The SMART system was advertised as a game changer that would change the way we moved in FPSs. Sadly this statement isn't entirely true. It is true that you can do a lot with the system and it is very good at getting you from point A to point B. But it can only used to its fullest if you are a light. Light characters can zip across the map in seconds and overcome obstacles, they can get to a ton of places on the map. If you really want to experience the SMART system you have to play as a light.

I think it is safe to say that a lot of players expected to be doing flips and running on roof tops while they fighting and what not.

Like in this misleading trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-kVnw4RA80

We got none of that type of action in the game. Now before you say that it was just a cinematic trailer and doesn't represent the game what so ever, let me just say this: The cinematic trailer is often the first impression people get of the game.

My impression of the game was that story was not a main factor in the game, nor was team play. There was nothing to suggest teamwork at all in the trailer. It actually had to watch the trailer again to realize there were even two sides. Many franchises usually have their trailers introduce characters or set up the plot of the story. Brink had none of this and the fact that their was no dialogue made more evident the story wouldn't be a main focus for the developers. What I took away from the trailer was that parkour would be a major part of the game. It isn't.

You want to know why it isn't? It is because of Body types. Limiting the amount of parkour a character could do by body type is completely holding back the game and the SMART system. I was expecting interesting map designs that would use SMART to its fullest. Instead we got linear Maps completely centered around objectives so that Heavies could actually contribute to the team instead of sitting on the ground doing nothing. In order to balance the maps for the three body types, the influence that SMART would have on map design was dramatically reduced. Its not like the developers completely forgot about SMART because there are still a few places that only lights can get to but there is no combat with people sprinting and shooting off rooftops or any of that amazing stuff hinted at during the cinematic. The map designs are boring because the maps focus on the objective too much at expense of SMART.

I do realize that this game is a team based shooter, but still Splash Damage could have made things a bit more entertaining than gathering in a mob to accomplish objectives. There is nothing wrong with liking the game the way it is, but I do think that my disappointment in SMART is shared by other members of the community. I hope that Splash Damage will learn from their experiences from Brink. And who knows maybe Brink 2 will be the game to truly revolutionize the FPS genre.

This game is not liner in any fashion, go check out how CoD and Battlefeild maps play out then come back and start calling things names.

That cinematic trailer was mad YEARS ago, literally. Cinematic trailers are supposed to draw you into the game, people who draw conclusion before seeing actually gameplay deserve to get their 60 bucks wasted, maybe it will teach them a lesson about being ignorant.

Most people love SMART and most long time followers were drawn into the game by the fact it was limited by body types, but each body type had a different weapon set, what you think is holding Brink back is opening it up on the competitive scene. If you want to see some flanking and crazy parkour go on Freeplay until you find an all human match, by the time your done you'll be complaining that the maps aren't linear enough and the objectives are to open.

i think the smart system is done fairly well..
though i agree i would like to have more abilities like what is shown to be able to slide and shoot backwards kinda like in the game WET or to roll instead of slide when doing a big fall.. i believe that they had to keep it toned down a bit because brink is a FPS not a TPS in a TPS its easier to show that and do things like that in a shooter....

First of all noone deserves to get their $60 wasted...that's just a stupid thing to say. Now I agree that the maps arent necessarily linear, but they do not really showcase SMART. I was happy once I got the light build so I could do more, but then after 3 days after playing on the light build, I switched to medium and it felt VERY limited as to what I could do.

As for the trailer, I totally agree with OP. I was expecting a game that was almost like Gunz: The Duel (just you know...good..). Sure I didnt look at a lot of gameplay footage, but it still made it look like a very different game. I love Brink, I cant wait for the DLC (I hope it doesnt get too stale by then), but I definatly got it expecting something else entirely.

I love brink. But i have to agree that i would have liked a little more map veriety.

I do wish there was a little more vertical in the maps.

When i thought of brink, i expected to see battles on many different fronts. on the ground with heavys, slowly pushing to the objective, mediums assisting them and flanking through buildings, and lights fighting on rooftops.

you could make it to where there was special ways for each body type ot get to the objective. this would make things more interesting and keep me on my toes. i love locking down an objective with an engi, but there is really very little challenge to that when you figure out how to perfectly set it up.

i know its prob. too late for that, but if there is a sequal i hope it is implemented.

I'm not really disappointed at all with the SMART system. It's still better than anything any other FPS has done. I also like the body type restrictions. I thought Lights would be the only body type worth playing because of SMART, but I started a new character today and while playing the Medium body again I used things I didn't have access to before - underslung grenade launchers, ARs with Drums, and an SMG as my SECONDARY? Unthinkable! It's really refreshing, I do feel like I can deal a lot more damage, it's just harder to get to the right spots fast enough.

I admit, I was expecting something different when I bought Brink. I don't know all the routes on all the maps yet, but I know most of the routes on most of the maps, and I honestly wanted something a little more for lights. I wanted extensive zones that could only be accessed by Light bodies, high over the battlefield with great vantage points to use their piddly weapons, while the heavies beat footprints down on the ground destroying everything nearby. That's what I wanted. It's not what we got, but what we did get was still great, Lights really feel more maneuverable, and Heavies still feel more god-like and implacable. With a few new maps and the addition of some different weapon types, especially for Lights (your choices are submachine gun or sniper rifle...) I feel like Brink could really stay strong for a long time.

The thing about the trailer for me was that I expected the maps to be somewhat like what we saw there, a large neighborhood where there were tons of alleys, rooftops, traps and such. I sorta expected a larger scope.

I get plenty out of SMART as a medium, and even a heavy, since the major appeal is being able to get over obstacles that I should be able to get over.

With my light I'm doing plenty of the crazy kick ass jumping and sliding attacks, so I'm happy with it. And the map design has a lot of areas of use with SMART, although most people get focused on the open areas that battles tend to end up taking place in.

And the Original trailer takes place in Container City, and that is pretty much how it is, although not quite as high up in places. Go check it out, when your not towing the bot around all of the little alleys are there.

Would love some more maps, and hope the new DLC includes them.

I believe that most people expected more COMPLEX maps. In the Cinematic, they show players running up on pretty much anything and any where within the map. The sky is the limit. Well... that's what it showed. First map I loaded up was Container City. The first hing I did after spawning on the security's side; ran to the nearest stack of crates while holding the SMART button. Right after I ran clear into the crates, my spirits dropped. I was unable to truly free-run. I then immediately turned of my 360, rushed to my laptop, and looked up reviews for the game on GameStop.com. First thing I saw was the overall rating; which was a 4.9. I then ran back to my 360 turned it on again and play online until I learned some of the maps.

I still play now (obviously), but that first impression lowered my hopes for the game.

EDIT: However, I never expected the maps to be as large as they showed them to be.

SMART revolutionising FPS games isn't all about "hey I can bounce of walls like a madman!"

SMART is revolutionising the genre by showing that you can make gun-toting soldiers who are able to smoothly jump over chest high walls, instead of having to run around them or awkwardly get caught on textures for a minute before trying to climb over, then having to duck into "cover mode" behind the wall before it lets them do a short hop over the barrier.

Effective use of the manual SMART controls can keep a heavy moving at full-speed through the map to an objective. A medium using SMART can get higher, and further, faster. A Light gets even more benefit from it. Basically, SMART's base-level functionality and the revolutionary aspects of it are demonstrated clearly by Heavies, Mediums are a way to expand on that basic functionality, and Lights allow SD to show off that they've not only developed a new tool, but also taken it a step further than they needed to.

^^ +1 Well put. Let's hope the OP reads this. The parkour IS there. Get used to the maps and the "spots" before issuing snap judgements. Out of curiosity, does the OP game on console or PC?

We can already do a lot of that stuff in other shooters, its just an extremely stream lined and simple compared to other shooters, which is great, but the only thing new that was brought to the table was the wall hops. While that is also great I guess I was expecting more from the SMART system and that it would have a greater impact on map design.

Wrong. About all games featuring these moves up to now had the objects contain the ability to let the player jump over them. SMART lets the player dynamics calculate what object they can jump over. It literally is the player determining what he can or can't jump over (save for map limitations, of course) rather than objects making the decision for you. Gears of War is a great example of this, Killzone too, and I can probably think of several other examples given time.

what are you trying to say? :confused:

Games before Brink had objects that were specifically set in the world with a "press (button) to interact" code on them which allowed the player to climb onto or over them, at the developer's discretion. If they chose to line a map with chest-high walls and NOT put that code on them, the player would be stuck behind obstacles they should be easily able to jump over, and which may be identical to obstacles they CAN jump over elsewhere in the level, against, if the developers choose to put them elsewhere with the right code. Also, those systems rely on specific structured animations that are repeated without deviation - Brink allows a measure of variability in how things happen. I've found a few places where as you're vaulting a ledge, you can hit crouch and turn the vault into a slide without having to stand, keeping your momentum up and staying behind cover as you go.

It's the fluidity Brink really nails for the player-side, but on the coding side it's easier too - they just have to make everything in the right size ranges for the SMART system to acknowledge, and the game engine does the work of deciding what players can and can't do.

My issues with SMART:

- Not being able to climb that object that is no higher than something else I can climb. Let me on some damn rooftops - COD let's me get on roofs for craps sake.

- Finding SMART slower than simply walking around something. Cool, I can vault over this - and be very slow doing it.

- Strafing does not SMART anything - seriously. If I strafe and hit slide I would like at least a drop roll or something. It's very focused on forward momentum and that's it.

- Clunky jumping/wall jumps. Yup, they work but damn if they aren't clunky.

- Doesn't really get you anywhere other people can't go.

Sorry, had to laugh at another person quoting the CINEMATIC TRAILER as some form of credible reference....

Anyways, i'll take Brinks SMART over anything save mirrors edge's movement system. The only thing i dont like, is you kinda "float" to where your going in a clunky manor. They needed to add hands and feet to the equation... Every time i see my self SMART around, i go "dang, like how i mantled that with no hands..."

I think people are looking at SMART all wrong. Everyone seems to think it is a brand new mode of transport, a stand alone way to get around but I think it's more of a fluid upgrade to normal FPS movement. Don't look at it as a different way to get from A to B, but rather as a smooth integration to how you already do.

this game needs a CACH shop and a price reduction on the game it self, i like to have far more customization , but i like to chose what i get not having so few choices only, i rater pay to be spacial

my only issue currently oh hey i just stopped running bc of a stick....oh noes a stone just stopped me again...on those maps like container city T_T otherwise id like to think the smart system does well especially with the light's config of wall jumping for further movement, medium's nice and simple, and the heavy is even simpler with the "hey ima sit here with my minigun/other ridiculous weapon" thats like giving the light types a sword honestly...which they should have also possibly as another smart tool but i do agree with the strafing id like the be able to maybe jump out of the bullets way or even roll depending on whats to my sides

This is like buying Miracle Cream and whining when it doesn't fix every single ailment you have.

If you want full accessibility go with the light class, there really isn't a whole lot to it.

Gonna do this again, sorry....
Wrong.
Other Games: press A, vault over chest high wall/mantel on predefined object. Thats about it, besides mirror's edge of course.

And for all the people saying they'd like a roll, do you really think it would be that tactical to have your camera tilt 360 degrees and still be oriented enough to keep fighting the enemy? I actually did some research about the SMART system earlier, and the guy that was the main inspiration behind SMART actually videotaped a parkour run from his perspective, and what he found was a shaky view that was really hard to follow what was going on with. I have to say, I agree, if your camera is constantly tilting from side to side your going to have a hard time keeping an eye on your target. Rolling only worked on Gears of War because it was third person and your camera was flipping around

Holding the SMART button while running sideways and jumping lets you vault sideways. Holding SMART and hitting crouch while strafing lets you slide sideways, as does just sprinting, going into a slide, then turning (high sensitivity FTW - if your aim can keep up)

SMART isn't that bad, and you can do quite a few things with it. But going back to my original complaint. Heavies brought down the potential of SMART. Having to design maps to be balanced to heavies and lights alike, neither of them end up winning. I see so many areas on the map that lights should be able to access out of common sense but Splash Damage puts up invisible walls. I don't know maybe I was too naive and I thought SMART was going to take brains to use, not a bunch of predetermined shortcuts. :sadvaultboy:
The base gameplay isn't so bad but what is choking the fun out of it are the maps. And the reason the maps are so boring(to me) is that heavies can't even use the SMART system so player engagements are simplified to accommodate these fatties.