Anthem’s buggy VIP demo coughed up quite a few issues—better now than launch day, I suppose—and while it’s unlikely they’ll all be tackled come February 22, BioWare already has fixes planned for the public demo. It’s not just bugs that the studio is looking at, however. It’s also using the feedback to walk back questionable design choices, like Fort Tarsis’ slow movement speed.
It seems like such a minor thing, but Fort Tarsis—the hub where you pick up missions and chat to NPCs—locking you into a sauntering walk feels particularly jarring in a game all about speed and flying. It made returning to the fort a chore, and one I imagine would only become worse the longer I spent with the game. Thankfully it’s being changed.
The reason Fort Tarsis is currently a no-running zone is because BioWare wanted players to feel human, in contrast to how superhuman they feel when piloting the Javelins.
"We want it to feel like walking", Anthem producer Mark Darrah told GamesRadar. "If you look at most video games, you're sprinting everywhere and we gave you a jet pack machine for when you're out in the world, and we really want it to feel like you're just a person walking around and now you are that person in Iron Man armour."
Forced limitations and subversions of power fantasies can work really well, but Fort Tarsis is a mission hub, not a sightseeing tour full of tiny details you’ll miss unless you’re just meandering around. The lack of a sprint simply means it takes twice as long to get back to all the exciting jetpack shenanigans outside.
BioWare’s heard the feedback, and a run speed will be added for launch. So that's one less thing for Freelancers to worry about.
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