Game Balance Document Template

✏️

This is a reference framework for balancing systems. Store design goals, systems logic, and tuning principles in your GDD or Notion Wiki. Use spreadsheets (Excel/Sheets) for numbers, formulas, curves, tuning, and diagrams (Miro, Machinations)

🗂 Recommended Structure (Notion, Confluence or Docs)

📁 Game Balance (wiki-root)
├── Executive Summary
│   └── Goals, modes, genre, platform, balance pillars
│ 
├── System Overview
│   ├── Flow diagrams (Miro)
│   └── Core systems: combat, economy, progression, meta
│ 
├── Player Experience Model
│   ├── Player types & motivation matrix
│   └── Flow & friction tuning
│ 
├── Balance by System
│   ├── Combat (formulas, stats)
│   ├── Progression (XP, unlocks)
│   ├── Economy (sources/sinks)
│   └── Meta/Build viability
│ 
├── Cost Curves & Formulas
│   ├── Efficiency tables
│   └── Graphs & visualization links
│ 
├── Analytics & A/B Testing
│   ├── KPIs, test setups
│   └── Variant tracking + impact
│ 
├── Feedback Loops
│   └── Positive / negative dynamics
│ 
├── PvE & PvP Tuning
│   ├── Time-to-kill (TTK), skill curves
│   └── Scaling logic
│ 
├── Asymmetry & Meta
│   └── Counter-logic, pick/win rate tracking
│ 
├── LiveOps & Patch Cycle
│   └── Patch logic, cadence, balancing logs
│ 
├── Simulation & Tools
│   ├── AI-assisted sim guidance
│   └── Script templates and sample prompts
│ 
├── Bottom-Up Balancing Framework
│   ├── Atomic → systemic layers
│   └── Visual flow (resource movement)
│ 
└── Appendix
    ├── Links to Excel/Miro/Machinations
    ├── Dashboards or telemetry snapshots
    └── Balance glossary or tuning notes

☑️ Executive Summary

Element	Description
Game Title	[Your game name]
Genre	[Genre & Subgenre]
Platforms	[PC, Console, Mobile...]
Primary Modes	[PvE, PvP, Co-op...]
Core Pillars	[e.g., Strategy, Mastery, Economy]
Balancing Goals	[e.g., Fair competition, Long-term engagement]

1️⃣ System Overview

1.1 System Map & Flow

[Insert Miro system diagram]
Primary loops: progression, economy, meta

‣

Example of Game Flow Scheme (no details, just a view)

1.2 Core Systems Table

System	Description	Key Variables
Combat	Turn-based / real-time	DPS, cooldown, crit chance
Progression	XP, level caps	XP curves, unlocks
Economy	Crafting, currencies	Source/sink, daily inflow
Meta	Builds, loadouts	Decks, stats, synergies

2️⃣ Player Model & Experience

2.1 Player Archetypes

Archetype	Motivation	Key Systems
Explorer	Discovery	World, content unlocks
Competitor	Mastery	PvP, ladder
Collector	Completion	Inventory, achievements
Socializer	Community	Trading, chat, co-op

2.2 Flow & Fantasy

Targeted difficulty curves
Reward cadence
Fairness vs friction per player type

3️⃣ Balance by System

3.1 Combat

Attribute	Value	Formula
Damage	Tiered, scaled	`D = base * (1 + Attack%)`
Cooldown	3–10s	Linear
Crit Chance	Max 40%	Weighted randomness

📍Goals: multiple viable builds, avoid dominant strategy.

3.2 Progression

Level	XP Required	Power Gain	Unlocks
1–10	Linear	+5%/lvl	Basic actions
11–20	Exponential	+3%/lvl	New content

📍Goals: content-paced growth, reward mastery.

3.3 Economy

Resource	Source	Sink	Flow
Coins	Missions	Upgrades	+500 / -450
Gems	Monetization	Premium items	+10 / -9
Materials	Events, crafting	Construction	Variable

📍Goals: preserve scarcity, create decision pressure.

3.4 Meta

Tier balance for builds
Rock-Paper-Scissors logic
Popularity ≠ power

4️⃣ Mathematical Models & Cost Curves

Tier	Cost	Power	Efficiency
Tier I	100	50	0.5
Tier II	300	130	0.43

Visualizations:

XP / Power progression (linear → exponential)
Cost vs Power scatter plots
Win rate vs pick rate quadrant analysis

📍 Don't let top-tier cost spikes devalue mid-tier content.

5️⃣ Analytics & A/B Testing

Metrics:

Win/Pick rate per item/unit
Resource flow per session
Time to reach key progression gates

Metric	Target	Current	Goal
D7 Retention	25%+	21.3%	+4%
PvP Balance	< 55% win	63%	✅ Nerf

A/B test framework:

10k players, feature variant
2-week run
Trigger: +10% monetization or +X retention

6️⃣ Feedback Loops

Type	Example	Intent
Positive	XP → Power → Faster XP	Reinforce success
Negative	MMR → Tougher fights	Avoid overfarming

📍 Call out exploitable or degenerative loops (e.g., idle inflation, stat creep).

7️⃣ PvE vs PvP

PvE

Scaled by content curve
XP drop rates / fail frequency
Enemy scaling logic

PvP

Mode	TtK	Skill Curve	Meta Goal
1v1	10s	High	Balanced builds
3v3	15s	Medium	Synergy loops

8️⃣ Asymmetry & Meta

Build	Win Rate	Usage	Counters
Fire Mage	52%	40%	Water Knight

Rock-paper-scissors viability
Buff/nerf rotation logs
Meta tracking via patch cycles

9️⃣ LiveOps Balance

Cadence:

Biweekly tuning
Seasonal rebalance
Emergency patch triggers

Patch Decision Card:

🗣 Player Complaint: “XYZ build too strong”
📊 Data: 62.5% win rate, 47% pick
🔧 Action: Cooldown +1.5s

Suggested cadence:

Light patches: 2 weeks
Major tuning: 6–8 weeks
Emergency: >60% WR or >30% inflation

🛠 Recommended Tools

Tool	Use Case
Google Sheets	Economy tuning, progression curves
Excel	Tier scaling, balance formulas
Miro	Resource flowcharts, tuning visualizations
Machinations.io	Dynamic system modeling
Notion	Wiki-format with one-page-per-system

⚙️ Why You Need Economic Simulation Scripts

Manual balance iteration becomes exponentially harder as systems grow.

Having a simulation script or tool allows you to:

run fast tests with hundreds of iterations,
visualize resource flows over time,
validate assumptions (e.g. time to reach Tier 4, average income per session),
detect breakpoints before players do.

📍Team Benefit: once a script exists, designers, producers, and even QA can tweak variables and get meaningful feedback — without needing a dev for each adjustment.

If you don’t have a developer

You can try using AI-assisted scripting (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.), but:

Your description must be very detailed
Prompt should include:

clear resource names and units
formulas and interaction logic
target progression goals or timeframes

You must provide enough system context (player actions, sources/sinks, loops)

📄

Example (very simple)

"Simulate 100 game sessions where a player chops wood every 10s, earns 5 wood per action, and needs 100 wood to build a house. Every 30s they must eat food. Estimate how long it takes to build 3 houses and identify when food becomes the bottleneck."

💬 Where to Start Balancing: Bottom → Up

Start from atomic units — then move toward systems:

Layer	Description	Example
Atomic Units	Individual resources, time units, energy cost	1 wood = 5s to collect, 10 weight
Resource Exchange	How units convert or combine	3 wood + 2 stone = 1 wall segment
Systemic Economy	Loops and sinks (upgrades, buildings, decay)	Farm consumes 1 seed per day
Progression Pace	How systems expand over time	New buildings unlock every 3 days
Emergent Strategy	What long-term decisions emerge from interplay	Player can specialize in farming or trading

📌

Design Tip

Always map your resource flow. A designer without a resource flow diagram is like a pilot without a radar.

Every system — from health and stamina to time, XP, currency, or favor — is a resource. If you don’t map where it comes from, where it goes, and what limits it, you will lose control of pacing, difficulty, and player choice.

📍Even a simple Miro board with arrows can expose:

infinite loops
dead sinks
one-tap exploits
neglected systems

If you can’t point to a diagram and say, “This is how [X] moves in the game,” you’re not designing a system — you’re guessing.

📄 Example: Starting a Farming System

Atomic Layer

1 crop seed = 6 energy to plant
Grows in 3 in-game hours
Produces 2 vegetables worth 10 gold each

Conversion Logic

Cooking consumes 1 vegetable → gives +15 energy
Eating raw = +5 energy (inefficient use)

System Tuning

If player can plant 5 seeds per day → max energy loop is 75
If food spoils after 1 day → pressure to cook early
Add gold sink via trader = meta strategy

📍Use this structure to scale up without losing grip on cause → effect → consequence.

✅ Balance Document Checklist

Core balance goals defined (fairness, pacing, economy, PvP/PvE)

Key systems mapped and visually represented

Tuning logic documented (per system)

Power curves or scaling rules defined with graphs

Balance metrics tracked via analytics or heatmaps

A/B test or patch feedback loop included

Separate economy formulas, XP tables, damage models live in spreadsheets or Miro