Are you trolling with the lack of female thing? That is a thing people do with Brink. If you are not trolling, the devs decided to have really awesome characters and character dress up pieces, and they didn't have the time or resources to do both male and female. They wanted a lot of variety and they know the majority of gamers are guys, so they went with that.
Trolling? Seriously? Just because I was surprised that there were no females? Nice.
And any developer knows that BECAUSE the majority of gamers are guy, you include females.
I'm fine with just the guys; they're all mega-sexy. Less chicks means more eye-candy for me.
The lack of female avatars has been a thing since the begining. The devs have said it was a choice they didn't enjoy making, but it was made early in the development thing. They said it from the start, and every week or so, someone makes a thread about it on their forum. And people troll the comments sections of interviews and videos about it.
Their are eight archetypes per faction, each type supposedly has a couple pieces for each body section. I think there are 8 things you can change-- hair, head gear, face, face gear, inner top, outer top, pants, and tattoos. That is 64 options before you change colors! You can mix and match stuff from each, change the color, change the texture, and I think there are more clothing pieces to unlock aside from just the archetype clothes.
I am going to spend so much time on customizing my characters, haha. I waste tons of time on that in Fallout NV, and I play on ps3, so I don't even have any extra options. Well, there are tons of outfits, but you can't really change the color or combine outfits like you can in Brink.
man this is one time where i'm not sure where i want to preorder the game from, the preorder incentives are pretty good at a few different places
i think it's down to walmart or amazon, but damn it's a tough choice
man this is one time where i'm not sure where i want to preorder the game from, the preorder incentives are pretty good at a few different places
i think it's down to walmart or amazon, but damn it's a tough choice
Amazon has a 10$ credit and isn't Wal-Mart. So your choice is made.
The "sergeant/officer/guy giving orders" thing is integral part of the game. VOIP is off by default, because the majority of players are jerks or silent on it, and SD wants to make the best team-based FPS around. They looked at what really good players did on their past games, and tried to make the game lead you in that direction. The really good teams all had amazing communication. Everyone did their class's job and followed orders. The VOIP off by default thing is a key part of their philosophy.
IIRC, the VOIP is on by default, but for friends only. Everyone else is off by default.
Which is just an even better decision really.
Any word on what community system this is going to be using PC-side? Or if they're going to be using their own?
Steam would appear to have all the functionality they need naturally, but it's not like making their own would make any difference or anything.
Just as long as they aren't using GFWL or something.
subedii on
0
Options
Custom SpecialI know I am, I'm sure I am,I'm Sounders 'til I die!Registered Userregular
I like the stuff from Amazon, especially the suppressor. The Fallout and Doom packs look nice too.
Suppressor, plus you get an exclusive weapon instead of just a skin.
I still need to pre-order, but my birthday is early May, so I'm kind of hoping I'll get it then. Maybe I'll just drop my wife LOTS of hints to get it for me...
The "sergeant/officer/guy giving orders" thing is integral part of the game. VOIP is off by default, because the majority of players are jerks or silent on it, and SD wants to make the best team-based FPS around. They looked at what really good players did on their past games, and tried to make the game lead you in that direction. The really good teams all had amazing communication. Everyone did their class's job and followed orders. The VOIP off by default thing is a key part of their philosophy.
IIRC, the VOIP is on by default, but for friends only. Everyone else is off by default.
Which is just an even better decision really.
Any word on what community system this is going to be using PC-side? Or if they're going to be using their own?
Steam would appear to have all the functionality they need naturally, but it's not like making their own would make any difference or anything.
Just as long as they aren't using GFWL or something.
Valve's site showing off Steamworks had pictures of a bunch of different game boxes including Brink. Although it looks like they removed it when they updated the site to this 2011 version.
I like the stuff from Amazon, especially the suppressor. The Fallout and Doom packs look nice too.
Suppressor, plus you get an exclusive weapon instead of just a skin.
I still need to pre-order, but my birthday is early May, so I'm kind of hoping I'll get it then. Maybe I'll just drop my wife LOTS of hints to get it for me...
I bet the exclusive weapons-- Amazon gets a big revolver, and I think Walmart gets a machine pistol that looks like a stylized mp7-- have stats identical to other weapons in the game. I hope that is how it is.
There is a guy in the SA Brink thread that seems to know what he is talking about. I don't belong to SA, so I can't really speak for or against the guy, but he says some interesting things about the game.
Fishbus is the guy to look for. he says the pre-order guns are identical, stat-wise, to guns in the game. And he says you lose a small amount of XP for dieing, but playing as a team mate will have you recover that lost XP very quickly.
I like the stuff from Amazon, especially the suppressor. The Fallout and Doom packs look nice too.
Suppressor, plus you get an exclusive weapon instead of just a skin.
I still need to pre-order, but my birthday is early May, so I'm kind of hoping I'll get it then. Maybe I'll just drop my wife LOTS of hints to get it for me...
I bet the exclusive weapons-- Amazon gets a big revolver, and I think Walmart gets a machine pistol that looks like a stylized mp7-- have stats identical to other weapons in the game. I hope that is how it is.
There is a guy in the SA Brink thread that seems to know what he is talking about. I don't belong to SA, so I can't really speak for or against the guy, but he says some interesting things about the game.
Fishbus is the guy to look for. he says the pre-order guns are identical, stat-wise, to guns in the game. And he says you lose a small amount of XP for dieing, but playing as a team mate will have you recover that lost XP very quickly.
digibawb is the other. He and Fishbus work for Splash Damage. Fishbus has been really good about answering questions for the people on SA. He is a godsend, though he doesnt know as much as most people want to know.
Customization is a key feature in the game, whether it's through character aesthetics or within your own arsenal. The upgrade system in Brink is a bit different than most, and this is where the Challenge mode comes into play. Many shooters grant new weapons and attachments through gaining levels with experience points. However, in Brink you can only unlock these items through completing challenge scenarios as a prerequisite. These are based on three-star grades that range in difficulty, and have you completing tasks in time-based and efficiency settings. This is all separate from the missions in Campaign and Free modes, and will also feature a friend list leaderboard for those looking to earn a few bragging rights.
Luckily, experience points aren't as useless as you might be thinking. This is how characters will unlock new outfits and appearances, in addition to accessing stronger abilities. These can range from general abilities that all classes can use, to the variety of buffs that specific classes can bestow on others during battle. Like most team-based shooters, the variety of classes can provide a wide array of tactics for your squad.
CarbonFireSee youin the countryRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
I wonder how hard the challenges will be?
I could see a lot of people getting frustrated with the game if they lock too many guns/attachments behind difficult challenges. People aren't going to care nearly as much about their avatar if they can't get the guns they want easily.
Locking better guns/attachments behind challenges that some may not be able to complete is the wrong way to go if you're trying to maximize accessibility. Many lower-skilled players, given a sufficient amount of time, could earn the required XP to unlock "better" weaponry, thus helping them even the playing field a little without actually having to get better at the game. Locking that content behind challenges means that playing field could remain unlevel. This seems counter to Splash Damage's earlier assertions about wanting to get non-MP players more interested in the multiplayer side of things. This all hinges on how difficult these challenges will be of course, so I suppose we'll see soon enough (maybe people at PAX East will spill the beans!)
Seems like tying avatar customization to challenges would be a better way to go, as those are non-game changing and could still work as a reward for players who choose to complete them.
Edit: If, however, the challenges are structured in such a way that anyone could come in and unlock them quickly and be up to speed in short order, then maybe there is some merit to this system.
My guess is that the Challenges will be things that teach you how to play the game better. Stuff like heal these dudes, or hack this thing, etc. I doubt it'll be GET EIGHT HEADSHOTS IN TWO SECONDS
It would be nicer to just have this stuff unlocked without making me jump for fucking hoops for the first 4 hours just to be able to make my gun work like I want it to work. This global progression/unlock stuff is a bunch of bullshit. I don't mind if within the context of a map or a round you unlock stuff, because that's just a way to structure the flow of the match (and this is what ET:QW did), but I hate hate hate being limited in my options just because the developers want to make the "I'm a dumbass and I love gambling!" part of my brain light up every 5 minutes with an unlocked reward. HEY BRINK I WANT MY GUN ADDONS RIGHT NOW THANK YOU.
It would be nicer to just have this stuff unlocked without making me jump for fucking hoops for the first 4 hours just to be able to make my gun work like I want it to work. This global progression/unlock stuff is a bunch of bullshit. I don't mind if within the context of a map or a round you unlock stuff, because that's just a way to structure the flow of the match (and this is what ET:QW did), but I hate hate hate being limited in my options just because the developers want to make the "I'm a dumbass and I love gambling!" part of my brain light up every 5 minutes with an unlocked reward. HEY BRINK I WANT MY GUN ADDONS RIGHT NOW THANK YOU.
Yea, Call of Duty and BC2 etc etc should have given all the guns and attachments all at once, and not made everyone jump through hoops for the first 25 hours of gameplay... ;-)
It would be nicer to just have this stuff unlocked without making me jump for fucking hoops for the first 4 hours just to be able to make my gun work like I want it to work. This global progression/unlock stuff is a bunch of bullshit. I don't mind if within the context of a map or a round you unlock stuff, because that's just a way to structure the flow of the match (and this is what ET:QW did), but I hate hate hate being limited in my options just because the developers want to make the "I'm a dumbass and I love gambling!" part of my brain light up every 5 minutes with an unlocked reward. HEY BRINK I WANT MY GUN ADDONS RIGHT NOW THANK YOU.
Yea, Call of Duty and BC2 etc etc should have given all the guns and attachments all at once, and not made everyone jump through hoops for the first 25 hours of gameplay... ;-)
Yes. Starsiege: Tribes did it and nobody died. I didn't have to unlock fucking heavy armor or the plasma gun or deployable inventory stations.
It would be nicer to just have this stuff unlocked without making me jump for fucking hoops for the first 4 hours just to be able to make my gun work like I want it to work. This global progression/unlock stuff is a bunch of bullshit. I don't mind if within the context of a map or a round you unlock stuff, because that's just a way to structure the flow of the match (and this is what ET:QW did), but I hate hate hate being limited in my options just because the developers want to make the "I'm a dumbass and I love gambling!" part of my brain light up every 5 minutes with an unlocked reward. HEY BRINK I WANT MY GUN ADDONS RIGHT NOW THANK YOU.
Limed. All of it.
Unlocks of that manner are just a weak attempt at maintaining a sense of progression so that you can hopefully drag players through another 20 odd hours of multiplayer, not on the merits of the gameplay itself, but because that's the only way to gain access to the means to play as well as you can. It's also why the whole ridiculous "Prestige" system came about.
It's irritating as heck that everyone seems to follow this model. The reason I've put a tonne of time into a game like DoW2 isn't because if I don't I can't access all the freaking units and features (granted there are new unit textures as unlocks, but nobody really sees or cares about them). It's because I have fun with the multiplayer, and part of that is making good use of all the tools they've provided me.
I suppose in FPS's it's different to RTS's since you can basically have weapons with tweaked stats, and withholding them won't really skew the game in anyone's favour. But I'd still prefer to have access to all this stuff so that I can experiment on my own and work out for myself what equipment loadouts suit my play style. And then later on switch them up if I feel like it. I get annoyed in FPS's when they say "Wait you want to use the defibrillator? I realise you're a medic but that's a SPECIAL UNLOCK! We can't just give useful items like that to you, you have to earn them." It's that whole ethos that you have to earn the right to play as effectively as you can and have fun with the freaking game.
I agree that if you want to do unlocks, cosmetic is better by far.
I don't know, provided the progression is quick I really have no problem with holding a reasonably minimal amount of content back as an incentive for doing something the developer thinks will improve your experience (as I assume the challenges are?)
I guess though that in principle I would much prefer not having any unlocks to having an unlock system that frustrates me in any way. It's not exactly a benefit in this sort of a game.
ObiFettUse the ForceAs You WishRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Unlocks in this game seem to be more geared toward making sure players know what they are doing before they are given the more complex decisions.
You start with medium class and basic weapons. Learn to play this incredibly teamwork based game FIRST, then we give you stuff to make other decisions.
I can see the good behind it. I can also see the annoyance behind having to jump through hoops to get those options.
I much prefer unlocks. It'll give me something to play for. For a game like this, if I have everything unlocked at the start, I'll play maybe two hours and that will be it for me.
I could see a lot of people getting frustrated with the game if they lock too many guns/attachments behind difficult challenges. People aren't going to care nearly as much about their avatar if they can't get the guns they want easily.
this is exactly why a lot of people hated modnation racers on PS3
It would be nicer to just have this stuff unlocked without making me jump for fucking hoops for the first 4 hours just to be able to make my gun work like I want it to work. This global progression/unlock stuff is a bunch of bullshit. I don't mind if within the context of a map or a round you unlock stuff, because that's just a way to structure the flow of the match (and this is what ET:QW did), but I hate hate hate being limited in my options just because the developers want to make the "I'm a dumbass and I love gambling!" part of my brain light up every 5 minutes with an unlocked reward. HEY BRINK I WANT MY GUN ADDONS RIGHT NOW THANK YOU.
Yea, Call of Duty and BC2 etc etc should have given all the guns and attachments all at once, and not made everyone jump through hoops for the first 25 hours of gameplay... ;-)
i guess you're being sarcastic but for the most part i think FPS progression systems are an incredibly obnoxious gimmick
if a given developer is worried about overwhelming me with choices, i say, don't worry, i'll manage somehow, and probably be happier about being able to access equipment and skills without needing to grind my way through arbitrary low levels
I am probably starting to sound like a fan boy, but I think the unlock system sounds good. It sounds like Brink is going to have enough differences from Black Ops that I will need to learn a new style of play. I had to learn a new style of play when I went from Timesplitters to Halo, and again when I went from Halol2 to Black Ops. I'm fine with having to do some challenges/tutorials in disguise to get some rewards.
As long as the early progression to more essential items is quick, and that the later unlocked items aren't severely imbalanced, I like the progression system. I especially like the idea of spending XP to choose which unlocks you get (at least for a portion of the unlocks).
If it ever feels like I'm gimped and grinding so I can eventually carry my own weight, then they've failed. Or if I can't do the job I want to do, until I've scrubbed enough toilets, forget it.
I'm very anxious to hear more about Brink's unlocks, including this challenge stuff. Everything I've heard so far makes me think these Splash Damage folks have their heads straight. I don't think they'll mess this part up.
no worries on
0
Options
CarbonFireSee youin the countryRegistered Userregular
I'm very anxious to hear more about Brink's unlocks, including this challenge stuff. Everything I've heard so far makes me think these Splash Damage folks have their heads straight. I don't think they'll mess this part up.
EXACTLY.
I can't see them saying "We didn't want a game that takes a thousand hours to get good at" and "We systematically went through everything that kills the fun in shooters and removed/tweaked it".
And then going and adding a feature that takes a million years to grind and unlock everything.
If anything the requirements for unlocks will be like tests to ensure you know what you are doing and exp based to allow specialization between players.
i guess you're being sarcastic but for the most part i think FPS progression systems are an incredibly obnoxious gimmick
If it wasn't for that "obnoxious gimmick" I wouldn't even play FPSs.
And that's why it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Game developers are learning the ins-and-outs of human manipulation. It's only going to get more heinous from here (how bout 'dem social games???).
I mean, yes but also I don't think Magic Pink is describing heinous manipulation.
There's a reason that no D&D game starts with the DM saying "Lo, and you've got all the shit in the book and are level 20"
Well, at least not most.
Progression can be fun, not just an evil method of keeping you hooked. I mean as an example, BG2 had reasonably simple, minor progression for characters but man I really loved having the chance to see people go BING every so often. The game wouldn't really be different if it hadn't done that (you do start at level 12, after all. They could have started you at 20), but I think it would be less fun.
Of course, multiplayer competitive FPS is a whole different thing, but it's not as though the concept itself was introduced in CoD by people who hate us.
I'm very anxious to hear more about Brink's unlocks, including this challenge stuff. Everything I've heard so far makes me think these Splash Damage folks have their heads straight. I don't think they'll mess this part up.
EXACTLY.
I can't see them saying "We didn't want a game that takes a thousand hours to get good at" and "We systematically went through everything that kills the fun in shooters and removed/tweaked it".
And then going and adding a feature that takes a million years to grind and unlock everything.
If anything the requirements for unlocks will be like tests to ensure you know what you are doing and exp based to allow specialization between players.
It has to be seen as a way to get NEW players into the game as well, not everyone is a FPS player.
Brinks trailers and ad's are great and will attract attention from the less hardcore, and it sucks when others have unlocked something that ups their game, but you have no idea how to counter it.
The 'poison' skill in AssBro's is a good example(sorry Ubi), the whole down leveling thing is HUGE, I have very liitle issue with you wanting to fight lower level guys to feel like 'The Guy' but now do it without your upgrades.
i guess you're being sarcastic but for the most part i think FPS progression systems are an incredibly obnoxious gimmick
If it wasn't for that "obnoxious gimmick" I wouldn't even play FPSs.
And that's why it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Game developers are learning the ins-and-outs of human manipulation. It's only going to get more heinous from here (how bout 'dem social games???).
Therein lies the problem. Not everything has to be about freaking progression, throwing in unlocks and upgrades once you've "earned" them. Trying to shoehorn RPG mechanics into everything in the belief it'll keep things fresh but in reality it's just a way to hamstring the player and make them work towards having a better time.
I've put more hours into Team Fortress 2 than I have Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The unlock system didn't keep me coming back to BF:BC2, I just stopped playing it when I was bored. And whilst they've been adding stuff to TF2, I don't care about hats and probably wouldn't care if things were rolled back to Vanilla (maybe plus the class reworks), I play it because it's still fun to play, even though I don't really have any unlocks on that one.
It's like trying to make 5-a-side football in the park more interesting by saying "After you've kicked the ball 200 times in defence, we'll allow you to move up to midfield", and "You've avoided being tackled 15 times! Congratulations, you've just unlocked shin guards!"
Bringing it back to TF2 again, I can't see how the game would be better if I had to spend 5 hours playing as a scout before I could unlock the Heavy class. Only he's got the shotgun and to unlock the minigun you need to score 25 kills first and aaaarrrrgggghhhh.
I'm not saying that Brink's going to play like that. If they've got a rapid progression that doesn't get in the way of my playing the game, then I don't mind. But most games that try for an unlock system almost inevitably do so by taking away the means and styles of play that I WANT to use and instead forcing me to play the game some other way first until I'm allowed to.
And if we're talking about "learning" the game, that's not their job to FORCE me to learn the ins and outs of every weapon and build. I'll get to that in my own time, but if you're going to have provisions in the game for me to play it the way I want to, then let me do that.
Posts
The lack of female avatars has been a thing since the begining. The devs have said it was a choice they didn't enjoy making, but it was made early in the development thing. They said it from the start, and every week or so, someone makes a thread about it on their forum. And people troll the comments sections of interviews and videos about it.
Their are eight archetypes per faction, each type supposedly has a couple pieces for each body section. I think there are 8 things you can change-- hair, head gear, face, face gear, inner top, outer top, pants, and tattoos. That is 64 options before you change colors! You can mix and match stuff from each, change the color, change the texture, and I think there are more clothing pieces to unlock aside from just the archetype clothes.
I am going to spend so much time on customizing my characters, haha. I waste tons of time on that in Fallout NV, and I play on ps3, so I don't even have any extra options. Well, there are tons of outfits, but you can't really change the color or combine outfits like you can in Brink.
i think it's down to walmart or amazon, but damn it's a tough choice
Amazon has a 10$ credit and isn't Wal-Mart. So your choice is made.
IIRC, the VOIP is on by default, but for friends only. Everyone else is off by default.
Which is just an even better decision really.
Any word on what community system this is going to be using PC-side? Or if they're going to be using their own?
Steam would appear to have all the functionality they need naturally, but it's not like making their own would make any difference or anything.
Just as long as they aren't using GFWL or something.
Suppressor, plus you get an exclusive weapon instead of just a skin.
I still need to pre-order, but my birthday is early May, so I'm kind of hoping I'll get it then. Maybe I'll just drop my wife LOTS of hints to get it for me...
Valve's site showing off Steamworks had pictures of a bunch of different game boxes including Brink. Although it looks like they removed it when they updated the site to this 2011 version.
That's right, Steamworks and VAC. Bliss!
Bah, $10 credit at Amazon is console titles only.
Guess it's ok since PC is $50.
I bet the exclusive weapons-- Amazon gets a big revolver, and I think Walmart gets a machine pistol that looks like a stylized mp7-- have stats identical to other weapons in the game. I hope that is how it is.
There is a guy in the SA Brink thread that seems to know what he is talking about. I don't belong to SA, so I can't really speak for or against the guy, but he says some interesting things about the game.
Something Awful Brink Thread (SA== potentially NSFW butts in avatars, etc)
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3203656&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=20
Fishbus is the guy to look for. he says the pre-order guns are identical, stat-wise, to guns in the game. And he says you lose a small amount of XP for dieing, but playing as a team mate will have you recover that lost XP very quickly.
http://www.direct2drive.com/Search.aspx?SearchTerm=brink
Twitter|Facebook|
Drum magazines on everything.
For mediums and up.
That much ammo gets hefty.
...extended magazines.
Extended magazines on everything.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/293050/interviews/brink-a-world-people-havent-seen-before/
Ham talks about the AI, and mentions flashbangs and molotovs. the AI scales/ranks up as you do, so things remain competitive. They use the same guns and equipment as humans, do the same damage with the same guns, etc.
digibawb is the other. He and Fishbus work for Splash Damage. Fishbus has been really good about answering questions for the people on SA. He is a godsend, though he doesnt know as much as most people want to know.
Hey, some new info! Neat!
I could see a lot of people getting frustrated with the game if they lock too many guns/attachments behind difficult challenges. People aren't going to care nearly as much about their avatar if they can't get the guns they want easily.
Locking better guns/attachments behind challenges that some may not be able to complete is the wrong way to go if you're trying to maximize accessibility. Many lower-skilled players, given a sufficient amount of time, could earn the required XP to unlock "better" weaponry, thus helping them even the playing field a little without actually having to get better at the game. Locking that content behind challenges means that playing field could remain unlevel. This seems counter to Splash Damage's earlier assertions about wanting to get non-MP players more interested in the multiplayer side of things. This all hinges on how difficult these challenges will be of course, so I suppose we'll see soon enough (maybe people at PAX East will spill the beans!)
Seems like tying avatar customization to challenges would be a better way to go, as those are non-game changing and could still work as a reward for players who choose to complete them.
Edit: If, however, the challenges are structured in such a way that anyone could come in and unlock them quickly and be up to speed in short order, then maybe there is some merit to this system.
Yea, Call of Duty and BC2 etc etc should have given all the guns and attachments all at once, and not made everyone jump through hoops for the first 25 hours of gameplay... ;-)
Yes. Starsiege: Tribes did it and nobody died. I didn't have to unlock fucking heavy armor or the plasma gun or deployable inventory stations.
Limed. All of it.
Unlocks of that manner are just a weak attempt at maintaining a sense of progression so that you can hopefully drag players through another 20 odd hours of multiplayer, not on the merits of the gameplay itself, but because that's the only way to gain access to the means to play as well as you can. It's also why the whole ridiculous "Prestige" system came about.
It's irritating as heck that everyone seems to follow this model. The reason I've put a tonne of time into a game like DoW2 isn't because if I don't I can't access all the freaking units and features (granted there are new unit textures as unlocks, but nobody really sees or cares about them). It's because I have fun with the multiplayer, and part of that is making good use of all the tools they've provided me.
I suppose in FPS's it's different to RTS's since you can basically have weapons with tweaked stats, and withholding them won't really skew the game in anyone's favour. But I'd still prefer to have access to all this stuff so that I can experiment on my own and work out for myself what equipment loadouts suit my play style. And then later on switch them up if I feel like it. I get annoyed in FPS's when they say "Wait you want to use the defibrillator? I realise you're a medic but that's a SPECIAL UNLOCK! We can't just give useful items like that to you, you have to earn them." It's that whole ethos that you have to earn the right to play as effectively as you can and have fun with the freaking game.
I agree that if you want to do unlocks, cosmetic is better by far.
I guess though that in principle I would much prefer not having any unlocks to having an unlock system that frustrates me in any way. It's not exactly a benefit in this sort of a game.
You start with medium class and basic weapons. Learn to play this incredibly teamwork based game FIRST, then we give you stuff to make other decisions.
I can see the good behind it. I can also see the annoyance behind having to jump through hoops to get those options.
if a given developer is worried about overwhelming me with choices, i say, don't worry, i'll manage somehow, and probably be happier about being able to access equipment and skills without needing to grind my way through arbitrary low levels
steam | xbox live: IGNORANT HARLOT | psn: MadRoll | nintendo network: spinach
3ds: 1504-5717-8252
If it wasn't for that "obnoxious gimmick" I wouldn't even play FPSs.
i enjoyed the gameplay of e.g. original-release TF2 without needing a carrot in front of my nose
steam | xbox live: IGNORANT HARLOT | psn: MadRoll | nintendo network: spinach
3ds: 1504-5717-8252
If it ever feels like I'm gimped and grinding so I can eventually carry my own weight, then they've failed. Or if I can't do the job I want to do, until I've scrubbed enough toilets, forget it.
I'm very anxious to hear more about Brink's unlocks, including this challenge stuff. Everything I've heard so far makes me think these Splash Damage folks have their heads straight. I don't think they'll mess this part up.
And that's why it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Game developers are learning the ins-and-outs of human manipulation. It's only going to get more heinous from here (how bout 'dem social games???).
EXACTLY.
I can't see them saying "We didn't want a game that takes a thousand hours to get good at" and "We systematically went through everything that kills the fun in shooters and removed/tweaked it".
And then going and adding a feature that takes a million years to grind and unlock everything.
If anything the requirements for unlocks will be like tests to ensure you know what you are doing and exp based to allow specialization between players.
I mean, yes but also I don't think Magic Pink is describing heinous manipulation.
There's a reason that no D&D game starts with the DM saying "Lo, and you've got all the shit in the book and are level 20"
Well, at least not most.
Progression can be fun, not just an evil method of keeping you hooked. I mean as an example, BG2 had reasonably simple, minor progression for characters but man I really loved having the chance to see people go BING every so often. The game wouldn't really be different if it hadn't done that (you do start at level 12, after all. They could have started you at 20), but I think it would be less fun.
Of course, multiplayer competitive FPS is a whole different thing, but it's not as though the concept itself was introduced in CoD by people who hate us.
It has to be seen as a way to get NEW players into the game as well, not everyone is a FPS player.
Brinks trailers and ad's are great and will attract attention from the less hardcore, and it sucks when others have unlocked something that ups their game, but you have no idea how to counter it.
The 'poison' skill in AssBro's is a good example(sorry Ubi), the whole down leveling thing is HUGE, I have very liitle issue with you wanting to fight lower level guys to feel like 'The Guy' but now do it without your upgrades.
Therein lies the problem. Not everything has to be about freaking progression, throwing in unlocks and upgrades once you've "earned" them. Trying to shoehorn RPG mechanics into everything in the belief it'll keep things fresh but in reality it's just a way to hamstring the player and make them work towards having a better time.
I've put more hours into Team Fortress 2 than I have Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The unlock system didn't keep me coming back to BF:BC2, I just stopped playing it when I was bored. And whilst they've been adding stuff to TF2, I don't care about hats and probably wouldn't care if things were rolled back to Vanilla (maybe plus the class reworks), I play it because it's still fun to play, even though I don't really have any unlocks on that one.
It's like trying to make 5-a-side football in the park more interesting by saying "After you've kicked the ball 200 times in defence, we'll allow you to move up to midfield", and "You've avoided being tackled 15 times! Congratulations, you've just unlocked shin guards!"
Bringing it back to TF2 again, I can't see how the game would be better if I had to spend 5 hours playing as a scout before I could unlock the Heavy class. Only he's got the shotgun and to unlock the minigun you need to score 25 kills first and aaaarrrrgggghhhh.
I'm not saying that Brink's going to play like that. If they've got a rapid progression that doesn't get in the way of my playing the game, then I don't mind. But most games that try for an unlock system almost inevitably do so by taking away the means and styles of play that I WANT to use and instead forcing me to play the game some other way first until I'm allowed to.
And if we're talking about "learning" the game, that's not their job to FORCE me to learn the ins and outs of every weapon and build. I'll get to that in my own time, but if you're going to have provisions in the game for me to play it the way I want to, then let me do that.
Wut?
They don't do that with everything but they may add it later. You can change your shipping afterwards if they do.