Balancing PVP

[TheMista]

Hello guys ,

As many of may you know i am helping wildfire games , balancing the PvP gameplay of 0 A.D

I am going to use this thread updated with the current changes i am considering.

I would like your feedback on those.

1)

<PopulationBonus>5/10</PopulationBonus>

- <BuildTime>60/120</BuildTime>

+ <BuildTime>30/60</BuildTime>

2) Women

- <food.fish>0.5</food.fish>

- <food.fruit>2</food.fruit>

- <food.grain>0.4</food.grain>

- <food.meat>1</food.meat>

- <wood.tree>0.5</wood.tree>

- <wood.ruins>5</wood.ruins>

- <stone.rock>0.5</stone.rock>

- <stone.ruins>5</stone.ruins>

- <metal.ore>0.5</metal.ore>

<food.fish>0.7</food.fish>

+ <food.fruit>2</food.fruit>

+ <food.grain>0.65</food.grain>

+ <food.meat>1</food.meat>

+ <wood.tree>0.7</wood.tree>

+ <wood.ruins>5</wood.ruins>

+ <stone.rock>0.65</stone.rock>

+ <stone.ruins>5</stone.ruins>

+ <metal.ore>0.65</metal.ore>

3)

<Category>Mill</Category>

</BuildRestrictions>

<Cost>

- <BuildTime>80</BuildTime>

+ <BuildTime>40</BuildTime>

This is the first 3 changes Regarding Macro mode.

Anything that you think that needs to considered/balanced/fixed in the game please give me your thoughts.

Edited January 16, 2013 by TheMista

[zoot]

It seems a bit futile to do any large-scale balancing effort at this stage. Why not wait until the beta when everything is not flux?

[TheMista]

I am not doing any large scale balancing effort , just changing some things that will make the game more enjoyable and on equal ground.

[Lion.Kanzen]

is good have a Balancing in this stage, because things to fix accumulates Alpha by Alpha, check the Backlog growing day to day.

[zoot]

I don't see any balancing items in the backlog.

[Lion.Kanzen]

I don't see any balancing items in the backlog.

i dont say it, i means "if", thanks to Heaven its not Balancing Item in Backlog. i mean we can have this appreciations now, and every Alpha and beta as a High Gift Review/feedback.

______________________________

you can do this Alpha by Alpha if the gameplay Change? @Themista.

[zoot]

What is a "High Gift Review/feedback"?

[Lion.Kanzen]

What is a "High Gift Review/feedback"?

The Balacing, hi do a feedback, and if you din't know he is a very Experience Top Player with RTS.

for me is gift if a player that level do review and make suggestion how balacing the game.

[Yves]

Hello TheMista, welcome to the forums!

I'm a surprised to get suggestions for balance changing so quickly.

You said you first downloaded the game about four days ago... how much did you play 0 A.D. since then?

What I expected (or hoped to get) was a proposal for a general direction/plan of balancing in the next weeks or months.

For me it's important to underline that there's not just one good solution for balancing a game. There are a lot of different directions that can be chosen and each of these directions will affect how the game plays and feels in the end. I'd say you shouldn't start suggesting specific changes before you are able to describe an outline or a concept of your balancing efforts.

I'm a bit concerned that you are trying to apply a pattern you know from other games without thinking too much about alternatives and without knowing 0 A.D. very well. Your fast and in my opinion not very founded proposal seems to confirm that concern.

You should not only look at how the game is at the moment, but also check our planned features (but they are re prioritized at the moment) .

Please don't take my critical answer personal. I think we can benefit a lot of your experience and I'm glad you are here to help!

[TheMista]

If you want the game to be competitive/multiplayer , then you need to give what people want.

Those 3 things i suggested are things that i noticed as soon as i played the game , i played 10-20 games wich might sound a small amount of games but for me there were enough to understand how the game works.

Edited January 16, 2013 by TheMista

[Mythos_Ruler]

British war dogs completely changed, with their own new template (they no longer inherit from the Cavalry Spearman template).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Entity parent="template_unit">
  <Armour>
	<Hack>1.0</Hack>
	<Pierce>1.0</Pierce>
	<Crush>1.0</Crush>
  </Armour>
  <Attack>
	<Melee>
	  <Hack>15.0</Hack>
	  <Pierce>0.0</Pierce>
	  <Crush>0.0</Crush>
	  <MaxRange>3.0</MaxRange>
	  <RepeatTime>1000</RepeatTime>
   <Bonuses>
  <BonusSupport>
	<Classes>Support</Classes>
	<Multiplier>2.0</Multiplier>
  </BonusSupport>
  <BonusCav>
	<Classes>Cavalry</Classes>
	<Multiplier>1.5</Multiplier>
  </BonusCav>
  <BonusHunt>
	<Classes>Animal</Classes>
	<Multiplier>1.5</Multiplier>
  </BonusHunt>
   </Bonuses>
	  <RestrictedClasses datatype="tokens">Structure</RestrictedClasses>
	</Melee>
	<Charge>
	  <Hack>45.0</Hack>
	  <Pierce>0.0</Pierce>
	  <Crush>0.0</Crush>
	  <MaxRange>3.0</MaxRange>
	  <MinRange>0.0</MinRange>
   <Bonuses>
  <BonusSupport>
	<Classes>Support</Classes>
	<Multiplier>2.0</Multiplier>
  </BonusSupport>
  <BonusCav>
	<Classes>Cavalry</Classes>
	<Multiplier>1.5</Multiplier>
  </BonusCav>
  <BonusHunt>
	<Classes>Animal</Classes>
	<Multiplier>1.5</Multiplier>
  </BonusHunt>
   </Bonuses>
	  <RestrictedClasses datatype="tokens">Structure</RestrictedClasses>
	</Charge>
	<Slaughter>
	  <Hack>1000.0</Hack>
	  <Pierce>0.0</Pierce>
	  <Crush>0.0</Crush>
	  <MaxRange>3.0</MaxRange>
	</Slaughter>
  </Attack>
  <Cost>
	<BuildTime>10</BuildTime>
	<Population>1</Population>
	<Resources>
	  <food>100</food>
	  <wood>0</wood>
	  <stone>0</stone>
	  <metal>0</metal>
	</Resources>
  </Cost>
  <Footprint>
	<Circle radius="3.0"/>
	<Height>3.0</Height>
  </Footprint>
  <Health>
	<Max>100</Max>
  </Health>
  <Identity>
	<Classes datatype="tokens">Dog Organic</Classes>
	<GenericName>War Dog</GenericName>
	<Rank>Basic</Rank>
	<Tooltip>Counters: 2x vs. Support, 1.5x vs. Cavalry and Animals. Cannot attack structures.</Tooltip>
  </Identity>
  <Loot>
	<xp>130</xp>
	<food>10</food>
	<wood>0</wood>
	<stone>0</stone>
	<metal>0</metal>
  </Loot>
  <Obstruction>
	<Unit radius="1.0"/>
  </Obstruction>
  <Promotion>
	<RequiredXp>100</RequiredXp>
  </Promotion>
  <ResourceGatherer disable=""/>
  <Selectable>
	<Overlay>
	  <Texture>
		<MainTexture>arrow/256x256.png</MainTexture>
		<MainTextureMask>arrow/256x256_mask.png</MainTextureMask>
	  </Texture>
	</Overlay>
  </Selectable>
  <Sound>
	<SoundGroups>
	  <select>voice/celts/civ/civ_dog_bark.xml</select>
	  <order_walk>voice/celts/civ/civ_dog_move.xml</order_walk>
	  <order_attack>voice/celts/civ/civ_dog_move.xml</order_attack>
	  <order_gather>voice/celts/civ/civ_dog_move.xml</order_gather>
	  <order_repair>voice/celts/civ/civ_dog_move.xml</order_repair>
	  <walk>actor/mounted/movement/walk.xml</walk>
	  <run>actor/mounted/movement/walk.xml</run>
	  <attack>attack/weapon/sword.xml</attack>
	  <death>actor/fauna/death/death_animal_gen.xml</death>
	  <trained>interface/alarm/alarm_create_cav.xml</trained>
	</SoundGroups>
  </Sound>
  <StatusBars>
	<HeightOffset>6.5</HeightOffset>
  </StatusBars>
  <UnitMotion>
	<WalkSpeed>11.0</WalkSpeed>
	<Run>
	  <Speed>30.0</Speed>
	  <Range>600.0</Range>
	  <RangeMin>5.0</RangeMin>
	</Run>
  </UnitMotion>
  <Vision>
	<Range>40</Range>
  </Vision>
</Entity>

Please forgive the indentation inconsistency.

[zoot]

TheMista, suggestion: are you familiar with Git?

http://learn.github.com/

The lowdown is that Git gives you a 'sandbox' where you can tweak unit parameters to your heart's content, without it interfering with (or being interfered by) other developer's work.

If you want to test your new settings, you just push (upload) them to Github and ask others to check them out (download) from your repository.

A nice side benefit of this is that it might help make more people familiar with Git.