Game balance
Encyclopedia
Game balance is a concept in game design
describing fairness or balance of power in a game
between multiple players or strategic options. Each team or person would be equally matched in every aspect.
A more complex definition of game balance that critics have described is that, when players have multiple options or routes to victory, most or all of these options are about equally effective or feasible.
To be perfectly balanced, each of these options would have to be strategically identical (in which case they wouldn't be substantial choices at all).
In a game where various options (such as armies in a real-time strategy
game, fighters in a fighting game
, or character class
es in a role-playing video game
) have significant qualitative differences between them, the game is balanced if the options are roughly equally likely to lead to success despite their differences.
In a suitably balanced game, players would make such choices based on their personal preference, strengths, and playing style, rather than on an inherent advantage in one option. If one option were weaker than the others, then it would rarely be selected by any player and will not contribute to the complexity of the game.
When trying to create a complex or strategically rich game, game designers typically strive to maintain balance by using a careful selection of game mechanic
s, while offering the greatest possible number of these options, which in turn increases the difficulty of balancing the game.
Balanced games are generally more enjoyable, and are considered better-made, than unbalanced ones.
(GM) creates or operates the adventure
, one of the GM's duties is to ensure game balance.
For example, creating monsters or other adversaries whose abilities are far beyond those of the players is acceptable only if the players have a way to avoid them or do not themselves need to defeat them.
According to books such as the Dungeon Master's Guide
for Dungeons & Dragons
, players involved in such an imbalanced game are likely to complain of unfairness, and because most of the players' characters
might also fail or die before their time, they would feel powerless and unable to influence the game's events. Conversely, a game whose imbalance favors the players will most often lack challenge and suspense. Players are more likely to feel satisfied by playing when the principles of game balance are applied skillfully. Creating a balanced adventure is one of the challenges of acting as a GM, when the game itself is not properly designed to have an internal setting of the difficulty. Most role-playing books that address the issue of being a GM give substantial attention to this issue.
Another aspect of game balance within RPGs is that of balance between the choices made during character creation
, such as race and class. This extends to other genres incorporating RPG elements, such as role-playing video game
s. Character creation options that lead to ineffective or less powerful characters will largely go to waste if players feel they are not worth choosing. Players who choose them anyway may be frustrated if they feel they are stuck with a character that is inherently disadvantaged, especially after they have invested time and effort in it. Because this aspect of game balance depends most heavily on the rules of an RPG rather than the work of the GM, it is usually the responsibility of the game designer.
Many role-playing game system
s, such as GURPS
, allowed players to spend character point
s to help balance character creation, instead of the older random generation method used by Dungeons & Dragons
which can lead to severe imbalance between players due to random variation. Often, games force players to pair advantages with disadvantages in order to maintain game balance.
Game balance is less of an issue in less combat-oriented games, particularly modern narrativist role-playing games, due to an increased emphasis on a character's personality. The most recent edition of Ars Magica
allows players to balance virtues (in-game advantages) with flaws which, while they may make the character's life more complicated, do not necessarily disadvantage them. The indie role-playing game
Dogs in the Vineyard
takes this a step further, as every aspect of the character, whether positive or negative, may be used to the player's advantage; also, the power of the characters opposing the players is bound to rules.
Ideally, the odds between two opposing players should be the same regardless of which characters they select, all other things being equal (and without taking into account the advantage a player might gain from choosing a character that favors his or her individual strengths or playing style).
A game would be badly imbalanced if a novice could beat an expert simply because the novice uses an inherently superior character.
For example, the real-time strategy game StarCraft
has been critically identified as exceptionally well-balanced.
The three races available to players (Terran, Protoss, and Zerg) are said to be almost perfectly balanced with each other, even though there are tremendous differences in the way they operate and their strategic strengths and weaknesses.
There is no clear consensus among expert competitive players of StarCraft that any one race is superior in all cases.
Critical response indicates that the increased strategic depth of a well-balanced real-time strategy game greatly increases the game's enjoyability.
StarCraft is a clear example of this, as it is still popular despite being released in 1998.
genre in which a player's or team's skill has little effect on whether they win or lose.
For example, such imbalance can be caused by one weapon
or power-up
being so powerful that games are determined primarily by who has access to it.
Imbalance can also be caused by characteristics of the environment that give a large advantage to one kind of behavior or technique.
In such a case, game-play may be dominated by that technique instead of a wider (and perhaps more interesting) range of actions.
Players may address such problems by community-enforced conventions such as "no camping".
Such rules are often ineffective and lead to conflict among players, both in defining the conventions, and in interpreting and enforcing them.
One often-cited example of imbalance in action games, especially first-person shooters, is the possibility of spawn camping, which can cause players to be killed before they have a chance to defend themselves.
This is a clear example of the player being unable to influence the outcome of the game.
are often played as a competitive and recreational activity rather than as a pure simulation
, so in the former case, a balanced selection of forces for the opposing players is essential.
A common way of doing this is through the use of army lists.
Game balance is usually maintained through the principle of strength vs. cost.
Individually, units have clearly identifiable advantages or weakness.
These in combination determine the unit’s relative strength and thus its cost.
In theory, a small number of strong units are balanced with a larger number of weaker units if the cost of the two groups is the same.
In the greater context, a player will have a mix of units at his disposal.
Dependent on the tactical situation, the mix of units may have an effective value greater than or less than the sum of its parts.
For example, in the multiplayer video game Day of Defeat
, the "dod_overlord" map was consciously designed to favor the Axis
team. This can allow more experienced players to play on the Allied
team as a means of handicapping
. Another consideration may have been historical
faithfulness to the real Operation Overlord
.
In sports game
s that strive to realistically replicate real-life
sport
s teams (one example might be the Madden NFL
series) each virtual team's capabilities are made to mirror those of the real team.
Thus, the teams are not designed to be balanced against each other.
The imbalance may make the game a more realistic simulation
.
It also allows handicapping between players, as a better player may choose a weaker team.
A designer may pit the player, or players, against a significantly superior computer-controlled (PvE in MMOGs) force to create an exceptional challenge.
slang
, a "gimp" is a character
, character class
or character ability that is underpowered in the context of the game. Gimped characters lack effectiveness compared to other characters at a similar level of experience
. A player may gimp a character by assigning skills and abilities
that are inappropriate for the character class, or by developing the character inefficiently. However, this is not always the case, as some characters are purposely "gimped" by the game's developers in order to provide an incentive for raising their level, or, conversely, to give the player an early head-start. An example of this is Final Fantasy
's Mystic Knight class, which starts out weak, but is able to become the most powerful class if brought to a very high level. Gimps may also be accidental on the part of the developer, and may require a software patch
to rebalance.
Sometimes, especially in MMORPG
s, gimp is used as a synonym for nerf to describe a rule modification that weakens the affected target. Unlike the connotatively neutral term nerf, gimp in this usage often implies that the rule change unfairly disadvantages the target.
The term is also used as a verb
for the act of making such a change.
The first established use of the term was in Ultima Online
, as a reference to the NERF
brand of toys which are soft and less likely to cause serious injury.
Among game developers, MMORPG
designers are especially likely to nerf aspects of a game in order to maintain game balance.
Occasionally a new feature (such as an item, class, or skill) may be made too powerful, too cheap, or too easily obtained to the extent that it unbalances the game system. This is sometimes due to an unforeseen bug or method of using or acquiring the object that was not considered by the developers.
The frequency of nerfing and the scale of nerfing vary widely from game to game but almost all massively multiplayer games have engaged in nerfing at some point.
Nerfs in various online games, including Anarchy Online
, have spurred in-world protests. Since many items in virtual worlds are sold or traded among players, a nerf may have an outsized impact on the virtual economy
. As players respond, the nerf may cause prices to fluctuate before settling down in a different equilibrium. This impact on the economy, along with the original impact of the nerf, can cause large player resentment for even a small change. In particular, in the case of items or abilities which have been nerfed, players can become upset over the perceived wasted efforts in obtaining the now nerfed features.
A well-known instance in which a nerf has caused many protests, but much more praise, is when Infinity Ward
nerfed the Model 1887s in its video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
. Before the nerf, the Model 1887s were able to One Shot Kill from medium-long range when all other shotguns in game were limited to short-medium range. The nerfing of the Model 1887s reduced its range to short range.
For games where avatars and items represent significant economic value, this may bring up legal issues over the lost value.
Game design
Game design, a subset of game development, is the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters during production stage. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as...
describing fairness or balance of power in a game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
between multiple players or strategic options. Each team or person would be equally matched in every aspect.
Overview
A game would be called unbalanced if one or more players have an unfair advantage over the others.A more complex definition of game balance that critics have described is that, when players have multiple options or routes to victory, most or all of these options are about equally effective or feasible.
To be perfectly balanced, each of these options would have to be strategically identical (in which case they wouldn't be substantial choices at all).
In a game where various options (such as armies in a real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game, fighters in a fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
, or character class
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
es in a role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
) have significant qualitative differences between them, the game is balanced if the options are roughly equally likely to lead to success despite their differences.
In a suitably balanced game, players would make such choices based on their personal preference, strengths, and playing style, rather than on an inherent advantage in one option. If one option were weaker than the others, then it would rarely be selected by any player and will not contribute to the complexity of the game.
When trying to create a complex or strategically rich game, game designers typically strive to maintain balance by using a careful selection of game mechanic
Game mechanic
Game mechanics are constructs of rules intended to produce an enjoyable game or gameplay. All games use mechanics; however, theories and styles differ as to their ultimate importance to the game...
s, while offering the greatest possible number of these options, which in turn increases the difficulty of balancing the game.
Balanced games are generally more enjoyable, and are considered better-made, than unbalanced ones.
Role-playing games
In role-playing games (RPGs) in which a gamemasterGamemaster
A gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...
(GM) creates or operates the adventure
Adventure (role-playing games)
An adventure is either a published or otherwise written collection of plot, character, and location details used by a gamemaster to manage the plot or story in a role-playing game. Each adventure is based upon a particular gaming genre and is normally designed for use with a specific game or gaming...
, one of the GM's duties is to ensure game balance.
For example, creating monsters or other adversaries whose abilities are far beyond those of the players is acceptable only if the players have a way to avoid them or do not themselves need to defeat them.
According to books such as the Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
for Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, players involved in such an imbalanced game are likely to complain of unfairness, and because most of the players' characters
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
might also fail or die before their time, they would feel powerless and unable to influence the game's events. Conversely, a game whose imbalance favors the players will most often lack challenge and suspense. Players are more likely to feel satisfied by playing when the principles of game balance are applied skillfully. Creating a balanced adventure is one of the challenges of acting as a GM, when the game itself is not properly designed to have an internal setting of the difficulty. Most role-playing books that address the issue of being a GM give substantial attention to this issue.
Another aspect of game balance within RPGs is that of balance between the choices made during character creation
Character creation
Character creation is the process of defining a game character or other character. Typically, a character's individual strengths and weaknesses are represented by a set of statistics. Games with a largely fictional setting may include traits such as race and class...
, such as race and class. This extends to other genres incorporating RPG elements, such as role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s. Character creation options that lead to ineffective or less powerful characters will largely go to waste if players feel they are not worth choosing. Players who choose them anyway may be frustrated if they feel they are stuck with a character that is inherently disadvantaged, especially after they have invested time and effort in it. Because this aspect of game balance depends most heavily on the rules of an RPG rather than the work of the GM, it is usually the responsibility of the game designer.
Many role-playing game system
Role-playing game system
A role-playing game system is a set of game mechanics used in a role-playing game to determine the outcome of a character's in-game actions...
s, such as GURPS
GURPS
The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting...
, allowed players to spend character point
Character point
Character points are abstract units used in some role-playing games during character creation and development.Early role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons assigned random values to a player character's attributes, while allowing each character a fixed number of skills...
s to help balance character creation, instead of the older random generation method used by Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
which can lead to severe imbalance between players due to random variation. Often, games force players to pair advantages with disadvantages in order to maintain game balance.
Game balance is less of an issue in less combat-oriented games, particularly modern narrativist role-playing games, due to an increased emphasis on a character's personality. The most recent edition of Ars Magica
Ars Magica
Ars Magica is a role-playing game set in Mythic Europe, a quasi-historical version of Europe around AD 1200 with added fantastical elements. The game revolves around wizards and their allies...
allows players to balance virtues (in-game advantages) with flaws which, while they may make the character's life more complicated, do not necessarily disadvantage them. The indie role-playing game
Indie role-playing game
An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published outside of traditional, "mainstream" means. Varying definitions require that commercial, design, or conceptual elements of the game stay under the control of the creator, or that the game should just be produced outside of a corporate...
Dogs in the Vineyard
Dogs in the Vineyard
Dogs in the Vineyard is an independently published role-playing game based on the history of the Mormons. It was written by D. Vincent Baker and published by Lumpley Games....
takes this a step further, as every aspect of the character, whether positive or negative, may be used to the player's advantage; also, the power of the characters opposing the players is bound to rules.
Multiplayer video games
In the most general sense, a game may be called "balanced" if the skill of a player is sufficiently important in determining the outcome: if two players of equal skill have equal chance of success.Fighting games
Game balance in "versus" fighting games is usually defined in terms of the balance between the fighter characters that players can select.Ideally, the odds between two opposing players should be the same regardless of which characters they select, all other things being equal (and without taking into account the advantage a player might gain from choosing a character that favors his or her individual strengths or playing style).
A game would be badly imbalanced if a novice could beat an expert simply because the novice uses an inherently superior character.
Real-time strategy
Game balance is a natural consideration in real-time strategy games where players can choose between multiple armies or sets of units with substantial differences between them.For example, the real-time strategy game StarCraft
StarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
has been critically identified as exceptionally well-balanced.
The three races available to players (Terran, Protoss, and Zerg) are said to be almost perfectly balanced with each other, even though there are tremendous differences in the way they operate and their strategic strengths and weaknesses.
There is no clear consensus among expert competitive players of StarCraft that any one race is superior in all cases.
Critical response indicates that the increased strategic depth of a well-balanced real-time strategy game greatly increases the game's enjoyability.
StarCraft is a clear example of this, as it is still popular despite being released in 1998.
Action games
There are sometimes circumstances in video games in the actionAction game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
genre in which a player's or team's skill has little effect on whether they win or lose.
For example, such imbalance can be caused by one weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
or power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
being so powerful that games are determined primarily by who has access to it.
Imbalance can also be caused by characteristics of the environment that give a large advantage to one kind of behavior or technique.
In such a case, game-play may be dominated by that technique instead of a wider (and perhaps more interesting) range of actions.
Players may address such problems by community-enforced conventions such as "no camping".
Such rules are often ineffective and lead to conflict among players, both in defining the conventions, and in interpreting and enforcing them.
One often-cited example of imbalance in action games, especially first-person shooters, is the possibility of spawn camping, which can cause players to be killed before they have a chance to defend themselves.
This is a clear example of the player being unable to influence the outcome of the game.
Tabletop wargames
Tabletop wargamesMiniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
are often played as a competitive and recreational activity rather than as a pure simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
, so in the former case, a balanced selection of forces for the opposing players is essential.
A common way of doing this is through the use of army lists.
Game balance is usually maintained through the principle of strength vs. cost.
Individually, units have clearly identifiable advantages or weakness.
These in combination determine the unit’s relative strength and thus its cost.
In theory, a small number of strong units are balanced with a larger number of weaker units if the cost of the two groups is the same.
In the greater context, a player will have a mix of units at his disposal.
Dependent on the tactical situation, the mix of units may have an effective value greater than or less than the sum of its parts.
Deliberate imbalance
Game designers may decide to deliberately create imbalance for various reasons.For example, in the multiplayer video game Day of Defeat
Day of Defeat
Day of Defeat is a team-based multiplayer World War II first-person shooter video game of the European Theatre of World War II. As of 2008, the game is one of the ten most played Half-Life modifications in terms of players, according to GameSpy....
, the "dod_overlord" map was consciously designed to favor the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
team. This can allow more experienced players to play on the Allied
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
team as a means of handicapping
Handicapping
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated...
. Another consideration may have been historical
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
faithfulness to the real Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
.
In sports game
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
s that strive to realistically replicate real-life
Real life
Real life is a term usually used to denote actual human life lived by real people in contrast with the lives of fictional or fantasy characters.-Usage online and in fiction:On the Internet, "real life" refers to life in the real world...
sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s teams (one example might be the Madden NFL
Madden NFL
Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders and color commentator...
series) each virtual team's capabilities are made to mirror those of the real team.
Thus, the teams are not designed to be balanced against each other.
The imbalance may make the game a more realistic simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
.
It also allows handicapping between players, as a better player may choose a weaker team.
A designer may pit the player, or players, against a significantly superior computer-controlled (PvE in MMOGs) force to create an exceptional challenge.
Gimp
In role-playing gameRole-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
, a "gimp" is a character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
, character class
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
or character ability that is underpowered in the context of the game. Gimped characters lack effectiveness compared to other characters at a similar level of experience
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
. A player may gimp a character by assigning skills and abilities
Statistic (role-playing games)
A statistic in role-playing games is a piece of data which represents a particular aspect of a fictional character. That piece of data is usually a integer or, in some cases, a set of dice....
that are inappropriate for the character class, or by developing the character inefficiently. However, this is not always the case, as some characters are purposely "gimped" by the game's developers in order to provide an incentive for raising their level, or, conversely, to give the player an early head-start. An example of this is Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
's Mystic Knight class, which starts out weak, but is able to become the most powerful class if brought to a very high level. Gimps may also be accidental on the part of the developer, and may require a software patch
Patch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
to rebalance.
Sometimes, especially in MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s, gimp is used as a synonym for nerf to describe a rule modification that weakens the affected target. Unlike the connotatively neutral term nerf, gimp in this usage often implies that the rule change unfairly disadvantages the target.
Nerf
A "nerf" is a change to a game that reduces the desirability or effectiveness of a particular game element.The term is also used as a verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
for the act of making such a change.
The first established use of the term was in Ultima Online
Ultima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
, as a reference to the NERF
Nerf
Nerf is a toy brand created by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. The acronym NERF stands for "Non-Expanding Recreational Foam". Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, but there are also several different types of Nerf toys, such as balls for sports like football,...
brand of toys which are soft and less likely to cause serious injury.
Among game developers, MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
designers are especially likely to nerf aspects of a game in order to maintain game balance.
Occasionally a new feature (such as an item, class, or skill) may be made too powerful, too cheap, or too easily obtained to the extent that it unbalances the game system. This is sometimes due to an unforeseen bug or method of using or acquiring the object that was not considered by the developers.
The frequency of nerfing and the scale of nerfing vary widely from game to game but almost all massively multiplayer games have engaged in nerfing at some point.
Nerfs in various online games, including Anarchy Online
Anarchy Online
Anarchy Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game published and developed by Funcom. Released in the summer of 2001, the game was first in the genre to include a science-fiction setting, dynamic quests, free trials, and in-game advertising. The most ground breaking feature in...
, have spurred in-world protests. Since many items in virtual worlds are sold or traded among players, a nerf may have an outsized impact on the virtual economy
Virtual economy
A virtual economy is an emergent economy existing in a virtual persistent world, usually exchanging virtual goods in the context of an Internet game...
. As players respond, the nerf may cause prices to fluctuate before settling down in a different equilibrium. This impact on the economy, along with the original impact of the nerf, can cause large player resentment for even a small change. In particular, in the case of items or abilities which have been nerfed, players can become upset over the perceived wasted efforts in obtaining the now nerfed features.
A well-known instance in which a nerf has caused many protests, but much more praise, is when Infinity Ward
Infinity Ward
Infinity Ward is an American video game developer. Infinity Ward is responsible for the development of the video game Call of Duty and four other installments in the Call of Duty franchise....
nerfed the Model 1887s in its video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles and the Microsoft Windows operating system. Officially announced on February 11, 2009, the game was released worldwide on...
. Before the nerf, the Model 1887s were able to One Shot Kill from medium-long range when all other shotguns in game were limited to short-medium range. The nerfing of the Model 1887s reduced its range to short range.
For games where avatars and items represent significant economic value, this may bring up legal issues over the lost value.
Overpowered
Overpowered (often abbreviated to OP) is a common term referring to a perceived lack of game balance. It is often used when describing a specific class in an RPG, a specific faction in strategic games, or a specific tactic, ability, weapon or unit in various games. For something to be deemed overpowered, it is either the best choice in a disproportionate number of situations (marginalising other choices) and/or excessively hard to counter by the opponent compared to the effort required to use it.External links
- Article on balance issues in games and managing fairness, Strange HorizonsStrange HorizonsStrange Horizons is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry in every issue....
, March 9, 2009