DISCLAIMER (I hate having to do this): this thread is NOT a call for K/D to be shown, it’s a call for players to recognise the value of K/D even if it’s hidden. Cheers!
Brink is an OBJ based game, and that’s its focus and main selling point to many of its players. Tired of “team” based FPSs full of lone wolf whoring and Rambo reenactments, many have followed/migrated to Brink for the simply reason that its set up allows for some of the most organic team based experiences in gaming history. However, while public games can be random and exciting frenzies of organic team brilliance, they can also be boiling pots of personal frustration and game-ruining annoyance.
The best way to play Brink is for your team to know how to live up to its namesake.
Let’s start from the beginning…
There’s no denying that OBJ focus is key, and should always be primary, but how do we manage to take OBJs efficiently and cleanly? Well, we make sure the enemy isn’t allowed to stop us. IE: we shoot them, a lot, in the face if preferable.
Now, a team that is moving forward and clearing rooms with players switching to a needed class when they see an OBJ appear and no-one else taking the initiative /can/ be a successful team, but this alone won’t always be enough to ensure they’re an /efficient/ team.
A team that switches up too often can be just as detrimental as a team full of K/D whores.
The point is this: Brink is not about K/D and Brink is not about OBJs… Brink is about BALANCE
Wait, didn’t I write earlier that OBJ should always be Primary? Good spot. I also highlighted the fact that OBJs can be taken much more efficiently if the enemy is made dead and kept that ways as often as possible.
To play Brink with the upmost efficiency, there are certain roles that require fulfilling:
The Killers - those who focus on clearing areas and keeping them clear while others support and cap OBJs. Of course, everyone will be killing all the time, but by shifting the brunt of the focus to a couple of delegated players you will /always/ have someone holding the area down while the main body of your team can do their jobs without losing too much focus.
Soldiers suit this role perfectly with their AoE focus and Grenade spam potential.
The Supporters - those who focus on stocking ammo, keeping everyone buffed, healing/reviving, setting up perimeters, etc… this is /NOT/ a lesser position, and shouldn’t be viewed as less glamorous or important. A player who can efficiently support their team knowing who to delegate their last pip to is just as important as the soldier wracking up kills.
Medics and Engineers build the brunt here keeping the core of the team at full strength, while an operative or two works the fringes sending back tactical intel.
The OBJ Takers - these guys are the ones who flit and flirt between classes to get s*it done! A soldier who’s part of the Killer bracket shouldn’t stop killing when the room is clear to place a charge, they should ensure the are is held so /these/ guys can get in there and take the OBJ.
A team who delegates in this way will stomp all over a team who is switching it up on the fly. It’s just fact that a well oiled machine runs smoother, and if you know your roles and stick to it your team is going to benefit.
The fact that command posts exist for people to switch up on the fly should not be a reason for everyone to be doing so. Let’s take a look at what I consider my ideal team set up:
The most important thing to remember is that Brink is supposed to be fun, so let everyone have a go at everything if they want to. you might prefer being the killer on your team, but you’re going to be a much better killer if you know the other classes well, and the best way to learn them is to play them inside and out.
Also, people should have mics. And if people don’t have mics then they should still all be on the same fireteam. If I’m on a team with players without mics, I will invite them in and use my mic to keep the team informed of the situation. It’s good if you can assign a captain role to a single player, but it’s not essential.
2 Medics concentrating on healing the team.
1-2 soldiers concentrating /purely/ on killing the enemy.
1 Operative working the fringes and using the bodies to secure intel
1-2 engineers buffing things
2 players who flit between classes constantly to achieve objectives.
Now, let’s look at a scenario:
Two kill focused soldiers move into an area and start removing enemy threat, pre-buffed by their supporters who move in behind them laying down supporting fire and picking off targets. The OBJ takers hang back taking pot-shots and flitting between needed roles as people die and respawn etc…
Now, the team clear an objective and establish a perimeter. The soldiers hold back the advancing enemy as they respawn, the supporters hold them up, and the OBJ handlers rush in and do their thing. Now, say the OBJ takers get sniped by an enemy and the OBJ taking is stopped. Unless there’s seconds to go on the clock and someone can rush in and tip the game into the safety of a cut scene, then the remaining players should /not/ attempt to switch up and take the OBJ, but instead hold the area while the OBJ takers respawn and rush back in to finish their work.
What good would it be for one of the soldiers to stop killing and start laying the charge with 70% to go when the area could be overrun again and the team pushed back?
Of course, it wouldn’t be impossible, but it’s a much safer and more efficient bet to remain at your post and get your own job done.
This set up also allows the main body of the team to be strong enough for the soldiers to back of in a lull and scavenge bodies to keep their ammo count up and to supply their team. Once a wave is down and the bulk of the enemy is respawning, the supporters can switch to focusing on fire while the soldiers restock and resupply themselves and others. THIS is an example of the potential of the organic nature of Brink at its best, and how roles can reverse with each class capable mixing it up, and NOT everyone switching just because an OBJ is ready to be taken.
So, why is K/D important? Well, surely the above would have answered it for you. The Killers with high positive K/D will be those who are helping their teams the most by ensuring the enemy are dying more often so the areas remain free for working, the operatives with high positive K/Ds will be those who know when to time their caps and when to retreat to keep the timer ticking up efficiently (it’s not always best to hunker down on the OBJ and simply hold the button capture button while you pray…), and the supporters with high K/D will be those who know when to engage the enemy directly with more focus and when to lend total support to those who are more adept at the task.
EVERYONE should be killing, but by delegating the roles in this way you’ll ensure that positive K/D remain high and that fact will mean your team is being efficient and winning with tactical skill and precision. Just because Brink gives you the option to switch it up doesn’t mean /you/ always should.
The point is not to focus on the K/D itself, but to allow the K/D to remain positive /because/ you’re working your role for the good of the team to the best of your ability.
K/D /is/ important, it’s just that a better K/D does not = a better player.
Brink is a game that focuses on OBJ, sure, but the game is an OBJ based FPS: A First Person SHOOTER. If kill more and die less your team will do better. Just remember that if you take care of your team your K/D will take care of itself.
