from another thread...

Quote Originally Posted by Rydin View Post
The relationship between tedium and difficulty (as referenced many times on this forum) is a precarious one.

Essentially, I see it like this: Time can be a form of difficulty... but is not synonymous with it

For instance: Lay flat on your back and lift your feet six inches off the ground... easy!!!

Next: Hold that position for 4 hours

It doesn't require any "skill"
It would indeed be tedious, but the one thing that makes tedium difficult... the one thing people have yet to reference at all... the one word that defines why that is hard....
Endurance
An endurance test can indeed be difficult. The problem is... in the spirit of balance, all difficulty cannot rely on endurance testing. If it is in game.. I'd like to see it used sparingly, and not overdone on every piece of content
If there were a 16 hour fight... it would be difficult... strictly based on the time it took.
We are definitely in an "Instant Gratification" society
and also... Many people would prefer a video game not be an endurance test
I can definitely see both sides
But try to avoid saying tedious isn't difficulty.. when, in fact, it is... just not the difficulty we want to see.
I think all people are saying is that very low drop rates on content that they are blowing through is indeed tedious... and that is a form of difficulty... but it is kind of the easiest, laziest form of difficulty a developer can add....

If they wanted DL gear to be epic... they could add 10 new dungeons... and you have to speed run all 10 to get an item from each... having all ten items gives you the opportunity to spawn a big super primal that has a very high drop rate of darklight bodies....

but running one dungeon hundreds of times is an endurance test... not a skill challenge...

Getting to the point where you can speed run it is a skill challenge... but once that happens... it becomes an endurance challenge and that gets old very VERY fast