Concept
Mirror match
You might say: same-unit matchup, mirror
A mirror match pits the same unit, role or roster against itself, removing the intended composition edge so the designer can see what execution, timing, positioning and information contribute.
- What it does
- Checks that a unit remains interesting when its counter relationship disappears and reveals first-move, map or control advantages that can hide inside the matrix.
- Ask
- When both sides choose the same job, what decides the exchange, and is that decision legible and recoverable?
- Typical
- Use equal resources, unit count, map, upgrades and information where possible; separately record first move, initiative, terrain and control assumptions.
- Trouble
- A mirror decided by an untelegraphed first move, spawn or hidden roster advantage is not measuring only skill; a perfectly static mirror may expose no meaningful decision.
Connections
- Measured by: Interaction observation
- See also: Time-to-kill
Sources
- Blizzard Entertainment, Heroes of the Storm Patch Notes - August 9, 2017
Quick Match will now prefer not to make mirror matches, the same hero on both teams, when other options are available.
- Ramses Jelsma, The Logic Behind Violence: a Primer on Combat System Design
The aspects that define how a player interacts with meaningful choice are the players’ knowledge and execution.
Use it on your project
teardown-apply: hold "Mirror match" (counter-mirror-match) from the teardown at https://teardownatlas.com/game-design/ against my project
Paste it into a coding agent that has the teardown skills.
An AI agent wrote this map with the teardown skill. It can contain errors: check the sources before you rely on a part. About and legal