
Damage	10	30	3x
Defense	5	15	3x

Enemy scaling should match or slightly exceed.

Damage Formula Template

Final Damage = Base × Weapon × (Attack - Defense × Reduction) × Modifiers

Keep formulas simple. Players should understand "bigger number = more damage."

Stat Progression Table

Game %	Player Power	Enemy Power	Notes
0-10%	100%	100%	Tutorial, learning
10-25%	120%	115%	First challenges
25-50%	160%	150%	Core gameplay
50-75%	220%	200%	Advanced content
75-100%	300%	280%	End game

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Enemy Design Balance

Enemy Role Matrix

Role	HP	Damage	Speed	Threat Level
Fodder	Low	Low	Med	Low (quantity threat)
Soldier	Med	Med	Med	Medium
Tank	High	Low-Med	Low	Medium (attrition)
Glass cannon	Low	High	High	High (burst)
Elite	High	High	Med	High
Boss	Very High	Variable	Variable	Very High

Enemy Composition

Balance encounters with role variety:

Easy encounter: 3-4 fodder
Medium encounter: 2 fodder + 1 soldier
Hard encounter: 2 soldiers + 1 tank OR 1 glass cannon
Elite encounter: 1 elite + 2 fodder support
Boss encounter: 1 boss + spawning adds

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Weapon/Ability Balance

Balance Matrix

Weapon	DPS	Range	Ease	Risk	Niche
Sword	Med	Short	High	Med	Reliable melee
Dagger	High	Very Short	Med	High	Risk/reward
Bow	Med	Long	Med	Low	Safe damage
Staff	Variable	Long	Low	Variable	Utility/burst

Rule: High reward = High risk or High skill requirement

Viability Test

For each weapon/ability, answer:

• Is there a situation where this is optimal?
• Is there a playstyle that prefers this?
• Can a player complete the game using primarily this?

If any answer is "no," the option needs rebalancing or a niche.

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Playtesting Framework

What to Measure

Metric	Healthy Range	Warning Signs
Deaths per hour	2-5 (normal)	0 = too easy, 10+ = too hard
Time to kill (enemy)	3-10 seconds	<1s = trivial, >30s = tedious
Resource usage	40-70% of available	<20% = hoarding, >90% = stressed
Build variety	Multiple viable	80%+ same build = imbalance

Playtest Questions

After each session:

1. What felt too hard?
2. What felt too easy?
3. What felt unfair?
4. What did you never use?
5. What did you always use?

Balance Iteration

[Playtest] → [Identify problem] → [Hypothesize cause] → [Adjust one thing] → [Retest]

Critical: Change one variable at a time.

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Quick Balance Checklist

Before Shipping

• All builds can complete the game
• All difficulties are tested
• No "trap" options (appear good but aren't)
• Deaths feel fair (player could have avoided)
• Power progression feels meaningful
• Economy isn't broken (check late game)
• Optional content rewards appropriately

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Additional Resources

Reference Files

• references/difficulty-curves.md — Pacing pattern templates
• references/stat-scaling.md — Number scaling frameworks
• references/playtesting-guide.md — Testing methodology

Related Skills

• core-loop-design — Progression systems
• level-design — Encounter design
• replayability-engineering — Balance for multiple runs