[img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42627825/208f8d65437c788363436f125a2bc35238b4e790.png[/img] Today I want to talk about game balance in a deck builder that has both [b]PvP and PvE[/b] game modes. There has been some excellent discussion taking place in the community forums, with many ideas for the future and some concerns about maintaining both balance and fun over time. There are two competing interests in card balance. One is to [b]keep cards fair[/b], while the other is to [b]keep cards unique/fun[/b]. In PvE, fairness is less of an issue, because the game can be asymmetrical (the player deck and the opponent deck do not need to follow the same rules of construction). In PvP, fairness is extremely important. If one card is far better than any other card, then everyone will use it and the game will lose variety. On the flip side, if every card is perfectly balanced, then the cards will not feel unique. Some cards in Mech Shuffle are far too powerful for a PvP setting (such as the Rescued Pilot event reward cards). Fortunately, cards like these do not need to be balanced for PvP, since they are only obtainable in PvE. Cards which are available in both PvE and PvP do need to be balanced for both. However, the balance does not need to be achieved by changing a card itself. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42627825/d76fefb1e1156a654ccf932808486725bfe2af28.png[/img] The way that [b]Mech Shuffle[/b] solves the balance issue for starter decks is using card packs. While a card like "[b]Quirk: Low Profile[/b]" is a more powerful card than "[b]Quirk: Jump Jets[/b]", players do not get to choose Low Profile as a card on its own. If they want that card, they will need to choose a mech pack such as the Armadillo (which starves for action points) or the Medusa (which starves for cooling). Since the cards come in packs, we don't need to nerf Low Profile unless all of the mechs which use it are superior to most of the mechs which do not. For example: if the Medusa is over-performing, we would look at the entire Medusa pack as a whole and decide what needs to change for the mech pack. It could be that the pack is too consistent, or too heat efficient, or has too much burst damage, or has too many defensive options. Each of these would warrant a different approach to fixing the underlying issue. On the other hand, perhaps the mechs which are meant to keep the Medusa in check are not strong enough to do so. The Dodo is meant to take advantage of mechs that run with high heat, using flamers to counteract their cooling tokens. If the Dodo is not strong enough to do so, then the problem may not even be with the Medusa, but with the Dodo. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42627825/7f784b553c5ef7fe0e03755733696766ef4147ce.png[/img] For Mech Shuffle, I will be keeping the card balance the same between PvE and PvP. This is mostly for consistency, so that players who enjoy both PvE and PvP will know and understand the cards they are accustomed to playing with. However, I do not plan to nerf fun and unique cards to accomplish game balance (not unless a card is both too powerful and too easy to obtain). The card "System: Battle Computer" is an example of a card which is easy to obtain, and just a little too powerful. It will be getting a small nerf in the next patch, gaining a Heat Cost of 1. The card will remain a very viable defensive and card draw option, but it will no longer be "free to play". In the future, I would like to expand the multiplayer aspect of Mech Shuffle to include some deck building (choosing cards to upgrade, picking cards to add to your deck, etc). This will have some ramifications for card balance, but I will be avoiding major card changes when possible. To balance for PvP I will likely use a modified "Battle Value" system for deck building. With this system a valid deck will be required to have a minimum number of cards, and will have a budget to spend on adding/upgrading cards. With this sort of system, a card that is more powerful will cost more, and if a card over performs in PvP, we can increase the cost to purchase that card (which would have no impact on PvE). The next Mech Shuffle patch will be focused on expanding the single player PvE experience, so these ideas for PvP are a long ways from being implemented (and are of course subject to change!). I will be very grateful to hear your thoughts and suggestions on game balance and the directions for PvP and PvE in the comments below!