Has there EVER been a discussion on some forum (this one or any other one) that explains, no DEFINES “balance” in A&A?
I ask because unlike a game of chess, HOW do you TRULY DETERMINE IF A&A IS balanced? :?
Chess IS a perfectly balanced game; I don’t think anyone would argue that…would they?
Here are THE key components that MAKE chess perfectly balanced:
***2 player game
***2 equal “armies” (1 black army, 1 white army with each army consisting of one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. 16peices in each army)
***Played on a square board of eight rows and eight columns of squares. The colors of the sixty-four squares alternate and are referred to as “light squares” and “dark squares”. The chessboard is placed with a light square at the right hand end of the rank nearest to each player, with each queen on its own color.
***Pieces are moved to either an unoccupied square, or one occupied by an opponent’s piece, capturing it and removing it from play.
***All pieces capture opponent’s pieces by moving to the square that the opponent’s piece occupies.
Now THAT is a balanced game!
A&A is anything but balanced…when compared to chess. :-P
So, when ever I read discussions on game balance for A&A; I can’t help but to pull my hair out! :| Because what…if anything…is balanced in A&A? How is balance in A&A defined? What are THE KEY THINGS that make A&A a balanced game?
Even if we look at simple examples of combat between two of the same units we see that even in the combat system there is very little balance.
Only when we match the following example do we find balance in the combat system.
1 tank against 1 tank; the attacker hits on a 3 and the defender hits on a 3 and each tank rolls one die and each has a 50% of scoring a hit.
1 bomber attacking 1 fighter; the bomber attacks on a 4 and the fighter defends on a 4 and each rolls 1 die and each has a 67% chance of scoring a hit.
1 artillery attacking 1 artillery; 1 attacks with a 2 and 1 defends with a 2 and each rolls 1 die and each has a 33% chance of scoring a hit.
1 fighter attacking 1 tank; the fig attacks with a 3 the tank defends with a 3 and each rolls 1 die and each has a 50% of scoring a hit.
I’m sure there are some other example like this but…my point is…WHAT else is balanced about A&A?
With little exception do any powers start with the same incomes, I don’t think any power starts with the same number of territories or the same number of tanks, fighters, bombers, battleships, etc, etc, etc…
So…HOW is balanced defined in A&A. I’m sure everyone has IDEAS of how to balance it…but with all of the 50,000,000,000,000 potential factors that COULD/WOULD/SHOULD contribute to game balance…HOW IS BALANCED DEFINDED IN A&A?
Without a clear definition…and if everyone has their own idea of what balance is…how can balance even be discussed? How can ANY A&A game ever be truly determined to be balanced or not???
I’ve tried to come up with the Key factors that DEFINE balance and the only reasonably close (and yet still very abstract) explanation that I can imagine that truly DEFINES game balance in A&A is this;
Balance (in A&A) is the perceived notion that all Powers (& Sides) have an equal potential to achieve victory through the diligent use and execution of the games Ends, Means and Ways within the legal bounds of the games rules.
Which, if that truly is what defines balance in A&A…than all 3 of the global games of A&A (A&A classic, A&A revised and A&A 50th) are all balanced. :roll:
