Session Name: | Metagame Balance |
Speaker(s): | Alexander Jaffe |
Company Name(s): | Spry Fox |
Track / Format: | eSports Summit |
Overview: |
Characters, factions, classes, and decks: we embrace asymmetry in competitive games, yet one overpowered option can wreak havoc on a community. Such metagame imbalances need not be evaluated solely through intuition. This talk introduces a principled approach to understanding the strength of asymmetric options, grown from the speaker's work balancing PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. The method uses game theory and matchup charts to describe the possible metagames that can form among expert players. Through examples from modern games, this talk shows the value in carefully reasoning about - and even quantifying - metagame balance. |