Anthem wasn’t at its best at launch. Players knew it, but more importantly, developer BioWare knew it. Neither the core game mechanics nor the loot system were considered particularly satisfying. For several months, the team worked to alleviate these issues, yet it was never enough. As a result, BioWare Austin has spent much of this year back at the drawing board, designing an Anthem 2.0 (or Anthem Next or whatever they end up calling it) relaunch. Little is known about what this may entail, but the studio has now outlined how it ends to alter loot.
In a post on the BioWare blog, BioWare Austin Studio Director, Christian Dailey, explained the “high level goals” for Anthem 2.0’s loot and equipment. The primary goal rests in crafting a more satisfying loot experience. While the ideas being prototyped are subject to change, they get at the heart of what BioWare aims to achieve. Those ideas are include:
- Respect Your Time
- Increase the frequency of Loot Drops
- Loot is viable more often; All items are better and more competitive, but there’s still a chance of getting something exceptional
- All loot rarities have strategic value throughout progression
- Embrace Choice
- You can pursue specific loot without relying on randomness alone; Quests; Specialized Vendors; Unique Loot Tables
- Modify your loot, including rerolling inscriptions and leveling up items
- Create a Rewarding Loot Experience
- Loot feels exciting and more noticeable when it drops, and is celebrated when collected
- Rare enemies (aka “walking treasure chests”) create exciting moments to get a burst of loot all at once
- Keep it Accessible and Immediate
- Reveal and equip loot right away
- Complete revamp of the equipment sheet – including a detailed stat sheet (not shown)
- The equipment sheet can be accessed from anywhere, allows you to easily see what you have equipped in each slot
- Reliability of Equipment and Rewards
- Each item has an inscription “budget”, based on its Power and Rarity
- No more useless items because they were missing must-have inscriptions (see “Increased weapon dmg by +225%”)
- Exceptional items are about getting the exact types of bonuses you want, instead of maxing values on every bonus
- Scale for the Future
- Your power cap can be easily increased, and the loot system scales accordingly
- Advanced telemetry data allows us to identify trends and make meaningful balance changes
The studio has also been hard at work on reinventing the feel of gunplay. According to Dailey, “gunplay is overall more responsive with enemies reacting to hits near instantly.” In addition, BioWare is rethinking the role of melee items and builds. New weapon concepts and skill points unlocks are also receiving plenty of attention in Anthem 2.0’s production.
Anthem is available to purchase now for the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One platforms. The 2.0 version remains a long way out from release, with no firm release date attached as of yet, or even confirmed method of delivery to players. It’s unknown if it will be a whole new game, relaunch of the first game, free update, or paid DLC.
[Source: BioWare Blog; Via: Game Revolution]
