Lab is so bad

It's the beginning of the end!

I've seen this so many times. A big game dev makes a stupid decision, and suddenly a "vocal minority" starts to complain like hell. It seems OK for a while, but sooner or later within a couple of years, the mass exodus of players takes a toll and the game is considered dead. Mark my words.

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IMSilver wrote:

It's the beginning of the end!

I've seen this so many times. A big game dev makes a stupid decision, and suddenly a "vocal minority" starts to complain like hell. It seems OK for a while, but sooner or later within a couple of years, the mass exodus of players takes a toll and the game is considered dead. Mark my words.

OK. Marked.
Ill add that the lab is something that I feel almost obligated to cheese my way through unless I actually feel like running it (which is rare).

Between the games various performance problems, especially the random rollbacks, crashes, and the dreaded client crash boss that sometimes shows up at way too convenient moments, coupled with the hilariously cute attempt at the whole enchantments thing, and the sheer awesome of ascendancy points, what the lab is to me, is a badly designed chore to be cheesed through with as much convenience as possible so that I can get the nearly mandatory (no a character doesnt need ascendancy to progress, yes it is technically optional, and yes sticking to that argument is utterly hilarious in a min/maxer) ascendancy points and continue playing path of maps i mean path of exile.

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IMSilver wrote:

It's the beginning of the end!

I've seen this so many times. A big game dev makes a stupid decision, and suddenly a "vocal minority" starts to complain like hell. It seems OK for a while, but sooner or later within a couple of years, the mass exodus of players takes a toll and the game is considered dead. Mark my words.

Not really a prediction, it's happened to every game that keeps getting developed. They try to bring in new players, so they cater to the lowest common denominator. Then try to add something that requires a small to moderate amount of skill, it causes a backlash, so it, and any challenge whatsoever gets thrown out.

Happened to WoW, happened to Diablo, happened to Call of Duty, Happened to Ultima Onine.

Except Lab isn't even about skill when it ignores 90% of build decisions. It's designed to cheese your builds.

As someone who never followes a "build guide", just grabs whatever is close that looks cool. Never sits down and optimizes their builds. Just grabs whatever gear helps most at the time, instead of optimally planning. Someone with below average skill who does stupid things and dies fairly often, like not using his Staunching flask to clear after fighitng corrupting blood enemy, I can honestly say this.

Lab is pretty easy.

And like I already said: It's not about skill.

So, you predict that games slowly lose popularity over time as they get older? Wow, what remarkable insight!

Hey, cool. You know how to misrepresent his argument. You're so talented!

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Rafein wrote:

As someone who never followes a "build guide", just grabs whatever is close that looks cool. Never sits down and optimizes their builds. Just grabs whatever gear helps most at the time, instead of optimally planning. Someone with below average skill who does stupid things and dies fairly often, like not using his Staunching flask to clear after fighitng corrupting blood enemy, I can honestly say this.

Lab is pretty easy.

If half of that is true, then you're bullshitting.

I'm the opposite of what you claim and I know lab is hard. Even for my current Embertaming Cybil's setup, I have to watch my ass during at least the third stage. I also have to watch the other two Izaro stages simply because my current system lags easily, so I have to keep the number of enemies down as low as possible at all times.

The rest of the lab can be difficult, depending on what it is. Argus is a truck that has no reason to be stopped. It's just a level 75 map that can be, and should be, skipped.

Focus on Izaro and Izaro alone. Bypass all other enemies unless it stops you from getting a relic to make the Izaro fight easier.

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Albinosaurus wrote:

Hey, cool. You know how to misrepresent his argument. You're so talented!

There's something to be said for subtlety, elegance, context. Letting your readers connect the dots once in a while, so to speak.

Historically speaking, it is a 100% certainty that all games die down in popularity over time. Original poster wants us to mark his words that the mass exodus will be caused by labyrinth. But mass exodus over a period of years is nearly guaranteed... so the cause-effect link seems a bit tenuous.

What effect would maintaining labyrinth have that can't otherwise be explained by the natural aging process of games? Until one is identified, there's not really anything in the original post that is provable or disprovable.

At least, all that is how I read dudio's post. I'm not a fucking game developer!!! I know jack shit about natural aging process of games and the game industry ecosystem and the weightiness of premonitions. Please read my post as "I have no opinion except that dudio's post was not devoid of meaning."