FreeOrion

What kind of math is needed to make a computer games strategy-system balanced?
Numerical analysis, operations research, statistics and probability theory

Are evolutionary algorithms needed for that? Is it neccessary to create AIs that play that game hundrets of times to find out how to set the games strategy system correct, that its balanced?

I think, that one of the highest priority for a strategy game is that the stratagy system of it is balanced.

That means: The shall not be a race that is the best and a race that is the worst ; not a weapon that is the best and the worst and so on.

bump for attention of more experienced people!Odin Quest is a browser-based MMORPG by YouJoy, owned by China-based DragonsMeet, the operator of Yoogames.com.

What is needed is play-testing - not maths!

Playing games is much more fun than doing maths!

FO is far too incomplete to be finely balanced. Or at least for it to be worthwhile for us to try to finely balance, since a lot of development is adding/removing features and content.

I find it worthwhile to get things informally, roughly balanced, but not much beyond that.

Though if someone has the skills and inclination to take a more mathematical, rigorous approach, that would be great.

_________________
—• Read this First before posting Game Design Ideas!
—• Design Philosophy
—•— My Ideas, Organized —•— Get an Avatar —•— Acronyms —•—

I bet most designers do it my way: use the rule of thumb and adjust after having built the prototype. Having some experience is useful, because your thumb will be more on target, but not strictly required.

I am not sure if anyone ever balanced a game using a mathematical approach, but might be interesting to see, if the result is worth the effort.