Progression

Progression Structure

Progression in Project Aether is split between the “Hardware” (The Player’s physical presence) and the “Software” (The AI’s operational capacity).

1. World Progression (The “Key” System)

The Overworld is structured as a series of gated sectors.

Sector Gating: To move from one 3D environment to the next, the player must obtain a System Key from a Sector Boss.
Shortcut Unlocking: Similar to Souls-like games, exploring the overworld allows players to open firewalls or repair data-bridges that create faster routes between the HUB and the Mind Dungeons.

2. Permanent Growth (The HUB & Farm)

This is the “Hardware” layer. These stats never reset upon death.

Farming for Stats: Digital crops harvested in the HUB are used to “Recode” the player’s base attributes (HP, Speed, Heat Capacity).
Drone Evolution: Materials found in the Overworld are used to permanently upgrade the Combat Drone’s AI and firepower.
NPC Expansion: Completing quests adds more survivors to the city, which in turn unlocks higher-tier weapon modifications and rarer seeds for the farm.

3. Run-Based Progression (The Mind Dives)

This is the “Software” layer. These abilities are lost when the player exits a Mind.

Boon Synergies: Inside a Mind, the Combat Drone absorbs “Emotion Fragments.” Players must choose between different projectile types and passives that work together to create a “Build” for that specific run.
Memory Fragments: Collecting these allows the AI to temporarily “Overclock,” granting massive power at the cost of HUD distortion.

Difficulty Curve: The “Adaptive Corruption”

The difficulty in Project Aether does not just scale with higher health bars; it scales with Complexity.

1. The Learning Antivirus

As the player purges more minds, the remaining Corruption “adapts” to the player’s combat patterns:

Bullet Density: As the player moves to later sectors, the bullet-hell patterns transition from simple geometric shapes to “aimed” and “predictive” fire.
Environmental Hazards: Later Mind Dungeons introduce “Glitched Tiles” that invert controls, slow movement, or hide the player’s HUD.

2. The “Desperation” Mechanic

The difficulty is tied to the narrative. As you kill more of your creators, the remaining humans become more “Desperate.”

Berserk States: In later stages, enemies and bosses move faster and use more aggressive kamikaze attacks, reflecting their psychological break.
The “Heat” Pressure: Mid-to-late game enemies will have attacks specifically designed to increase the Player’s System Heat, forcing the player to manage their cooling much more strictly than in the early game.

3. Skill-Based Ceiling

While farming makes the game easier, the 2D Combat Arenas ensure that the player cannot simply “out-level” the difficulty. The final zones require true mastery of the dash-iframe mechanic and the Combat Drone’s cooling system.

Progression Summary

Element	Type	How it Changes
Overworld	Gated	Unlocked via Sector Boss Keys.
Character Stats	Permanent	Improved by Farming and HUB Management.
Drone Combat	Permanent	Upgraded via Materials found in 3D Sectors.
Mind Dive Skills	Temporary	Randomized Boons collected during the Roguelike run.
Difficulty	Adaptive	Increases in bullet complexity and psychological aggression.