Brink, Extraction and some thoughts

(Rubbaduren) #1

Alright. Tried to find a discussion thread (not looking very hard) about the future of Brink, and what Extraction is all about. Now, after seeing trailers/gameplay from Extraction, it seems like SplashDamage has taken the gamemode idea from Brink (and other games), set it in a new setting/environment, and scrapped the rest of the ideas used in Brink. It’s funny however, that a lot of the features differentiating Brink from the rest of FPS games was these ideas.

Now it is a matter of personal taste what you liked/disliked about Brink. Not to mention the launch problems the game had, which probably threw a lot of potential customers off. But if you look beyond every problem Brink had, there are some ideas there that really got people talking, there is a reason why it is widely described as most dissapointing game of the year (2011?): The idea got it hyped. Then why are all off these ideas scrapped?

One of the reasons Brink got the hype it did, was because of an exellent trailer (in my opinion the best there is). It showed new types of movement, great visuals (many of which are carried into the game itself), varied gameplay and a different setting than we all are used to. To build on that, Brink had a great backstory, even when not fleshed out. Moral gray areas make it easier for people to get emotionally attached to a faction/character/etc. This was not carried into the game.

I realize from reading on forums and developer statements that a lot of the gameplay was based on that of Enemy Territory. And a small guess is that perhaps the choice of gamemode came before all of the visual and story decisions/developement?

However, with the Brink franchise beeing what it is now, I would love to see the concepts used in completly different games. Strictly singleplayer for instance, which with the customization and backstory as well as visual style, is a game I’d preorder in a heartbeat. That also goes for any other future games using the visual style used in Brink.

The reasons why Brink failed to deliver what the masses was expecting are numbersome. I love the game, but can only play it in smole doses when playing with mostly AI. What I disliked about the game other than the laggy launch and lack of players in-game was these:

[ol]
[li] To linear maps
[/li][li] Reloading and aim-down-sight being stuck together (especially when using sniper!)
[/li][li] Lack of story
[/li][/ol]
Also, it seemed to me that SplashDamage was listening to much to the “CoD sucks” crowd. Having stats on the individuals (in game, not online!) adds to the experience, and makes lost games more fun to play.

This probably isn’t the most viewed forum, but I wanted to get my thoughts “on paper”. Still hoping on a game that resembles what the trailer looked like, and what the story could have been. Recently I’ve been playing a lot of Fallout, so my facination for story probably comes from this game. But I do believe that a game based on the innovative ideas in Brink would have the potential to become one of the most successfull franchises, and crossing my fingers that someone soon will have the balls (and financial support) to bring such a game to life.

Thank you for reading.

(Kendle) #2

You have to bear in mind that SD don’t own Brink. They were the developer, but the IP (Intellectual Property) belongs to Bethesda. With Extraction, SD are creating their own brand new IP and by necessity it has to be different.

All SD games have used what you refer to as the Enemy Territory game mode, although it’s actually from a game called RTCW (Return to Castle Wolfenstein). ET was originally developed as an expansion pack for RTCW before being released as a free standalone game. All SD’s games since (ET, ET:QW and Brink included) have used the same basic concept. I guess it’s no secret that Extraction does also, but NDA prevents any of us in the closed beta saying anything more about it.

Brink had a lot of good things going for it IMO, but for me the biggest let down was that it was primarily a console game and just didn’t work as well on PC as it should have done. Being shipped with so many bugs didn’t help, but also Bethesda being unwilling to fund future development meant it was only ever going to have a limited shelf life. SD seem doggedly determined that Extraction will not suffer that particular fate. :slight_smile:

(Mustang) #3

The day SD make a singleplayer game… I don’t see it anytime soon.

I also hope the good things from Brink will make a re-appearance in Extraction.

(Rubbaduren) #4

Kendle: Yeah, I know that Bethesda owns the Brink rights. And as you mention, SD seems to specialize in a certain gametype, as Mustang points out as well. And on a sidenote, that might be a good thing, seeing as SD prefers their RTCW(?) game mode.

From what I’ve seen in the few trailer/gamplay videos from Dirty Bomb/Extraction, they use a LOT of the same ideas/mechanics they used in Brink, but not the features I think made Brink the hype that it was. In the video I’ve seen there is an escort mission, extremly similar to that of Brink. The shooting mechanics and general gameplay seems like a direct port from Brink, with new graphics. And this is where they lose my interest, because I think that the main things from Brink that makes it distinctive, is the cartoonish/animated(disney pixar like :-P) visual style. Add the movement options and story, and that is where I got hooked. Of all the things being adopted by Extraction, the things I liked the most seems like the things that are removed.

And this is probably the wrong forum to discuss this, but the Bethesda Brink forum seems more dead than this, so in order to get the discussion going I posted here. I genually think that the Brink franchise really could make it big. Or a Brink-like game: Brink was developed by SD, and I would think that they could make a game that is “everything Brink is not, delivering where Brink failed”, gaining publisity by building on the previous Brink-hype. Similarly, Bethesda could find a developer to reinvent the Brink franchise, using the Brink Archtypes and build on the whole “Ark” idea. It seems to me that we are in the middle of a change in preffered games, with CoD-ish games are starting to become outdated to the masses (Titanfall is failing to deliver as predicted I think?). I for one would love to see a Brink-like game being played more like an RPG, especially if Extraction delivers a successfull mission-based competitive shooter.

Edit: I’d like to add that by viewing some forum numbers, BRINK is the game developed by SD most accepted by the masses. It has a total of 138k posts, only beaten by Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, but that is a forum that has had its discussions going since 2001. Also, SDs forums had its record forum population may 2011, with 2k. BRINK brought something else to the world of gaming, or seemingly so. I guess this brings me back to my intention of these posts, if it was not clear: BRINK has huge potential. Shame to se it being beaten by games either being game number 6-7-8 in their franchise, or games doing the same as everybody else “with a twist”.

(Kendle) #5

It’s difficult to respond to any of your thoughts at the moment due to NDA, as in we can’t confirm or deny whether Extraction is being developed along the lines you suggest without giving something away.

However, I wouldn’t place too much store in this forums activity during Brinks short life. It’s the only game SD have developed that had serious money put into promoting it. Not just the pre-release hype / videos etc., but it was even advertised on TV in the UK, something that generally only the true AAA titles can afford. And it was released simultaneously for console and PC.

ET was a free standalone game with no marketing whatsoever, PC only, multiplayer only, 6 not particularly great maps, spread largely by word of mouth amongst the gaming community, yet it’s success far outreached it’s initial promise.

That’s not to say I don’t agree with you. I would’ve loved Brink to have been what it was advertised as being. It’s not the game’s fault it was delivered broken and further investment was never forthcoming. In many ways I’d love Extraction to be “Brink done right”. The back story with the Ark and the different characters and customisation was nice, and again without giving anything away the videos you’ve seen of Extraction don’t do justice to where the game is at today.

(Rubbaduren) #6

From what [I’ve seen on the trailers, Extraction has same style of gamplay, but what I find to be the strengths of Brink (Movement, visual design and story) isn’t there in Extraction. I don’t expect it to be either, Extraction seems to be a game standing on its own two legs. And I think that is a good thing. From the trailers I think the game seems to have grood gameplay/shooting mechanics (plus I like the mission-based style of gameplay), as well as having a visual design that I like (even though it differs fron that of BRINK).

My reason for posting these posts is not that I don’t expect new great games to be published, far from it. If a BRINK revamp/BRINK 2/New BRINK inspired game does not happen, I’ll probably forget it in a couple of years. But still, there is so much unfulfilled potential with the Brink franchise. But as stated in one of the other posts here, SD does not own the rights to BRINK, so it might be the wrong forum to discuss BRINK’s future (or lack of).

As for videos out there not doing Extraction justice, I understand that. It’s still in closed beta, and has a lot of tweaking and fixing and improving to do. Might have been bad to drag Extraction in to this discussion, but I did that because it seems as if it is a “spirituall successor” to BRINK, and that it in a sense is BRINK’s final death-blow. Just a rant from my side. I guess I’ll just play some BRINK later today to blow off some steam :wink: