balance-check

name	balance-check
description	Analyzes game balance data files, formulas, and configuration to identify outliers, broken progressions, degenerate strategies, and economy imbalances. Use after modifying any balance-related data or design.

Balance Check

This is the Codex-adapted version of the original workflow. Use only .codex/ runtime assets when following it.

Arguments: [system-name|path-to-data-file]

When this skill is invoked:

1. Identify the balance domain from the argument.

2. Read relevant data files from assets/data/ and design/balance/.

3. Read the design document for the system being checked from design/gdd/.

4. Perform analysis:

   For combat balance:

   • Calculate DPS for all weapons/abilities at each power tier
   • Check time-to-kill at each tier
   • Identify any options that dominate all others (strictly better)
   • Check if defensive options can create unkillable states
   • Verify damage type/resistance interactions are balanced

   For economy balance:

   • Map all resource faucets and sinks with flow rates
   • Project resource accumulation over time
   • Check for infinite resource loops
   • Verify gold sinks scale with gold generation
   • Check if any items are never worth purchasing

   For progression balance:

   • Plot the XP curve and power curve
   • Check for dead zones (no meaningful progression for too long)
   • Check for power spikes (sudden jumps in capability)
   • Verify content gates align with expected player power
   • Check if skip/grind strategies break intended pacing

   For loot balance:

   • Calculate expected time to acquire each rarity tier
   • Check pity timer math
   • Verify no loot is strictly useless at any stage
   • Check inventory pressure vs acquisition rate

5. Output the analysis:

## Balance Check: [System Name]

### Data Sources Analyzed
- [List of files read]

### Health Summary: [HEALTHY / CONCERNS / CRITICAL ISSUES]

### Outliers Detected
| Item/Value | Expected Range | Actual | Issue |
|-----------|---------------|--------|-------|

### Degenerate Strategies Found
- [Strategy description and why it is problematic]

### Progression Analysis
[Graph description or table showing progression curve health]

### Recommendations
| Priority | Issue | Suggested Fix | Impact |
|----------|-------|--------------|--------|

### Values That Need Attention
[Specific values with suggested adjustments and rationale]