Yeah, that's how I figured the progression would work. What I don't like is how the actual game worlds are structured. I was hoping they would be more of a sandbox, with stuff stashed away so as to encourage exploration. I wanted stuff visible so I would say, "how do I get that?" and then build a vehicle to do so. But none of the worlds I've played so far have rewarded exploration. I swam out to the islands in the first two, and down to the bottom of the ocean surrounding the main island. I never found any hidden stuff to reward my exploration. I spent quite a bit of time scouring those levels, and all the collectible stuff was right around the main areas. So instead of exploring further, I found myself starting to just head for the puzzle piece icons, doing the mini game, and moving to the next.
The problem is none of those minigames have been any fun so far. A gaggle of fetch quests and races. The biggest problem is the vehicles just aren't fun to drive. I still haven't figured out how the physics in the game work; they're really unpredictable. Sometimes I bump something and go flying in the other direction, some times I just get stuck. The vehicles don't feel like they are a real part of the world; it just feels disconnected somehow. I can't really describe it, but driving around in them is just boring and a bit frustrating. I was hoping the vehicles would be fun to use, and the game worlds a big sandbox to play in. But they're not; they're just a rather empty place where I have to track down a couple of characters to do something that's not entertaining.
And why is the town not also the test track? Imagine if the town was designed more like a city in Crackdown, and the vehicles were your abilities. Early on you'd be operating on the lower levels, and gradually got to get to the higher or out of reach areas as better parts, and different styles (airplanes, etc.) get uncovered. It would be a hoot. Instead they restrict that world to the trolley, and the test track is a big empty arena. Both are boring. I wonder if they tried to make the town the core area, and just couldn't get it to work and so the test track was developed. It's a really weird split.
I probably won't play any further into this game. The graphics are astounding, but that's not enough. My kid likes it, and since it was her Christmas present it's money well spent from my perspective. But I'm done with it; the way the game is structured is just mind-boggling bad IMO - one missed opportunity after another - and the core gameplay just isn't fun.
