Scaling
A scaling archetype is a named way in which capability grows, broadens, or is held level across play or across releases. Vertical scaling raises magnitude: statistics that climb with level, items on a ladder of tiers, a level cap raised by an expansion. Horizontal scaling adds options while power stays roughly level: sidegrades, abilities collected rather than strengthened, content added without a higher ceiling. Normalizing scaling compresses or cancels vertical differences: enemies that rise with the player, a player synced down to a zone's level, numbers squished back to a smaller range. Each entry lists the games that have the archetype and records for every game the basis the scaled value is keyed to there.
23 archetypes, 133 examples. Scaling archetypes link to the mechanics they run through, among them experience levels and skill trees; they carry no design properties or effect tags, and they are not part of the patterns figures. Data: JSON, CSV, examples CSV.
Vertical scaling
Capability grows in magnitude: larger numbers, higher tiers, a higher ceiling.
Ability Ranks
A single ability carries its own level or rank, raised by points, use, books or training, and its damage, duration, cost or reach is set by that rank, so the same spell or skill grows stronger as it is ranked up
Attribute Scaling
The magnitude of an attack, spell or other effect keyed to one of the user's statistics, so that damage or accuracy rises with strength, dexterity, intelligence or a similar attribute as that attribute is raised
Difficulty Gradient
Opposition and rewards are fixed to places and rise with dungeon depth, zone or map tier, so that the world itself forms a ladder that the character climbs by choosing how far down or out to go
Item Level
Each item carries a number that places it on a ladder, setting which properties it can roll and how strong they are, and the level or average of a character's equipment becomes a measure of readiness
Level Cap Increase
A release raises the highest level a character can reach, often with a new tier of gear, so that progression that had stopped at the old maximum resumes and the rewards of the old ceiling tend to lose their place
Post-Cap Progression
Once a character reaches the level cap, or a high level near it, further experience feeds a second long or uncapped track of points or ranks that adds small increments of power, so play at the cap still advances the character
Power Creep
Across releases, newly added cards, units or characters are on average stronger than older ones at the same cost, so older options lose relevance unless rotation, bans or buffs to old content intervene
Real-Time Training
A character's skills or research rise in level as time passes on the real-world clock, played or not, toward whatever the player has set in training, so that capability grows with elapsed days rather than with play
Stat Growth
What each level adds to a character's statistics, either fixed amounts set by class or gains drawn against per-statistic growth rates, so that hit points, attack and other values rise in step with level
Horizontal scaling
Options or breadth grow while power stays roughly level: more choices, not stronger ones.
Ability Collection
A character gains many abilities over play at roughly the same power but can carry or use only a limited set at once, so growth lies in the size of the pool and the choice of what to equip rather than in magnitude
Class Switching
One character keeps separate progress in each of several classes or jobs and changes the active one freely, so that growth lies in the number of classes raised and held ready rather than in the power of one class
Cosmetic Progression
A track or list of rewards that change only how a character or profile looks, such as armour sets, skins, sprays and titles, earned by play or through a bought pass, so that long-term progress adds no power
Horizontal Expansion
A release adds content, skills, classes or progression tracks while keeping the existing level cap and gear ceiling, so earlier characters and equipment stay current and the new options broaden play rather than raise power
Roster Unlocks
Play opens further playable characters, classes, weapons or starting kits, each a different way to play at about the power of those already held, so the roster grows in breadth rather than in strength
Sidegrade
An acquired alternative to a default item, usually a weapon, sits at roughly the same power and trades one property for another, so that gaining it widens the choice for a slot rather than raising capability
Skill Variants
One ability comes in several alternative versions, chosen from a set and often changeable, each altering its behaviour, area or damage type at about the same power, so that the choice widens a build rather than strengthening it
Normalizing scaling
Vertical differences are compressed or cancelled, so that players, enemies, or content of different levels meet on comparable terms.
Bounded Accuracy
A rule set keeps attack, defence and check bonuses within a narrow band at every level and fixes target numbers to the task, so that levels add hit points, damage and options more than accuracy and weak foes stay a threat
Catch-Up Acceleration
A character behind the front of progression, whether behind its party, its player's highest character or a season's schedule, gains experience, power or gear faster than one at the front, so the gap narrows
Enemy Level Scaling
The levels, statistics or equipment of enemies, and often of loot, are set from the player character's level, so that the opposition keeps pace with the character instead of staying fixed where it was placed
Level Sync
A character's effective level is temporarily set to that of the content entered or of a partner, usually scaling a higher character down, so that characters of different levels can play together and old content keeps its challenge
PvP Normalization
In player-versus-player modes the game sets aside the level and gear statistics players have earned and substitutes a fixed level, a stat template or a common floor, so that matches turn on choices and play rather than on accumulated power
Soft Caps
Past one or more thresholds, each further point invested in a statistic returns less, through a smaller gain per point or a higher price per point, so that stacking one value pays less than spreading points across several
Stat Squish
The developer of a live game rescales accumulated numbers downward, such as item statistics, health, damage or character levels, so that magnitudes inflated across releases return to a smaller range while relative power is kept
Bases
Character level
Keyed to a character’s level or experience total.
Attribute
Keyed to an attribute or statistic such as strength or intelligence.
Skill rank
Keyed to ranks invested in a skill, talent, or perk.
Item tier
Keyed to the tier, level, or rarity of equipment held.
Unlock
Keyed to an option made available by an unlock, without a change in magnitude.
Release
Keyed to a release: an expansion, a card set, a season, or a patch.
Content level
Keyed to the level assigned to a zone, dungeon, or activity, which sets the level the player is treated as having.
Difficulty tier
Keyed to a chosen or unlocked difficulty tier.
Reset
Keyed to a reset that clears or rescales accumulated progress.
Real time
Keyed to time elapsed on the real-world clock, whether or not the game is being played.
Scopes
- Character
- What scales is a character’s own statistics, level, or roster of options. Bounded Accuracy, Catch-Up Acceleration, Class Switching, Cosmetic Progression, Level Sync, Post-Cap Progression, Real-Time Training, Roster Unlocks, Soft Caps, Stat Growth
- Item
- What scales is equipment: its tier, level, or the spread of items on offer. Item Level, PvP Normalization, Sidegrade
- Ability
- What scales is the magnitude or reach of an ability, spell, or attack. Ability Collection, Ability Ranks, Attribute Scaling, Skill Variants
- World
- What scales is the opposition or the world: enemies, zones, encounters. Difficulty Gradient, Enemy Level Scaling
- Content
- What scales is the game across releases: expansions, card sets, seasons. Horizontal Expansion, Level Cap Increase, Power Creep, Stat Squish
Axis by scope and basis
| Axis | Character | Item | Ability | World | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Horizontal | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Normalizing | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Axis | Character level | Attribute | Skill rank | Item tier | Unlock | Release | Content level | Difficulty tier | Reset | Real time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical | 22 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Horizontal | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Normalizing | 17 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 |