51. Designing Around Progression Vectors: The Underused Power Tool of Game Scaling and Personalization
Article and discussion about use of Progression Vectors for Game Design, and Systems Design.
In the world of live games, progression and its heartbeats are everything. They are the scaffolding around which we build gameplay loops, economies, monetization, and long-term engagement. But while progression systems are widely understood and employed, what’s often underleveraged — especially outside mobile free-to-play — is the notion of progression vector scaling and contextualization.
This article explores how progression vectors, when treated as system-driving parameters rather than passive meters, can become the backbone of scalable game experiences, personalized economies, and smart live operations.
I’ll dive into examples across genres — from MMORPGs and extraction shooters to puzzle games and 4X strategy — and explore practical frameworks for designers, product persons, and live ops teams.
What Is a Progression Vector?
A progression vector is a directional, measurable representation of a player's growth — a time-evolving (or stage-evolving) metric or set of metrics that reflects their advancement across one or many dimensions, e.g.,:
Level (player level, power level, character level, game levels, etc.)
Character Progression (skills / talents, gear, level, etc.)
Campaign Progress
Collection Completion
Time Spent / Skill Mastery
Social (Social Status, Guild Rank, etc.)
And many others
When you contextualize and systemically apply these vectors across gameplay, meta, economy, and monetization, you can create a game that responds to the player's journey — rather than simply present a static content stack.
Core Idea: Vector-Based Game Design
Traditional progression systems focus on gates and milestones — e.g., "you hit level 20, unlock World Tier 3." Vector-based design instead asks:
"What experience should we deliver to a player on this vector trajectory right now?"
It’s about designing your whole game lifecycle around the evolving “data” of player progression — a principle with deep implications across:
Live ops configuration
Storefronts and economy controls
Content segmentation
Personalized monetization
Meta game rhythm and sync points
Custom gameplay tuning
One Vector vs. Multi-Vector vs. Hybrid Experience Design
Let’s break down three ways to use progression vectors in practice:
1. Single Progression Vector Design
A clean example: a linear puzzle game like Candy Crush where the level number could be the core vector.
Use Case:
Tailoring daily offers, difficulty, and lives-to-refill pacing based on the current level range.
Puzzle Game Example:
At levels 1–100, players get infinite lives events, faster retries, and aggressive reward pacing.
At 100–200, monetization pressure increases (e.g., booster scarcity), but tailored packs show up based on the types of boosters most used.
Strengths: Simplicity, clean segmentation, predictable tuning.
2. Multi-Vector Design
Here, you track multiple progression paths and use them in combination to tailor experience. This is ideal for games with layered metas.
Example Vectors:
Player Level (XP)
Character Progression
Campaign
PvP Rank
Collection Completion
Guild Participation
MMORPG Example:
A player at high combat level but with poor life skills gets targeted with events and bundles that boost e.g., fishing or trading.
A crafter who’s never done PvP might see PvP tutorials, but not PvP store deals.
Benefits:
Enables truly custom player journeys
Reduces feature fatigue by hiding irrelevant systems
Allows economy tuning per sub-audience
3. Progression Vector + “Experience / Engagement Vector” Hybrid
This advanced approach combines where a player is in the game with how they engage.
Experience vectors may include:
Session Length
Time Between Sessions
Retention
Monetization Activity
Ad Engagement
Win Rate / Frustration Levels
Feature Usage
Looter Shooter Example:
Two players at the same Power Level and Campaign Stage behave differently:
One plays 3 hours/day, pushes endgame, and watches e.g., YouTube builds.
The other logs in weekly and avoids PvP.
By pairing progression vectors with engagement style, you can tailor:
Reward pacing (slower for casuals, faster for grinders)
Store offers (premium cosmetics vs. utility boosts)
Event participation incentives
Content notifications and UI prioritization
This model allows even AAA games with limited tooling to deliver soft personalization without formal segmentation.
Note: Vector blending with these systems design approaches could be interesting in terms of mixing campaign and multiplayer modes together. You can find inspiration for this from this article here (https://gamesalchemy.substack.com/p/45-blending-vectors-designing-games):
45. Blending Vectors: Designing Games at the Intersection of Campaign, Mixed, and Multiplayer Modes
Applications Across Systems Design
Let’s look at how vector-based design influences core systems:
1. Progression & Gameplay
Difficulty scaling by player skill or trajectory
New feature introduction based on usage, not just level
Unlock sequences that adapt to player preferences (e.g., PvE vs. PvP pathing)
Extraction Shooter Example:
Players who lose most of their raids get matched in a different pool
Scav runs have better loot for struggling players
Weapon upgrade systems scale friction based on kill/death ratio over time
2. Meta Game Rhythm
Time-gating, battle pass pacing, and sync events vary per vector segment
Reduce live ops fatigue by offering alternate progression paths based on player’s habits (e.g., collection vs. competition vs. creative build-making)
3. Economy Design: Sources, Sinks, and Storefronts
Tailored resource drops: sink-heavy players get sources, hoarders get sinks
Storefronts can shift inventory based on:
Power level vs. enemy scaling
Time since last upgrade
Inventory bottlenecks
4X Strategy Example:
Players low on gold but with excess stone may see trade packs or special deals
Store auto-shifts toward missing upgrade currencies based on current city build level
Alliances that struggle in war events are given special rally rewards
4. Monetization Tailoring
Offers match current trajectory (e.g., catching up, completionist bonuses, grind-skip bundles)
First-time payer conversion packs tuned to player psychology (slow & steady vs. competitive burst)
5. Live Ops Configuration Files Built Around Vectors
Rather than static, calendar-based configurations, games should design their live ops backend systems to interpret:
Progression ranges
Activity metrics
Prior monetization or churn risk signals
You’d define rules on your configuration sheets based on these vectors, e.g., using Level_ID as anchor for your tables if you would be using Level Progression as your main vector for tailoring your systems.
This way, every system is context-aware and scales content automatically.
Other Vector Strategies You Could Consider
Here are three additional vector strategies beyond progression and engagement:
1. Friction Vector
A derived metric that tracks how much resistance a player feels: fail rate, retry count, currency shortfalls.
Usage:
Dynamically lower difficulty, increase generosity, or trigger help overlays.
2. Social Vector
Tracks cooperative play, guild involvement, chat frequency, or gifting.
Usage:
Trigger guild-centric events, cross-player rewards, or encourage social pressure monetization.
3. Intent Vector (Predictive Behavioral Modeling)
Built from player telemetry, these models predict player archetypes: grinder, explorer, achiever, monetizer, etc.
Usage:
Powerful tool to drive narrative choices, UGC systems, or tailored live events based on behavioral clusters.
Why Many Games Still Miss This
Despite being foundational in e.g., mobile F2P, many AAA or midcore PC / console live games:
Lack proper A/B testing or segmentation tools
Are not built with configurable live ops files — they hardcode experience
Don’t track engagement or friction vectors in meaningful ways
Rely too much on “one-size-fits-all” design thinking
For these titles, vector-based tailoring offers a lightweight way to test features or economics organically — with no extra tech investment.
You just need a few smart variables, and a backend that responds to them.
Experience is the Hidden Frontier
What’s most undervalued is the experience vector — not progression, not monetization — but how it feels to play.
That feeling is a function of e.g.,:
Friction
Reward loop pacing
Clarity of purpose
Perceived agency
Designers should start modeling and tuning for that experience as actively as they model economies or balance.
Very few games — even today — personalize the tone, pressure, or tension of gameplay based on player context. That’s a missed opportunity.
Note: How much have you thought about use of Tension for Game Design? Find more about such a topic here (https://gamesalchemy.substack.com/p/35-the-use-of-tension-in-game-design):
Final Thoughts
Progression vector scaling isn’t new — but its full potential is rarely unlocked. Whether you're building a live puzzle game, a looter shooter, or a 4X strategy title, designing around how players move through your systems — and how they behave while doing so — lets you deliver something modern players crave:
A tailored, responsive, and emotionally resonant game journey.
It's not personalization for its own sake — it's personalization that scales your economy, improves retention, and respects the player’s path.
Let’s build more games this way.