{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/movement-platforming--t008","type":"mechanic","id":"movement-platforming--t008","lang":"en","title":"Flight and gliding","summary":"Airborne movement links altitude, speed and direction. The player plans a path around an energy budget or unavoidable altitude loss.","updatedAt":"2026-10-21","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/movement-platforming--t008/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/movement-platforming--t008.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/movement-platforming--t008.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Movement and platforming","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-b8626268f7974a44","source-ad5935e19b434514","source-8b181715b5c89953","source-867ffdbb83256480"],"sources":[{"id":"source-b8626268f7974a44","title":"Godot: 2D movement overview","url":"https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/2d/2d_movement.html","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-ad5935e19b434514","title":"Maddy Thorson: Celeste & TowerFall Physics","url":"https://www.mattmakesgames.com/articles/celeste_and_towerfall_physics/index.html","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-8b181715b5c89953","title":"Godot: CharacterBody3D","url":"https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/classes/class_characterbody3d.html","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-867ffdbb83256480","title":"Just Cause 3","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/225540/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player manages altitude, speed and available support, choosing trajectories that trade climbing against sustained travel."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t008-variants\"></a>\n\n- Gliding: altitude loss becomes horizontal travel without continuous lift. <a id=\"t008-v1\"></a>\n- Resource-limited thrust: an engine sustains height while fuel or energy lasts. <a id=\"t008-v2\"></a>\n- Minimum speed: an overly steep climb reduces control under an explicit rule. <a id=\"t008-v3\"></a>\n- Updrafts: a local zone restores altitude before the next crossing. <a id=\"t008-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A glider reaches a distant platform through two updrafts; a direct route is shorter but spends its altitude reserve.\n\nPrototype check: Build equivalent crossings from different starting heights and check whether feedback explains the reachable distance."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Movement connects input, trajectory and accessible space. Players assess support, speed and remaining abilities, choose an action and correct their motion through feedback. These ten directions range from flat platforming to underwater movement. A first prototype needs only a few surfaces and one distinctive rule; the camera, collisions and return of control should explain success or failure. Godot documentation provides implementation examples, while the Celeste and TowerFall author describes one approach to movement and platforms; these choices are not mandatory in every engine."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"movement-platforming","id":"t008","title":"Movement and platforming","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/movement-platforming/#t008","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-21","title":"Flight and gliding","description":"Airborne movement links altitude, speed and direction. The player plans a path around an energy budget or unavoidable altitude loss.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/just-cause-wingsuit.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Just Cause 3","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/225540/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/225540/ss_7ea2465254fcbd03eb88802a48edd7069ac91848.1920x1080.jpg?t=1782912719","credit":"Avalanche Studios / Square Enix","rights":"© 2014 Square Enix Ltd. All rights reserved. Developed by Avalanche Studios.","caption":"Gliding along a chosen aerial route","alt":"Just Cause 3: a wingsuit-equipped character flies among slopes, a town and the coast, with terrain shaping possible routes.","markers":[{"x":38,"y":37,"label":"The character controls flight direction"},{"x":77,"y":68,"label":"Terrain shapes the route"}]},"tips":["Provide landmarks for judging altitude and speed.","Match turning and braking to the type of aerial movement."],"examples":[{"title":"Just Cause 3","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/225540/"}]}},"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/movement-platforming"}}