Vertical vs. Horizontal Game Expansions

TLDR version:

Imagine if a game had 10 acts but, say for example, acts 4 through 10 all ran parallel in level progression such that each end game area within each of those later acts (bosses or whatever) were all the same level as each other so that you had multiple end game options rather than each new act just trumping the old one.

So that at the end of the day there are lots of relevant end game content options instead of just 1 end game content option to show for all those years of programming and expansions.

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Part II

As a very very basic example consider the following:

In D2 classic at end game you could either run Chaos Sanctuary runs or you could go do cow runs. You had 2 end game options. You might prefer one or the other depending on your character build, items etc. but the point is you had 2 end game options.

Now the cow level could have just been part of act 2 for example, so that by the time you got to act 4, the cow level was obsolete content. And your only option would be to basically do Chaos sanctuary runs.

However in D2 the cow level was its own separate end game content option. (goofy and whatever but still an end game option).

I think having more end game options is better. And having the cow level and the chaos sanctuary as two options instead of just one made the game richer.

So what happened when the expansion and act 5 came out? It mostly obsoleted chaos runs. Baal runs became the new end game. Cow runs were still an option also.

Now imagine an end game system where more and more end game content options are added so that there are a large variety of end game places to play where different builds and tactics are better rewarded in different areas and players can build characters to try and maximize exploiting certain areas etc.

i.e. Imagine if in D2 Act 5 monsters were not higher level than act 4, such that you now had 3 options instead of two: You could do chaos runs, Baal runs, or cow runs.

Now granted there may always be a place that is more effecient than all the others, I get that, but at least by having multiple end game content areas you have some variety so you can mix it up a little bit.

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Part III


The standard for RPGs has become for companies to introduce vertical expansions. I.E. expansions that move everything in an upward direction:

1. Characters can suddenly advance higher in levels

2. The power of items goes up along with the raw stats of items

3. End game monsters get higher level and do more damage and have larger health pools

4. Basically everything shifts upward, you can probably think of more of these types of things.

(Think WoW as the ideal example here, each expansion shifts level caps, stats, items, end game content upward)

Now vertical expansion have pretty much become the standard. To the point that most people take it for granted that this is how it SHOULD always be for all expansions for all RPGs.

However, I'm not entirely convinced.

I like the idea of a horizontal expansion. I.E. new end game content is introduced, new content that is DIFFERENT, but not higher level. New items that are different, but not just out and out more powerful than the old ones. Ditto for monsters etc.

I know, some of you think I'm a crazy person to introduce such a notion, but hear me out....


With vertical expansions you get the sexy flash of BIgger Badder More awesome weapons and content and Blah blah blah! (Imagine the trailer making it all sexy and flashy)

But then there is the harsh reality of constant number inflation and an increasingly large amount of mostly irrelevant game content.

Basically, for example, every time WoW introduces an expansion it obsoletes the old expansion. Oh sure you may play through old content a little when you make a new character, but that is about it.

After some years go by you end up with 10% of your game being relevant end game content and 90% of it being old used up irrelevant content.

Ditto for items. Every new WoW expansion obsoletes the old items to the point where the best stuff you got from the hardest raids is now junk compared to what trash mobs drop.

Now consider a game that consistently introduces new end game content, but at the same fixed end game level. SO that after 5 years the amount of end game zones/options you have is huge. The majority of your game is playable end game content. And a lot of the old items you found are still relevant.

Vs. the standard vertical expansion system, where all your gear is eventually obsoleted by the newest expansion, only the most recent expansion ( a very small part of your overall content) is really relevant.

Now The horizontal model isn't as sexy because people love higher levels and bigger numbers on items, but the long run sustainability of it in terms of allowing a gaming company to create a massive amount of end game content that doesn't obsolete other end game content....is pretty cool.

honestly in an ARPG I'd prefer vertical expansions, each act with higher levels.

If this was an MMO i'd be all for horizontal, but in this style of game, more levels = better imo.

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surfsideryan wrote:

honestly in an ARPG I'd prefer vertical expansions, each act with higher levels.

If this was an MMO i'd be all for horizontal, but in this style of game, more levels = better imo.

The irony of your final statement.... "more levels = better imo"

I'm assuming your referring to character levels and having them scale up each expansion?

The irony here is that with vertical expansions you end up with less levels to choose from.

i.e. with the typical vertical expansion method after 5 expansions you have 1 end game level to choose from for your end game leveling.

With a horizontal expansion system you would have 5-6 different end game levels you could choose from each day when you logged on.

So what you are really saying is....

"Less options = better imo"

there ya go fixed~

I'd say do it Median XL style. Instead of introducing an entirely new act, GGG could just create new dungeon with extremely hard monsters. How you deal with them is based almost entirely on gear and build synergy.

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Mantequilla211 wrote:

I'd say do it Median XL style. Instead of introducing an entirely new act, GGG could just create new dungeon with extremely hard monsters. How you deal with them is based almost entirely on gear and build synergy.

right on. Sounds like an interesting idea.

I guess a super TLDR way of saying this is, assuming maps forever stays THE end game system. Imagine if instead of just grinding docks or some other place in act 3, imagine with each new expansion there were 2-3 new places to grind for maps...and after 7 expansions there were literally 20+ places you could choose from to grind for maps.

VS. each expansion introduces the new 1-3 places you can grind for maps and those are your ONLY options....

idk having more options just seems better and the easiest way to do this is to NOT obsolete all your content with each new expansion...It does take a lot of creativity to do this however, since the easiest way to create an expansion is just to inflate numbers rather than come up with new monster tactics or new item types and mods etc that are new and different rather than just scaling up all the numbers and calling that something "new."

I'd love some horizontal progression myself. I remember reading that GGG is still working on Act 1, and it makes me feel that GGG would be open to having more variety for end-game map grinding - after all, they can still go back and patch up old content, so to speak.

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Mantequilla211 wrote:

I'd say do it Median XL style. Instead of introducing an entirely new act, GGG could just create new dungeon with extremely hard monsters. How you deal with them is based almost entirely on gear and build synergy.

Maelstrom of Chaos
RETURN TO US

I wholeheartedly agree!

what you could also do, is flag characters as they beat acts

then when characters return to said acts, it scales to the characters level.

if a new vertical expansion comes out, you just adjust loot on old zones to drop at lvl xx+ (whatever the new cap is) and the zones still scale with the characters. :)