Party Classes and Balance

[Blackyu]

Yeah, total balance is complicated, and that's why I don't use many elements in my game, to avoid a character with a set element to be stronger or more useful than others. I know that there's going to be a certain gap between some characters, but I'm just trying to reduce it nonetheless.

 

[XIIIthHarbinger]

Yeah, total balance is complicated, and that's why I don't use many elements in my game, to avoid a character with a set element to be stronger or more useful than others. I know that there's going to be a certain gap between some characters, but I'm just trying to reduce it nonetheless.

Good luck with that; I must be a bit of a masochist I suppose myself, as I am trying to have as many potential variables of player choice as possible.


Personally I think on some level, designers/developers/programmers ultimately all fail on that particular item; & I don't think it can be avoided, only mitigated. Because on a fundamental level, people who think differently than we do, simply find new ways we hadn't considered to exploit the systems we create. Consider new ways of combining various variables into ways we ourselves have never considered. That's why you see so many rebalancings in RTSs, 4Xs, MOBAs, MMOs, Fighting games, etcetera, etcetera, ad infinitum.


No matter how prescient we wish we were, we're still no match for the laboratory that is a horde of players trying to find the best way crush what we've created, & each other with what we've created.

 

[Nirwanda]

I usually makes parties of three so I have to create three classes (havy warrior, light warrior and mage in one; Warrior, mage and healer in other and warrior, mage and paladin in the third). My way of balancing them out is rather simple: I choose two random numbers, the first humber will be how much the characters' stats will add up at level 1, the second the same at level 99. So everyone has the same points distributed according to their specialties. As for skills I usually look at other games for inspiration, but amongst my preferred thing about them there are: not doing many hit all skills, they take out the fun of choosing targets, the ones I do create are very situational; dividing moves amongst allies, so the warrior will have the strength buff and the paladin the defense one (also buffs should be fun, in one of my games they're heals as well, in another they are followups to weak attacks);create pieces of equipment that compliment that character in a fun way. (a low defense armor that you can equip your priest with that increases holy spells power for example). Status effects should be handled with utmost care but shouls always be effective ways to counteract some enemies.


I dunno... those are the first that come to mind, since I like a challenge I usually give enemies abilities similar to the characters'.

 

[Blackyu]

Interesting. Seems like a rather good and working balance if you ask me. So well in fact that I don't have a lot to say about it. I'd like to point out that I like your way of making stats by using random numbers and balancing everything, at least there won't be any issues with generated stats.