A bit of a design question more than anything
#Additive vs Multiplicative stat changes
tender tusk
but how would you guys approach using additive vs multiplicative stat changes
heres how i see it personally
Additive changes work by adding or subtracting a set number. positive additive changes keep the game balanced because they are predictable. But negative additive changes can be very hard on a player because subtracting a flat amount can take a stat all the way down to zero quickly
however
multiplicative changes work by using a percentage. these buffs take more time to get strong at first. negative multiplicative changes feel more fair because they reduce your stats by a fraction instead of a flat amount which usually leaves you with some of your stat left. But the same applies to positive changes, meaning getting stronger gets a lot slower
so whats the best approach here? Use a mix of both? For negative stat changes use multiplicative and for positive use additive ones?
safe sleet
i think you can use multiplicative on the positive too
a lot of games do this
and if balanced correctly it works very well
tender tusk
I know but i personally dislike the ambiguity of what can happen when youre given a stat change
if you have 100 health
and your health is increased by 20% once
thats 120 hp
but then when its increased by another 20%, thats not 140, its 144
with additive implementation this is a lot simpler and easier to keep a track off in general
safe sleet
why it's 144?
it should be 140
you normally keep the multiplier separate from the base value
and add the multipliers together and then apply the resulting one
so +40% hp will be 140 in this case
tender tusk
and add the multipliers together and then apply the resulting one
well yeah, thats the point i was making lol
add
safe sleet
oh, i tought adding you meant not with percentages
lol
but yeah, then your choice for the negative
they can either decrease the total multiplier
or act on the final multiplied number
tender tusk
well currently im doing the same thing but i have a cap
so it doesnt get too crazy too fast
its the simpler way and im torn between keeping it as is or changing it
safe sleet
what is your game, and how do you apply those stats
tender tusk
Wave based horde shooter, with rougelike stat boosts and upgrades
Stats change either via player skills or weapon perks
sometimes permament buffs, sometimes temporary
safe sleet
i think you can subtract the debuff percentage to the total multiplier then
tender tusk
I think so too
Ill try it out
was just wondering if there was some "highly acceptable" approach people typically used
safe sleet
i've seen this approach used by many games
tender tusk
who would have thought despite everything, game balance was going to be the annoying part of this entire project
safe sleet
it always is, lol
tender tusk
i was excited to finally lay the groundworks for the game and start with the "fun stuff" but holy shit balancing is becoming a nightmare very quickly
i have like 20 different excel sheets
Dont even know anymore lol, its just a shit ton of testing and trial and error
safe sleet
i guess this is where AI could help a bit tbh
tender tusk
Eh, the little i tried it was useless
safe sleet
ah, f
tender tusk
it really is just keeping track of how everything interacts
it can get out of hand but the foundation i have for the balance is still flimsy
tender tusk
Im not even close to an alpha release lol