http://youtu.be/UnF91jmMdgw[url]http://www.next-gen.biz/features/balancing-on-the-brink[/URL]
^^ good article about how they will balance Brink.
Basicly, they will observe how players behave and perform on the servers, and tweak "on the fly", sortof.
No patches, but simple text-files, that can be updated in 1 evening, and automatically spread over the clients.
Core game-files aren't touched
I've played ETQW since the demo - and still do.
The way the game is balanced right now, gets everything out of a good player.
Skills are always
supported by upgrades, not the other way around.
ETQW promotes teamplay like no other game I've seen.
Even without anyone talking (chat, or voip), players find the right thing to do, to win the objective and the match.
The way Brink ties classes to the maps, means the objective for everyone is clear from start.
No matter if you change class mid-game.
You can choose to use your level-up points to enhance a specialism...or use them, to improve your general non-class dependant abilities.
One Brink-ability in particular, reminds me of ETQW....the hacking.
In ETQW, an Infiltrator/Covert Ops can hack an enemy object, let's say an AP-turret...and pause it for a while (1 hack), or disable it (double hack).
In Brink, a player can hack the turret, but not only that, the turret also becomes friendly, so it's re-programmed.