do you know that A new weapon appears in your game and it feels way too powerful. A developer from Apex Legends has now given an interesting insight into why this is so.
It is not an unfamiliar situation for many players: Due to numerous updates and patches, weapons, items or even characters in live service games are constantly being revised.
In addition, it often happens that completely new elements find their way into the game – everything should remain fresh and exciting.
But not every innovation or change is directly appealing to players. Because: New weapons often feel too strong and then destroy the usual game. Examples like this are pretty much everywhere, from Destiny 2 to Fortnite to Apex Legends.
That sounds annoying at first, but it can make sense. On reddit, John Larson, a live balance designer for the battle royale Apex Legends, commented on this topic and explained how it can happen.
“It’s better to be strong and nerf than weak and buff.”
This is the situation: There was a general discussion on the Apex Legends subreddit about the CAR SMG, which came into play a few months ago and included being the first Apex weapon ever to have the ability to use multiple ammo types at once. This gave her a certain flexibility and strength.
In the discussion, one user criticized that the SMG was the result of “power creep”, i.e. new weapons that are becoming ever stronger, and should have been better balanced. The developer then reported under the user name “RSPN_JayBiebs” with a longer insight (via reddit).
This is what the developer says: In his post, Larson explains that in the “final tuning phase” before releasing a new weapon, it’s a good idea to choose the strong side. For two reasons:
The second point is important for the developers: “This is very helpful to properly diagnose the specific fun/power/frustration factors that come with trying out the new gameplay thing by millions of players in live play,” Larson explains, referring to the SMG’s ability to use multiple ammo types: “I’d rather release it strong and nerf it than release weak and buff it.”
This makes sense, because if a new element isn’t fun, players might ignore it – and then the developers won’t get new data.
New weapons must first convince players: It is important, according to Larson, that the new gameplay mechanics really make sense – change for the sake of change is “blah”. He also addresses the problem of “power creep”. So that you keep raising the bar with constantly “better” new weapons:
As far as power creep goes, this is a never-ending “battle,” if you can call it that. New legends/items have to be sexy and strong to disrupt the meta. The new must be particularly attractive in order to make us break with the familiar. In a competitive game, I naturally gravitate toward what’s familiar and gives me the greatest chance of success, and often that’s what I’ve played the most.
(via reddit)
It is precisely this point – that players simply have no reason to change their established way of playing – that you want to prevent as a developer. You then observe the situation and see how players warm up to the innovations.
And then you ask yourself the next questions. Larson relates this to the CAR SMG and another SMG, the R99: “Now that players have become comfortable with the CAR, what’s the best way to interact with something like the R99? It’s one of the main weapons in Apex and I agree that the CAR eclipses it in some ways.”
Now there are many possibilities – such as strengthening the R99, nerfing the car, or even a complete overhaul of the SMG classes. But you have to look again at how that is received by the players.
“Ultimately, we have to make balancing decisions with the long-term health of the game in mind,” explains Larson. “As a ‘live’ balance designer and a daily player, I personally have to make concessions when I think about what’s going to happen now or in the to be addressed next season or in three seasons. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and I’m pretty happy with the development of the CAR.”
How do you see the topic? Can you understand the “strong” new weapons – or would you like it differently? Tell us in the comments.
In general, Apex Legends is a game that is often subject to innovations. And apparently with success: the shooter recently collected a lot of players on Steam and set a new record.