The Javelin in Anthem are highly advanced and flying combat suits. During a presentation, the developers explained why there is an altitude limit for the suits in the game.
Why do we fly in Anthem? In Anthem, we move outside the city of Fort Tarsis in our Javelin. Besides fighting against enemy factions and the beasts of the world, the Javelin are also used for movement – for racing or flying.
Everything about the four Javelins is here for you.
Why is there an altitude limit? Players move in the world by flying – but not unlimited upwards. If you fly too high, you will be roughly pulled back down by a gust of wind.
During the presentation “Rocket Man: Creating Flight for Anthem“, the developers explained at GDC 2019 why this is the case. According to Daniel Nordlander, Senior Gameplay Designer at BioWare Edmonton, and David Hoang, Senior Animator at BioWare Austin, the altitude limit in Anthem is meant to contribute to the fun of the game.
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The developers drew inspiration from the “Gravity Rush” game series. In these games, players can manipulate gravity and fly kilometers into the sky.
Why can’t that happen in Anthem? According to Nordlander and Hoang, BioWare did experiment with something similar. In Gravity Rush, the game world is visually obscured when it’s too far below the player.
We tried some [similar] approaches, but the main concern was still that you didn’t really have to fly through the world – you could just fly over it. […] I think as soon as we lowered the flight altitude a bit and you actually had to fly through the world, we found out that players engaged with it much more. That’s why we decided on that.
Daniel Nordlander, BioWare Edmonton
Flying in the world should also be an aspect that sets you apart from the competition.
A different kind of “limitation” recently led to a horrifying scene in Anthem:
