For months, Iztar Survivor had a pacing problem we couldn't name. Runs started strong, sagged in the middle, then overwhelmed you out of nowhere. Players called it "fine" — which, for a roguelite, is the worst possible review.
We started by logging every spawn, pickup, and level-up across a thousand automated runs. The data was blunt: the difficulty curve was a staircase, not a ramp. Players spent 40 seconds bored, then 10 seconds panicking.
The fix wasn't more enemies. It was smoothing the gaps — trickling in pressure so your build always has something to answer. We also moved the first meaningful upgrade earlier, so the fantasy of "breaking the run" starts sooner.
The result is a curve that never lets you settle but never feels unfair. It's a small change on paper and the single biggest jump in playtest retention we've measured.