Developer: Splash Damage
Publisher: Bethesda
Engine: id Tech 4
Other id Tech 4 games:
Doom 3
Quake 4
Prey
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (2007)
Wolfenstein (2009)

I am not a developer or programmer. From my understanding (limited) A developer uses various tools to develop their product. Some of the most essential tools are provided in a SoftwareDevelopersKit. Within these SDKs the developer uses modules provided by the engine's creator. The programmer only uses 'options' and not their own programming efforts unless the engine allows for scripts, custom written, correct?

I mention this because after the Game Director at SD released it's statement, many of us felt that the statement was ambiguous and eluded to SD not having actual fixes in mind. They used language like, "looking into" which means they don't have their finger on the lag issue at hand. Also no mention of the inability to properly gather friend's into the same game tells us that they are not communicating or possibly even accepting the complaints about that nonfeature. I do understand that SD is working on the issue but I think we are awfully too hopeful that they will have some sort of fix.

2 years ago another game from a different developer (Wolfenstein) used the id Tech 4 engine. This game received reviews very similar to Brink as well as many early complaints (that went unfixed) that Brink is having. Lag, poor textures, rubber banding. Of course there is an exception to this rule or theory; prey, it received higher than average ratings on the same engine.

It is entirely possible that SD, Bethesda and anyone else involved were limited by the hardware of the Xbox360, the id tech 4 sdk, and the network module of Xbox Live. I can't find any definitive information about this theory. If we look at these other games on the id tech 4 engine on the xbox 360 specifically, the reviews are all generally poor and revolve around gameplay lag issues in the MP. Yes, some people reviewed the game very highly. However, in my own experience with Wolfenstein, the lag issue was never resolved and essentially a good game was unplayable in MP.

I was never sure if they released a patch to improve this but after two weeks nothing had occurred and I had to move on.

I am riding a fence within this post. I am not blaming any entity in particular as I think there is a triple threat that has to be dealt with and life is never as simple as an outsider thinks it is.
Threat 1: game engine and it's ability on the sub system Xbox
Threat 2: Splash Damages ability to program and compile for the Xbox and it's restrictions (no mandated HDD, small media size, 5 year old GPU, less hardware boosts like AA and AF)
Threat 3: Bethesdas advertising, marketing and calendar schedule (publishers normally have a lot to do with these things and not the testing, demoing or playability of a game)

Alright gents, I tried not to make some sort of a juvenile flame post.

As a side note: any of us still on Xbox, expecting great graphics when compared to the PC, we are joking ourselves.

LOL, I do not know what the hell is wrong with your XBOX. But my graphics, look NOTHING like that. They actually look just like the PC's. Maybe you should invest in a new XBOX 360. .Just sayin'.


EDIT: Or a new TV.

GB, what are you talking about? are you replying to the other screen grabs from the other threads?

Thanks for the reply but this is not a picture of a tv screen. The TV or monitors were not used to capture any of these images. The output of the Xbox and the PC was to a video capture card running at 1080p 60hz. Same unit was used to capture both.

Your graphics look nothing like what?

Brand new box here... all shiny smells new still...and i still get graphics problems
I dont think its a problem on our side since there are a lot of websites reporting it....

Will it kill the game? No....
Should it happen? No !!!

Keep checking for updates

Xbox uses an ATI gpu. id tech 4 specs on nvidia cards and always plays like [censored] on ATI cards.

I tried to private message and it didn't work. But, can you send me a link please?

Agreed, problems not our issue and that graphics do not denote the amount of fun a game is. Graphics will hurt the specific console's sales, but kill the game, no.

Lag in MP that goes unresolved will indeed kill the MP community that would otherwise actively play the game. It may impact the ability to sell the product past the initial few weeks of release though.



If the game engine showed horrible lag issues in a game two years ago, and that game was never remedied, should we expect that Splash Damage can actually resolve the MP lag issue?

Can't even contact SD on this issue, and Bethesday tech support stonewalled me so damn hard that it was obvious he was prepared to answer my complaints with a script that was prepared for this issue. Said it was my tv and that not all tvs are alike. I'm not stupid. This game's graphics are flawed. My buddy agrees and has seen the differences first hand. On his tv it looks like the SMART Videos released online. On mine, looks like a 2002 game

I put the link up on the first post...it looks exactly like my Xbox and the PC version looks exactly like my PC so ignore GB, he is too busy hugging cute girls for his profile pictures! wink

This is a great reply. I am unsure how true it may or may not be but it does add a relevance to the conversation as ATI users are reporting issue with their cards. SD replies that it is a driver issue.

As for those questioning the look from their tv compared to the screen grabs online...it's not brain surgery...if every other game looks pristine and this one looks like my ball sack after sitting on leather without AC in Nevada, THAN IT IS NOT YOUR TV! lol

So true ...
And I can tell you... I live in Las Vegas Nevada...got a leather ez chair...the balls part I wont comment due to the sweaty nature of it....

Picture or LIE'S, Provide us a picture from your xbox to see your graphics.

Is this directed to the Op (me)? The link is in the first post, end of the entire thing...

or were you talking to someone else?

I

The link that was posted at the end of the OP.

You want different screens? Like with a camera showing the monitor playing it or something?

I will try and do something more concrete for you guys, there was no intended lie.


I agree that there is a difference between what I see on my own screen and that screen grab. That obviously raises validity questions.

Perhaps since the screen grab was right at the beginning the textures had not fully loaded. I will redo it.

For now, take down the links and reference to them to mitigate unintended problems.

Not sure how I can get more credible and validated grabs.

Please put the picture back up. It was a perfect example of what they need to fix. This xbox version looks like [censored] I would like a good looking video game or a refund and i cant get the refund cause i opened the box.

I don't think that either are the problem. I played Crysis 2 last night for a good couple hours and that game looks AMAZING on my TV and X360. I'm only having these graphical problems with Brink. And yes, I understand that they're using two completely different graphics engines, but I can honestly say that the X360 is still capable of rendering great graphics despite being as outdated as it is. Crysis 2 is a great example of this, as is Gears of War 3.

I wish Brink would have used Rage's TECH5 engine instead. But who's to say that will look any better. They're probably doing the same thing with Rage, showing everyone high-end PC captures playing it off as how the console versions will look anyways.

Wow, what a terrible response. The problem is the game, not his xbox or TV. Just because you aren't having the problem, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
If you aren't going to be helpful, don't post.
Here is my thread with pictures: http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1189598-brink-graphic-issues/

its not id tech its the 360 , decent pcs and ps3s dont suffer from this , buuuut i got the game on 360 and it isnt that bad on mine , its odd really :3

It's the coding for the 360 version. There's a bug somewhere that's causing this. I'm sure it's not happening for you, but for many of us it is.

Moron, game looks bad and its got nothing to do with anyones set up.

i know its happening to people , its happening to my cousin on his 360 , but it makes me belive that its a issue with the 360s software themselfs and not the code , no excuses for the lag tho thats just sht netcode

The next time anyone boots up MW2 look at one of the screens right around the title screen. I am pretty sure the COD series uses this engine as well.