In my playtests it’s becoming possible for one player to move well into the lead and it feels impossible for the other player to win. This disheartens the losing player and makes them just want to give up. Right now I’m trying to think of ways to balance this.

In my experience, this can be a pretty common challenge in competitive games, especially in those where early leads can snowball into inevitable victories. For future playtests, I’m going to try out a few strategies to help balance the game and keep it engaging for both players, even if one starts to pull ahead…

Balancing Strategies

  1. Catch-Up Mechanics:
    • Rubber Banding: Introduce mechanics that give the losing player a chance to catch up. For example, if a player is behind in gold or levels, they could receive bonus gold or experience points for defeating minions or capturing objectives.
    • Comeback Events: Include special event cards or abilities that only trigger when a player is significantly behind, giving them a boost to even the playing field.
  2. Adjustable Difficulty:
    • Dynamic Spawn Rates: Increase the spawn rate or strength of minions for the losing player. This can help them push back against the leading player’s advances.
    • Tower Defense Buffs: Enhance the defensive capabilities of towers for the player who is behind, making it harder for the leading player to advance quickly.
  3. Resource Redistribution:
    • Shared Objectives: Introduce objectives that both players can contest. The rewards from these objectives could be scaled based on the current game state, providing more benefits to the player who is behind.
    • Resource Scaling: Implement diminishing returns for the leading player. For example, as a player gains more gold, the amount of gold they receive from minions decreases.
  4. Hero Abilities and Items:
    • Balancing Abilities: Design hero abilities that are particularly effective for comebacks. For example, abilities that can clear waves of minions quickly or heal significant amounts of health can help a losing player regain ground.
    • Item Cost Scaling: Adjust item costs based on the player’s current gold. The leading player may face higher costs for powerful items, while the losing player gets discounts.
  5. Turn-Based Adjustments:
    • Action Point Limitations: Limit the number of actions a leading player can take per turn, forcing them to be more strategic and giving the other player a chance to recover.
    • Alternate Turn Phases: Allow the losing player to have additional or more powerful actions during their turn to help balance the game state.

Example Implementation

Catch-Up Event Cards:

  • Desperate Measures: If you are behind by 10 or more gold, draw 2 item cards for free.
  • Rallying Cry: If your Nexus has less health than your opponent’s, all your minions gain +1 attack for one turn.

Dynamic Spawn Rates:

  • If a player has lost more than 50% of their towers, they spawn an additional minion in each lane every turn until the number of their towers is above 50%.

Resource Scaling:

  • Gold rewards from defeating minions decrease by 10% for every 10 gold a player has over their opponent. Conversely, the losing player gains an additional 10% gold for every 10 gold they are behind.

Playtesting and Adjustment

  • Feedback Loop: Continuously gather feedback from playtesters specifically about the effectiveness of the catch-up mechanics.
  • Balance Tweaks: Adjust the magnitude of the catch-up mechanics based on feedback. Too powerful catch-up mechanics can make it impossible for a player to maintain a lead, while too weak mechanics won’t solve the problem.
  • Iterative Testing: Test different combinations of the above mechanics to find a balance that keeps the game competitive and enjoyable for both players.

Keeping the mechanics intuitive and easy to understand is important for maintaining a smooth gameplay experience. I’ve looked into some (hopefully) basic and straightforward rubber banding and catch-up mechanics to playtest:

Refined Rubber Banding Mechanics

  1. Catch-Up Event Cards:
    • Desperate Measures: If you have fewer towers than your opponent, draw 2 item cards for free.
    • Rallying Cry: If your Nexus has less health than your opponent’s, all your minions gain +1 attack for one turn.
    • Fortified Defense: If you have lost more than half your towers, all your towers gain +1 defense until the number of your towers is above half.
  2. Dynamic Spawn Rates:
    • Increased Minion Spawns: If a player has lost more than half their towers, they spawn an additional minion in each lane every turn until they regain more than half their towers.
    • Empowered Minions: When a player is behind in tower count, their minions gain +1 health, making them harder to eliminate and giving the player a better chance to push back.
  3. Neutral Objectives:
    • Control Points: Add neutral control points on the board that can be captured. The player who controls a point receives bonus resources (gold, additional minions) each turn. The further behind a player is, the more resources they receive from these points.
    • Healing Shrines: Place shrines that can heal the player’s Nexus or towers if captured. The player who is behind in health can prioritize capturing these shrines to make a comeback.

Example Implementation

Catch-Up Event Cards:

  • Desperate Measures: If you have fewer towers than your opponent, draw 2 item cards for free.
  • Rallying Cry: If your Nexus has less health than your opponent’s, all your minions gain +1 attack for one turn.
  • Fortified Defense: If you have lost more than half your towers, all your towers gain +1 defense until the number of your towers is above half.

Dynamic Spawn Rates:

  • Increased Minion Spawns: If a player has lost more than half their towers, they spawn an additional minion in each lane every turn until they regain more than half their towers.
  • Empowered Minions: When a player is behind in tower count, their minions gain +1 health.

Neutral Objectives:

  • Control Points: Place 2-4 neutral control points on the board. When a player captures a control point, they receive bonus gold and an additional minion spawn each turn. If they are behind in towers, they receive double the resources from control points.
  • Healing Shrines: Place 1-2 healing shrines on the board. If a player captures a shrine, they can heal their Nexus by 5 health or repair a tower by 3 health. The player who is behind in health can prioritize capturing these shrines.

Summary Table

Mechanic Condition Effect
Desperate Measures Fewer towers than opponent Draw 2 item cards for free
Rallying Cry Nexus has less health than opponent All minions gain +1 attack for one turn
Fortified Defense Lost more than half towers All towers gain +1 defense
Increased Minion Spawns Lost more than half towers Spawn an additional minion in each lane every turn
Empowered Minions Behind in tower count Minions gain +1 health
Control Points Capture neutral point Receive bonus resources each turn (double if behind)
Healing Shrines Capture shrine Heal Nexus by 5 or repair a tower by 3

Implementation notes

  • Playtesting: Regularly test these mechanics to ensure they are balanced and achieve the desired effect of keeping the game close and competitive.
  • Clear Indicators: Use clear visual markers on the board to indicate control points and healing shrines.
  • Simple Tracking: Use tokens or counters to easily track additional minion spawns and empowered minion statuses.
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