Progression and Win Condition Guidelines

Progression and Win Type conditions are assigned to achievements in a set and used to designate when a game has been beaten. A game is considered when all the following statements are true:

1. All progression-typed achievements have been earned, if any are present.
2. Any win-typed achievement has been earned, if any are present.

Typing core sets is required for set release. Subsets should not be typed.

How To Add Types to Achievements

• For individual achievements, you may change the type in the Developer panel on that achievement's page on the RA website.
• For multiple achievements at the same time, select Manage Core Achievements or Manage Unofficial Achievements in the Developer panel on the game's page on the RA website, then check the box for all achievements for a given typing and click either Set Selected to Progression or Set Selected to Win Condition.
• At the time of this update, typing is unavailable in RA_Integration, so it cannot be done through emulators.

Progression Type Conditions

Progression Conditions:

• Achievements that mark steady progress through a set. Post-game content is usually not progression.
• Cannot be missed assuming no glitches/exploits have been used.

Non-progression

The following types of achievements are not considered for progression type marking:

• Optional content
• Higher Difficulties
• Side Quests
• Collectibles
• Challenges
• Easter Eggs
• Story that can be missed, including ending variations.

Win Conditions

• Achievement(s) that mark the end of the game. Bad endings are usually not true endings.
• Some games may have multiple Win Conditions, in which case earning any of these achievements (plus all progression) marks the game as beaten.
• Others may only have one, which should still be marked as a Win Condition for user readability.
• In some cases, there is no single Win Condition, such as a puzzle game when progression can be done in any order. In these cases, earning all Progression achievements will mark the game as beaten.

Types of Progression

Standard

Linear progression

• Things you encounter as you play through level-to-level.
• Example: Prince of Persia - Each level is played sequentially to complete the game.

Grouped

• Levels are grouped together rather than having individual achievements.
• Example: Lemmings - Achievements are awarded every 5 levels.

Bosses

• Boss fights as story milestones.
• Example: Spyro: Year of the Dragon - Buzz, Spike and Scorch are mandatory boss fights to be able to progress and defeat the Sorceress.

Key Items/Events

• Collecting important items, reaching the next location or witness key story events.
• Example: Final Fantasy - Significant events such as Sleeping Prince and Flotation act as story milestones between the game's other boss progression.

Non-Standard Progression

Compilation

• All games within these have equal importance, so all need to be completed to mark the compilation as beaten.
• Mark Progression for all individual games as usual.
• Win Conditions must instead be marked as Progression.
• Example: Final Fantasy Origins - Both Scions and Sinners and True Emperor of Hell are marked as Progression.

Intended Skips

• Some games include features that allow levels to be skipped without the use of bugs or exploits. In these cases, skippable levels must not be marked as progression as the game can be beaten without them.
• Example: Super Mario Bros. - Because it is possible to warp to different levels, it is not possible to mark any as Progression. Saved The Girl is marked as the Win condition.

Limited Scope/Little Substance

• Some games are so simplistic, or have so little content, that the difference between Progression and Mastery is minor. If Progression is clear, mark as usual. Otherwise, mark every achievement as a Progression Condition.
• Example: Dice of Fate - This is a dice simulator.

Multiple Game Modes

• All non-endless and non-restrictive modes that are available when first launching the game have Progression Conditions marked.
• These game modes have equal importance, much like the individual games in a compilation. Any Win Conditions should instead be marked as Progression.
• Endless modes, by definition, continue until failure, so lack Progression and are not included.
• Restrictive modes limit the player in some way, most often with time or turn limits. They may appear to contain Progression, but the limitations act as an additional challenge, making these achievements Non-Progression that should not be marked.
• Example: Kirby Super Star - Bye Bye Birdy, What A Meta-Knightmare, Like A Gentle Breeze, Back On Solid Ground and Balance Restored...? are marked as Progression.

Subsets

• These are inherently focused on a challenge, restriction or other non-standard ways of playing a game.
• Do not mark any Progression or Win conditions; this is already covered within the core set.

Multiple Possible Win Conditions

Multiple Endings

• Endings that occur at the end of the game through normal play should be marked as Win Conditions.
• Alternative endings that require optional content such as collectibles are Non-Progression and should not be marked.
• Alternative endings that end the storyline early are also Non-Progression and should not be marked.
• Examples:
  • Knuckles Chaotix - Both Bad Ending and Good Ending are marked as Win conditions. The ending is determined by optional collectibles.
  • Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - Both Bad Ending and Good Ending are marked as Win conditions. The ending is determined by saving NPCs.
  • Sigma Star Saga - One is the Loneliest Number and Show Me This Planet are marked as Win conditions. The ending is determined by a gameplay action that only changes the final cutscene.
  • Cave Story MD - Coward is not marked as either Progression or Win because it ends the game early and does not resolve the story. Shtuff Happens and Curse Broken are both marked as Win conditions.
  • Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - The Dark Lord Returns is not marked as either Progression or Win because it ends the game early and does not resolve the story. No Dark Lord Here is marked as the Win condition.
  • Shadowgate - Uh... What? is not marked as either Progression or Win because it causes the player's death. Talimar the Black is marked as the Win condition.
  • Sonic Adventure 2 - Final Story
  • Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors - Plaudite! Acta Est Fabula!
  • Live-A-Live - Live A Live requires optional character recruitment. Only Demon King No More is marked as a Win condition.
  • Powerslave | Exhumed - King of the World requires optional collectibles. Only Time to Rest is marked as a Win condition.
  • Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Hyper Sonic Victory, Hyper Knuckles Victory and Super Tails Victory all require optional collectibles. Sonic Victory, Knuckles Victory and Tails Victory are all marked as Win conditions.

Multiple difficulties

• Progression and Win Conditions should be marked for the lowest difficulty supported by the set.
• If difficulty achievements do not stack (e.g. normal or higher), for each difficulty available from a fresh save, mark each game completion achievement as a Win Condition.
• Endings that are only available on lower difficulties are not considered Progression.
• Examples:
  • Devil May Cry 3 - Leave Me And Go and Normal Mode are marked as Win conditions as Easy and Normal are available on a 1st playthrough.
  • Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - Carlos, My Love! and Is That You?! are Win conditions, Easy is not covered by the set.
  • Streets of Rage 3 - The End? is not marked as Progression or Win because Easy difficulty ends the game early. Unfinished Business, Time's Up and The End! are all Win conditions.

Multiple Storylines/Characters

• Some linear games have an epilogue or expanded story that are still part of a standard playthrough. These resolve the storyline and should be marked as a Win Condition.
• Some games may have endless post-game content after the story has resolved. This optional content should not be marked as either Progression or Win Conditions.
• Additional story content that is exclusive to a particular version or release are part of Progression. These differentiate that game from other releases and should be marked as Win Conditions. Endings reached before this point should be marked as Progression.
• Credits do not always mean the end of a story.
• Some games have progression differences based on initial character choice. In these cases, all starting characters' endings are needed to beat the game, so these should all be marked as Progression Conditions.
• If the character choice only affects playstyle or abilities, each character's ending should be marked as Win Conditions.
• Characters may each have multiple endings. In these cases, make sure to only mark their normal ending, not ones that require extra steps.
• Examples:
  • EarthBound - Smiles and Tears is marked as the Win condition, On a Mission from God is marked as a Progression condition.
  • Resident Evil 2 - No Time to Waste and I Have to Find You are marked as Win conditions. Progression cannot be marked due to the order of characters chosen not being significant to the overall story.
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES - The Fate of the Sealed is marked as the Win condition, Thank You for Everything is marked as a Progression condition.
  • Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls - Break The Time Loop, To Heck With You! and To Arubboth With You! are marked as Progression. This version of the game expands the storyline to resolve the plot.
  • Final Fantasy V: Advance - The True Power of the Void is not marked as Progression or Win due to being post-game content in an endless game. The Win condition is Warriors of Light.
  • Pokemon Gold Version - Battle On the Mountain is not marked as Progression or Win due to being post-game content in an endless game. The Win condition is Elite Five.

Notable Genres

These genres often lack standard progression, so have additional guidelines here. They may also feature multiple game modes; see the guidelines above for how to mark Progression for these.

Arcade

Use the first of the following that is applicable:

• Mark achievements for clearing each stage as Progression and the last as a Win Condition.
  • Example: Galaga - Bulletstorm is marked as the Win condition.
• Use the last stage that adds new elements (enemies/obstacles/mechanics) or increases the difficulty as the final stage of Progression.
  • Example: Donkey Kong - Mark 150m Finish as the Win condition.
• Use the set developer's score achievements as Progression, with reaching the highest as the Win Condition.
  • Example: Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire - 1st Place Ruby, 1st Place Sapphire and High Roller are marked as Progression.
• Use the in-game leaderboards' high scores as Progression.

Fighting

• The game should be cleared with all starting characters for a Beat
• The progression and/or win achievements for each character available on a fresh launch should be marked as Progression, with no Win Conditions.
  • Example: Soulcalibur II - Weapon Master (Story) and each default character's Arcade (Normal or Higher) are marked as Progression. Time Attack (Restrictive), Survival (Endless) and the unlockable modes are not marked.

Puzzle

• Some Puzzle games allow levels to be played in any order. In these cases, do not mark any Win Conditions, only Progression.
• Puzzle games may segment levels by difficulty. These function as categories rather than the same levels again but more challenging, so higher difficulties are still part of Progression in these cases.

Rhythm

• All songs unlocked through standard gameplay are considered Progression.
• Do not include songs unlocked with additional steps such as high score or chain requirements.

Shoot 'em Ups (aka Shumps)

• If character/ship choice does not affect the storyline, only one needs to be cleared to Beat the game.
• Mark each character's win achievement as a Win Condition.
• Do not mark character-specific achievements as Progression.

Sports

• Win a game is only considered Progression if there are no other game modes.
• Progression should be marked for all non-endless modes available from a fresh launch.
• All tournaments/events unlocked through standard gameplay are considered Progression.
• Do not include tournaments/events unlocked through additional steps such as perfect games

Changelog

Last 10 changes on this page:

• [2023-11-17 08:43] Andrew Comer: Updated Progression and Win Condition Guidelines (markdown)
• [2023-11-17 08:19] The Mystical One: Added details on how to apply types to the achievements.
• [2023-11-06 17:25] Andrew Comer: More formatting fixes
• [2023-11-06 17:20] Andrew Comer: Formatting fixes
• [2023-11-05 16:36] Andrew Comer: Remove duplicate bullet points
• [2023-11-03 14:34] Etron: Added game links to each example
• [2023-11-03 08:05] The Mystical One: Initial Creation based on Progression Typing Draft

Changelog

Last 10 changes on this page:

• [2023-11-17 08:43] Andrew Comer: Updated Progression and Win Condition Guidelines (markdown)
• [2023-11-17 08:19] The Mystical One: Added details on how to apply types to the achievements.
• [2023-11-06 17:25] Andrew Comer: More formatting fixes
• [2023-11-06 17:20] Andrew Comer: Formatting fixes
• [2023-11-05 16:36] Andrew Comer: Remove duplicate bullet points
• [2023-11-03 14:34] Etron: Added game links to each example
• [2023-11-03 08:05] The Mystical One: Initial Creation based on Progression Typing Draft