If any of you have played wolfenstein: enemy territory, or quake wars: enemy territory, you know probably have a good idea of what kind of FPS this is going to be. If not you're in for a treat!



Brink is a class based FPS, sort of similar to something like TF2, but the classes mean a lot more, and that's why I love the games splash damage makes. When starting out a map, you'll be given objectives depending on the side you are on - something along the lines of 'take that base down the road, and build a radar array', with an optional objective of 'blow open that wall to get easier access to the base'.

You will specifically need a soldier class to plant explosive charges on the wall for the secondary objective. No one else can do it.

You need an engineer to build the radar array, no one else can do it.

All the other classes can support in various ways (snipers are also spies, and can take enemy identities, medics can revive dead teammates, field op types can call in mortar and airstrikes, etc, etc.), and each time you do something like revive a team mate as a medic, or build something as an engineer, you get exp which levels up your class. When your objectives specially require a certain class to do something that only they can do, what you choose to play really matters.

In addition, the game has a very cool free-running mechanic that lets you get up to sniper spots and across terrain quickly, and looking like a complete bad ass doing it.

Head on over to http://www.brinkthegame.com/ and give it a look!

Saw demos of this running at last year's PAX...looked cool, and you can customize your character with tattoos, clothing, etc.. However, the developers reasons to NOT include female characters was not very popular to those in attendance...hell, I wasn't buying it either...

The exclusion of female characters is an odd choice; I thought the same thing when they did it in TF2. I suppose it might be some sort of stigma involving females and violence, but they can serve in the military (you know, in real life) so I don't see the problem with playing one.

The only other thing I can think of, is that they're trying to make the characters have over the top proportions (so it's easy to pick out who is a heavy, scout and so on) and they couldn't figure out a way to make a female with the proportions that are seen in the character creation videos.

I know for most developers the reason why they don't place women in first person shooters is due to cost. To create believable women characters the developer needs to program an additional skeleton type (women need a slightly different skeleton base as compared to men), add at least one additional member to the motion capture shoot (along with the expenses to actually capture the footage), and the cost of skinning the character.

I would assume whatever the reason they gave for not including women into the mix had something to due with costs. And if you were trying to add a very high level of style to the mix, like tf2 or Brink, it just would not be economically feasible doubling the character count (one male and one female per class).

I personally would love to see more games with both genders, heck one of my favorite games of all time is Beyond Good and Evil, but if it doesn't work out I can understand.

Al, you are sprouting off the excuse all developers have made for awhile now...it isn't cost. They have a variety of sizes in the characters and another set of bones for a smaller frame, which all ready exist, (look at the smaller male characters...all you really need is some animation adjustment) which is not really adding any cost.

Remember the days of Quake and Quake 2? In multiplayer there were more characters that one could get and a LOT were female. A LOT of players used these characters due to the size of the characters themselves...the female characters were smaller and harder to hit at a long range.

Whenever I hear the argument based on cost, it falls flat...unless ALL of your characters are significantly larger and could NOT be female then OK. IF not, then your argument falls flat and there is another reason, quite possibly politically incorrect, as to why you don't have females in your game. Remember, several years ago, Epic and Bungie created a couple of new games GOW and HALO, and both companies used the same cost based reason as to why there were no females in either of the earlier games in these respective series...yet, both of the latest and/or upcoming games, will have female models. Why? Did female models get significantly cheaper to produce? ...or did they see how flat the argument was?

Amazon is giving $10 games credit on preorders for this game (plus it's currently priced at $56.99).

edit: nm, thought you were talking console version

I disagree with cost not being relevant. As a developer, I have to consider time, budget, and resources. I definitely am a huge proponent of having ladies in games as well. It just takes a hell of a lot more work when you have customization. Quake 1-3 didn't have any customization. If it's a game like that where they share the same skeleton and it's just a mesh swap, that's easy and you can't say "cost" or what have you. But the moment you add in custom armors, you have to nearly double your workload. (On another note, at least in Quake 3, there was no difference in hitbox. That was all a myth because using an editor you could see the hitboxes were all the same, even on the big fat characters or the floating eyeball guy.)

If you really think this isn't a cost/time issue, then you have probably never made a game with variables such as custom armor. I'm not apologizing for every game without female characters; in Brink it makes sense. There is a lot of custom armor going on in Brink. TF2 should've had 1-2 female characters (not including the possibly female pyro, which valve is just trolling people with anyway).

Oh, and I've been waiting on Brink for too long. I loved ET, QW was disappointing, but Brink looks really nice. Time to come out and get an RH server going!

...even all that was said in regards to female characters...
back to the subject at hand...sorry for the hijack...I just think that Brink is using the excuse of cost to eliminate female characters for a political reason...

I think the free-running animations of the characters is very, very cool. The customizations on the characters are sweet and I hope that the level can match up with the style that is so evident in the characters. I wonder what types of game play they will eventually have other than the usual CTF, CP, and Deathmatch modes... TF2 redefined payload type gameplay (kind of an escort type game), what will Brink bring?

Maybe Brink will reintroduce us to a mode I have missed in games since UT99, which is the Assault mode. One team on offense, one on defense, with a map that feels like a fortress you have to break into and destroy something at the core. In TF2, cp_degroot feels like a tame version of this, but capping a point is not the same as shattering a glowing energy core.

After enjoying Mirror's Edge, no one has come in and filled that great feeling of traversing walls and ledges. It's about time Brink does it. I heard that the smaller, faster classes can scale higher walls? Sounds interesting.

I'm a big fan of ET as well, and played a decent amount of QW, but was a bit dissapointed with it overall. I'm looking forward to the assault style gameplay making a return as well. Splash Damage did a good job of that in the Beach Assault level in ET (although it was a bit too hard to get off the beach if the enemy covert ops were good with their explosives).

I'm a big fan of that kind of online MP, and am very excited to do more than death matches ^_^

More on the Freerunning in brink -

5 days till release!!

Lots of new vids on the site (watch your volume, it autoplays): http://www.brinkthegame.com/

I'm very sad I'm gone all next week. Won't get to experience this till a week later.

Who is getting this? I've got it preordered on Steam. Wherever you buy it, it'll run on Steam completely because it's a full Steamworks title. I hope we can get a dedicated RH server if enough of us play, and why wouldn't you if you are on TF2 nearly every night?

I'll be getting it release day if I can make the money work out, what with Mothers Day between here and release date.

Oh assault. Fond memories, UT2004 especially, the time we wasted in school playing the copy we had hidden on the server. But now that you mention it I can't think of any recent game I've played or looked at with an assault mode, besides my quarterly Timesplitters 2 marathon with my brother I haven't played a straight up assault mode in forever which is a shame.

How had I not looked into this game until today?

ME! The freerunning looks awesome and I want to snipe on some of those maps...

OK...game purchased and pre-loaded and ready to go. Hope this purchase is worth it...though which side should be play? Security or Resistance or does it even matter?

I'm leaning towards resistance, mainly because I like their look, along with their background story and reasons for fighting. Not that it really matters in the long run, they'll play the same. ^_^

OK, fine, I'm in Pre-loading now. (Loved ET, and I like what I've been seeing about this one.)

The ultimate test of the customization will be if I can create passable versions of each of the TF2 characters. I can see myself playing a very scout-like style, especially with all the parkour!

lol...since I pre-ordered via Steam, I noticed the mask and was thinking how close I could come to making a Pyro...

I too am preloading it... unfortunately I'll be gone for a week tomorrow, and I doubt Brink will run on my 8 year old laptop. QQ for me.

Have fun, and save some carnage for me when I get back! I look forward to back stabbing you just like in TF2.

I found this article on the official brink website, and it appears Brink is indeed getting dedicated server support



What is the Brink Standalone Dedicated Server?

The Brink Standalone Dedicated Server allows anyone to run multiplayer servers for the PC version of Brink. As the server is standalone, it does not require a full version of Brink to be installed and is completely free.


Where will I be able to get the Brink Standalone Dedicated Server?

The Brink Standalone Dedicated Server will be available for download via Steam prior to release. Once the server is available, you can simply browse to the Tools tab in your Steam client and grab it from there.


Will I be able to run several instances of the Brink Standalone Dedicated Server on a single machine?

Yes. The Brink Standalone Dedicated Server comes with several pre-made bat files that automatically define different ports for each instance. It’s also possible for you to set your own, custom ports.


In terms of available game options, how customizable will the Brink Standalone Dedicated Server be?

The Brink Standalone Dedicated Server includes several different game configuration files covering all of the regular game modes, including campaign, stopwatch, objective, and co-op challenges. In addition, there are a variety of server-side commands available that allow you to further customize your server, including team sizes, time limits and overtime, warm-up rules, friendly fire, voice chat, availability of Command Post buffs, rank restrictions, number of bots, and password.


I represent a Game Server Provider. How can my company offer servers for Brink?

Easy! Once the Standalone Dedicated Server is available on Steam, you’ll be able to start getting Brink game servers up for your customers. We’re currently aiming to have the server files available before release so you’ll be all set when the game comes out.

Heh heh, I already knew Brink would have dedicated servers, but thanks. I was saying I hope RH rents a server for RH clan play, maybe with alltalk on if possible, and teamtalk option as well. I want to enjoy Brink with my favorite community, and I hope to hear Z's girly screams in another game besides TF2.

If we get enough support amongst ourselves and the server isn't too expensive, we can probably make that happen. Tough getting a new game going though if a lot of people aren't on board to support the server cost.

Anyone played yet and have a review?

Right now the game is poorly optimized and glitchy. I'm going to put this on the shelf until it gets a couple patches. I can see multiplayer being awesome though.

So far it is quite fun...I have played a bit of multiplayer and after my initial learning curve, I appear to be holding my own. I have been playing engineer and just unlocked by first turret. As a newb engie, I was handing out weapons buffs to everyone on my team which got me xp. In the Terminal map, my objective was to protect the computers from being hacked by the Security Forces and there were a LOT of newbs on that team. Was very fun preventing any and all Security forces from completing that objective. We held that spot with 2 dedicated defenders. Myself and 1 other...very fun. The maps are well designed, and using the free-running system, you can get to various areas that would be impossible in other games.

Like Earl said, it IS glitchy, and they WILL have to balance out some of the gameplay...the map I mentioned above is weighted way too heavily to the defense. ...not to mention some of the other maps were also 'felt' out of balance. I think that this game could have used more multiplayer testing before calling it good.

...and YES, this game needs female models...

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/ ... 3286-Brink

ouch