balance-design git:20260912.3ac5afdA

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---
name: balance-design
description: What you measure, what you refuse to equalize. Ask matchup-matrix vs weapon-class vs item-chaos vs economy-curve vs role-holy-trinity. Do not nerf feel to flatten a spreadsheet.
---

# Balance design

Ask the column:

| Column | Fair means |
|---|---|
| matchup-matrix | every pair is playable, not 5-5 |
| weapon-class | each class wins a job, loses another |
| item-chaos | last place can rejoin; first place is not deleted |
| economy-curve | time-to-spike is authored |
| role-trinity | tank / damage / support jobs stay distinct |
| honest-fixed | no live scaler; skill is the patch |

## Rules

1. Write the metric before the patch. Win rate, time-to-kill, time-to-goal, or resource cycles — pick one primary.
2. Feel columns outrank spreadsheet columns. If a nerf breaks the chosen action-feel or racing column, cut the nerf.
3. Do not make every option equal. Make every option useful in a published situation.
4. Soft counters beat hard deletes. A hard delete needs a readable tell plus a reply.
5. Patch the table, not the clock. Hitstop, input delay, and camera stay stable across balance drops.
6. Hidden rubber that silently wins games is not balance. If catch-up exists, publish it.

## Accept

- A designer can name the primary metric and the column
- Two adjacent options have a situation where each is preferred
- A patch note can be written as a table change, not a feel rewrite