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Super easy enemy balance method

Tags: balance database enemy tutorial

Jan 10, 2017

Introduction

One of the hardest parts for me on RPG Maker have been how to
Oriceles balance the enemies, I'm not fond of having same monster of
0 + a.atk * 4 - b.def * 2 different color being harder than the previous. We have Yan y
Enemy Levels as solution for this, but when I came to a practical
use of it,  it was hard because it involved a lot of stat checks
Messages: 382
of base+ratio, in the end the enemies turned out too OP or pretty
Likes Received: 67
Location: Venezuela
underwhelming because of low bases. I suck at math, really,
First Language: Spanish FlyingDreams created a calculator for that script but I was still
Primarily Uses: RMMV
struggling with it.

Monster stats theory

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Monsters to human size comparison

That is why I went Google and stumbled with this tutorial from
Garler at Rpg Maker Central where he points out how enemies
should be based around the player stats, and it make sense, we
know that a giant could be 10x stronger and bigger than a normal
human, but then we come to the power levels, is this giant 10x
stronger than a Lv.50 character or just 10x stronger than a Lv.1
character?, the giant will turn a meaningless kill as the player
progress, but is that really what we want?, I don't like when in a
game the rst boss ends up less challenging than a high level
mob. Why not make it always 10x stronger stat wise but giving the
player the proper tools to make it weak and kill it on a reasonable
amount of time?. Strategy, tactics and overpowered Arch Magic
from the 8th rank is what we need to introduce to the player.

The Method

If you read the external tutorial I linked you will see that Garler
compares database Class levels with Enemy stats. Doing that with
Yan y Enemy Levels will be hard so I decided to combine it
with Hime Enemy Classes. That way I could get a built-in way to see
how a Lv.1 Kobold and a Lv.50 Kobold would turn out, control the
stats with built-in tools based on average player. So now I'm going
step by step clearing doubts and explaining my method on how
make the enemy progression way easier.

Things that you need for this tutorial:

1. Basic knowledge on how to add scripts

2. Basic knowledge of the database tools
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3. Yan y Enemy Levels plugin

4. Hime Enemy Classes plugin
5. Coffee (optional)
6. Patience

Step 1 - Inserting the plugins

You will need to add the scripts mentioned above to your project in
the following order:

Step 2 - Setting up YEP - Enemy Levels for this method

As I've mentioned Yan y way of setting up the enemy stats requires

dedication and can be annoying so we are going to simplify the
script by changing the Flat and Rate growth values from all stats
except gold and exp to zero. In the following image there is a
example:

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Possible question: Why are you using Yan y Enemy Levels instead of Hime Enemy
Levels?

— Tsukihime levels script is too basic and doesn't have a way to set a default level
type without having to add a notetag to all the enemies in the database. Yan y also
provides control for minimum, maximum and static levels for enemies.

Step 3 - Creating Enemy Class Templates

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We have been talking about making the enemies relative to the

player on stats, this doesn't mean that every enemy needs a class,
in fact you could do just 2 or 3 different templates and control the
stat difference for each enemy with just traits. So here is what I did,
just 2 templates, Warrior type enemies and Wizard type enemies,
the rst one usually are going to be the melee ghters (Kobolds,
Lizardmans, Goblins, Giants, Werewolf, etc) and the second one are
the squishy casters that deal lots of damage with spells (Rogue
Wizards, Specters, Lich, Witches, etc). For Warrior Template stats I
took reference from the default Swordman job with some minor
modi cations.

As for skills, you can add basic skills for every class, or you can add
the skills on the enemy, that is up to you, according to Tsukihime,
both will be used.

Step 4 - Creating the Enemies

In the next image you can see I've highlighted 3 parts, on the
general settings the stats are set to 1 and 0, that is because those
are ignored and the stats from the class speci ed in the note tag
will overwrite them, Enemy class 25 is my Warrior template, but for
a Goblin those default stats might be too high right? that is why on
traits I went and changed the relevant stats to a 65% (that is 35% hp
less than a standard Swordman for example)

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So then we are going to test my Goblin on Lv3, taking in

consideration that he is using the modi ed parameters from the
class template.

We could go and test it on a higher level and it will stay dynamic.

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You could also change the Parameter multiplier to something

different, let's say I'm ghting a Lich with the Wizard template, the
Lich usually stronger than any other enemy wizard unit so I
changed his multiplier to 750% on magic attack. Fighting the Lv.50
and Lv99 Goblin doesn't feel that bad either, you have to take in
consideration that enemies by default don't have the bonus from
your equipment so watch out when ner ng their attack.

Final Notes

I really think that using templates and % based enemies save a lot
of time if your database is around 100+ enemies, having minimum
and maximum levels can also restrict the player from staying or
advancing so this is an important part to consider. I hope you guys
nd this helpful. I'm making this for my friends that are picking up
RPG Maker now and need start points like this.
#1

Eurritimia, Tea's Jams, Vendon and 10 others like this.

Jan 10, 2017

I've actually done something similar in my project using Yan y's

passive states script to let me notetag all of the modi ers easily.
That way you can quickly change the stats for all monsters of one
type if you learn they are consistently too hard.

bgillisp
Global Moderators
Though...I have to say I do disagree about having enemies level up
with you being a good way to balance, but that is a thought for
another thread.
#2

Messages: 10,178
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Location: USA
First Language: English
Primarily Uses: RMVXA

Jan 10, 2017

I think it depends on the liking, also you can always set a limit for
their growth if you nd it necessary  
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#3

Oriceles
0 + a.atk * 4 - b.def * 2

Messages: 382
Likes Received: 67
Location: Venezuela
First Language: Spanish
Primarily Uses: RMMV

Jan 10, 2017

I suppose. I just don't like it as a player when I face level 99 god-like

rats because the developer was too lazy to actually balance their
monsters and instead relied on enemy scaling to 'balance' it.
Believe me, I've seen too many games do that now that I get leery
whenever I hear of level scaling enemies at all.
bgillisp
Global Moderators

Though...I will say assigning them levels, but not scaling them can
work well (or keeping the range small, like say 1 - 2 levels in
variance). In fact, some of the old D and D games did it. For
example, Curse of the Azure bonds rated monsters were rated on a
Messages: 10,178
scale of 1 - 10, and that scale usually meant the level you should be
Likes Received: 9,347
Location: USA to have a chance to win the ght. So it can work as long as you use
First Language: English it well.
Primarily Uses: RMVXA
#4

MMMm, Marsigne and Oriceles like this.

Jan 10, 2017

It depends on how this lv.99 rats stats are handled, in my project

they would be a fraction of what a small monster template is at that
lvl, so they are not being a threat after all. (Not like I'm letting lv 99
rats to be a thing anyway lulz).

Oriceles
0 + a.atk * 4 - b.def * 2
I don't like monsters with static stats because revisiting areas feels

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Messages: 382 boring when I can kill everything in one shot. Yet we don't have to
Likes Received: 67
reach the "grindy korean rpg" either.
Location: Venezuela
First Language: Spanish #5
Primarily Uses: RMMV

Jan 10, 2017

While I recognize the good-intentions and effort you've put into

writing this up, I don't think your work here warrants the title "super
easy enemy balance method". You've done a great job presenting
percentage-based modi cations as a tool or method to save time
from manual adjustments, but you didn't touch on actual balancing
hadecynn at all.
Abyss of Oblivion

Messages: 304 1. For example, you proposed making the Goblin's stats to be 65%
Likes Received: 974 of your standard Warrior class. My immediate questions would be:
Location: Palo Alto, California How did you come up with this 65%? Why not 70%? Why not 55%?
First Language: English
Primarily Uses: RMMV
What is the consideration and signi cance of using 65%? Is it the
threshold between surviving one versus two hits from the player
character? Is it the Agility threshold of the enemy being able to get
its turn before and after a character, prior or following a character
leveling up to the next level?

2. Without context and insight into the kind of damage formula you
(or your readers) are using, it's impractical to say that percentage
reduction (or any other one-size- t-all method) is a sure- re way to
make all your balancing problems go away. Reducing Attack by 35%
when the damage formula is "a.atk * 4 - b.def * 2" is very different
from reducing Attack by 35% when the damage formula is "a.atk ^ 2
/ b.def", for example.

3. This method cannot accommodate a change in the number of

party members in the player's party, nor help in balancing an entire
troop (that consists of more than 1 enemy).

Let's say you made an enemy that hits hard and is able to kill any
one character within 2 hits, and for simplicity's sake, let's say you
give the player a party of 2, with a healer and a ghter. In a 1 vs 2
situation, assuming the player characters always go rst, the player
can win 100% of the time by having the healer heal the character
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who was damaged in the previous turn. But what happens if you
have a 2 vs 4 situation, where there are now 2 of these same
enemies, and the party has 2 of the same healers and ghters? You
might think that because you've doubled both sides, the two
scenarios should be the same; they are not. There is now the
possibility that both enemies will choose and target the same
character on the same turn, effectively killing that character without
the player able to do anything about it. This is completely luck
based and will be a point of frustration for players.

How do you resolve this kind of issue by merely controlling stats

through percentage changes?

Again, my intention isn't to discredit your efforts or intentions, but I

would hesitate in recommending this method to novices getting
their feet wet with game development. You mentioned that you
suck at math, and I'm afraid the reality is that if you really want the
degree of control and balancing that you nd good games to have,
math is something you'll need to feel comfortable with and to make
your ally.
#6

Oriceles likes this.

Jan 10, 2017

Yeah I went pretty shallow on the examples, but is mostly rule of

Oriceles
0 + a.atk * 4 - b.def * 2
thumb of what I felt that work for me. And yeah I did this with the
basic project formulas, so that is totally something to keep in
consideration. I'm not saying that this method is reliable or ideal,
but is a quick solution if you are not planning to do something too
complicated.

Messages: 382 i might edit this soon to add those considerations you have
Likes Received: 67 mentioned.
Location: Venezuela
First Language: Spanish #7
Primarily Uses: RMMV

Jan 17, 2017

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I am a huge fan of templates.  design smarter not harder  

Coming from a working environment where our applications are

largely template-based in order to address the custom needs of
many clients, I think instead of seeing this as a "balancing" tool, it
Traveling Bard
The Bard should be seen as a way to be consistent in design across many
monsters you will be creating and tweaking constantly. Even across
multiple titles in your development work. For example, if you know
Messages: 551 what your monsters are at their core the only difference is degrees
Likes Received: 331
thereof & individual skills/spells... then most of your work is already
Location: Houston, TX
First Language: English done. This method of thinking could also be used one step further
to accommodate general ghting styles by creating templates
under troops to reference. For example, YEP Battle A.I. Core or even
YEP Base Troop Events could aid in this. It's quite a beautiful way to
think about development that I never made the connection with
until now.

Might not make sense if your titles are small & only have a few
monsters, but would de nitely be nice to build as a template engine
which you can then translate across all of your future games
quickly. If you wanted to go "small numbers", for example, a la
Dungeons & Dragons or Dragon Quest, doing so would be rather
simple with this in place. Simply change the base templates for
your enemies and players accordingly... boom, done. Thanks for
this eye-opening tutorial! 
#8

Oriceles likes this.

Oct 28, 2017

just looking to another way to balancing enemy, and found it..

very very handy for me... :')

*sorry if it be necropost...

Radis3D #9
Just a Devilz
Oriceles likes this.

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Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia

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First Language: Indonesian
Primarily Uses: RMVXA

Nov 6, 2017

Thanks!! With Yan y's Enemy Base Parameters, this setting is a bit
more easier.

Nechigawara #10
Certamen Promus

Messages: 54
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Location: 三千院家別宅
First Language: Thai/English

Aug 12, 2018

I likes it

SirCumferance #11
Veteran

Messages: 50
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Location: Lakewood, Washington
First Language: English

Aug 12, 2018

Having the enemy level up with the character makes for an

endlessly grindy world. I've played a game that did that and didn't
feel a crucial element in player enjoyment, progression. It's hard to
achieve that feeling of character progression if the enemies
progress in step with them, imo.
Tea's Jams
Veteran #12

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First Language: English
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Aug 12, 2018

I think it highly depends on the game.

One shouldn't implement it because he is lazy, but rather seen as
game mechanic.

With enemy levels I'd for example refrain from putting random
Henryetha encounters on the world map or other paths, the player frequently
Veteran
has to pass through (or deactivate the lvling for those enemies,
which can be done via note tag).
Messages: 311 Also I would give levels in general less of importance (just for
Likes Received: 156 making available certain skills or even equips).
Location: Germany
First Language: german
This also needs to change, how the hero, the character is playing, is
being looked at.
When levels are somewhat important, the hero usually start as a
normalo, growing into a strong powerful guy.
Buuut what if the hero already is a strong powerful guy? Then it
seems kind of unrealistic, that he got such a boost in power after
slaying just a few bats. So here for example I would use enemy
levels, adapt how they scale AND also set the starting level of the
hero accordingly.

Also it depends how you set up your battles.

Clicking through random encounter battles as a high level player is
repetive and boring.
Clicking through a lvled up enemy as a high level player is even
more boring.
So..
- either remove/replace certain battles at some lvl completely
- or highly reduce them

The remaining battles should be meaningful.. so

- spend some work on the battle system
- work on how the battle bgm is played (avoid having the same over
and over again)
- do some effort on skill animations (create new animations, get
custom animations, add effects as example through plugins)
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- make battles rewarding

- maybe add rare encounters (stronger with special loot, variance in
their sprite, with own effects (tint screen, own bgm, short dialogue,
etc)

Now if the game is highly story-focused, I'd probably completely

stay away from enemy levels tho + rather refrain also here from
random encounters and place selected battles x, like included into
the story (incl dialogues etc).
#13

Tea's Jams likes this.

Aug 12, 2018

Tea's Jams said: ↑

Having the enemy level up with the character makes for an endlessly grindy world. I've
played a game that did that and didn't feel a crucial element in player enjoyment,
progression. It's hard to achieve that feeling of character progression if the enemies
progress in step with them, imo.

Tuomo L
Oldbie Couldn't you just put max cap to the enemies? Like instead of lvl 50
slime, you'd ght lvl 10 slime at most?
#14

atoms, Eurritimia and Tea's Jams like this.

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Location: Finland!
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Aug 12, 2018

That might work. I think a person would also have to keep in mind
that in the rst hour of your game, you have to maximize player
enjoyment, to get them invested, so making it super grindy at low
levels would be a mistake as well imo. If you placed it right I'm sure
it would be ne.
Tea's Jams
Veteran #15

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