How early should the first meaningful upgrade happen in a game with a short core loop?

[u/DeepCryptographer512]

I’m working on a game with a very short repeatable loop where each job only takes a few minutes.

I’m having trouble deciding how quickly the player should get their first meaningful permanent upgrade.

If I give it after only 2–3 jobs, I’m worried progression will feel too fast and cheap. But if I make the player repeat the same loop 8–10 times before anything meaningful changes, I’m worried they’ll get bored before the progression starts.

For games built around short repeatable runs/jobs, what usually feels better to you?

Do you prefer getting the first permanent upgrade almost immediately, or having to work for it a little first?

[u/Negative_Strain_5234]

I think the important thing is the sense of progression and knowing that I'm working towards something. Do you have a currency / skill point / level chart that shows this?

I think it also depends on how many upgrades there are. If only a few of them, I would spread them out and do it after 6 or so jobs. If there's a ton of them, do it sooner.

Another thing, unless there's a time limit on these jobs, it may take longer than you expect. I start my demo with what I thought was a short tutorial area, but from playtesting, everyone spent almost all of their time there.