The first spawn on container city for attackers is waaaay unbalanced. Almost every game ends up in a massive [censored] where the defending team just butchers the attackers who are unable to leave the spawn.
The last game I played the attacking team had 2 more HUMAN players in the team and they still couldnt make out of the spawn, and youd think that the team with the most human players would have the upper hand.
In fact I even stopped playing for a while to give a chance for them to break through (was in the winning team) but no effect. So, after people started leaving I joined the other team to help them out and I ended up butchered too, unsurprisngly.

Anyone else had the same experience?

Also the uhm... crane (?) in I think Shipyard is unbalanced too, takes ages from the engineer to repair it and the defending team spawns so close its next to impossible. I think Ive seen it repaired only once or twice ever O_o

Container City's horrid spawn trap isn't a new discovery: people have been rightfully complaining about that nonsense since launch. Shipyard is doable, believe me. Engineer repair progress can't be reversed, and even adding one extra hand at the crane increases construction rate drastically. Rank 5 Superbots have rushed me before with about 5 engineers and repaired the whole thing in around ten seconds. As a whole though, yes, Brink is enormously biased towards the defending team.

A couple of decent Soldiers with flashbangs can break you free, as can a decent couple of counter-snipers.

And the attackers can spawn-trap the defenders at the same point in the match - BOTH teams have really bad spawns on the first part of CCity.

I've been attacker and held the defenders in their spawn for a good 4 minutes before they got smart and made a coordinated Flashbang/Molotov attack from 4 Soldiers.

I just won two or three games in a row in CCity as an attacker on Big teams, about five humans on each side, 8v8 with bots. The key is to plant the initial HE charge at the very start and then just grind your way down the first stretch, that's really the only hard part. Repairing the crane, delivering the sample, and escorting the robot the rest of the way are extremely easy compared to objectives in other matches.

A coordinated team of 4 consisting of 1 soldier, 2 engineers, and 1 Op rushing out at the start makes it go a lot easier. Soldier Plants the charge while engies set up turrets (one facing the gate and one facing the overlook on the right) and mines, and the Op takes the window by the hackable door (and hacks it if nobody is coming. If you've got an extra man I prefer having him bring the bot out while the charge is being set and getting it at least up the first ramp (gives you a little cover from the overlook snipers).

If you do get camped make sure to take chances when your teammates have killed a few.

Also, if 3 or more teammates head out through one path, take the other after the gunshots start - you'll often find the enemy concentrate their fire, and you can slip out and get behind them.

Makes for a nasty surprise when you open fire and they go "WTF?" - especially if you're a Soldier, or a Sticky-equipped Op.

I think for CCity to become balanced, they should take away the holes in the gate allowing a bit more protection for the soldier planting the HE charge. All the time when I defend on that map, first thing I do is run to the window at the door there the soldier must plant the charge and take out any soldier doing that objective simply by spraying his face until it's full of lead.

CCity is decided on your first moves. If you're not a Soldier and running straight for the door first thing, you probably will end up getting spawn trapped.

Is it unbalanced? Maybe a little, the defenders can easily watch over two one-sided choke points. Is it really easily avoided? Yes.

Next to Security Tower, Container City is my favorite map to attack. Yes its a massive battle, the whole way through it you have this feeling of being stuck/trapped. But that, to me, makes every foot gained by that bot an achievement. Plus, if you have a good enough team, you can spawn trap the Resistance while the bot is moving toward the crane.

It also can't be stressed enough how important hacking the side door is once you break free of the spawn trap. Not just for tactical reason, but psychological as well. Once the defenders hear that someone is hacking, nearly every human engineer they have will immediately key into the door and try and get to the gap over it. If you place someone at the foot of the side door entrance, preferably with a hard hitting weapon, you can bottle neck them hardcoe. Taking 3 or more guys out of the fight will do well for advancing the bot some. Then of course...let's face it. 70% of players online aren't very bright. Even with the side door hacked, most of the time they never pay attention to it. You'll have one or two guys paying it mind, while everyone else is focused straight ahead. You have four guys pour out of the side door guns blazing, and they'll never know what hit them. Once those in the way are down, the advantage turns dramatically to security, because THEY in turn can force the Resistance back into their spawn as the march the bot down the corridor and around the corner. It's a tactic me and my "clan" employ every time, and it's yet to fail us.

Defending is usually easier than attacking. If the attackers are stuck, then the burden is on them to get out of the situation. I like to think that there would be such situations that would be unfair, and the only way to get past would be outgun or out think. Container City is my favorite attacking map for this reason.

Its not rly about planting the charge, the gate blows up almost every time but after that they still get slaughtered most of the time.

And Im well aware of what you "need" to break through but coordinated attacks like that will almost never work on a random pub game unless you happen to have some friends in your team who know what theyre doing.

2 people coordinating, or 3 happening to take the same route at the same time while a 4th takes a different path.

You don't HAVE to coordinate with large numbers.

And you know you can invite other players to your fireteam if there's more than just you on Security, right.

And soon after you've blown the door, it's possible to spawn-camp the Resistance team pretty easily as well - so the vulnerability goes both ways.

It's a bit of a pain but it's usually possible. I quite like the map- lots of interesting routes and a constantly shifting focus. I think the hack objective on Shipyard is far worse- without voice comms and a sensible plan of attack it's a total meat grinder.

I loved it when I first trapped the opposing teams bot just after the gate. They couldn't do a thing.

But then I have seen good teams break through, I have broken through virtually alone.

You gotta be smart.

If your on a crap team you will lose every time. (Trying to get the bot through).

But thats what this game is about, an epic struggle to win the fight.

Your decent soldiers and counter-snipers have to be better than the opposition's, though.
Doesn't help if they're evenly skilled.

And the attackers have to spawntrap the Resistance on their first spawn when the bot is right at it. There is no other way to get it through, because it passes both exits.


Well, yes and no.

Planting the charge before the enemies can reach the gate (using a Light or Medium soldier) works very well. But you still have to escort the bot all the way though.
If the enemy team is just as smart as your's, that is quite a challenge still. And you can be trapped before the bot is outside the spawn area.

Theres 2 paths out of your spawn. Not much choices there to coordinate anything, if you get butchered right on the enterance. To get past youd need the entire team to attack at the same time, not 2 or 3.



That doesnt mean they will listen to or even understand you.

1st point: No, equal skill means your counter-snipers will nullify the effectiveness of their snipers - either by killing them while they're acting as snipers instead of counter-snipers, or by forcing them to play counter-sniper and ignore the targets they'd normally go for. Either possibility means their snipers aren't doing the job of killing the guys who are advancing.

2nd point: You don't have to spawn-trap them, they can be allowed to exit the spawn at the further exit from the bot, and retreat away from it, as long as you demolish anyone who doesn't fall back on the way out.


Only replying to this, because bad teammates is a problem in ANY online game, and can screw you just as bad outside Brink.

You're missing the point of what I said. 2 or 3 players moving together will force the enemy to concentrate their fire - while they do that, another player who's either coordinateing with them, or just smart enough to see what's happening, can exit through the second route, and it will be less well-defended than usual. The players going through the same gate don't necessarily need to be coordinating with one another - they're just the distraction another player is using - and it's easy to coordinate solo actions with a group who are making a predictable move.

This ALWAYS happens, and lets you get ONE player (only one though) outside the spawn, and ready to cause some trouble. As a Light Operative with Silent running and a Silenced weapon, I've found myself a useful person for this role. Either a sneaky fast kill before the enemy know I'm behind them, or just spray at everyone and draw fire from the whole enemy team - if you time an attack right and just spray at the whole enemy team, they'll all (or almost all) turn to attack you together, each assuming they're your only target. That means they're all out of position when your teammates charge, assuming you timed the attack right.

I usually get through, as long as there are Engineers that know what they're supposed to do (not the ones that hide out in spawn or fight instead of repairing the bot).

As good as any team is there are still multiple ways to deal with them spawn trapping, it's just a matter of players understanding that there has to be a strong push on occasion to knock them back and then you've just got to stick with the bot and push it along bit by bit.

Same goes for all the escort missions, if the players don't get that every inch gained is important you can't win, but if they fight hard for every inch you can work your way through.

Container City is still my favorite map to attack as Security.
See for yourself... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfdjbQglQBM

1) why dont you buff your teammates?
2) what system do you play on?
3) good job, you look like you'd be fun to play with/against.

Container City is my favorite map to attack as Security. It is Epic. Best map in a lot of ways besides Security Tower.

That's xbox live footage...

I buff teammates, just not for the sake of buffing. I don't play to buff or gain XP. I play to win... EVERY GAME.
I've learned to not waste buffs on dumb bots or selfish/useless humans when I might need those supplies in the near future... It's served me quite well as far as underdog victories are concerned.

I also am quite determined to NOT engage in the scrubbery I like to called SUICIDE-BUFFING, where certain clowns throw buffs at teammates who are under fire instead of backing them up with covering fire, often resulting in them getting pulled by the buffing gravity out into the line of fire with their teammate and subsequently mowed down with them. Yeah, thanks for buffing my weapon damage as I was stuck reloading out in the open under fire, because that increased damage brings me much comfort as I sit here staring at the respawn countdown. Makes me shake my head every time I see things like that.

A lot of the time, I just focus on the enemy threat, and don't even think about buffs. If I'm forgetting to buff the kevlar of some kid without a mic or the will to use it, as I try to advance my team or defend against the enemy, it's no real hair off my back. Not having any problems finding victory, and there's still the fact that I do indeed buff teammates when I find it to be needed.

One of the funniest things for me is when I steamroll a bunch of scrub players, just to find out that they're all medics on the post-game scoreboard with two or three times as much xp as the highest guy on our team (4800xp winners vs 8800xp losers for example).

Another great vid, Techniq!

I agree with you whole hearted ion the pointless buffing topic, were you playing with friends or ransoms? It looked like everyone was mic'd up, and on 1 or 2 occasions a human teammate was in need. I personally only very rarely buff Kevlar, it's really only if I am playing with someone.