652Graystripe
Plantera
[I'm not sure what section this should be in, so Suggestions seemed okay for now. Mods, move as you will.]
I love game balance. Just puttin' it out there, I love a well-balanced weapon and exploring what makes it so. TF2 and Terraria have really aroused my interest in this field of game design, so here I am with a balance workshop.
What is a balance workshop? Simply put, it is a thread on the forums in which we present ideas for items and try to balance them to make them game-worthy! Though they don't have to be suggestions, I'm taking either. Just put your idea up and we'll discuss it!
Remember that I have no desire to be in any way "credited" for this, given that I'm just trying to spread the knowledge of proper balance.
To wrap everything up: I'm open to receiving new ideas and talking them over with you! This workshop is highly hypothetical, but I'd be welcome to someone making a mod or something out of our balance ideas. And lastly, I'm not the one that needs credit unless you use one of my original ideas.
I love game balance. Just puttin' it out there, I love a well-balanced weapon and exploring what makes it so. TF2 and Terraria have really aroused my interest in this field of game design, so here I am with a balance workshop.
What is a balance workshop? Simply put, it is a thread on the forums in which we present ideas for items and try to balance them to make them game-worthy! Though they don't have to be suggestions, I'm taking either. Just put your idea up and we'll discuss it!
Remember that I have no desire to be in any way "credited" for this, given that I'm just trying to spread the knowledge of proper balance.
Balance in Terraria comes in two rough forms: PvE and PvBoss. PvP is a rare occurrence for many players, so this guide does not cover it. It's already horribly balanced anyway. In most cases, it is the damage-per-second count that determines a fight, but other factors can also come into play - such as criticals and knockback, as well as other attributes the weapon has.
When balancing, always use a reference point! For example, if you want to create a lategame melee weapon, make sure it stacks up to other options available then - the Terra Blade, Scourge of the Corruptor and probably Flairon should be used as reference points. It is always important to determine where an item should fall and what niche it should occupy - for example, we don't need two Magnet Spheres in the same period of the game.
Remember that special abilities are not inherently good! My favorite example is the Inferno Fork: if it could wallhack, it would be incredibly hard to hit anything with it, as its slow speed makes it reliant on wall detonations to do damage.
Always be sure to weigh abilities in the primary scenarios. Good "testing grounds" vary based on stage of game. For example, a lategame weapon would likely be balanced against the moons, Duke Fishron and possibly the Golem or Plantera.
Lastly, although weapons in Terraria rarely have any publicized "downsides," they may be far worse than another weapon in a certain scenario. Even though it never says explicitly that the Blood Butcherer is bad because it's slow, it is slower than the Light's Bane. All downsides here are comparative.
When balancing, always use a reference point! For example, if you want to create a lategame melee weapon, make sure it stacks up to other options available then - the Terra Blade, Scourge of the Corruptor and probably Flairon should be used as reference points. It is always important to determine where an item should fall and what niche it should occupy - for example, we don't need two Magnet Spheres in the same period of the game.
Remember that special abilities are not inherently good! My favorite example is the Inferno Fork: if it could wallhack, it would be incredibly hard to hit anything with it, as its slow speed makes it reliant on wall detonations to do damage.
Always be sure to weigh abilities in the primary scenarios. Good "testing grounds" vary based on stage of game. For example, a lategame weapon would likely be balanced against the moons, Duke Fishron and possibly the Golem or Plantera.
Lastly, although weapons in Terraria rarely have any publicized "downsides," they may be far worse than another weapon in a certain scenario. Even though it never says explicitly that the Blood Butcherer is bad because it's slow, it is slower than the Light's Bane. All downsides here are comparative.
Magic weapon that deals more damage the lower your mana is?
Spear that increases in damage as it is held out, possibly shooting projectiles at an increased rate?
Spear that increases in damage as it is held out, possibly shooting projectiles at an increased rate?
To wrap everything up: I'm open to receiving new ideas and talking them over with you! This workshop is highly hypothetical, but I'd be welcome to someone making a mod or something out of our balance ideas. And lastly, I'm not the one that needs credit unless you use one of my original ideas.
