---
key: mechanic/online-participation--t327
type: mechanic
id: online-participation--t327
lang: en
title: 'Seasons, events and world changes'
summary: >-
  A season defines shared goals and rewards for a period. Deep Rock Galactic
  links expeditions through assignments and a seasonal reward track.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/online-participation--t327/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/online-participation--t327.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/online-participation--t327.md
aliases: []
tags:
  - Online worlds and participation
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-d6403e86b24cf114
  - source-0a031a39aeeef0d8
sources:
  - id: source-d6403e86b24cf114
    title: 'Steamworks: Multiplayer'
    url: 'https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/multiplayer'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8
    title: Deep Rock Galactic
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: online-participation
    id: t327
    title: Online worlds and participation
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/online-participation/#t327'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: 'Seasons, events and world changes'
    description: >-
      A season defines shared goals and rewards for a period. Deep Rock Galactic
      links expeditions through assignments and a seasonal reward track.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/drg-season-rewards.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: Deep Rock Galactic
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/548430/16b75c6d2a231b45b56328abe335fde8cee9ebe4/ss_16b75c6d2a231b45b56328abe335fde8cee9ebe4.1920x1080.jpg?t=1792497307
      credit: Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
      rights: © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved.
      caption: Season challenges and reward track
      alt: >-
        Deep Rock Galactic: the season panel shows challenges, current level 3
        and a sequence of upcoming rewards.
      markers:
        - x: 10
          'y': 83
          label: Current level and progress
        - x: 51
          'y': 83
          label: Upcoming reward track
    tips:
      - >-
        Show the season period and past reward access, including what changes
        between seasons.
    examples:
      - title: Deep Rock Galactic
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
  2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
  examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
  Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
  every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/online-participation
---
# Seasons, events and world changes

id: online-participation--t327
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/online-participation--t327
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/online-participation--t327/

A season defines shared goals and rewards for a period. Deep Rock Galactic links expeditions through assignments and a seasonal reward track.

## At a glance

![Deep Rock Galactic: the season panel shows challenges, current level 3 and a sequence of upcoming rewards.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/drg-season-rewards.webp)

[Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) · © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved.

1. Current level and progress
2. Upcoming reward track

- Show the season period and past reward access, including what changes between seasons.

- [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/)

## How it works

Seasons change participation conditions for a stated period while events add shared goals and observable world changes.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t327-variants"></a>

- Rulesets create new versions of familiar tasks. <a id="t327-v1"></a>
- Shared objectives aggregate participant contributions. <a id="t327-v2"></a>
- Season transitions state what progress survives. <a id="t327-v3"></a>
- Event returns offer access to absent participants. <a id="t327-v4"></a>

## Design example

A flood season opens boat routes and player-built levees change the final map.

Prototype check: Test late entry and period transitions with advance visibility of retained progress and reward availability.

## Context and limits

Online mechanics connect individual contributions to shared state, participation timing and explicit commitments between players. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.

- [Steamworks: Multiplayer](https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/multiplayer) (id: source-d6403e86b24cf114)
- [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) (id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors