The original levelling up process involved players drawing 2 moves (1 Aethermon Specific and 1 Global), from which the player could choose one to learn and one to discard.
This system simultaneously addressed multiple design goals: (1) limiting analysis paralysis by reducing the number of options available to players; (2) making the game more beginner friendly so players need only learn the moves in front of them; and (3) make each playthrough unique, so players couldn’t pre-plan their build.
This however had some unintended consequences.
Most significantly, players felt too much of the shape of their Aethermon was determined by chance. For example a player might want to build a super tanky companion but only be offered low HP development options.
The current iteration addresses this by giving each player a unique pool of 16 unlearned moves (8 Aethermon Specific, 8 Global); from which players can learn any one when levelling.
It turns out my initial concerns about players being bogged down by options were largely unfounded. It seems players tend to spend their downtime (when they have quick turns compared to their peers) preparing their next level up.
Lesson: trust your players, they’re smart.
Stay true AetherRen