Theory of Progression

pro·gres·sion –noun

1. a passing successively from one member of a series to the next; succession; sequence.

Traditionally, in Massively Multiplayer Online games, instances have been set up with a system of gating, implemented in two different ways: Linear and Non-linear. The Linear approach is to gate each instance behind a specific requirement from the previous instance. For example, in Mega Man 2, the final Stage 4 boss or the “Wall Boss” is a boss fight where players have to have the right number of Crash Bombs and use them in the exact right places or they will not be able to go on. The only solution, if they don’t have the right number of bombs, is to return to a previous area and farm the bombs. It is a strict and simple style.

This approach can work well, but in MMO design, it leads to players having to switch out their best gear for their instance-specific gear, forcing players to carry around a specific set for a specific raid. While resistance gear is a valid mechanism for instances and raids, we believe that it shouldn’t be utilized as the only block to progression.

The Non-linear approach is similar but a bit softer, allowing players to try to beat an instance further along in the cluster (we’ll get to that in a minute) but avoiding forcing them to have requirements. A good example of this would be Assassin’s Creed. The game allows players to beat each boss after a minimal amount of prerequisites. Once the player has done the bare minimum, they have the ability to press forward and gain more advantages against the boss or try the boss right away. This may seem like a similar approach, but unlike the Linear approach, the Non-linear approach does not require a full playthrough of all aspects of the level in order to complete the level This is a subtle, yet important, distinction.