Are exclusive weapons timed exclusives?

[Jess_Alon]

In all fairness, it is a bit different. Regardless if it takes 3 years of playtime, anyone can obtain those items simply by playing the game long enough. With exclusive items such as these, No amount of playtime or skill will unlock them - you are forced to pay for them.

Yeah I know this. But who cares. It’s usually a small trivial thing on a pre-order. Like a couple guns or early access to a gun like in bc2. Or it’s some sort of skin or costume type trinket that just says you pre-ordered the game. And it’s a nice way to signify that you really supported the game and preordered it and got it day one when other people see you online. So if people see me with either of my brink pre-order costumes or even parts of them they will know I was on board from day one and didn’t wait 2 months to see what everyone else thinks.

[Auzner]

The above mention packs, the weapons are skins (texture) while the Psycho and Spec Ops packs are actualy models with 2 different skins (1 for each faction) and their custom sounds. Notice they don’t mention the word skin

I never realized this until now. I would have liked to get the Doom pack, but ordering from Steam or Amazon means I get an exclusive weapon. I picked Amazon because I like collecting video game boxes. A unique silenced pistol might work for me. I’d rather have a Doom or Fallout shirt though.

[BrigandSk_A]

I never realized this until now. I would have liked to get the Doom pack, but ordering from Steam or Amazon means I get an exclusive weapon. I picked Amazon because I like collecting video game boxes. A unique silenced pistol might work for me. I’d rather have a Doom or Fallout shirt though.

WARNING

We still don’t know if the bonuses are actually EXCLUSIVE and UNIQUE for pre-orders ONLY.

So yeah…it’s sort of a shot in the dark, nonetheless… do what pleases you best.

[EcafNoGav]

[QUOTE=H0RSE;258672]You must have missed what I said earlier, let me post it again for you.

I never said anything about thinking they are exclusive, only that there is nothing wrong with people believing they should be. [/QUOTE]

That must be a special skill to dilute an arguments like that and steer it completely of course. Let me distill it and see if you can understand easier.

You say it’s not stupid to believe that exclusive items should truly be exclusive. I say, it is stupid for the reason that it is not meant to enhance a player’s experience as much as artificially line a publishers pockets.

[QUOTE=H0RSE;258672]Your point?

Maybe that is why you feel the need to do - I just see it as offering different choices to consumers that want it. If people want to buy more than 1 copy, then they will do so, and it will be their choice.

I know a bunch of people who are buying multiple copies of this game, and not one of them are doing because they feel they “need” to. They are doing it because they appreciate what SD has done in the past, and have no problems supporting them - it’s about choice not need.[/QUOTE]

My point is, funds are limited. Which is why some games, even games of quality, don’t always perform so well commercially. The awareness of this condition is why Brigand wants - focusing on “need” is a display of poor attention to the real subject at hand - to support the developer. But he can do that by just buying multiple copies anyway. Nobody is taking that choice away from him. There is no need for players who bought the game, and as such have supported the developer as well, to get screwed over just because they didn’t do it at a specific place.

I say you’re right. It is about choice. So how about we give the consumer even more choice? Choice is great isn’t it? Let’s take EVERY ****ing weapon in the game and make them an exclusive to a certain retailer in a certain state. A ****ing HK 416 if you buy a copy at Target in Kentucky. A Sig 552 if you bought a copy at Toy’s 'R Us in Oregon. An ACR if you buy your copy at Software Etc, etc…

That’s the take away. This isn’t some loyalty, developer appreciation, reward program. It is pure and simple a marketing ploy. To the benefit of the publisher and retailer only. It has nothing to do with the fan.

Are these items exclusive to people who have been loyal to the developer since the beginning? Are they exclusive to those who’ve spend hundreds or thousands of hours playing Enemy Territory or Quake Wars? Are they exclusive to forum regulars? Are they even exclusive to people who bought a thousand copies at a non-participating retailer?

[LyndonL]

[QUOTE=BrigandSk(A);258681]Good thing you don’t read the posts before you reply . . .
<snip>
Splash Damage actually described which are skins (texture) or models (3D object + sounds)
<snip>
The above mention packs, the weapons are skins (texture) while the Psycho and Spec Ops packs are actualy models with 2 different skins (1 for each faction) and their custom sounds. Notice they don’t mention the word skin:
<snip>
I hope you understood everything this time around
[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the smartass response. Models are simply that: models. As DoHo said, no mention of differing stats are there. SD is taking an extra 6 months or whatever purely for balance and polish. You think they would risk that kind of dedication to making things even by adding a random weapon to people who buy at a particular retailer??

• I’ve got 2 steam accounts and 2 PCs at home
• I want a boxed version of the game for off-line use If I want/need to
• I’m hoping to be able to set up my private dedicated server
• I will borrow the game to friends and family so they can have some fun with me, just for a try

You want to play it offline? Steam, even when set to offline only, requires periodic checking for updates. You can’t lend a game to friends or family unless you give them your Steam account. Is that what you’re planning on doing? Steam will not run on 2 pcs at once. It cracks a major dummy spit.

[BrigandSk_A]

I got say… it’s about choice not need.

Simply because for fully experience the game I just need the basic copy, sort of like Half life source death match, it costs only 1 dollar and you can experience thousands of mods for free.

I want to buy 2 copies because I can not need, it’s a luxury thing to be able to have the ability to install the game off-line (DVD) and digitally (without any CD or DVD).

I want to give them a donation receiving along 2 copies of their 1st IP (Intellectual Property), Brink! I have thousands of good hours playing their free multilayer (wolfenstein: enemy territory), imo the game still has more team game-play than most recent games like bad company or black ops, they balanced the rambo (aka 1 man army) and team dependency level in 2003. And the proof is that it still has strong active community!

I almost bet you never heard about pirate software… lame

---

LyndonL

I’m not even going to extend wherever you are trying to get to, simply because:

1st you making a tempest in a cup of water

2nd I recently recovered my old AMD dual core 64 bits (939 socket), so I got an extra steam account for thsi PC with games like the free portal edition and cheap games that have SDK tools (such as HL2), and If I do not have Internet connection, with the DVD I got a way of playing Brink, I’m sure the 1st version will be reasonably polished for lan and offline. Get over it . . .

:stroggtapir:

[Nail]

every copy will need to be authenticated online with Steam upon install, after that it may be used offline as well, but will need to be initially authenticated by Steam on first time use

[Auzner]

I want to give them a donation receiving along 2 copies of their 1st IP (Intellectual Property), Brink! I have thousands of good hours playing their free multilayer (wolfenstein: enemy territory)

ET was my #1 game as well. I switched when L4D came out. I think Brink will eventually be a pleasant surprise for everyone who didn’t preorder it. While we’re enjoying it, everyone else will be arguing how Brink should be like CoD/BF/Halo in some way. If people can wrap their minds around Brink, maybe it will become the new defacto comparison.

I’m not incredibly concerned with the pre-order packages. What I look at is that I pay $10-20 extra to play the game 3-6 months before most people. I get extra time for experience and progress. Choosing to wait for a price reduction subtracts from available time to play it is more of a downside than missing out on some exclusive skins. Perhaps not everyone is aware of the endless customization the game will already have. There will be a million combinations of gear, the preorder items gives a million+1, so it’s not that big of a deal. It’s a slight bonus for the people who paid more (but sooner) than everyone.

[H0RSE]

You say it’s not stupid to believe that exclusive items should truly be exclusive. I say, it is stupid for the reason that it is not meant to enhance a player’s experience as much as artificially line a publishers pockets.

What it’s “meant” to do or not is irrelevant to my point. I was simply stating that, believing that something should do what it says (like exclusive truly being exclusive) isn’t some far fetched, asinine idea, even if they know that it isn’t going to be that way - it’s a belief, a state of mind. Basically, it’s like I said, “there’s nothing wrong with believing in God,” and you saying yes there is.

Are these items exclusive to people who have been loyal to the developer since the beginning? Are they exclusive to those who’ve spend hundreds or thousands of hours playing Enemy Territory or

Quake Wars? Are they exclusive to forum regulars? Are they even exclusive to people who bought a thousand copies at a non-participating retailer?

No, they are suppose to be exclusive to those who pre-ordered Brink - people who had enough faith in the game to pre-order it. This is basically what Wedgwood was saying when he announced the pre-orders at QuakeCon.

I understand that pre-order bonuses are for marketing purposes - that still doesn’t mean that they can’t release an “exclusive” pre-order bonus, and actually keep it exclusive to pre-orders.

[Nail]

store exclusive pre-order skins should be just that, exclusive, there should be no other way to get them, there’s no gameplay difference, it’s just cosmetics

[Bagnol]

I think it’s pointless, at this stage anyway, to try to argue balance or rewards for supporting the developer. Ultimately what it comes down to is people like to collect things. In a game like Brink where you level up and unlock dozens of different weapons, apparel and accessories it’s another form of collection. All having exclusive items will do is make people who don’t have them enjoy the game less. Sure, it may not be game-breaking but it still reduces the experience because there is always going to be something they can’t get from the game.

Frankly I, and many many others, don’t give a **** about your e-peen boost of having something nobody else has, if I’m paying for a game I don’t want to miss out on the full experience because of something as ridiculous as which retailer I bought it from.

Edit: Another point I’d like to add, LyndonL and certain others will know what I’m talking about. I’m not particularly keen on missing out on the full experience because I don’t want to pay a sometimes 100% markup on the price. Pretty much all physical retailers here in Australia sell the game for around $100 Australian, which is currently pretty much 1:1 with the USD. So yeah, I’m going to be pretty pissed if I can’t get access to these items just because I choose not to be robbed blind by retailers.

[BrigandSk_A]

[QUOTE=Bagnol;258771]I think it’s pointless, at this stage anyway, to try to argue balance or rewards for supporting the developer. Ultimately what it comes down to is people like to collect things. In a game like Brink where you level up and unlock dozens of different weapons, apparel and accessories it’s another form of collection. All having exclusive items will do is make people who don’t have them enjoy the game less. Sure, it may not be game-breaking but it still reduces the experience because there is always going to be something they can’t get from the game.

Frankly I, and many many others, don’t give a **** about your e-peen boost of having something nobody else has, if I’m paying for a game I don’t want to miss out on the full experience because of something as ridiculous as which retailer I bought it from.

Edit: Another point I’d like to add, LyndonL and certain others will know what I’m talking about. I’m not particularly keen on missing out on the full experience because I don’t want to pay a sometimes 100% markup on the price. Pretty much all physical retailers here in Australia sell the game for around $100 Australian, which is currently pretty much 1:1 with the USD. So yeah, I’m going to be pretty pissed if I can’t get access to these items just because I choose not to be robbed blind by retailers.[/QUOTE]

That’s exactly why the bonuses packs do not offer anything game breaking!
The way you approach this subject of having “exclusive” weapons . . . is what makes me think those things are exclusive to the point where your wallet will be able to make a difference! as long as you understand that buying certain DLC (psycho, doom, fallout, spec ops) pack won’t make you superior to any player with the standard base version of Brink.

Imo, the bonuses packs are simply things that do not make a difference for being in there! For example: the “Caesar” Revolver and the “Hockler” Machine-Pistol
Both won’t be better than a certain specific weapon (that is available in the base/standard version of Brink) that has the same stats enchanted but with better stats. It’s like comparing a medieval crossbow with a modern crossbow.

I’m not against preorder bonus because buying the game early is actually not just a luxury, it’s also an effort, and having the game paid before release is like taking the weigh from their shoulders… I have no doubts Brink will ®evolutionize how FPS games are designed.
On the other side… I’m against DLCs… but love Expansions and SDK tools

[Auzner]

I don’t want to miss out on the full experience because of something as ridiculous as which retailer I bought it from.

After visiting places on vacation do you remember what shirts you wore wearing and what hair style you had? If yes, do you regret those choices and vow to revisit the site with better clothing?

Brink is more about who you went with and where.

It’s not like you’re getting an exclusive class or jetpack. Way too much fuss over this. These stupid decisions are made because some marketing person wants to prove they’re still useful so they can keep their job. Most of these are just one extra of millions of skins (since color is selectable) so I wouldn’t call it experience breaking.

[Mad_Hatter]

I kind of agree with him though, if only because I know that my mild OCD won’t let me forget that there’s a gun I can’t ever obtain.

[H0RSE]

I don’t want to miss out on the full experience because of something as ridiculous as which retailer I bought it from.

The retail copy is 100% of the game, the pre-order bonuses are just extra - like blooper reals and deleted scenes on movies.

[Senethro]

So retail is 100% of the game and retail + pre-order bonus is 101%?

[EcafNoGav]

What it’s “meant” to do or not is irrelevant to my point. I was simply stating that, believing that something should do what it says (like exclusive truly being exclusive) isn’t some far fetched, asinine idea, even if they know that it isn’t going to be that way - it’s a belief, a state of mind. Basically, it’s like I said, “there’s nothing wrong with believing in God,” and you saying yes there is.

What it sounds like you are saying is that a belief by it’s very nature can not be stupid or wrong? The reasoning supporting a belief is the very thing that qualifies it. A belief isn’t good or neutral if there’s bad reasoning or even ignorance behind it.

There are people who believe that other people should be wiped off the face of the earth because they have a certain lifestyle, or are a certain race, or don’t have the same exact beliefs. Are they not wrong?

If math and science proved beyond a doubt that there is absolutely no higher intelligent power then wouldn’t you say that people still believing that there is are wrong? People have been put in mental institutions for believing things that don’t conform to “normal” society.

No, they are suppose to be exclusive to those who pre-ordered Brink - people who had enough faith in the game to pre-order it. This is basically what Wedgwood was saying when he announced the pre-orders at QuakeCon.

But that content is not exclusive to those who pre-ordered Brink - people who had enough faith in the game to pre-order it. That’s what DICE/EA did with Bad Company 2 and Medal Of Honor. Anyone who pre-ordered - or even bought those games early, regardless of where they did so - got early or exclusive unlocks.

With Brink, if you pre-ordered the game - had enough faith to pre-order it - you’re still going to be missing out on content regardless of where you pre-ordered it, unless you pre-order it in every participating retailer. I pre-ordered the game almost as soon as they first showed it off. That’s how much faith I had in Brink. But I’m still going to be missing out on content. And if a person had pre-ordered it the first day they possibly could but didn’t do so at Gamespot, Amazon, Walmart, or Bestbuy. They get **** despite having the maximum amount of faith.

Which is unfair and if someone, regardless or even especially from an official channel, tells you it’s to reward fans for their loyalty and not simply a marketing wile then they are manipulating and bull ****ting you.

I understand that pre-order bonuses are for marketing purposes - that still doesn’t mean that they can’t release an “exclusive” pre-order bonus, and actually keep it exclusive to pre-orders.

I never said they can’t. They can, by the laws of physics, do whatever they please. They can make each individual individual copy a million dollars. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to express my dissatisfaction with it.

The retail copy is 100% of the game, the pre-order bonuses are just extra - like blooper reals and deleted scenes on movies.

You’ve just brought another point into the equation of why this is bull ****.

If you buy a $20 regular edition of a movie you don’t get any of the content from a special edition on the disk. Which means, you didn’t pay for that content to be developed to be sold to other people but then denied the use of said content.

With games, especially multiplayer, the content is on the disk you purchased. Which means you’re paying for the time publishers paid developers to spend on that content, you’re paying for the advertisers that come up with these kinds of bull **** deals that get you screwed out of content. You paid for content that you can’t use but that the publisher can use to manipulate the consumer with.

If this stuff wasn’t on the disk and I couldn’t see players using it. It wouldn’t be as big of a slap in the face.

[BrigandSk_A]

Pre-order bonus packs are NOT rewards, simply marketing and business between publisher, retailer consumer!

Why?

CAPITALISM

Do NOT feed the troll

[Nail]

a lot of drama over a new colour hat

[Bagnol]

Wow, way to completely miss the point I was making. It’s called reading comprehension people. The point I was trying to make is a big part of the game is collecting the different weapons and apparel to mix and match your character’s look and make him unique. If some of those items are held back, I’m going to feel like I’m not given all the options I could have. Brink is constantly advertised on it’s customisation, if the pre-order items are truly exclusive should they not be saying “experience most of the customisation, but not all of it unless you pre-order the game 4 times.”?

Doesn’t matter now anyway I guess, you guys seem to have this obsession with having in-game items others don’t so you can stroke your e-peen and say “I have something you don’t have.”, I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise.