SET FREE THE ASCENDANCY POINTS (or rework the lab) [New ascension methods/lab rework ideas]

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goetzjam wrote:

People like OP or people that don't enjoy or want anything to do with the lab are given their method to get AC points (basically for nothing). This affects players like myself because the content of the game is being changed for casual players and the design is being compromised in order to "appeal to the masses". GGG never intended to appeal to the masses, ever. Nor do they have to, the business model they have actually caters further to less people that spend more, then more people that spend less. With that statement being said, it can affect them negatively if I'm not satisfied (or others like me) because we would see the game as no longer following it's roots and compromising game quality, for playing quantity. Which means no large supporter packs for me, only the $50-60 ones or none at all.

Let's see if I understand this correctly, there's zero impact to Goetzjam's PoE playing experience if ascendancy points were made available outside labyrinth yet he would be so upset with this thought that people are no longer hating PoE labyrinth that he would never make a large supporter pack donation again. Of course he did throw in a bunch of nonsense irrelevancies and falsehoods like "get AC points (basically for nothing)" but, still this is so unbelievable that I have to conclude that we're being trolled again.

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goetzjam wrote:

This affects players like myself because the content of the game is being changed for casual players and the design is being compromised in order to "appeal to the masses". GGG never intended to appeal to the masses, ever.

Gotta call this out as bs. They've been marching at full steam making the game more and more casual friendly since the release of the forsaken masters. To suggest them moving the points away from the lab would make the game more casual is a joke, the ascendancy classes themselves are what's making the game more casual. And typically they would gate something as powerful as the ascendancy classes and their points behind large amounts of layered rng so the fact that a person only needs to spend up to 30 mins per run and get these guaranteed OP buffs is itself a design already catering to casuals.

If they hadn't put the points behind the lab they could've actually made them harder to get which would've been a good thing. There is no reason to assume that removing the points automatically means they would have to then be easier to get.

The bottom line is simply > Money.

To survive, POE needs lots of players who like the game and enjoy playing it.

If players enjoy playing the game, they will stick around. They will contribute. The game will flourish, so will GGG.

Small indi game devs need money and players to keep going. It's all about money.

You cannot afford to alienate your player base, not if you want to prosper.

This is a business, just like any other business.

In the business world, a bad reputation is the hardest thing to shake off.

Investors look at the numbers, the bottom line.

If the numbers are dropping off quickly as in this latest league, that isn't a good sign.

If a lot of players are complaining about the way the game is going, that isn't a good sign either.

If GGG don't appeal to the masses, that's BAD BUSINESS!

Bad business's don't last too long in a very competitive business world like online gaming.

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GeorgAnatoly wrote:

They've been marching at full steam making the game more and more casual friendly since the release of the forsaken masters.

Not sure if this is entirely true --- PoE remains a pretty grindy game. But no question that GGG have been adding more and more stuff that enables overpowered characters, to the point where they've broken any game balance that may have existed before.

And the cynical perspective (perhaps too uncharitable) is that GGG put some of the biggest and most broken rewards behind the lab just so that people would play it, like it or not (and most, I'm convinced, do not).

Maybe "overpowered" characters can exisats, but in the end they can still die. Easily seen by how long it took to get the first lvl 100 character in HC. And the best thing: If you dont like to be overpowered, anyone can always choose to use an experimental build and being "less overpowered". Since PoE is a PvE game, it doesn't matter so much if there are OP builds. And since it's a PvE game, it wouldn't also matter much if there would be an alternative lab way. It would make more people happy with the content and anyone could enjoy the game how they wish to enjoy it.

Rework Lab and Ascendency points.

Make POE great again!

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goetzjam wrote:

People like OP or people that don't enjoy or want anything to do with the lab are given their method to get AC points (basically for nothing). This affects players like myself because the content of the game is being changed for casual players and the design is being compromised in order to "appeal to the masses". GGG never intended to appeal to the masses, ever. Nor do they have to, the business model they have actually caters further to less people that spend more, then more people that spend less. With that statement being said, it can affect them negatively if I'm not satisfied (or others like me) because we would see the game as no longer following it's roots and compromising game quality, for playing quantity. Which means no large supporter packs for me, only the $50-60 ones or none at all.

This DOES sound a lot like Schadenfreude, goetzjam. Please explain why it is isn't, if I am wrong.

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goetzjam wrote:

People like OP or people that don't enjoy or want anything to do with the lab are given their method to get AC points (basically for nothing).

And this makes it look like you aren't paying any attention at all.

<shrug> Maybe you are, I don't know. But when you say things like that, it really looks like you aren't, and that weakens your arguments.

"I think i donated more money than you, i also think that i know the business model of GGG and i think that i speak for all people who have donated a lot."

Seriously goetjam, maybe you should stop thinking?

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Rayzabladez wrote:

If the numbers are dropping off quickly as in this latest league, that isn't a good sign.
If a lot of players are complaining about the way the game is going, that isn't a good sign either.
If GGG don't appeal to the masses, that's BAD BUSINESS!

Are you a market analyst for GGG? I thought not. It would be inaccurate, to say the least, to blame the player drop off on the lab alone. The league is pretty widely panned on the forums, the game direction is abysmal, the XP change is hands down the dumbest thing they've ever done, and seriously the list just goes on and on.

I'v played for years and this is probably the 2nd longest break I'v taken with no visible end in sight. Hopefully the next updates bring some overdo changes and some changes to the game design philosophy overall as it is in a terrible place. I don't think they need to include castrating the AC/Lab experience, however, I do think we are past the time for (3) difficulties and eliminating any of them would mean less lab runs for ascending characters.

Anyways, I really don't care at this time so save your vitriol about the lab for responding to someone else I just wanted to call you out on your correlation without causation regarding the player drop off.

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IMSilver wrote:

Rework Lab and Ascendency points.

Make POE great again!