Is saving Brink possible? ("comprehensive" patch incoming)

[SirKicksalot]

Today Splash Damage announced a new Brink update that brings clan support and tournament features.

Currently the game is nowhere to be found in the Steam stats page. The last entry on that list, Titan Quest IT, has 336 players. I assume the situation isn't much better on consoles.

I liked Brink. Most reviewers didn't. Some complained about teamwork, most notably one that wondered why should he fix a staircase and open a new path for his team. The game was also terribly buggy. It basically died in just a couple of weeks. The free-for-a-while DLC and free weekend didn't help.

I have no idea who could possibly be looking forward to the new update.
I believe this game can be saved only if it goes f2p and the developers add a shitload of customisation options. Make some available only for money - and customers that bought the game. The weapon and character customisation are incredible in the base game. The game is solid. But nobody plays, and since it's a multiplayer title it can't get new customers because people see it's dead.

What do you think? Can Brink be saved?

[mr.doo]

Short answer no. Long answer: buggy release+bad reviews+multiplayer (as in, needs people to be successful) =failure

[Jockie]

It's too late in my opinion, I played at release and put quite a bit into it, but the shooting felt plinky plonky (thats a technical term), the balance was appalling, the freerunning really limited and the map design completely uninspired (in contrast with the art design which was great).

In short , despite paying full price, I've got no real desire to go back to Brink personally. It's a shame as Splash Damage seem like cool guys (and are British).

[Casimir Effect]

With regards to upcoming Steam xmas sales, how is the singleplayer? Is it like UT3 where there is some plot which contrives to use the game modes to convice you that an objective is being completed? And what is the AI like?

[DaftPunk]

There's no way that people who bought the game will come back and try the game with this "Fix". But its quite a shame,looking these people made Quake Wars,fantastic game in my book.

[QuantaCat]

I liked it. I havent played much MP yet, though, but the few that I played, was wonderful, and on RPS servers.

PS: also, it looks like they took the world of Brink and made Anno 2070 out of it. (obviously not really)
Even the soundtrack sounds like a crossover between Anno1404 and Brinks'.

PPS: I will pimp the shit out of my brink for LAN games.

[Stevo]

I sorta liked it. Maybe I forced myself to like it. It was different to most FPS. But then it was exactly like every other type of FPS. The whole Body Architecture really didn't work at all, it was rare enough to see anyone go Light or Heavy the pay off just wasn't their.

Map design honestly fell flat on it's face. It very much turned into camp a small area (Maps were tiny sure) for nearly 10 minutes repeating the same thing over and over again. I guess I fooled myself in saying "Oh yeah but I was battling to control the bridge in one of the maps" but honestly I wasn't it never accounted for much, RO2 was much better at conveying Key Positional Battles that aren't actually highlighted on the map at all.

[Vandelay]

Map design honestly fell flat on it's face. It very much turned into camp a small area (Maps were tiny sure) for nearly 10 minutes repeating the same thing over and over again. I guess I fooled myself in saying "Oh yeah but I was battling to control the bridge in one of the maps" but honestly I wasn't it never accounted for much, RO2 was much better at conveying Key Positional Battles that aren't actually highlighted on the map at all.

I still believe that the reason the maps felt this way was because no one used the freerunning mechanics to get to the flank positions. Pretty much every map allowed you to do this, but everyone just continued to charge at the same point. I think that the limited player numbers of 8 per side didn't really encourage this, with everyone needing to be at the front to keep hold of the position.

Just increase the size of the maps (isn't even any need to change layouts for most of them, just increase the sizes,) and increase player count to at least 12 people a side, then I do not think the maps would have been an issue* and the amount of stalemate battles would have been reduced dramatically.

@Casimir Effect - I wouldn't bother. The bots were terrible, which probably put a lot of people off before they even reached the multiplayer. As for how it plays out, it is identical to the multiplayer mode, even to the extent of both modes starting each map with cutscenes, as well as a few mixed in once objectives are completed.

*Except Aquarium. That map was shit.

[Oak]

You're right: they can make it free-to-play with cosmetic DLC, or they can continue letting it bleed out. Nothing less is going to get newcomers to look past its bad reputation or spurned early-buyers to get over its buggy release.

I still believe that the reason the maps felt this way was because no one used the freerunning mechanics to get to the flank positions. Pretty much every map allowed you to do this, but everyone just continued to charge at the same point. I think that the limited player numbers of 8 per side didn't really encourage this, with everyone needing to be at the front to keep hold of the position.

Signposting needed to be more obvious, or simply existent. This was one of those situations where respecting the audience's perceptive abilities and trusting their willingness to learn map layouts was a bad idea. A loading-screen minimap, or some HERE ARE THE SHORTCUTS or YOU CAN JUMP UP HERE signage for the initial playthrough would've gone a long way.

[TailSwallower]

Today Splash Damage announced a new Brink update that brings clan support and tournament features.

Really? They're only just getting ready to release it now, after BF3 and MW3 have been released, thus stealing 90% of the audience who may have once been interested in Brink?

The biggest problem with Brink was that despite all the delays, the game still released feeling unfinished. It needed more maps, and the stats-tracking, clan and tournament features needed to launch alongside the game, not weeks later (for the stats-tracking) and not months later (for the rest).

Brink probably should have been canned, because they've obviously struggled to make the game that they wanted to make (probably because they were working on a new IP), and I doubt they've made enough money for it to be worthwhile.
Bethesda should have gutted Brink and got Splash Damage to make another game based on an existing IP, but with the Brink movement system.

Currently the game is nowhere to be found in the Steam stats page. The last entry on that list, Titan Quest IT, has 336 players. I assume the situation isn't much better on consoles.

Brink was doing much better on 360 than PC soon after release, but now that the pre-Christmas juggernauts have all come to market I don't imagine much of a playerbase would still remain.

I liked Brink. Most reviewers didn't. Some complained about teamwork, most notably one that wondered why should he fix a staircase and open a new path for his team. The game was also terribly buggy. It basically died in just a couple of weeks. The free-for-a-while DLC and free weekend didn't help.

Yeah, that DLC really needed to be free, full-stop. I hadn't touched Brink for a month or so, but I downloaded it, played for approximately 10 minutes and then retired Brink once again. Too little, too late.

What do you think? Can Brink be saved?

No, not at all. I think even if they went F2P it would be a short flash-in-the-pan before it fell silent once again.

With regards to upcoming Steam xmas sales, how is the singleplayer? Is it like UT3 where there is some plot which contrives to use the game modes to convice you that an objective is being completed? And what is the AI like?

I thought the bots were quite good... for bots. But it's still a multiplayer game first and foremost. If you get it for a fiver then it's probably alright for singleplayer only, any more than that and you might feel ripped off.

If you LAN regularly I have a feeling that that's where the game would really shine, but otherwise I doubt it's worth it.

[The Innocent]

I think Brink could be saved, but I don't think it will be.

I agree with the assessment that they need to go free-to-play. And add more stuff to unlock to incentivize a storefront. And make it not-awful, unlike most FTP setups.

But beyond that, I think it would still fail without a major overhaul. The main thing I would change are the maps. They were simply awful. A good map (in my opinion) creates a battle that sees firefights erupting on multiple fronts, each one critical to a team's short-term success. Brink tried to do this with the control points that were scattered about and certain of the secondary objectives, but in actual play those things were either too close to the main objective (so defenders could cover both the main point and the secondary point with roughly the same effectiveness), or they were secondary to such an extreme that while now and then someone would run over and capture them, nobody really fought over them seriously. Instead, Brink had two teams bashing their heads against each other over a square yard of ground, and it became tedious in minutes.

So I'd change the maps. I think that Brink would actually work really well with a Conquest-style gamemode, as found in the Battlefield series. Have a slightly bigger map with three points that need controlling, and position them perpendicular to the spawn points (so that you can access any of the three from spawn with a bit of running). This way, neither side is permanently attacking or defending.

I'd also like to see other changes, like making more of the guns useful (and adding variety) and having the heavy body-type be more beefy. But the maps are the main thing.

And frankly, I just don't see them changing up what they regard as the core of their design, even if it makes for repetitive and unbalanced battles.

[QuantaCat]

I for one, dont care if noone plays it. I will make SURE it gets played.

Because, you know, the most important criteria it fulfills: It works & is fun. It always worked for me, and was always fun. And it got even funner with that DLC. And I know they love their game, because they always love their games, and if they dont, they change it accordingly.

This game, is tournamentlevel perfection. I wish korea would see that.. instant success!

[Althea]

If they put in female PCs then maybe I'll play it. Maybe.

[hamster]

Also the ability to unlock less clothing.

[Xercies]

I loved it, but I didn't play it that much for some reason. I think the maps are really well designed, because there are loads of flank points and loads of ways to get around the place and get across deadpoints. But deadpoints are fun because you get the siege mentality.

Quantacat, what servers do you usually go on? I might just joiin you in the save Brink myself brigade.

[Insanity]

I love Brink and still play it regularly, it's just one of those games that I really enjoy even though I couldn't put into words for you exactly why. Sadly crippling performance issues and bugs for many players killed of the community quite quickly. I think a revival this late in the life span could only be achieved by a decent set of mod tools.

[QuantaCat]

If they put in female PCs then maybe I'll play it. Maybe.

I was going to say "how terribly sexist of you!", because I forgot that the faceless internet might also contain people of different gender.

Quantacat, what servers do you usually go on? I might just joiin you in the save Brink myself brigade.

Arr. At the moment, nothing/nowhere. Because my PC is in work mode. Meaning that I had to throw everything off in order to finish editing my series. However, it should return to "normal", soonish, as I might install that 2TB HD I have lying around. And I also need to get internet first :D (aside from the cellphone Im using right now, connected to my PC. Ahhh, the terrible fate of having to have ones' own office that isnt set up completely yet XD XD XD !)

Also the ability to unlock less clothing.

I dont want to see those "could-be-good-looking-but-arent" brink guys running around.

[Althea]

I was going to say "how terribly sexist of you!", because I forgot that the faceless internet might also contain people of different gender.

I just think it's so bloody annoying that many online shooters don't have female PCs. Some games allow for mods (ARMA II, for example), but then you have to find the right mods, then the mods that work, then the mods that are compatible with others and so forth. Even if it was a L4D situation with just one female character, I wouldn't mind.

[QuantaCat]

The problem would be rather: theyd have to animate and voice them as well, for those movie bits. first of all, I doubt theyd get nonsexist femaleanimations right. Secondly, if they give them equal appearance time, I would be very impressed. There is few a game that manages that.

[Althea]

Never seems to have stopped Saints Row or Fable.