Malte Langkabel
f8028a6ca2
Playtest 1 (first two pushes, ~40 min game time — pacing on target) found the railgun_s-spam-cruiser meta and confirmed the repair tool as overpowered (second signal after the persistent arena escort margin): - repair_tool 9 -> 4 HP/s: the arena only prices in-fight sustain; real runs add free between-wave top-offs across the whole swarm - railgun_l range 100 -> 130: now outranges stations (120), buying the siege role the capital ladder promises - railgun_m 14 -> 16 dmg, range 70 -> 80: concentration tax softened so the ladder reads "pay some DPS efficiency for reach", not "strictly worse" - new tracked arena: railgun_s-spam cruisers vs default cruisers Module costs untouched, so all threat values stay valid. Docs updated (derived.md, history.md playtest record, README status). Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01DyCu8vwChKMbLJQ3xosYEN
60 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
60 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
# Balancing Documentation
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Everything about balancing Dota Factory, separated by role:
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- **[rules.md](rules.md)** — the design rules and principles. Timeless;
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changes only when the design changes.
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- **[targets.md](targets.md)** — the base numbers (roots/anchors) chosen
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by design. Change these first; everything else re-derives.
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- **[derived.md](derived.md)** — the current tuned state of all derived
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numbers, mirroring the configs. Updated whenever configs change.
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- **[process.md](process.md)** — how balancing is done: the pass order,
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tuning discipline, tools, and the checklist for the next round.
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- **[history.md](history.md)** — chronological record of decisions,
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findings, bugs, and arena rounds.
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Related: game content (hull grids, footprint gating, tree design and
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fiction) in [../content_design.md](../content_design.md); rules with
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REQ-* ids in [../requirements.md](../requirements.md).
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## Status
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First full balancing round complete (2026-07-06): targets → tree →
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numbers → threat-calculator parity → combat stats (arena-converged) →
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pacing. Playtesting in progress: playtest 1 (first two pushes) found the
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railgun_s-spam-cruiser meta and confirmed repair as overpowered — combat
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stats adjusted, see `history.md`. Next: re-run the arena suite against
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the adjustments, then continue playtests against the run-shape targets
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in `targets.md`.
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## Open action items
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Agreed changes that require edits to `requirements.md`, the code, or the
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configs. Completed items are removed (their outcomes live in
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`requirements.md`, `history.md`, and the git history).
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1. **Fill unfillable schematic slots with artifacts.** With duplicates
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removed, the schematic drop pool can run dry — previously unreachable.
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Decision: every slot in the choice dialog that cannot be filled with a
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schematic because the eligible pool is exhausted is filled with an
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artifact option instead (in addition to any artifact option granted by
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the regular artifact roll). A push therefore always awards a full
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dialog. Update REQ-DEF-SCHEMATIC-DROP.
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2. **Confirm wave scaling in playtests.** `threat_rate_formula` is the
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only time-scaling axis; verify the tuned curve (see `derived.md`)
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produces the intended difficulty race in real runs.
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3. **Gate shortcut-recipe drops on their inputs.** Extend the assembler
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recipe schematic pool eligibility in REQ-DEF-SCHEMATIC-DROP: in
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addition to the existing station-level and output-item checks, all of
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the recipe's input item types must be implicitly unlocked as well.
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4. **Resource deposits.** Add a terrain deposit layer per the Resource
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deposits rules (`rules.md`): deposit patches generated in expansion
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columns (deterministic content per expansion, randomized placement
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within the new columns), deposit rendering, and a miner condition (a
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resource recipe is selectable only if the miner's footprint overlaps
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at least one matching deposit tile). Touches REQ-BLD-MINER ("every
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asteroid tile is equivalent" no longer holds),
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REQ-GW-ASTEROID-EXPAND / REQ-EXP-*, `world.toml`, and `visuals.toml`.
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Until this lands, quartz mines anywhere and the mid-game is
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knowledge-gated only.
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