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Astealoth wrote:
The lab is extremely problematic and shortening the trivial early ones is not helpful or wanted.
The content is broadly hated, but the rewards are so insanely powerful that you have very little choice but to participate in it. You can't just ignore them and go on with your life and have a competitive character, considering that the other content is tuned with the expectation that you have done the lab. The problem is, the rest of the game is much more diverse and inclusive. Every tier of map up to T17 has something for just about every kind of build and every skill level of player to tackle.
The lab is extremely specific in what is required to finish it. The traps and boss require precise twitch movement beyond what the majority of the game requires or extreme physical resistance beyond what the majority of the game requires. This makes the lab itself very build and/or player dexterity exclusive. This is not in line with the majority of the game's content, yet much of the game's content benefits significantly from the rewards of the lab. There is a terribly abusive design problem going on here just in the core mechanics of combat and traps in the lab.
Then there is the reward structure beyond the basic skill point progression. You simply can not expect to enchant your own helmet with something relevant to your primary skill within the time spans of a league. It is not possible, you would have to devote 100% of your time to the lab for the entire league to even dream of a hint of a chance. So, no SSF enchanting, period. Not going to happen, maybe 1 in 1000 SSF players might get a relevant enchant on the timescale of a league. So we're forced to trade for our helmets and sell the helmets we enchant. That's fine for most people perhaps, but what if you use an uncommon helmet? Oh my goodness, someone dares to play a suboptimal self designed build in this game? String them up by the heels and flog them in the eye until they vomit blood! That scrub wears a T2 helmet, HA! Is this really what the game needs? Who at GGG genuinely believes that this enchant system makes sense?
This is spot on
I am not as eloquent or sober as the chap i'm quoting but the lab just doesn't fit in with the rest of the game
I'm old, an alcoholic and my reactions are to put it mildly not what they used to be. I also choose to play HC because any challenges I manage mean something - and believe me I struggle to get out of bed some days so even a small totem at the end of a league is an achievement
The argument that the lab is optional is not valid as from what I can see, GGG assume the lab will be done and have adjusted the content accordingly.
I've been playing since the original closed beta and generally feel Chris and the team have succeeded in creating a game they (and we) want to play. The lab is the only major thing I feel they have got wrong
Can you please listen to your players on this one Chris?????
