Brink updates this weekend and info on planned DLC

by: Dan - posted: 5/28/2011 12:02:00 PM

You have to love the folks at Bethesda, as they just seem to “get it” when it comes to taking care of their games and keeping them interesting long-past when a game usually goes stale. Case in point is with Brink, the snappy shooter that our own Sean Colleli was pretty fond of. Now that the game has been out for a while, Bethesda has plans to drop some platform specific updates this weekend to improve the overall game performance. Here are the release notes directly from the Bethesda blog:

Xbox 360
We’ve been hard at work investigating the lag issues some players of the Xbox 360 version of Brink have reported. We’ve now completed modifications to improve network performance and will be rolling these out in a title update for the game. This title update is also going to fix an isolated freezing issue reported by some German players who should no longer experience that problem once the update has been installed.

PlayStation 3
With PSN back online, we’re able to resume multiplayer testing on the PlayStation 3. We’re preparing to bring the changes in the upcoming Xbox 360 title update to the PlayStation 3 version of Brink quickly and we expect to have it out next week. Stay tuned!

PC

• A game update for the PC version of Brink is in final testing and we’re planning to release it early next week. This update contains a host of fixes and improvements including the following:
• We’ve identified the cause of sound dropping out on certain maps when playing networked games for a prolonged amount of time. This will no longer occur.
• Graphical performance has been improved, especially when using Ambient Occlusion. We’ve worked closely with both AMD and NVIDIA, and you should see performance and stability improvements in future driver revisions from both parties.
• The server browser is tweaked in this update, as well; among other things, a new filter allows you to display only servers with a certain number of players on them, and full servers will no longer be filtered out completely.
• There are some smaller fixes for minor issues including your character’s voice occasionally resetting when deleting another character, and a memory leak when alt-tabbing out of the game.
• Finally, the dedicated server is set to get an update at the same time as the main game, which will result in improved CPU performance. We’ve protected certain cvars that previously allowed server admins to accidentally break objectives involving NPCs.
• The full change log will be released alongside the update, so keep an eye out for that.
   

With patching and title updates out of the way, what can we expect to find coming down the Brink DLC pipeline? Again, we turn to the Bethesda blog to get our answer and it sounds pretty exciting. The Tuesday after Memorial Day, the statistics site will be live for the Xbox 360 and PS3 players, with PC coming in the near future. The site will be located at brinkthegame.com and can be the single point access for all stats, including match data, individual players and weekly progress on the Battle for the Ark. The screen below is a quick look at what to expect. You will need to track down your VIP code so you can register once the site is live.

In addition, the Agents of Change DLC is slated for a June release. Those that get it will have access to new maps, abilities, character customizations and weapon attachments. It will also raise the level cap to 24. Here is a full list of all the DLC as provided by Bethesda:

New Maps
• Founders’ Tower – The revolution finally reaches the island’s iconic spire and takes the battle for the Ark to dizzying heights.
• Labs – Venture into the depths of the Ark’s original research and development laboratories, a submerged high-tech facility so far untouched by the civil war.

New Player Abilities
• UAV – This stealthy and lethal device allows Operatives to automatically mark nearby enemies on their radar. For more explosive fun, they can even take direct control of the UAV and detonate it near unsuspecting foes.
• Napalm Grenade – Soldiers can use this new grenade to cover an area in a sea of deadly flames.
• Pyro Mine – Engineers can plant these mines and leave enemies in the epicenter of a massive napalm explosion.
• Field Regen Unit – Medics can deploy these units to increase the health regeneration of any nearby teammates.
• Tactical Scanner – This universal ability allows players to reveal the active buffs of their opponents, allowing them to pick off enemies more strategically.

New Weapon Attachments
• Bayonets – Gain the edge in melee combat and cause extra damage with these deadly blades.
• Weapon Shields – Take cover from enemy fire and prevent headshot bonus damage behind riot-style shields.

New Character Outfits
• The Sad Punk – Add a touch of Steampunk to your Resistance character.
• The Limey – Bring order to the Ark with this outfit inspired by traditional European police.

If you have started to get a bit tired of Brink, be prepared for an onslaught of new goodies coming your way in the very near future.