Game Balance

Overview

Balance in a fighting game means every character has viable options and no single strategy is overwhelmingly dominant. Good balance comes from careful tuning of frame data, damage values, hitbox/hurtbox design, and system mechanics.

Frame Data Fundamentals

Frame data describes the timing of every move in the game. At 60fps (IKEMEN Go's standard), each frame = 1/60th of a second = 16.67ms.

Move Phases

Every attack has three phases:

1. •Startup: Frames before the hitbox appears (vulnerable, no attack)
2. •Active: Frames where the hitbox exists (can hit opponent)
3. •Recovery: Frames after hitbox disappears (vulnerable, no attack)

Total frames = Startup + Active + Recovery

Frame Advantage

Frame advantage determines who can act first after a move connects:

On Hit: Frame advantage = Opponent's hitstun - Attacker's recovery

• •Positive = attacker recovers first (can continue pressure)
• •Negative = defender recovers first (attacker is punishable)
• •0 = both recover simultaneously (neutral)

On Block: Frame advantage = Opponent's blockstun - Attacker's recovery

• •Usually more negative than on hit (blocking recovers faster)

Standard Frame Data by Move Type

Frame Data in IKEMEN Go

Frame data is encoded in two places:

1. •.air file: Startup frames (before Clsn1 appears), active frames (Clsn1 present), recovery frames (after Clsn1, before state ends)
2. •.cns HitDef: pausetime (hit freeze), ground.hittime (hitstun), ground.slidetime (blockstun basis), guard.ctrltime (guard recovery)

Calculating Hitstun from HitDef

On-hit advantage = ground.hittime - (remaining recovery frames + pausetime.p1)
On-block advantage = ground.slidetime - (remaining recovery frames + guard.pausetime.p1)

Damage System

Base Damage

Set in HitDef: damage = hitDmg, guardDmg

• •hitDmg: Damage on successful hit
• •guardDmg: Chip damage when blocked (usually 0 for normals, 10-25% for specials)

Damage Scaling (Combo Proration)

To prevent infinite combos from killing instantly, implement damage scaling:

; In the character's state logic, track combo hits
; Each subsequent hit in a combo does less damage

; Example scaling table:
; Hit 1: 100% damage
; Hit 2: 90% damage
; Hit 3: 80% damage
; Hit 4: 70% damage
; Hit 5+: 60% damage (minimum)

; Implemented via AttackMulSet controller:
[State combo, Scale Damage]
type = AttackMulSet
trigger1 = 1
value = ifelse(var(10) <= 1, 1.0, ifelse(var(10) = 2, 0.9, ifelse(var(10) = 3, 0.8, ifelse(var(10) = 4, 0.7, 0.6))))

Stun/Dizzy System

Optional mechanic where accumulated hits cause a dizzy state:

• •Track stun buildup in a variable
• •When threshold reached, enter dizzy state (5400)
• •Stun decays over time when not being hit
• •Different moves contribute different stun values

Juggle System

IKEMEN Go's juggle system uses juggle points:

• •Each character has airjuggle points (set in [Data], typically 15)
• •Each move costs juggle points (set in Statedef's juggle parameter)
• •Moves can only juggle if remaining points >= move's juggle cost
• •This prevents infinite air combos

Character Archetypes & Balance

Archetype Design Guidelines

Shoto/Balanced (Template character)

• •Life: 1000, Attack: 100, Defense: 100
• •Has fireball (zoning), dragon punch (anti-air), and strong normals
• •Good at everything, master of nothing
• •Walk speed: Medium (2.4), Run speed: Medium (4.6)

Grappler

• •Life: 1100-1200, Attack: 110, Defense: 90-95
• •Very high damage throws and command grabs
• •Slow movement, poor ranged options
• •Walk: Slow (1.8), Run: Slow (3.8), Jump: Low (-7.8)
• •Armor/super armor on some moves

Rushdown

• •Life: 850-950, Attack: 105, Defense: 95
• •Fast normals, good frame advantage, mix-up heavy
• •Walk: Fast (2.8), Run: Fast (5.2), Jump: High (-8.8)
• •Lower damage per hit, higher combo potential

Zoner

• •Life: 900-1000, Attack: 95, Defense: 100
• •Multiple projectiles, screen control tools
• •Weaker up close, strong at range
• •Walk: Medium (2.0), Run: Medium (4.2)
• •Anti-air specials, keepaway tools

Glass Cannon

• •Life: 750-850, Attack: 115-120, Defense: 85
• •Highest damage output, lowest survivability
• •Fast and mobile with strong offense
• •Requires precise play, punishes mistakes hard

Boss Character

• •Life: 1300-1500, Attack: 115, Defense: 80-85
• •Super armor, unique mechanics
• •Intentionally strong for single-player
• •May be banned in competitive play
• •Multiple phases or install supers

Balance Checklist

For each character, verify:

• • Light attacks are plus on hit, minus on block
• • Heavy attacks are negative on block (punishable)
• • At least one reliable anti-air
• • At least one combo starting from a light attack
• • Throw damage is reasonable (120-160)
• • Maximum combo damage doesn't exceed 40% life without meter
• • Maximum combo damage doesn't exceed 60% life with full meter
• • No infinite combos possible
• • At least one safe pressure string
• • One reversal option (invincible move with meter cost)
• • Walk speed allows approaching and retreating
• • Jump arc is appropriate for the archetype

Hitbox Design for Balance

General Principles

1. •Hitboxes should match the visual: Don't make invisible hitboxes
2. •Hurtboxes extend slightly beyond visuals: Prevents "phantom" misses
3. •Extend hitboxes on active frames only: Not during startup/recovery
4. •Low attacks must hit crouching opponents: Hitbox should go below mid-height
5. •Anti-airs need upward hitbox coverage: Extend above character head
6. •Sweeps have low, wide hitboxes: Cover ground level

Hitbox Size by Move Type

• •Light attacks: Small hitboxes (30-40px range)
• •Medium attacks: Medium hitboxes (50-70px range)
• •Heavy attacks: Large hitboxes (70-100px range)
• •Special moves: Varies by design intent
• •Supers: Usually very generous hitboxes

System Mechanics for Balance

Universal Mechanics

These mechanics apply to all characters and create balance:

• •Throw tech: All throws should be techable (escapable)
• •Push block: Blocked attacks push attacker back
• •Burst/Combo break: Emergency escape from combos (costly)
• •Guard cancel: Spend meter to counter-attack while blocking
• •Recovery roll: Options after knockdown to avoid okizeme

Power Meter Design

Standard 3-bar system:
- 1 bar = 1000 power
- Max = 3000 power
- Power gain from: hitting (0.7x damage), getting hit (0.6x damage), whiffing specials (small amount)
- EX moves: 500-1000 power (enhanced specials)
- Level 1 super: 1000 power
- Level 3 super: 3000 power

Tips

1. •Start with the shoto archetype as your baseline
2. •Balance characters against each other, not against a theoretical ideal
3. •Frame data is more important than raw damage numbers
4. •Every character needs weaknesses -- a character good at everything is broken
5. •Test with human players, not just AI
6. •Small changes (1-2 frames, 5-10 damage) can have big impacts
7. •Document your frame data in a spreadsheet for comparison
8. •Playtest every character matchup

Reference Files

• •references/frame-data-theory.md - Deep dive into frame data mechanics and formulas
• •references/damage-scaling.md - Damage scaling, guts, and comeback systems
• •references/hitbox-design-guide.md - Hitbox/hurtbox placement and sizing

Example Files

• •examples/frame-data-spreadsheet.md - Template for documenting a character's full frame data
• •examples/balanced-hitdef-values.md - Balanced HitDef values for every attack type
• •examples/archetype-templates.md - Complete data/size/velocity/movement sections per archetype