Monday Tip-Off: What Balance Entails

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on the importance of balance in basketball video games, and what balance really entails.

Balance is undoubtedly one of the most important attributes a basketball game can have. In fact, it’s an essential ingredient in most action-oriented video games. Of course, like “skill gap“, the term is prone to being reduced to a buzzword. Gamers say they want balance and developer blogs will talk about the upcoming game having much better balance, but what does that truly mean? Even if we can define it, is it something that can actually be achieved, or is it just a pseudo-intellectual way of saying that we like the gameplay of a certain title, and that it works for us personally?

I brought up “skill gap” deliberately, as a lot of mechanics that strive to achieve that concept do run into issues with balance. Whether they’re tuned to cater to the most elite gamers (or at least, the elitist gamers), or they’re too powerful and easy to abuse, some mechanics are too unbalanced to work. To that point, no gameplay mechanic exists in a vacuum, and must mesh well with other mechanics in order to have the right balance for an enjoyable – and for that matter, truly competitive – experience on the sticks. Before we sneer at someone to “get good” and declare that their criticism is merely a “skill issue”, we must look at whether or not a game is actually balanced.

Let’s put basketball games aside for a moment, and talk about Mortal Kombat; more specifically, the 2011 reboot that’s also known as Mortal Kombat 9. As is traditional, the boss fights are tough, deliberately leaning towards being unfair by design. MK9 does take that to another level, though. Shao Kahn, Goro, and Kintaro not only deal more damage with each hit, but they also take less damage. Not only that, but their x-ray moves will obliterate your health bar, winning rounds and matches in a blink. Not only that, but they have unblockable special moves, some of which also stun you. Not only THAT, but they can also “randomly” (that is, conveniently) become invincible.

Any one of those abilities would make them a challenging fight. Any two or three of them should ensure that most gamers will need to fight them a couple of times before figuring out how to beat them. Give them all six of those abilities – deal more damage, take less damage, a devastating super move, unblockable attacks that not only hurt but also stun an opponent for a free hit, and convenient invincibility – and you’ll induce some ragequits! However, while MK9’s bosses are arguably brutally unfair to the point of overkill, it can’t be said that there’s absolutely no balance. Indeed, once you know the right strategies to take them down, it’s on you to execute them effectively.

We’ve seen similar ruthlessness in various basketball video games over the years. As in other genres, a certain amount of rubber-banding and other CPU advantages are necessary to ensure a worthwhile challenge. It becomes a problem when it feels too one-sided, with no way to effectively overcome the deliberate unfairness with smart strategies and sharp stick skills. It’s also an issue in a game that focuses too much on offensive moves and mechanics, to the point where defense is virtually impossible. While this frequently makes the CPU unfairly difficult, it can also ruin multiplayer gameplay. And of course, it can also go the other way, making a game feel too easy.

Therefore, good balance is essential. It’s what allows a game to feel challenging, but also appealing. It avoids making games far too easy, but also prevents them from becoming too frustrating. Proper balance shows us that we can win with mastery of tactics and techniques, and rewards us accordingly for honing our skills. It ensures that there’s give and take, and that even if the gameplay experience is tuned to be particularly challenging, gamers still have a few tricks up their sleeve. I won’t say that any basketball game has achieved perfect balance, but the best ones have certainly got it right for the most part, while the worst games are almost always very unbalanced.

Although this is an issue that I’ve encountered in NBA 2K, it was actually NBA Live 18 that inspired me to discuss the issue. I dusted off the game to play through The One, and while I ultimately enjoyed the experience, there were times when I felt a lack of balance. For example, it’s not uncommon for you and your teammates to blow layups left and right, while CPU opponents can finish at the rim with ease. This might encourage you to take more jumpshots, but the AI is adept at sticking to you like glue and taking away the Green Release window, which shooting is heavily dependent on. A couple of misses will lead to a cold streak, making all shot attempts much harder.

Player-locked single player modes are reliant on CPU-controlled teammates being suitably competent and assertive. Teammate AI in The One isn’t a complete bust, but players are often too tentative and less productive than they should be. Your squads are also weaker than the ones you face, so it hurts when they don’t play to the best of their abilities. This forces you to shoulder more of the load and make things happen, which isn’t entirely fair while you’re still levelling up. Toss in the usual CPU tricks such as psychic interceptions, easily poking the ball loose while also rarely coughing it up, and being lighter on their feet, and the deck can really feel stacked against you.

Once again, this is necessary to some extent, because it’s where the challenge comes from. Moderation is essential though, otherwise the gameplay goes from engagingly challenging to frustratingly unbalanced. Referring back to MK9’s boss fights, while the CPU is ruthless, there are opportunities to employ viable strategies. A balanced basketball video game will do something similar. This can mean boosting inside shot success to offset jumpshot difficulty, making a levelled-up avatar slightly OP in order to compensate for weaker teammates, and so on. It’s not about making the game easy, but avoiding overly-dominant mechanics, and providing us with the tools to succeed.

Now, it doesn’t help that NBA Live 18 has some underlying mechanical issues. I wouldn’t say that the gameplay is broken, but some of those problems do impact the overall balance. However, balance has also been an issue in far more polished NBA 2K releases; especially with the increased focus on the online scene, which often involves catering to elitists. Simply put, what’s good for competitive play isn’t always suitable for single player. After all, the AI can react much faster and employ more precision than any human possibly can. As such, what feels balanced when gamers are squaring off against each other can feel extremely unfair when facing the CPU.

Shooting mechanics such as aiming with the right stick and metered alley-oops, and a green-or-miss approach to shot success, certainly require mastery over timing. Still, I do believe the skilfulness of these mechanics is overstated – particularly those that just come down to releasing the stick or button at the right time – but it is an attempt to reward skill. As I said however, while these mechanics may be well-suited to PVP where your opponent will be prone to the occasional human error, they match up poorly with the CPU’s precision and ability to pull strings behind the scenes. The impact of Badges, and the overreliance on them for success, doesn’t help either.

You see, it’s all very well and good to smirk and sneer, and tell your fellow gamers that it’s a “skill issue”. The thing is that if there’s a Badge that allows a player to scoot in at the last second and easily force a miss, or clamp down a ball handler with very minimal effort, or boost shot-making to an unrealistic level that the defense can’t hope to contend with, or spam an OP move, skilful and accurate input becomes moot. If the shot contest system is broken or poorly-tuned, or there’s a bandaid fix for a deficiency in the engine – as developers have been known to admit – then skill isn’t necessarily the deciding factor. Without balance, the notion of a “skill gap” is highly dubious.

Furthermore, while the competitive scene should undoubtedly be about skill, NBA 2K isn’t just about online showdowns between supposedly elite gamers. It’s also meant to be a fun and generally realistic portrayal of the NBA, with a variety of other virtual hardwood experiences on offer. It shouldn’t only be for online elitists, nor should it only be for hardcore hoop heads and gamers who prefer the offline modes. As such, to achieve balance, it’s essential to implement mechanics and settings that allow the game to cater to both crowds. Balance – along with a reasonable learning curve – is also necessary to welcome newcomers, and let them hone their skills for online play.

Contrary to the cries of the elitists, it’s not about “making the game easy for casuals”. A well-balanced game is better for everyone, whether you’re playing against the CPU, local multiplayer, or against other users in head-to-head and online team play settings. When one side is helpless against a ridiculously stacked advantage, it’s not a proper challenge. When offensive or defensive mechanics are overpowered and have no viable counter, that isn’t good virtual basketball. When skilful play can be too easily countered (or negated) by a mechanic – whether it’s a part of the meta, or a cheat by the AI – then stick skills aren’t actually as impactful or rewarding as they should be.

Obviously, like any other video game term, balance can easily become a buzzword. It’s not immune to being misused, intentionally or otherwise. There are times when a learning curve is mistaken for a lack of balance; a rare occasion where I’ll agree with the “get good” crowd! On that note though, poor mechanics can still be mastered, which masks drawbacks such as a lack of balance for anyone who can make them work. However, if you’re a veteran of the virtual hardwood, you’ll be able to point out legitimate issues with balance, as well as identify games that are well-balanced. Not all hoops games hit the mark, but those that do are the ones that go down as classics.

The post Monday Tip-Off: What Balance Entails appeared first on NLSC.