Game Design Strategy #4: Analyzing and Creating Content with "Balance Points"

Overview: Balancing a game is never an easy task. Devising a formula is one surefire way to create equal balance among every game element. I am going to reverse engineer the way each card (from Hearthstone) in the sample below was most likely balanced, then use that information to generate a new random card of equal power.     

In the following analysis, I am going to determine the value (in terms of "balance points" ) of each card's stats in respect to its mana cost. Attack and Health will be the base stats, each with a balance point of one. Setting up and solving algebraic equations allows me to isolate the balance point value of each other new stat that appears on a different card.

Now that we know the following information:

Mana Efficiency: 2.25 Balance Points/Mana

Attack: 1 Balance Point

Health: 1 Balance Point

Charge: 2 Balance Points

Taunt : 1 Balance Point

            We can easily create new content guaranteed to be statistically balanced. For example:

Maniacal Axe Wielder

Mana Cost: 4

Attack: 2

Health: 4

Charge: 2

Taunt: 1

Total Balance Points: 9

Mana Cost: 4

Mana Efficiency: 2.25 (same as other minions above)

          Using formulas is nice and all, but the balance points alone cannot guarantee anything more than statistical balance. A card with charge is stronger with 5 attack and 1 health than 1 attack and 5 health. It is up to the designer’s best judgment to fine tune the synergy of a card’s stats and purpose in the game. Furthermore, how many balance points is the Battlecry of the Shattered Sun Cleric worth? Perhaps 2 (1 attack + 1 health)?  What about the Battlecry of the Crazed Alchemist? At this point, one cannot depend on formulas, but rather experience and intuition.