Progression Design

Purpose

Structure long-term and short-term progression so players experience growth, goals, and retention without uncontrolled complexity.

Use When

• adding unlocks, levels, upgrades, or mastery layers
• players lack motivation between sessions
• content cadence needs stronger reward structure

Inputs

• core loop
• content cadence
• session goals
• economy assumptions

Process

1. define progression layers and how they reinforce the core loop
2. set reward timing, pacing, and gating rules
3. prevent front-loaded complexity and dead progression lanes
4. identify reset, catch-up, and balance risks
5. map telemetry needed to monitor progression health

Outputs

• progression model
• reward pacing rules
• gating logic
• progression metrics

Quality Bar

• supports the core fantasy and player goals
• defines readable rules, edge cases, and feedback
• creates concrete hooks for tuning, telemetry, and QA

Common Failure Modes

• adding systems that do not serve the core loop
• shipping vague rules that QA and engineering must guess at
• tuning without instrumentation or hypotheses

Related Agents

• systems-designer
• economy-designer
• telemetry-analyst

Related Commands

• gdd
• economy-balance
• telemetry-plan

Notes

• Keep this skill aligned with the relevant rules layer and current project documentation.
• If engine-specific constraints materially change the workflow, hand off to the matching engine skill or engine-specific reviewer.