Brink

[MojoChin]

Not even Bethesda are mad enough to release this alongside those two, I'm just worried that it's going to end up like Blur, SS & Transformers and be virtually dead online after a few weeks.

I really hope that doesn't end up happening as it looks great and it's something that could easily rival the big hitters if it takes off online.

Putting that into perspective, Splash Damage's first game still has a thriving online community 7 years on.

[The Sarge]

On PC?

I'm sure this will have a good and very active PC community and I would love to invest in a PC that could run it, but I don't have the funds or time for that, so my option to play this is on my PS3/360 and considering how fickle some console gamers (something I'm guilty of, I dumped Transformers for something else less than a month after release and seems a lot of others did as well as the community is virtually dead) can be when it comes to online gaming and how busy 2011 is going to be, I can't see this having a very strong community.

I really hope I'm proven wrong though.

[The Sarge]

Beta invites are now going out to select PS3 owners (EU/UK only), so check those emails.

[Blue Screen Error]

Beta invites are now going out to select PS3 owners (EU/UK only), so check those emails.

Yeah, got my code yesterday. Was a bit 'wtf' as I hadn't heard anything about there being a beta at all.

[Boozy The Clown]

New gunplay video

Still on for a Spring release apparently despite no actual date being set.

[The Sarge]

Kill Montage

Previews

Our session began with a brief introduction to the world of Brink. The oceans are on the rise for unknown reasons, and humanity's last, best hope for survival lies with the Ark. This self-sufficient habitat floats above the endless blue, which is both home and prison to thousands of refugees. Humankind is facing its darkest hour, so naturally, everyone has started killing each other. The end of the world is pretty stressful after all. On one side of the conflict are the security forces, Ark's keepers of the peace, and on the other are the resistance fighters, who are jerks.

We started by creating a security force character using the game's extensive customization tools. Brink's bright, high-contrast style was instantly reminiscent of Mirror's Edge, but it had a fresh coat of dirt and bullet holes thrown on top. From the dozens of faces, character voices, and articles of clothing, we built a hulking machine gunner decked out in a heavy explosive ordnance disposal suit (something you would never, ever want to fight in). We also hooked him up with a beard; you've got to have a beard. Once everyone had finished creating their characters, no two members on our wildly diverse security team looked alike.

Once our multiplayer match started, the first order of business was choosing our class. There were four available: the soldier, the medic, the engineer, and the operative. Because we were still in unfamiliar waters, we decided to go with the straightforward solider class. Each class has a special ability to aid the team. The solider is basically a walking ammo dispenser, which is of vital importance because everyone's primary weapon ammo is extremely limited. This ability takes a moment to refresh after each use and may be spent to either refill your own ammo or a teammate's.

Soldiers also excel at shooting things, but that won't do you much good if you can't see your target. The SMART system is activated by pressing a single button, which manages all your jumping, ducking, sliding, and other acrobatic maneuvers to get you around the battlefield quickly and easily. No longer will you be restricted by an insurmountable, four-foot-high gate. Using SMART near a low wall vaulted us up and over; using it near a short gap made us jump. Once again, we got a definite Mirror's Edge vibe from the proceedings.

When we were actually locked in a firefight, the action didn't feel far removed from the developer's pedigree. Skirmishes weren't accented by the quick, one-hit kills found in other first-person shooters, such as the Modern Warfare series. Instead, they were battles of attrition, with each class aiding others with health, ammo, turrets, and whatever it was the operative does. Each character had a decent amount of health, making it much less punishing when we stumbled out into enemy crossfire.

Teamwork pays off in Brink. You earn experience for aiding your teammates, completing missions during the match, and (of course) for scoring kills. For team security, our mission was to escort a maddeningly slow-moving robot across the map so that it could recover some sort of sample. As a solider, it was our job to run around and plant explosive charges on anything we couldn't shoot through. Team security emerged victorious in the end, only to have our victory cut down when Splash Damage revealed we had been playing on the easiest difficulty.

http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/brink/news.html?sid=6301156&mode=previews

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-02-28-brink-hands-on

http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/brink/preview-2906.html

http://ps3.incgamers.com/Previews/247/brink-preview

[NecroMorrius]

I'm really not sure about this. There seems to be almost zero interest from gamers and the media, and I'm struggling to see why I would play this over all the other shooters vying for my attention at the moment. Can someone who is interested in this explain it to me?

I've watched videos etc but it looks pretty fugly and uninteresting.

[fattakin]

There seems to be almost zero interest from gamers and the media

Is that not the case for most shooters that aren't CoD?

Im in based on the Splash Damage pedigree but do fear the 360 version will have a small following...

[NecroMorrius]

Is that not the case for most shooters that aren't CoD?

Im in based on the Splash Damage pedigree but do fear the 360 version will have a small following...

That's not the case. Bulletstorm, Crysis 2 etc have all had a fair amount of coverage in the months coming up to release. I don't see much of Brink, just a few dodgy gameplay videos that don't sell it at all. They're not expressing why they think I should buy or play the game, the only reason I have any interest is because of the pedigree, same as you. And even then, it's a bit patchy to say the least.

It sort of looks like Mirrors Edge meets TF2, but other than that I don't get a great feel for the dynamics, the mechanics etc. It is a May release though, maybe they're planning a last-minute blitz.

[Boozy The Clown]

Even if the game isn't amazing, yet I fully expect it to be in a kind of Mirror's Edge/ crossed with Modern Warfare with insane customisation way, it will at the very least have given us one of the best pieces of FMV ever.

If the game ends up being half as good as this trailer it'll be worth playing, hopefully with a long lifespan too. It is being released in a crowded market but it deserves a fair crack as much as the rest. I think it will surprise people when it comes out. Surely a demo is on the cards nearer release too.

[fattakin]

Is it really out on the 26th? Isn't that a Saturday. I thought it was pushed back to June.

Anyone planning on getting it for 360? I've retired from PC gaming as much as id probably prefer it on PC, where it will have a better shelf life.

[Padlocked]

I'm getting it on 360. Looks awesome.

[Sergeant Squid]

That trailer was awesome, really enjoyed watching it. The game basically does look like mirrors edge crossed with timesplitters crossed with a modern day shooter. Will definitely be watching it closely.

[K]

I’m undecided on this one. The concept art looks amazing, as do some of the environments – I love the gleaming white style that looks like a modernist airport – but some of the environments look like Generic Industrial Setting #113, and the hybrid online shooter / single player shooter style puts me off a little, mainly because it’s not really clear what it actually is. From what’s been released so far, it sounds like it’s a kind of skirmish-based shooter with your team being made up of a drop in, drop out mix of human players and AI, but it’s a bit hazy.

There doesn’t seem to be any mention of a story mode that I’ve seen, and I’d only really consider getting it if there was a substantial single player campaign. Still, the look of the game is very distinctive, and is about a million times more appealing than, say, Killzone’s endless brown industrial wastelands.

[NecroMorrius]

I like the presentation, I'm just not sure what the hook is in regards to gameplay?

[over1000inrhyme]

Ed Stern who is a writer/designer at Splash Damage was on a panel on 'Apocalyptic Visions' at Thrilling Wonder Stories back in November - a day of discussions looking very broadly at the ways in which storytelling and imaginative speculation can inform architecture and vice versa; the talk on Brink focusses on how the setting was designed to overcome any generic limitations of a fast paced FPS and have the narrative become apparent through the environment itself.

The video has recently been archived on the Architecture Association's website. It's a really interesting lecture in which most of the game's influences are laid out - SeaSteading, Dubai, Arcosanti - and shows very well how this game in particular has snuck in a level of depth in the design and conceptualisation so that narrative is evident throughout and readable without relying solely on plotting. It's also interesting to hear how ideas are applied in a practical sense to the game world - e.g. the use of infrastructure; the use of colour as both an orienteering tool as well as a representation of the economic and class structure of the environment.

I hadn't heard of the game before I went along to this lecture and probably wouldn't have been all that fascinated from just seeing screenshots - I've never really played an FPS and have therefore been in the 'all look the same' camp - but I'd really like to see what it's all about and have a go.

http://www.aaschool.ac.uk//VIDEO/lecture.php?ID=1391

(The Brink stuff is about half way through the video but the whole thing is worth watching, as are the other TWS videos).

[Floex]

I'm really not sure about this. There seems to be almost zero interest from gamers and the media, and I'm struggling to see why I would play this over all the other shooters vying for my attention at the moment. Can someone who is interested in this explain it to me?

I've watched videos etc but it looks pretty fugly and uninteresting.

See, this confuses me. If there was one FPS out there coming up that looks to be doing something different both in gameplay and looks it would be this. What with everyone vying for the COD crown this atleast looks original in it's approach. I'm kind of glad we haven't heard too much so far, nothing worst when a game feels old before you even buy it. This seems to be the first wave of impressions and with a few of months until release I'm sure we'll start to hear more

Is it really out on the 26th? Isn't that a Saturday. I thought it was pushed back to June.

I'm not sure where you got that date from but it's coming out on the 20/05/2011

[Nespresso]

As long as this plays well on the 360, I'm getting it!

[Dave White]

i'm with k here the artwork and styling are fantastic but as for the gameplay looks very much like a mod of hl2 or something.

I love the idea of stripping it all back but I will soon long for that tried and tested and much loved mechanic involving scopes perks and killstreaks.

[sinky72]

Release day purchase for me. One of my most anticipated games of this year.

[Ferine]

I think there's a very simple reason not that many people are talking about Brink: hardly anyone's played it.

There's not much point releasing a demo or public Beta at this point — Killzone 3 and Bulletstorm have just come out, with the Crysis 2 PR train readying for full steam ahead — but I think you'll see one appear in either late April or early June. It would certainly be a smart move from where I'm sitting as I think a lot of people have misconceptions about what kind of game it is.

[K]

What kind of game is it, then?

[NecroMorrius]

See, this confuses me. If there was one FPS out there coming up that looks to be doing something different both in gameplay and looks it would be this. What with everyone vying for the COD crown this atleast looks original in it's approach. I'm kind of glad we haven't heard too much so far, nothing worst when a game feels old before you even buy it. This seems to be the first wave of impressions and with a few of months until release I'm sure we'll start to hear more

I'm not sure where you got that date from but it's coming out on the 20/05/2011

I've only seen vids of it running on the PS3 and it's absolutely chugging like a beast. I like the actual artstyle though.

Edit, I found a 360 one and it was chugging like a beast too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dv3ruNjusE&feature=related

TF2 with parkour, basically? Except I don't really see the parkour in the gameplay vids, it looks like a very pedestrian multiplayer shooter. (I want to be wrong...)

[Nespresso]

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/something-for-brink/711463

Love this guy.

If you're even slightly interested in Brink I suggest you watch this interview. He goes into a lot of detail behind the core mechanics of the multiplayer side of things (no 1 hit kills, grenades not as powerful, iron sights vs firing from the hip, no arbitrary class restrictions and so forth).

[Vemsie]

Not sold on this yet, but that guy is pretty cool.

Loved his little sniper rant.

[MattKB]

Like the look of this, that Brink guy is mental too.

[mr_woo]

TF2 with parkour, basically? Except I don't really see the parkour in the gameplay vids, it looks like a very pedestrian multiplayer shooter. (I want to be wrong...)

Well they've said it's essentially another ET, as that's what they are good at. I have no reason to doubt them either. I love the look of the parkour as well, it definitely looks to be a lot more deep than people think.

Taken from here

Slide is basically hitting the crouch button while sprinting. You can spam them like crazy, but on the whole, you'll end up being a little slower that just sprinting normally. It's really there as a defensive maneuver (smaller low target), to get under low things, and as a melee attack...don't worry. it does no damage at all, and i don't think anyone would complain of it being overpowered. It’s part of the broader melee package that's I’m not supposed to talk about but which has a very different approach than the standard shooter fare. I imagine there'll be stuff revealed about it in the new year.

- Richard Ham

* - Some actions the SMART system will do is sliding, wall hopping, mantling, vaulting and sliding to break a fall.

* - The SMART button is actually a very simple concept. You hold it down, and that means you’re signaling to the game that you don’t want to get stuck on anything. If something gets in your way, you will climb over it, slide under it, or smash through it (in the case of enemy players).

* - They incorporated other aspects into the system, like if you're climbing over a wall, you'll be able to fire your weapon once you have a free hand, although accuracy will be compromised as a result.

* - The system also takes into account velocity when deciding how to overcome obstacles.

* - The level designer’s didn’t set up specific spots for players to use mantles, vaults and slides - the system simply pre-calculates where they’re possible.

* - The SMART button and the sprint button are one in the same. Tap it to sprint, hold it down to engage SMART.

* - To do the really tricky stuff, you will need to do things manually and use the SMART button.

* - Mantles (wall climbs) are relatively quick and can be broken out of to chain into wall hops.

* - Someone mentioned that they could double-vault over railings on catwalks, to cut corners.

* - It was said that actions will auto-engage the SMART button, so if the “use” icon pos up on an objective and you hold down the action button, you will automatically SMART towards it (depending how far away you are) climbing and jumping over objects in the way of your goal, and then you will begin to complete the objective. This is only if you have the button held down; releasing the button, will cancel it out. I don’t know the specifics, nor did I have any hands-on experience, but this is what it basically sounded like to me.

The intent is for upward transitions to be faster than dropping ones - if you drop into a mantle it's typically a fingertip, last moment grab, and shouldn't really be as fast as a mantle where you ramp up into the move - you haven't taken it with a good setup, so it's going to be slower. But no mantle is more than about 1.5s the last time I checked.

Bear in mind that even during a mantle (or vault, or slide) you can turn and fire - your view is never locked into a cone or anything like that. You can defend yourself. You can also break out of the mantle by pulling away from it. However, there is always going to be some implicit tradeoff between moving and shooting, but we've worked hard to mitigate this so that the SMART system doesn't feel like it's getting in the way of the combat.

- Aubrey Hesselgren, Technical Game Designer

* - On the 360 controller, tapping the Left Bumper makes you sprint. If you hold the button down instead, the SMART system comes into play.

* - Technically, there is no limit to how many wall hops you can do, but each consecutive one gives less vertical impulse than the last - Diminishing returns, basically.

* - Although the SMART button is very intuitive, there are certain things that it will NOT let you do just by holding it down:

1. If you choose the Light body type, it will not let you do his “advanced” stuff, like climbing really high walls and/or wallhopping – these must be performed manually.

2. It doesn’t automatically initiate slide tackles into enemies – these must be done manually.

Aubrey answered some questions about SMART on the Splash Damage forums:

Q. If I press jump while running up a wall do I kick off the wall to the other side? This can be used to reach higher ledges. This move was used many times in Mirror's Edge (I'm gonna use most examples from that since it had pretty much everything).

A. Yep. Totally doable. But requires some skill - it's not an "out of the box" move. You have to practice it to get it right.

Q. Is there wall running? Just running at the wall at a certain angle (mine isn't exactly right in the picture, but whatever) and holding jump (or SMART)

A. Instead of wall running, we do wall hops (as seen in the Freedom of Movement video on the Brink website). Any free runner/traceur will tell you that only the first steps in a wall run are actually useful .The rest are just for show (unless you're running around a concave surface). Wall hops basically feel like a double jump, but you have to be next to a wall to use them.

Q. Is it possible to crouch while jumping? Again, like Mirror's Edge: to jump over high obstacles you needed to crouch in air to pull your legs under your belly so you would not trip over things. The Brink devs talked how a skilled player could be even faster with just using the good old buttons instead of SMART. This seems like one of those examples to me. If there is a rail infront of you and you are running towards it and holding down SMART then you are going to vault over it. But that takes time. Skilled player could press jump and hold crouch to tuck his legs under his belly and just get over it much faster. See picture for better explanation.

A. No air crouching, but the vaulting and mantling take care of most of the cases you'd need air crouching. Plus, the lower the ledge is relative to your body, the faster it will be, so in effect, you get the same speed benefit in pre-jumping a vault. i.e. in the examples you give, you'd always do a vault, but when you do anything to hit the vault higher, you'll decrease the duration of the vault move.

Our game, again, it takes into account your velocity. If you walk up to it, stop, and hit jump and push forward, you'll just jump and step up onto it. If I jump towards it and hit jump, it'll do a step up. Instead of jumping it'll just lift my feet up and my body goes up and I continue running, I don't lose velocity. But if I'm sprinting towards it and I hit jump, I actually vault and then slide across the table, coming off the other end and maintaining my velocity.

- Paul Wedgwood

* - SMART is completely optional. Everything that you can do with smart, can also be done manually using standard run, jump, and crouch buttons.

* - If you are looking for good info on some of the inner workings of SMART, go here (it’s quite helpful): http://brink.chefenco.com/brink-developer-diary-4/

* - S.M.A.R.T. is all about simplifying how you get across the battlefield, while still leaving you in control of your actions, and not about creating a parkour/freerunning sim with guns.

Manually doing smart-button moves basically just means you're hitting crouch or jump yourself at the right time. for instance, if you want to climb up a wall, you can run at it with the smart button held, and you'll automatically scramble up and over it. but alternately you can run at it, hit the jump key and HOLD it, and you'll scramble up and over it as long as you keep jump held down (release jump and the climb stops)...the speed up comes from the fact that in the example mentioned above, if you relied on the smart button, nothing would happen until you get to the wall, and only then would you start climbing. in the manual jump example, because you chose to jump early, it gave you a little bit of extra height, which means you didn't have to climb as far (smart meant you started climbing from the ground, jump meant you started climbing from the air). it's not a huge difference, and in some cases, it's no difference at all. It really has the most impact when a well timed jump changes what would have been a mantle (slower climb) into a vault (smoother hand planted throw yourself over an obstacle move).

[NecroMorrius]

Well, that certainly answered my question! Thanks.

[mr_woo]

Well, that certainly answered my question! Thanks.

I'm guessing they haven't really started marketing the hell out of it yet as that's all stuff I've had to dig for which is annoying as it's looking pretty damn nifty. Hopefully come April/May they'll get the marketing machine rolling.

Here's a trailer which just shows some parkour:

[MattKB]

Isn't it out in a few weeks though? They best get started.