[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.19,0:00:08.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you’ve spent any amount of time in a\Nmultiplayer lobby, you’ve probably heard
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.43,0:00:12.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,words like overpowered, cheap, and unfair.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.03,0:00:16.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What these players are arguing about is the\Ngame’s balance.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.61,0:00:21.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Balance is the art of making sure that all\Noptions in a multiplayer game are fair: so
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.50,0:00:26.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,none are underpowered, and thus pointless\Nto use. And none are overpowered, and thus
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.71,0:00:28.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dominate everything else.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.55,0:00:33.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here’s the thing though: most video games\Naren’t just striving for balance. But balance
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.66,0:00:36.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,among a wide range of distinctly different\Noptions.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.81,0:00:41.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You don’t have to work that hard to balance\Na symmetric game - which is one where all
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.87,0:00:47.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,players have the exact same starting conditions.\NBut most games are asymmetric - which means
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.35,0:00:51.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,players are facing off against each other\Nwith completely different stuff.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.39,0:00:56.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in a game where players can pick from\N74 different fighters or 140
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.16,0:01:01.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,unique champions, the developers are counting\Non them all being equally viable among players
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.55,0:01:03.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of roughly the same skill level.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.66,0:01:04.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So how do they do it?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.79,0:01:10.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, I should say, balance is an incredibly\Ndifficult pursuit. It can be an entire department
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.86,0:01:16.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at certain companies, and Riot’s League\Nof Legends has had more than 200 balance patches
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.54,0:01:22.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the last decade. Plus it’s not just about\Nnumbers, but player psychology, with Overwatch’s
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.33,0:01:26.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Jeff Kaplan saying “the perception of balance\Nis more powerful than balance itself”.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.80,0:01:33.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this is not going to be an intensive tutorial. Instead, Game Maker’s Toolkit presents
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.24,0:01:40.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a whirlwind tour through the ways games are\Nbalanced - and rebalanced - and rebalanced
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.06,0:01:42.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and rebalanced.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.31,0:01:47.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So how do developers go about balancing a\Ngame in the first place? Well, the first consideration
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.27,0:01:53.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is trade-offs. This is when you essentially\Ncancel out a character’s competitive advantages,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.30,0:01:54.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with drawbacks.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.68,0:02:00.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Think of Mario Kart characters, where heavy\Nracers like Donkey Kong have a high top speed,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.31,0:02:05.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but low acceleration, while featherweight\Nracers like Toad are the opposite. On the
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.14,0:02:08.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,right track design, they’ll be almost evenly\Nbalanced.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.63,0:02:13.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can think of characters as having a “power\Nbudget” - at least that’s why Riot calls
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.55,0:02:19.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it. Advantages are a cost, but disadvantages\Nare a discount. If all characters are just
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.87,0:02:24.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about hitting the limit of the same power\Nbudget, they’ll be closer to being balanced.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.50,0:02:29.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s rarely that easy, of course. I mean,\Nokay, sometimes you’ll get a card that does
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.53,0:02:36.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,1 damage to all minions and another that does\N4 damage to all minions. That’s an easy one: just make
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.01,0:02:39.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the second card cost a bit more energy.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.01,0:02:43.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But how do you calculate the power budget\Nfor completely incomparable options like heroes
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.68,0:02:48.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Overwatch? Or options with dozens of stats\Nto tweak? Like, when Bungie was reigning in
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.95,0:02:54.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the initially overpowered sniper rifle in\NHalo 3, it had loads of stats it could tweak
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.15,0:02:59.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,such as clip size, time to full zoom, reload\Ntime, and max ammo.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.05,0:03:03.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(It ultimately decided the best knob to tweak\Nwas the time between shots, which it bumped
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.48,0:03:06.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from 0.5 to 0.7 seconds).
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.37,0:03:11.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What’s important, though, is to celebrate\Nthe big differences between choices. The sniper
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.50,0:03:16.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rifle and the shotgun offer a more exciting\Nchoice to players than two types of assault
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.38,0:03:19.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rifle - even though the latter is much easier\Nto balance.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.90,0:03:25.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I agree with ex-Blizzard designer Rob Pardo\Nwhen he warns designers against using the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.42,0:03:28.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maths to balance games into mediocrity, saying
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.72,0:03:31.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ROB PARDO: "you’re gonna end up with a game where
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.51,0:03:35.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,everything kinda feels the same. And you can high\Nfive each other and say it’s balanced, but
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.49,0:03:38.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is it fun? Probably not”.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.24,0:03:43.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another consideration is counters. This is\Nwhen we give characters the ability to negate
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.55,0:03:49.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,each other’s moves and strategies. For example:\Na quick Zerg rush in Starcraft is all well
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.07,0:03:54.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and good - unless your opponent is one step\Nahead and has already built defensive bunkers.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.52,0:03:59.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what we ideally want is for everything\Nto have a counter. So a defensive Starcraft
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.90,0:04:06.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,player can, in turn, be countered by a more\Neconomical strategy, where you save up resources
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.16,0:04:10.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to build units that can eventually crush those\Nbunkers into dust.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.48,0:04:15.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we could make a counter to that counter,\Nand so on - but then we’d be here for forever.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.45,0:04:19.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There’s a more elegant solution though,\Nbecause how do you deal with someone who’s
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.78,0:04:23.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sitting around saving up money? Well… a\Nrush.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.36,0:04:29.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And, wouldn’t you know it… it’s rock,\Npaper, scissors. This goofy game you play
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.52,0:04:34.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to see who has to do the washing up might\Nbe incredibly simple and lacking any strategic
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.44,0:04:40.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,depth, but it is perfectly balanced - because\Neverything has a counter, and everything is a counter.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.68,0:04:43.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,EDDIE: Damn man, killed those scissors.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.88,0:04:48.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that’s why it forms the backbone of\Na lot of multiplayer games. Pretty much every
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.94,0:04:54.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fighting game has a system like this, such\Nas Dead or Alive which boasts about its triangle
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.16,0:04:59.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,system, where strikes beat throws, throws\Nbeat holds, and holds beat strikes.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.16,0:05:04.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In strategy games, it’s not just the strategies\Nthat work like this, but the individual units.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.49,0:05:08.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the different Pokemon types all sit in\Na massive web of interlocking counters - but
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.48,0:05:12.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,starting, of course, with fire, water, and\Ngrass.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.25,0:05:17.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rock, paper, scissors is a great balancing\Nframework to start from, because you can ensure
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.69,0:05:22.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that no element is overpowered - it’s countered\Nby something. And no choice is irrelevant
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.65,0:05:26.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- it at least works as a counter to something\Nelse.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.31,0:05:32.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And also, in strategy games at least, it encourages\Nmixed strategies, it makes you into a multi-disciplinary
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.46,0:05:37.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,player, and it forces you to switch tactics on\Nthe fly in a really dynamic way.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.47,0:05:42.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in class-based games, it’s a great way\Nof automatically making mixed teams.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.52,0:05:48.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Take Team Fortress 2, where seven of its nine\Nclasses fit into a complex web of interlocking
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.66,0:05:54.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and interchangeable triangles of rock, paper,\Nscissors. Here, teams must pick complementary
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.19,0:05:59.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,classes to protect each other from weaknesses.\NIf you’re an Engineer and Spies keep sapping
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.87,0:06:03.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your sentries, then you’re going to need\Nto get one of your team mates to switch to
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.49,0:06:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Pyro.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.00,0:06:09.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These counters are often described as hard\Ncounters if they completely shut something
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.41,0:06:14.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,down - like a punch is a hard counter to a\Nthrow in ARMS because it will nullify the
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.68,0:06:20.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,effect every single time. But soft counters\Njust mean one choice will have an advantage
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.69,0:06:28.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over the other. McCree will outperform Tracer,\Nbut his chance of winning is far from 100%.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.19,0:06:33.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When it comes to counters, it’s really important\Nto figure out what are the hands and what
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.10,0:06:34.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are the throws.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.31,0:06:39.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The hands are the things that get locked in\Nbefore the match even starts. You know, the
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.27,0:06:45.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,characters and the races. The throws are the\Nthings you pick during the match. The moves,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.74,0:06:51.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the units, and the strategies. And in a team-based\Ngame, like Overwatch, the entire team is the
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.32,0:06:55.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hand, while the individual players are the\Nthrows.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.19,0:07:00.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The throws are specifically designed to be\Nunbalanced against each other, to create that
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.10,0:07:05.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,back-and-forth counter-play and teamwork.\NBut the hands are supposed to be balanced,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.67,0:07:11.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so they should have access to all of the\Nthrows. If Zangief simply couldn’t block,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.24,0:07:14.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for example, he would be unusable.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.32,0:07:22.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So you’ve got a bunch of characters, with\Ntrade-offs and counters, and you think you’ve
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.05,0:07:26.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made them balanced. But how do you actually\Nmake sure that’s true? Well this is when
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.52,0:07:31.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we start collecting data - either from internal\Nplay-testers, or the millions of people playing
Dialogue: 0,0:07:31.56,0:07:32.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your game online.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.72,0:07:36.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now you might think that all you need to do\Nis track how often each character results
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.94,0:07:42.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in success - i.e it’s “win rate”. And\Nif a character has a 50 percent win rate,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.44,0:07:43.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it’s balanced.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.50,0:07:49.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But, like all stats, this can be misleading.\NImagine a fighting game with three characters
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.12,0:07:54.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and if Ryu won every match against Chun-Li\Nand lost every match against Cammy, his win-rate
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.66,0:07:58.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would be 50 percent. Perfectly balanced, though?\NI think not.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:58.98,0:08:02.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That’s why match-up charts, where you where\Nyou can see the win rate of a character, when
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.98,0:08:06.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,played against all other characters, are so\Nimportant.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.50,0:08:10.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But even that’s not going to tell you everything.\NRiot had a problem with the League of Legends
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.73,0:08:15.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,character Akali. The numbers said she was\Npretty balanced, with a 44 percent win-rate
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.94,0:08:21.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- perhaps a tad underpowered. So how come\Nshe secured a 72 percent win rate at the 2018
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.79,0:08:25.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,World Championship, and was banned more times\Nthan any other champion?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.87,0:08:31.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s because while she was really powerful,\Nshe was difficult to play effectively. She
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.36,0:08:36.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had a super high skill floor, in other words.\NSo while top-tier players could use her to
Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.08,0:08:41.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wipe the floor with the competition, the low-ranking\Nplayers using Akali were getting killed left,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.34,0:08:45.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,right, and center. Therefore, her win-rate\Nwas being dragged down.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.27,0:08:49.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That’s why it’s important to look at a\Ncharacter’s win-rate and match-ups across
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.93,0:08:51.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all skill levels.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.37,0:08:56.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And finally, win-rate doesn’t really tell\Nyou what’s actually going on in the game.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.36,0:09:00.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to know what characters people are\Nactually picking. People might be avoiding
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.54,0:09:05.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a character who is otherwise well balanced\Nbecause that character is not much fun to
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.30,0:09:08.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,play, or is only useful in certain situations.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.67,0:09:13.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Blizzard found that Overwatch hero Symmetra\Nwas a largely balanced character, but she
Dialogue: 0,0:09:13.87,0:09:19.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wasn’t being picked as much because her\Nuse was highly situational. So in her first
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.02,0:09:23.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,complete redesign, they tried to make her\Nmore popular by giving her two ultimates to
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.37,0:09:26.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pick from: a teleporter or a shield generator.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.23,0:09:31.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That’s why player feedback is so important\N- as well as pick-rate, which tells you how
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.25,0:09:37.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,often a character is actually getting used.\NFor Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft uses a matrix
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.30,0:09:41.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to cross reference both win rate and pick\Nrate -with different considerations needed
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.72,0:09:45.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for operators who fall into these four buckets.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.45,0:09:50.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the pick-rates help tell you the state\Nof the meta - which is essentially just the
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.48,0:09:54.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,characters, cards, strategies, and so on that\Nthe community at large have found the most
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.91,0:09:57.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,effective and are currently using.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.47,0:10:03.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is often shared through forum posts,\Nfan-made tier lists, YouTube videos, and eSport
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.91,0:10:08.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,victories. When a kid called Jason won the\NClash Royale tournament in Helsinki, his chosen
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.74,0:10:12.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cards suddenly became massively popular.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.16,0:10:16.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The meta can actually act as a self-balancing\Nforce. Let’s say everyone discovered that
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.60,0:10:21.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a certain character was overpowered, and everyone\Nstarted using it. It’s now in everyone’s
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.81,0:10:26.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,best interest to try and discover strategies\Nthat can counter or out perform that favourite.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.92,0:10:29.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if players find it, the meta might change.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.96,0:10:34.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This rolling meta keeps the game fresh, and\Ngives the players who found the counter a
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.48,0:10:39.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,real sense of satisfaction. Overwatch’s\NJeff Kaplan says “regarding the meta changing
Dialogue: 0,0:10:39.91,0:10:44.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because players have innovated a new strategy\N– well – this is the best-case scenario.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.96,0:10:48.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We’ve seen this happen time and time again.”
Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.22,0:10:52.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course, that’s not always going to work.\NSometimes the designers will have to go in
Dialogue: 0,0:10:52.91,0:10:58.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and change things. If a strategy is overpowered,\Nif a character is never getting played, or
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.38,0:11:02.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if a play-style is proving annoying then it’s\Ntime to swing the hammer.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.52,0:11:07.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,First, the devs need to figure out the exact\Nreason why that character, or strategy, or
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.37,0:11:11.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whatever is unbalanced. It’s easy to see\Nthat a character is dominating the match-up
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.82,0:11:14.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,charts, but can be harder to pin-point why.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.85,0:11:19.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So for a character like Meta Knight in Super\NSmash Bros Brawl, it was mostly because of
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.25,0:11:24.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his extremely fast attack speed, and an ability\Nto cancel his momentum in mid-air and avoid
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.38,0:11:28.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,being KO’d. He had lots of advantages, and\Nnot enough trade-offs - and other characters
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.91,0:11:31.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,don’t have the tools to counter him.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:31.58,0:11:36.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once the source has been found, you’ve got\Nto figure out what to nerf and what to buff.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.27,0:11:40.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nerfing means making something less powerful,\Nlike reducing their speed, limiting their
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.68,0:11:45.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,range, or cutting down their strength. Buffing\Nis the opposite: making it more powerful.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.47,0:11:50.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You don’t necessarily have to buff the weak\Ncharacters and nerf the strong ones, though. You could
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.73,0:11:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leave an overpowered character alone, but\Nbuff the characters who counter them, and
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.00,0:11:59.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,still solve the same problem. Make sure you\Nwatch this Core-A Gaming video on why buffs
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.97,0:12:02.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are, generally, better than nerfs.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:02.58,0:12:06.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Balance changes can be anything from a tiny\Ntweak to a character’s movement speed, to
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.65,0:12:11.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a complete overhaul of how a character works.\NIt might be a fundamental change to the rules
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.15,0:12:15.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the game - Rainbow Six Siege made attacking\Nand defending more balanced by changing the
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.73,0:12:19.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,match time to three minutes. And sometimes\Nyou’ve just to pull things from the game
Dialogue: 0,0:12:19.84,0:12:25.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,entirely, like when Epic scrapped the overpowered\Ninfinity blade in Fortnite.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.73,0:12:31.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Any change is going to affect players - especially\Nthose who are very used to the way a specific
Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.21,0:12:35.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,character, or its counters, work. So when\Nthe game gets patched, it’s important to
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.28,0:12:38.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,communicate the changes through patch notes,\Nvideos, and so on.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:38.82,0:12:43.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, patch notes are so important that\NRiot once put out of a note saying a champion
Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.74,0:12:49.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was nerfed, but forgot to actually implement\Nthe nerf in the code. Even so, the character’s
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.06,0:12:54.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pick rate plummeted, and even his win rate\Ndecreased a bit. Didn’t I say that player
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.14,0:12:57.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,psychology was an important factor?
Dialogue: 0,0:12:57.26,0:13:01.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, at the beginning of this video, i said\Nthat balance was about trying to make characters
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.98,0:13:07.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,equally viable among players of roughly the\Nsame skill level. But what happens when players
Dialogue: 0,0:13:07.12,0:13:09.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,aren’t at the same skill level?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:09.16,0:13:12.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, a lot of highly competitive games use\Nmatchmaking
Dialogue: 0,0:13:12.48,0:13:15.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,systems to pair up similarly skilled players.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.34,0:13:20.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But for more accessible, party-style games,\Nwe may want to build in negative feedback
Dialogue: 0,0:13:20.09,0:13:25.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,loops, or catch-up mechanics, where players\Nwho are doing poorly get a helping hand. Examples
Dialogue: 0,0:13:25.53,0:13:29.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are the deathstreak mechanic in Modern Warfare\N2 where you get a special bonus for dying
Dialogue: 0,0:13:29.91,0:13:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a whole bunch. And the item system in Mario\NKart where powerful items - including that
Dialogue: 0,0:13:35.00,0:13:39.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pesky blue shell - are only given to players\Nat the back of the pack. These are pretty
Dialogue: 0,0:13:39.95,0:13:42.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,contentious, and must be used sparingly.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:42.98,0:13:48.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can also reduce the value of skill by adding\Nin more luck. We see this in most family board
Dialogue: 0,0:13:48.71,0:13:53.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,games like Snakes and Ladders and Monopoly\Nwhich are heavily based on the luck of the
Dialogue: 0,0:13:53.11,0:13:58.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,die roll. But in video games, you see this\Nin games like Apex Legends, where your chances
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.32,0:14:03.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of winning are shifted, based on what goodies\Nyou find when you drop into the map.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.21,0:14:09.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Game can also offer handicapping modes. And\Nin team-based games, we can give players alternate
Dialogue: 0,0:14:09.23,0:14:14.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,play styles that allow them to contribute\Nto the team without needing to do highly-skilled,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.11,0:14:18.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,front-line action, like being a medic or an\Nengineer.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:18.99,0:14:24.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So balancing a game is a really challenging\Njob. The more you make characters distinct,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:24.23,0:14:28.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the harder it is to put them on an even playing\Nfield. And that’s not taking into account
Dialogue: 0,0:14:28.35,0:14:30.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,players of unequal skill level.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:30.67,0:14:35.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can try to design in trade-offs, to ensure\Ncharacters don’t have too many advantages.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:35.17,0:14:39.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And give characters counters, so they can\Nkeep each other in check. But even the best
Dialogue: 0,0:14:39.09,0:14:43.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,designs won’t stand up to scrutiny when\Nput in front of millions of players.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.16,0:14:48.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we need to constantly determine the balance,\Nby watching win-rates, match-ups, pick-rates,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.33,0:14:52.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and player feedback. And while hopefully the\Nmeta will naturally shift in response to imbalance
Dialogue: 0,0:14:52.89,0:14:57.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- sometimes devs have to go in and make the\Nhard changes.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:57.05,0:15:01.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then you introduce a whole new character\Nand everything breaks again. Sigh. I said
Dialogue: 0,0:15:01.55,0:15:06.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this wasn’t an easy job. So let me know:\Nwhat do you think is the most balanced game
Dialogue: 0,0:15:06.23,0:15:11.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,around, and have you ever played a game where\Nthe devs just got it oh so wrong? Let me know
Dialogue: 0,0:15:11.05,0:15:15.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your experience with balance in the comments\Nbelow.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:15.42,0:15:19.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks for watching! I had a lot of help on\Nthis one, from people who know multiplayer
Dialogue: 0,0:15:19.56,0:15:24.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,games really well to developers who have worked\Non games like League of Legends, Dirty Bomb,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:24.72,0:15:28.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Rainbow Six Siege. There’s definitely\Nmore to talk about - like balancing multiplayer
Dialogue: 0,0:15:28.59,0:15:34.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maps in shooters. But we can get to that in\Nthe future.