Appealing and imbalances of 4v4

The point that some are making that we don't specifically focus on balancing 4v4 games is valid. The team spends most of its time focused on balancing 1v1 and 2v2 games, and that balance works its way up through the game. For the most part that is how RTS games are balanced, and certainly how we've always done it at Relic. Unless you go for a relatively simple design where each army is in fact simply a skin swap of the others, this is most likely always going to be the case. In Monopoly, for example, the top hat and the canon are perfectly balanced against each other since they're the same unit.
Comparing RTS games to other games is rather hard to do since most RTS games have a larger number of units in play at once. I'm certainly not a high level LoL or DOTA2 player but at any given time there are only what 10 units in play along with the NPC allies who are basically the same unit on either side. I imagine that balancing each hero unit is tricky but that game is designed for that size of game. Football is balanced around the capabilities of real life human physical capabilities. Each team has the same positions, and it's up to the players to make a difference.
Which isn't to say that we don't balance the higher games, just that the prime focus is on 1v1 and 2v2.

Jump back to quoted post24 Sep 2014, 17:57 PMKatitof

4v4 will never be balanced because relic won't do it as they focus on 1v1 and 2v2.

Why?

Because RTS needs to be competitive at that level.
And because relic says so.


http://community.companyofheroes.com/forum/company-of-heroes-2/coh-2-balance-feedback/105777-okw-op-waaaah-waaaah-etc?p=105970#post105970

Jump back to quoted post24 Sep 2014, 18:59 PMludd3emm

Why would they even include 3vs3 and 4vs4 in the game if they are not focusing on getting it balanced?

Jump back to quoted post24 Sep 2014, 18:59 PMludd3emm

Why would they even include 3vs3 and 4vs4 in the game if they are not focusing on getting it balanced?

Jump back to quoted post24 Sep 2014, 20:24 PMMajorBloodnok

As most of you will know, EGX in London kicks off tomorrow, and it seems Quinn Duffy and Greg Wilson will give a sermon talk on the new Campaign on Friday at 4pm.

I highly doubt - though I hope I am wrong - that balance issues on 1v1/2v2 as against 3v3/4v4 will be addressed

Jump back to quoted post24 Sep 2014, 20:30 PMNinjaWJ

Bummer

Jump back to quoted post24 Sep 2014, 20:24 PMMajorBloodnok

I highly doubt - though I hope I am wrong - that balance issues on 1v1/2v2 as against 3v3/4v4 will be addressed

• First, Relic doesn't have the manpower to break out balance by game mode. Imagine a patch cycle twice as slow as the current one, for them to patch 1v1/2v2 balance, and then 3v3/4v4 balance.
  
• Secondly, this is unprecedented. Even Blizzard doesn't break out balance by game mode.
  
• Thirdly, BALALNCE CHANGES!!?!?!?!! isn't something that developers talk about at trade shows. They want to talk about new content: DLC, expansions, etc. This will be about Ardennes Assault, and any upcoming major update, like we had with the southern fronts (?) update.