Brink getting Steamworks, shows off specs

Splash Damage has revealed the minimum and recommended system specs for Brink, along with the always-welcome set of features that come with Steamworks support.

50

The fine folks at Splash Damage have revealed a few details about Brink, not the least of which is that the PC version will utilize Steamworks support. This provides voice chat, anti-cheating measures, friends support, cloud data, challenge leaderboards, and Steam achievements. Plus, auto-updates and easy downloads will be handled straight through the Steam interface. Happy day.

If you're wondering whether your PC can handle Brink, they've got you covered on that front as well. The team revealed the system requirements for the game today, so you can assure your personal rig is up to snuff before launch.

The Steamworks support is PC-only, but the game is also due on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game was opposite-delayed yesterday, bringing it a week closer than before. It's now set to hit on May 10. Check out the specs list below.

Minimum specs

    • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz or equivalent

    • Memory: 2GB RAM

    • Graphics: NVIDIA 8800GS / ATI Radeon HD 2900 Pro or equivalent

    • OS: Windows XP (SP3)/Vista/Windows 7

    • Hard Drive: 8GB of free space

    Recommended Specs

    • Processor: Intel Quad Core i5

    • Memory: 3GB RAM

    • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 / ATI Radeon™ HD 5850

    • OS: Windows XP (SP3)/Vista/Windows 7

    • Hard Drive: 8GB of free space

Editor-In-Chief
From The Chatty
  • reply
    April 12, 2011 12:45 PM

    Comment on Brink getting Steamworks, shows off specs, by Steve Watts.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 12:48 PM

      Summary: Splash Damage has revealed the minimum and recommended system specs for Brink, along with the always-welcome set of features that come with Steamworks support.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 12:48 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 12:51 PM

      which one do i choose?!?!?!

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 12:51 PM

      I'm so ready for this game.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 12:52 PM

      ULTRA COMBO!!!

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 1:13 PM

      It's not "steamworks support", it's "steamworks requirement".

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 1:15 PM

        It's not steamworks requirement: It's Thank God for Steamworks.

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 1:16 PM

          hay guys, whats going on in this steam fanboi subthread?

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 1:20 PM

            The fact that Steam even has fanboys is a testament to the fact that it brings a lot more to the table than just DRM. Yes, it functions as DRM, but it also is otherwise such a great value-add to my general gaming experience that I'm glad that it's there. Weird, eh? Maybe other game producers and publishers should think about being so customer-friendly.

            • reply
              April 12, 2011 1:33 PM

              Apple and Islam have fanboys too.

            • reply
              April 12, 2011 1:34 PM

              I think my comment was just eaten, although considering how inflammatory it was going to be I'm not surprised.

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 1:17 PM

          steamworks is for cheaper games and those who are too lazy to make an interface on their own.

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 1:19 PM

            Steamworks is for awesome developers who love freedom and apple pie! (Also, it's not an interface. It's a multiplayer/server/authentication framework).

            • reply
              April 12, 2011 1:35 PM

              Yes, requiring a proprietary client, online activation and an account with your personal information and requiring you to relinquish your rights by forcing you to agree to their "Subscriber Agreement" certainly sound like the core tenants of freedom to me.

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 1:38 PM

                Dude you just described every MMO in existence.

                • reply
                  April 12, 2011 1:51 PM

                  The difference being that I have a direct relationship with the company behind the MMO and have obviously agreed to their terms if I want to play. As opposed to being forced to use some random intermediary company's software and agree to their terms on top of the software I want to use.

                  • reply
                    April 12, 2011 1:54 PM

                    Haxim, you're kind of being anal about this. Why aren't you bitching about XBL while you're at it?

                    Honestly, I can't think of a better intermediary than Valve if we're in this position.

                    • reply
                      April 13, 2011 6:13 PM

                      I haven't brought up XBL because it would be out of place in a thread about Steam being foisted on consumers regardless of whether they want it or not.
                      I'm not arguing that there's a better intermediary, I'm wondering why, especially on a platform that totes choice as one of it's prime advantages, consumers have no choice but to run a piece of middleware in order to play a game. Especially when that middleware is of questionable benefit to consumers (are there really any significant advantages to steamworks on a title like Civ V for instance?).

                  • reply
                    April 12, 2011 1:56 PM

                    i love steam but he's got a point

                  • reply
                    April 12, 2011 3:15 PM

                    [deleted]

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 1:41 PM

                It's definitely not freedom, but it's definitely the best option we have as PC gamers.

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 2:24 PM

                This is the obligatory "I'll buy every single 80% off sale game on there but still bitch that I have to agree to their terms" bullshit.

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 3:12 PM

                [deleted]

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 1:26 PM

            Cheaper games like Modern Warfare 2 and Civilization 5! /derp

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 1:30 PM

            Steamworks is for game devs that want to spend time working on their game instead of spend countless hours reinventing half a wheel.

            Cloud saving of config and screenshots, friends list, server browsers that work, non-intrusive authentication, leaderboards, achievements.. I'm much happier for them using a system that's already in place instead of coming up with a half-baked solution.

            • reply
              April 12, 2011 1:52 PM

              "Steamworks is for game devs that want to spend time working on their game instead of spend countless hours reinventing half a wheel. "

              Wrong. Alot of devs, I dare say most, reinvent the wheel every single time they start a new game. They recreate a Physics engine, graphics engine, stuff that's been done for years.

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 1:55 PM

                Isn't that where a lot of engine/middleware licensing comes in?

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 1:55 PM

                You didn't actually refute his point, so he's not wrong, lmao.

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 2:17 PM

                I prefer they reinvent those wheels, instead of reinventing the wheels of user experience already offered by Steamworks.

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 2:42 PM

                [deleted]

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 2:57 PM

                You're just plain wrong. Most games use an existing engine or at least use tons of middleware or internal tech developed by a dedicated tech/tool group.

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 6:42 PM

                What are Unreal Engine and Source SDK, in your opinion?

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 1:37 PM

            Whats GFWL then?

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 2:44 PM

            [deleted]

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 2:55 PM

            It's not about being or not being lazy, it's about using a solid, tested, feature-rich system with a standard interface that people like, instead of trying to write your own half-baked solution in addition to rest of shit you need to get done so the game can ship.

            Also: FUCK I hate it when people call game devs lazy. WTF do you think they're doing with their time working 80 hours a week? Oh look at them they're so lazy abandoning their families slaving over a computer so that they can make a video game for your stupid self entitled assface! /rant

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 3:15 PM

            There is some truth in this. Have you guys played Greed Corp or Hoard? I'm not sure how many other games out there do this, but there is NO WAY TO CHAT IN THESE GAMES save steam chat. Its really irritating though to bring up the steam overlay and chat and also there appears to be a disconnect between the steam overlay and the actual game itself (If you bring up the steam overlay while in SHOGUN 2 while listening to the generals talk, the game will actually pause and glitch the game because you can't unpause the game).

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 5:00 PM

            LOL

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 5:21 PM

            Ubi se.

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 10:56 PM

            You just don't get it. I can't believe how many of my fellow PC gamers just don't get. You people are just stupid. You don't bother to think or remember how fragmented the PC was and still is...at all levels: hardware, software, services. The PC needs an Xbox Live style layer of abstraction. Steamworks is that layer and more.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 1:17 PM

        Yeah, I can't believe people are OK with this DRM. And people complained about Starforce being bloated? Please.

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 1:25 PM

          Steam having fans should indicate that it's more than simply a pesky DRM solution. It does function as DRM, but it also brings a lot more to the table. It adds enough value to my playing experience that I'm glad when I can get a game on Steam, even if I also have it DRM-free (a humble indie bundle, for instance). If every other DRM system added as much as Steam (and didn't include things like rootkits, etc.), then I don't think it would be such a hated idea.

          (I could have sworn that I posted something akin to this already, but it appears to have disappeared. I apologize if this ends up being basically a duplicate.)

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 2:25 PM

          Don't use it then. Buy the game on console.

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 10:43 PM

          It's xbox live for the PC, Haxim, and it's about the most unobtrusive DRM you're going to get from any major player.

          • reply
            April 13, 2011 5:59 PM

            Apologies if you took my comparison of Steam and Starforce seriously.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 1:27 PM

        Fuck, it also needs windows!

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 1:14 PM

      YOU SAW NOTHING.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 3:22 PM

        Of course we didn't... For a price :D

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 1:50 PM

      Sweet! I'm ready...... SteamWorks is the only way to go with PC's you'd be a fool to not put your product on steam...

      • reply
        April 13, 2011 6:19 AM

        Steamworks is great for developers and loners. Steamworks is crap for family/friends who want to split a copy of the game - even on the same computer they can't do it.

        • reply
          April 13, 2011 6:33 AM

          Let family/friends play on your account?

          Or maybe their the type of family/friends you can't trust on your account...

          • reply
            April 13, 2011 6:45 AM

            they're* the type

            woops

          • reply
            April 13, 2011 1:46 PM

            They're the type of family/friends that I trust on my account. However, there's the whole "cloud settings/saves/achievements" problem.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 2:02 PM

      argh I hate specs, they mean nothing

      Minimum = you can start the game but it will be a terrible experience, stick to minecraft

      Recommend = minimum setting to enjoy the game

      Optimistic = you can hit the "max setting" button and it will run with +30fps

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 2:16 PM

        I never play games at absolute max. I want my 60fps + for fps games.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 2:23 PM

      Everybody who is complaining about this game using Steamworks, I have one suggestion: go play Bad Company 2 on the PC.

      That game uses its own online authentication, server list, friends system, and they all suck. When sitting outside the game with Steam open, I can see my friends are playing the game but not what map they're on, how full the server is, etc.

      In contrast, TF2, L4D2, and more recently, Homefront all use Steamworks. You can see exactly what your friends are doing without being inside the game. Your key bindings, save games, options settings (such as mouse sensitivity, audio levels, etc.) persist from computer to computer; and you can track achievement progress amongst your friends. It's a much better system, and if you're making a multiplayer and/or co-operative shooter on the PC these days, you should be using it. It's the closest thing PC gaming has to competing with XBox Live, which is what needs to be done these days.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 2:45 PM

        [deleted]

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 3:09 PM

          So what? You can't give it to your friends for free. If they want it, they can buy it. That's what the DRM is for. You yourself can download it over and over you just can't share it. And this, IMO is the least intrusive DRM out there. SteamWorks used to be so bloated that you had to have well over the recommended specs to use a game, but it is SO much better now.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 3:30 PM

        I will agree, dice has never made a good server browser. they are total shit.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 3:41 PM

        Exactly. I can't understand people who complain about Steam. It adds so much. Unless they're living from somewhere where they don't have internet connectivity, there's no fucking reason why Steam isn't a godsend.

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 4:42 PM

          They're just "haters" plain and simple. There are almost zero reasons to hate STEAM.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 4:58 PM

        Go play Crysis 2. Holy shit. If a game ever needed Steamworks + VAC, it's this.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 2:53 PM

      Great, so they'll kill off the aimbots the week after the player base dies? or will they wait an extra month this time?

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 3:14 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 3:23 PM

      Opposite-delayed, because "moved-up" isn't in video game vocab.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 3:31 PM

      Does it have Steam achievements, cuz I love them.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 4:50 PM

      Very smart thing to do.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 5:38 PM

      nice. seems they did a lot of things right with this game, not only the steam thing but that too.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 7:08 PM

      I would be much happier if they announced Steamplay support so I could play it in OS X but this is still pretty cool.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 7:16 PM

      This is admittedly good news, but it doesn't change my mind that this game will be a huge disappointment.

      It's Quake Wars but with half the players, no vehicles, smaller maps and the big new feature is what appears from videos to be a clunky parkour system.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 7:39 PM

        I got it on preorder :(
        Despite all the things you've mentionned, it looks like a very welcomed breath of fresh air into the multiplayer space,
        doesn't seem to emphasis the killstreaks and leveling like COD, and doesn't try to enforce an overly rigid multiplayer experience.
        Also little to no vehicles, almost no 1-shot kills and a nice graphical style.

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 7:49 PM

          What do you mean by not enforcing a rigid experience? I always felt that the ET games were more structured (or rigid) than somewhat comparable games due to their objective based modes that enforce a sequence of events required for success. Never saw this as a bad thing though.

          • reply
            April 12, 2011 8:39 PM

            Right, but I feel that the direction their taking with the new real-time objective system is great, it makes for exciting matches that don't always play the same
            and should avoid the pre-planning and general strategies that evolve with a static set of objective. I think that it would also help diminish the impact of those
            hardcore players, who make life miserable to anyone who doesn't play to their specifications.

            • reply
              April 12, 2011 8:50 PM

              As I understand it, the real-time objective system is simply an evolution of the mission system in place in Quake Wars. Basically it tells you what objectives you could be doing (revive a teammate, hack a terminal, plant a bomb, etc.) based on your class, task priority, and other factors. This doesn't change the overall map objectives and instead is more aimed at getting players who might otherwise focus on killing to instead focus on completing objectives. Experienced players would still develop sets of strategies for any given map and engage in a fair amount of pre-planning, which is part of the fun. Unless there is something else that I have missed in Brink coverage and map objectives are randomized or something?

              • reply
                April 12, 2011 8:56 PM

                I remember one preview that stated that if a turret killed enough people, then it might show up as an objective for the engineer or something to that effect.

                • reply
                  April 12, 2011 9:00 PM

                  Yeah that's an evolution of the mission system. If you were playing say WolfET or QW or a similar game, if a sniper was pinning down your team or whatever then the team would organize to take care of the situation. The mission system basically acts as a sort of clan leader, suggesting things for each player to do to maximally benefit the team. It doesn't make the game more dynamic, but takes the dynamic nature of the game into account.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 7:47 PM

        The lack of vehicles, smaller maps and less players all piqued my interest when it was first announced, it makes me hopeful that it will return to some of the fun of WolfET. Not that large scale is less fun, but I much prefer the way it was done in Battlefield. But from what I've seen the gunplay, animations, and movement system all seem off in videos that I've seen so I don't know.

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 8:19 PM

          couldn't agree more. vehicles are great when you're in them, shit when you're not. wolf:et was the pinnacle of team-based enjoyment for me, and if this is anything like that with updated graphics, cool art style and parkour elements i'm fucking sold.

      • reply
        April 13, 2011 5:22 AM

        [deleted]

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 8:57 PM

      Do we have a Shack Group on Steam for this yet?

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 10:44 PM

      Fantastic. The sooner EA and bioware and Ubisoft realize that Steamworks is basically Xbox Live for the PC, ditch their pathetic home grown solutions, and make their PC games use Steamworks the better.

      • reply
        April 12, 2011 11:03 PM

        EA? I think there's a better chance of them buying Steam than going with Steamworks in one of their games. It's that unlikely to me :(

        • reply
          April 12, 2011 11:23 PM

          They're s fucking stubborn and think they should be a major player in digital distribution scene. Fucking hypocrites. They go on and on about being a lead content provider all throughout the 2000s and content provider is what they really are and what they should focus on. They're just jealous when they see another, smaller player like Valve take a risk, diversify, and it pays off. That's more a consequence of EA's focus on consoles to which I say you reap what you sow. Like every other major publisher, EA also whines all the time about the need for better software and tools to control development costs. Steamworks is just that. It's the Xbox Live style abstraction layer for the PC, but what do they do? They push their own inferior storefront and reinvent the wheel with their PC releases. Moreover, the PC isn't even a priority platform for EA and hasn't been for years. They should be pushing new IP instead of getting into a pissing match with Steamworks over the table scraps that is the PC gaming market. Don't tell me there's been a sudden change of heart at the top and EA is now truly focused and committed to the PC. Bullshit. Fuck them. It sucks that they have DICE under their umbrella. EA doesn't deserve the Battlefield franchise.

          • reply
            April 13, 2011 1:56 AM

            It's not jealousy, it's about data and profit margins.

            The reason they took ages to get onto XBLA was that they made the online game but Microsoft still owned the consumer data, and they weren't cool with that.

            With EA Store/Downloader, each sale gets them more cash than it would on Steam. When you sell as many games as EA does, you can bet your ass they'll take that higher profit margin if that all possible.

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 11:27 PM

      Pre-ordered today :)

    • reply
      April 12, 2011 11:45 PM

      I have the recommended specs. Time to upgrade.

    • reply
      April 13, 2011 1:11 AM

      The more I see of this game the worse the graphics get. A shame :(

      But steamworks is great cause now I don't actually have to buy it directly though Steam where it's $90USD in Australia! Bastards!

      • reply
        April 13, 2011 4:46 AM

        I like them.... It's kinda like Borderlands it's something different at least.

    • reply
      April 13, 2011 2:00 AM

      oh shi recommended is slightly higher than what I have for graphics :(. Time to upgrade.

    • reply
      April 13, 2011 5:28 AM

      Dammit, I have exactly the recommended specs. Its time for an upgrade soon.

    • reply
      April 13, 2011 6:09 AM

      [deleted]

Hello, Meet Lola