Design classes in games: not just RPG

Classes can be found everywhere. Former once belonging exclusively RPG, today class systems are used in many types of games. We all know the standard "warriors" or "wizards" of classical fantasy, but what can we learn in the design of classes from other games?



First we need to answer the question: what is a class? The definition of this term in games is rather vague, and there are several correct answers. In RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons, classes are defined by rules and represent a list of abilities that a player’s character can have.

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If you want to be a secretive killer or werewolf, then you need to select the appropriate class. The trick is that the choices are not limited to this: you can choose the race (elf or dwarf) and the story of the character (criminal or noble person), which also affects the choices in the game. What is the difference between race and class? If a character can spew flames because he is half a dragon, is this different from the possibility of shooting fireballs from his hands? In fact, these aspects should be considered as variations of the concept of classes.



Therefore, when discussing classes, we are not only talking about standard classes and races from RPGs, but also about armies in Starcraft, Street Fighter characters and even Mario Kart cars. It seems strange to put them all in one category, but they all have something in common: the choice that the player makes outside the game determines its capabilities in the gameplay.





In Age of Mythology, classes are divided into races, and then also into separate gods.

Why use classes?

So why bother with classes at all? What do they add to the game? There are many reasons, but one of the easiest is to add content. More classes = more ways to play the game = more ways to have fun. If you look at World of

Warcraft, then quite often you can see players with several high-level characters.



Tails became so popular as an extra character in the Sonic games that the developers later added Knuckles, Shadow, Cream, and many other heroes. In the additional rules of Dungeons & Dragons there are many classes available to players. In extreme manifestations, some games exist only because of the variety of classes - imagine Smash Bros, in which Mario was the only character. Fightings are interesting mainly because they allow a variety of characters to interact, that is, each pair must have its own strategy.



Another reason for the usefulness of classes is that they contribute to multi-discipline. This is especially important in competitive multiplayer games, where (usually) everyone wants to be the best. If you want to make an MMO in which players can add points to their skills, then you think that users will create many different types of characters. In fact, as we can see from MMOs like Ultima Online, it inevitably turns out that players are striving for an “optimal configuration”.



Usually a small percentage of well-mastered game users perform mathematical calculations and publish optimal characteristics, while the rest simply copy them. Such “copying” behavior is not unique to MMOs (Magic: The Gathering players have been discussing the pros and cons of the optimal decks for a while - “netdecking”), and in any other game where you can choose skills, there are discussions of the best configurations.



Of course, the introduction of classes does not solve the problem completely - in World of Warcraft, despite the presence of many classes, configurations are actively discussed - but at least they create some variation. Instead of creating one “standard tank,” a player can choose between a warrior tank, a paladin tank, or a druid tank.



And finally, the classes narrow the gap between experienced and inexperienced players. New players are always annoyed by the fact that everything is better than them, but if everyone plays the best characters, it is doubly annoying. New players may feel that the game is punishing them for lack of knowledge, while professional players may spend time searching for abusive game mechanics.



In addition, new players risk “making the wrong choice” by spending points on useless skills - the concept of “noob traps” we have already considered earlier . By forcing players to choose between pre-created classes, the developers again shift the focus from character creation back to gameplay.



So do classes have any problems? Well, obviously, developers need to spend a lot of time on them. But from the point of view of design, there’s really only one problem: class systems limit the player’s ability to experiment with interesting configurations or the realization of some ideas. Players like to create, and limiting the possibilities of creativity can reduce the fascination of the game.



It can be argued that in competitive games, the introduction of self-creation systems can be an extremely dangerous idea, because one too powerful combination is enough to destroy the entire game. But in some games it is character creation that becomes the most interesting part of the game.





Impossible Creatures is RTS, in which players can cross creatures to create their own armies and participate in battles of mad scientists.



So, if we assume that we want to introduce classes, what should be their design? In general, this is a very deep topic - even if we confine ourselves to a certain genre, then you can write a whole book, and at the same time you can hardly consider the very basics. So let's better focus on common standard cases that apply everywhere.

Strict and free design classes

The word “class” has many meanings, so let's introduce a new concept: the division into strict and free classes.

• The strict class determines the skill set available to the player.
• Free class gives limited new features or bonuses with a certain style of play.

In general, a more complex system is likely to be strict.



In Diablo 3, players can choose from classes such as "barbarian", "monk" and "sorceress". All these classes have special skills, and these skills determine what the character is capable of. Only a monk has a “hurricane strike”, and only enchantors have a “Hydra”. Classes at certain levels acquire special skills, and can never learn the skills of other classes. Diablo 3 is a very strict system.



Compare it with a game like Desktop Dungeons, which is a free system. When a player chooses a class, he simply gives the player a slight advantage: the berserkers have 50% magic resistance. Priests deal double undead damage. A berserk can do the same thing as a priest, but in certain situations, he shows himself better (or worse).



Obviously, there is no clear distinction between "strict" and "free", and some games can be counted on both sides. Vampire: The Masquerade allows players to choose a clan, and although each clan has unique powers, these powers do not define a character, and the rest of the game is controlled through the standard points purchase system.



But what happens in other genres? Well, in Hearthstone, a player can choose a class, and this gives him a class ability that can be used in the game, for example, creating minions or getting additional cards. Since this ability gives a slight advantage in the game, it is considered an advantage of the “free” class.



However, Hearthstone also has class maps that can only be used by certain classes. Cards like Backstab or Sap are for Rogues only, but theoretically they are useful for any class. This card restriction means that Hearthstone uses a “rigorous” class design, because each class has many features not available to other players.



But why is all this important? The stricter the game, the more obvious the advantages of the class system (as we said above in the section “Why use classes?”). More variability between classes, less “noob traps”, more fun for players. In addition, the rigorous design allows you to create surprisingly distinct classes. When playing Hearthstone as a priest, you feel that you are playing as a priest (as far as this can be achieved in a card game). Each class seems unique, and this uniqueness allows the user to play in many different ways (by finding the right one for his playing style).



The lack of a strict system is mentioned above - the player is limited to the game styles invented by the developers. The game does not allow for more in-depth research. And since each class has its own style of play, the player can sometimes understand what the game will be like from the first turn or the first drawn out card.



This can be nice (if you win) or annoying (otherwise). If it is difficult for you to defeat the robbers and the game constantly gives them to your opponents, then it can get bored very soon. Depending on the currently popular game styles or “meta,” this may not be one class, but one deck or character configuration, and such a monotonous standoff can be pretty boring.



However, mechanical design is only one aspect of character creation. we need to ask what the players want from the games, and there may be several answers. Most new players do not think about the mechanics of each class - most often they want to play as a cool kidnapping ninja soul, or devouring the flesh of the "alien". This side of character design, which includes aspects such as its history or visual image, is often called “fluff” or “flavor”. This is also an important part of the design process, but it is a separate topic itself, so we will look at it another time.



Another question players often ask is: “what does a character do”? Sometimes the answer is obvious, sometimes not at all - but in general the player tries to find a class that allows him to play in the way that suits him.





The Jew class in South Park: The Stick of Truth is a non-standard class with very powerful abilities in the later stages of the game.

Role play

In general, the task of the class is to allow the user to play in his favorite style. Not everyone likes to play for magic classes, so it is important not to force players to choose roles they dislike. Of course, in multiplayer games, some players are forced to play certain roles, but in general they play for those characters that they are most interested in.



In some games (for example MMO), the ability to get into a role becomes doubly important. If your "party" is going to fight the Emperor of the Dragons, then you most likely should develop a strategy. Usually the main roles are tank dealer / dealer / healer, other roles (controller, leader, tracker, etc.) depend on the game.



The number of available seats in the party is usually limited, so it is important that your team takes the maximum from them - the party from the healers alone does not gain much. To maximize the chances of success, players tend to choose roles that complement each other, which means that they can choose their favorite classes and feel useful for the team.



Regardless of the style of the game, you need to create classes so that they provide an interesting gameplay. Class design determines how players will play. If all your characters are warriors with swords, then the gameplay will focus on the melee combat. If you add a single sniper to the game, then all the dynamics change suddenly - the environment and the shelters become more important, and the rush across the open area ceases to be a viable tactic.



You need to understand what you want to get from the game, and the roles and abilities created should stimulate the desired style of gameplay. If you do not want players to play roles, then simply do not add them to the game. Do not like the fact that healers slow gameplay? Take them away. This is your game, and there is no reason to stick with “traditional” design roles.



Despite the fact that many games use traditional design with tanks / demaged dealers / healers, there are many reasons to avoid them. The most obvious of them is that if you create a game design based on these classes, then everything that does not meet these criteria will turn out to be bad. Imagine that a banker or a farmer joined the warrior, robber, and cleric. There is no reason for players to play with these alternative classes, but there is a chance that they will not fit into the team of the "holy trinity". Classes must be balanced in relation not only to each other, but to the game itself.

Class balancing

However, sometimes we become too obsessed with concepts such as balance, and we strive to ensure that the use of each class is fair. Although this is necessary in some games, you can do without it in some single-player games. Bad classes can create additional complexity or be a balance factor for experienced players. “The Lost” from The Binding of Isaac can fly, but dies with one blow. Dan Hibiki from Street Fighter is a frequent item for jokes. Such “bad classes” are actually additional choices for complicating the game. In addition, if each class is perfectly balanced, what difference does it make, whom to choose?



We need to ask ourselves the question - what do we balance? Do we balance on the basis of the ratio of victories? Or compared to one-on-one combat? Some genres, in particular, MMO, seek to balance the character for both PVE and PVP. In The Binding of Isaac, damage is often called the “divine indicator” of characters — not only because it is incredibly convenient to kill everyone in one shot — the game rewards quick play with secret bosses, and the player’s lack of damage is “devilish objects,” powerful objects that can instantly strengthen and so good character . Slow, “tank” characters like Magdalene look good in theory, but they can’t compete with the bonuses that characters with high damage get. While The Lost is an interesting character due to the deliberately increased complexity of the character, Magdalen is just a boring character.





The Lost, one of the many characters in The Binding of Isaac.



League of Legends fully supports this approach and calls this idea the “ideal imbalance”, which allows to preserve the freshness of the gameplay. The game is incredibly difficult, and balancing more than 130 characters is impossible. Designers not only need to think about how characters interact - in fact, even the slightest change in theory can ruin the whole balance.



They try to make sure that not a single character is too strong, but there are many “bad characters” in the game, and sometimes because of the evolution of the game, characters that seem bad become quite viable. The complexity and ever-changing nature of the game means that players must constantly review their winning strategies, and this ensures that the gameplay will never be “resolved”.



“Solution” is a problem for many games. Sometimes you can write down all the abilities of the characters and find out what each class is capable of. This means that team games classes are often selected by simple metrics: how much damage it can do, how fast it can heal, or how fast it can reach the end. The character has one task, and the best character is the one with the highest scores. This poses an interesting question for us: is it better to create a class that is intended only for one task, or a class that can satisfactorily solve everything?

Specialization and versatility

When creating a class, we should have a rough idea of ​​what we want from it. In an MMO, the ideal tank is, in effect, a granite rock that takes all the blows, while the rest of the crew members bring death to the enemy. This creates a kind of “arms race” when the most specialized characters (almost always) are the best to do the job.



But the problem here is that if one character is ideal for some task, then all the others will not be (by default) the best - why would someone intentionally play a bad character? This is a problem for MMOs who are trying to juggle a balance of a dozen character classes. Why play brigands, if mages DPS above?



Imagine creating a game similar to Civilization, in which the player seeks to conquer the world. He can achieve victory by political, military or cultural means. The player can also choose a race, and each race has its advantage: elves are better at politics, orcs are at war, and so on. Why would a war lover choose someone other than orcs? And if he plays against the orcs, then why should he invest in political defense? Specialization races limits the style of play and forces you to choose specific options.





The races in Civilization IV motivate players to use certain tactics without forcing them to move on a particular road.



This is one of the most serious problems of specialized classes. If in something specialization is good, then it means that it is bad in everything else. If the key component of the gameplay is a choice, then repeating the same actions over and over again is a bad design. This problem is faced by many games, and it is particularly pronounced for classes of healers .



So how to solve the problem? As I said in the article about healers, you need to make sure that the player has a lot of choices during the game. This is one of the most fundamental aspects of game design: the player must be passionate about. If the player does not make a choice in his actions, then he is not carried away, and the game begins to become boring. That is, when creating a class, you need to make sure that it can always take part in the game. If you are creating an RPG design, make sure that all classes have skills to play during battles and out of combat, and do not turn the character into a “monkey to use the skill”. If you create a game with different ways of winning, then make sure that each race has the opportunity to win in different ways.



Allow players to adapt to the flow of the game, and if they realize that they need to change tactics, then let them do it. The more specialized a class or race is, the greater the likelihood that they are only able to do one thing and that they will constantly repeat actions over and over again. The choice is important.

Soft and hard countermeasures

Players love to win. In a competitive game with classes, players usually choose the best class. “Best” is often a subjective concept, it depends on the player’s skill, playing style, map, and even recent changes in the gameplay. For most players, the “best” is the one that “defeats the enemies.”



In some games, this means trying to predict what the opponent will play. In collectible card games like Magic and Hearthstone, players talk about " mete"- the most popular decks and cards currently used by opponents are likely to play. A player can choose a deck to defeat the Meta and use cards that interfere with certain decks. that the game "Meta" - an effective way to win.



In other games, players take turns in "picking up" their characters. If you know that the opponent has chosen, you can pick up a "countermeasure" and this becomes very important. To take a character or class specifically to defeat an opponent is called counterpicking.. Having countermeasures in games is usually a good mechanic. It allows players to perform balancing themselves to a certain extent, because a player using a very powerful class can expect to be more often played with countermeasure classes against him. The existence of a metagame allows players to discuss the best tactics, the best countermeasures to these tactics, and the best ways to play in the current environment.



The question then is to what extent countermeasures should be effective. In general, the countermeasures are divided into “soft” and “hard”.



Soft countermeasures are classes that have a small bonus against certain types of characters. Fast characters are usually a countermeasure for snipers - although a sniper can win, he must be skillful or lucky in order to have a chance.





“Meet the Spy” from Team Fortress 2. There is a debate about whether a spy can be considered a soft or hard countermeasure to a sniper, although it strongly depends on the skill and attentiveness of the player.



Hard countermeasures are classes that almost completely destroy the other class. Spearmen often become tough countermeasures against cavalry units — although cavalry can win, the likelihood is small. And to cope with spearmen, it is better to call archers.



What is the best for your game - soft or hard countermeasures? Obviously, this depends on your intentions, but for almost every game the answer is simple: soft countermeasures are better.



The reason for this is simple: tough countermeasures make any counterplay a pointless move. A more difficult game because of the choice of countermeasures is normal, the impossibility of doing nothing is bad. Soft countermeasures can usually be circumvented, but hard countermeasures leave no room for creativity or tactical steps.



So can a tough countermeasure be an acceptable design? Yes, in two cases:

1. The player can change the class during the game, allowing them to find a countermeasure against a countermeasure.
2. The player is part of a larger team and can “dump” the problem on someone else.

I do not want to say that in such situations, tough countermeasures are acceptable, but the problem in them is less pronounced. The player still has some choice, and he can “avoid” the problem.

Summarize

What can be drawn from all this? In fact, the design of classes is not particularly complicated. It can be reduced to a simple thought:



Let the user play so that he enjoys.



Here it is, the great secret of class design. It does not matter what kind of game you are doing, the main thing is that it fascinates the players.



The very essence of class design, as we have repeated many times, is to choose. It lies in the fact that the player chooses to play what he likes, makes a meaningful choice in the process of the game and how this choice interacts with his difficulties, be it enemy AI or other players.



And since new games often contain a wide world of information, classes allow you to make choices more meaningful. A new player can be confused with 100 different characteristics, but if you give him a limited number of options - ask what class he wants to play, he will answer with ease. He does not need to worry about how many points to spend on vitality - he simply chooses a class and starts the game.



The class gives players additional ways to play the game, and in a sense, each class creates a completely new game. As long as the new classes do not interfere with the players to have fun, this is quite normal.



And do not forget, in the end, each game is unique. There is nothing “right” in game design, and without a doubt many successful games may violate some of these rules (or even all). Just consider them when creating the game and do not be afraid to go beyond the boundaries and try something new. All this serves one simple idea: the game should be exciting.