I am curious about and would like you to share with us the principles that you use when you balance ships, be them snubs or capitals. I want to see what kind of design philosophy is behind some of the changes and what is in your view the way the game should work. It would help us understand the ship balance and we would not be surprised when it happens.
when mjolnir was doing the balancing ( that is around up to and included 4.85 ) - it was based around the following principles:
- each player is a single entity, no matter what ship is uses
- each ship has a main purpose and is then adjusted according alternative uses ( jack of all traits vs. specialized ships - if you wanne simplify it )
- bias is also a factor, no one is fully objective - so do not view that as a fully nagative element.
- based on bias is also balancing according to the lore - or not. some ships are stronger, cause the lore wants them to be, some ships are not, despite the lore wants them to be....
- availability is also factor. generic ships are often - well - more generic. that does not necessarily mean worse - but they often fall more into the category of jack of all traits than specialized ships.
- popularity - yes - the dreaded popularity. when a single ship appears to overpopulate the server - it was checked for reasons - and possibly adjusted.
- players requests ( like - don t let zoners dock in house space with big transports ) that is a balance matter - it was requested by you ppl ( players ) - to make core corporations a better alternative.
- lobbyism - another bad word - but it does play into it. - while it may not be true that being persistent or loud has a granted positive effect. it has an effect of being noticed.
in general though
- each faction must have an equal chance to deal with pvp, NO MATTER THE LORE. - granted, a few factions are stronger - a few are weaker, but usually - things are pretty balanced.
if we did not apply that logic ( or for the purists - anti-logic ) factions like the liberty navy might dominate others by sheer stats. there is no logic that a rag-tag rogue destroyer can actually go toe on toe with a sophisticated piece of high tech that is the equivalent in the navy. - but to make things FAIR, they are pretty similar.
[similar does not mean same stats btw. certainly some are better others are worse]
but in essence it means
"when you buy a battleship, you can expect to be a similar match to other battleships of your factions enemies"
"when you buy a fighter, you do not need to expect to be a match for your enemies battleship, but you can expect to be a match for your enemies fighters"
- sometimes faction shiplines have weaker snubs - but more powerful caps, sometimes they are all average, sometimes they have tougher snubs, but weaker caps. - that, too is a balance.
oh, and all that is written here is but the tip of the iceberg of the balancing that is usually done.
in general - there is truth in numbers. the more opinions you get on it, the better you can balance it. - at least when you get constructive comments, not insults, or qq.
edit:
the big bottom of the iceberg is cold, calculated numbers, chances, and risks. - considering shape, playstyles and faction profiles ( as in - how responsible do they play with their ships, how responsibly do they allow others to use their stuff etc. - it merges a bit with the popularity factor )
usually, you declare specific ships to be "the golden standard" - or you may call it "the boring middle ground". - against other ships have to compare to. - depending on the players style, specialized ships may appear MUCH more powerful, cause their speciality adds to the players style.
when it comes to comparing different shipclasses it becomes more complex but is basicly the same.
edit2:
in pre 4.85 times - also ... test server, test server, test server ... a lot of testing done for duels, 2 on 2, 4 on 4, and the more realistic 1 on 3 or uneven numbers .
Thanks for that reply Jinx. I am also interested in ship roles and uses. I for one don't like how capitals are meant to be used right now, i find them useless. But if i would know what devs wanted to do with them maybe i would understand.
cannot reply it for the current time - but only for the time before the turret split. also not 100% sure - thats just what was discussed back then....
- LF : interceptor / harrasser ---> BEST as a support craft in small groups or to be used to lock enemies down UNTIL heavier ships arrive. the LF was not meant to kill on his own, but to EXPLOIT quickly when heavier ships had deshielded the enemy in groups.
- HF : Jack of all traits, balanced firepower, agility ---> BEST as the core of a larger group fight. enough firepower to deshield AND do significant damage - while having the agility to dodge incoming damage, especially from various and multiple angles.
- VHF : emphasis on firepower at the cost of agility ---> BEST as a dueling ship or in small to medium group fights
- SHF : mixed firepower - usually with "extra traits", jack of all traits but rather on the loosing end ---> BEST used for i don t know.. i think there had never been a real consensus on SHFs
- freighters : starter ships, intermediete step to small transports, no significant strength. ---> BEST used when you have no money troubles and want to be special by showcasing that you can afford making only peanuts. they are included, because some freighters are combatworthy - but only really for the unexpecting. they were balanced around massive but slowly regenerating reactors for one HUGE surprise volley and an extended period of legging it.
- gunboats : precise anti-bomber, dangerous for destroyers in packs, jack of all traits on the winner end ( compared to SHFs ) ---> best used for everything, but other classes can outperform it because it is not a master of all, except vs. bombers. they were meant to be the smallest TZ / TS class with the weapons to match, easy to kill slower snubs - but arguably we should have balanced their arcs more (so not to create mini battleships with 1800ms weapons)
- destroyers : anti-GB, long range artillery vs. battleships support, ---> BEST used as kiting snipers. very specialized ships. they are build around weapons like light mortars and assorted point defense weapons with little "in between". so they should not have sustained damage ( cerberus ) but only burst damage ( LM ) and PD ( solaris )
- battlecruisers : pocket battleships, an intermediete step between destroyers and battleships. they are rather individually balanced because ( at that time ) we only had 3 of them [BHG bullhead: charge in // IMG: balanced defensive //LABC: kiting minibattleship]
- battleships : battlefield support ship, NOT good vs. anything. yes - it is not meant to be good vs. anything - the battleship benefits from OTHERS' mistakes in combat. ---> best used as a sniper or battleram vs. weaker forces. the idea of the battleship is what the US army described as "shock and awe". it is intimidating, it has weapons that can pulverize anyone that can be hit quickly - but once you overcome the shock, you realize that the whole package comes in a ( comparably ) weak shell. ---> BEST used against other battleships or and thats what many ppl hate ... passivly support the fleet ( bot feeding )
also battleships vary too much in size and shape to generalize their usage. you simply cannot compare an osiris to a juggernaut.
- carriers : not really a class of their own - but anyway... they are meant to trade heavy weapons for more smaller PD weapons and more cargo and bots / bats.
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