My comprehensive thoughts on how to improve SCP: Secret Laboratory game play.

1.General game play improvements

2.Improvements to SCP Factions

[www.scp-wiki.net]

(“SCP-049 is a humanoid entity, roughly 1.9 meters in height, which bears the appearance of a medieval plague doctor.”)

i.Containment Procedure for SCP -049:

[www.scp-wiki.net]

(“SCP-096 is a humanoid creature measuring approximately 2.38 meters in height. Subject shows very little muscle mass, with preliminary analysis of body mass suggesting mild malnutrition.”)

i.Containment Procedure for SCP -096:

ii.Health and durability improvement:

iii.No stopping until everyone is dead:

[www.scp-wiki.net]

(“SCP-106 appears to be an elderly humanoid, with a general appearance of advanced decomposition. This appearance may vary, but the “rotting” quality is observed in all forms.”)

[www.scp-wiki.net]

(“It is constructed from concrete and rebar with traces of Krylon brand spray paint. SCP-173 is animate and extremely hostile.”)

i.Containment Procedure for SCP-173:

ii.Buffing peanut

3.Improvements to Human factions

[www.scp-wiki.net]

(“their primary task is to handle containment breaches by re-containing all active, hostile SCP instances, rescuing surviving Foundation personnel and terminating any rogue Class-D personnel.”)

i.Reducing the spawn waves for NTF

[www.scp-wiki.net]

(“Scientists are SCP Foundation personnel who research and study SCP artefacts.”)

i.Adding a janitor faction:

ii.Nerfing the Facility Guard:

[www.scp-wiki.net]

(“The group is a covert special task force formed by the SCP Foundation, first known under the code-name of "Insurgency", and was part of the Foundation. Unbeknownst to the Foundation, Insurgency had been operating under the guise of Foundation defectors.”)

i.Reducing the spawn waves for Chaos

[www.scp-wiki.net]

(“Class D personnel are expendable personnel used to handle extremely hazardous anomalies”)

i.Random spawn for D-class

Now, I’m a big fan of this game and it spawned my interest in the SCP foundation and its lore in general. This game is always in development and I’d like to put my two cents in the whole game. I’m well-versed in SCP-lore and I have nearly 100 hours in the game so I believe I’m qualified enough to put meanwhile suggestions on the board.The SCP universe is supposed to instil fear into us. The fear of the unknown is omnipresent in many SCPs created and it should be emulated in this game here. In game, SCPs can easily be destroyed by shooting them and the fear factor is completely wiped off within few hours of game play.To improve SCP:SL, the SCPs should all have containment procedures similar to SCP-106’s containment procedure. It means that the game is more true to the SCP universe, the slogan is ‘Secure, Contain, Protect’ not ‘Slay, Release, Attack’. I will have a section to improve each SCP which includes their containment procedures. Each containment procedure is lore-friendly and similar to how the SCP foundation originally contained these SCPs on the wiki.To be honest, the new guns and attachments addition for SCP:SL in the most recent 6.0.0 update is terrible for the game. The only thing I like about it is that the guns are more lore-friendly and realistic (no laser rifles and p90 rush gate B!). The bad points is that the SCP universe and SCP: Containment Breach (the game that SCP: SL bases itself on) was never about guns. In the single player game, you couldn’t arm yourself; there was only one gun (okay maybe 2 if you count the Nazi) in the entire game and you were staring down the barrel of it.I firmly stand on the unpopular opinion that guns should be scaled back and maybe just be used for human encounters (gunning down D-class). Also the attachments are gratuitous as it poses little difference to game play and drops the FPS considerably. Another problem is that the MP7 and P90 play the same role as CQC sub machine guns, which just adds another gun that developers have to work on and rebalance in the future. MP7 should be removed and replaced with the P90.The end game states are a bit lack-luster, just showing the amount of personnel escaping, killed or SCPs terminated. I think that the end state could have the names of each player that escaped and also what each player achieved. For example, there should be a list of players that escaped as D-class. Which player was responsible for containing each SCP (‘”Player 1 bravely sacrificed his femur to contain SCP-106”’). A list of people that SCPs killed: (‘7 NTF killed, 8 D-class killed, 3 Foundation Staff killed.’). It gives players more of a reward for playing their roles and credits them for a good game.Right now, NTF and Chaos spawns are predictable and so many-a-para-military men have been spawn killed. To avoid this, NTF helicopter should spawn somewhere inaccessible from the outside (have a ledge that cannot be jumped on but can be jumped off). Chaos should teleport (yes, teleport – in SCP: Containment Breach they allegedly had a teleportation SCP) somewhere in any random room in the entrance zone. Preferably somewhere the game knows is devoid of NTF or SCPs.D-class and scientist escape routes should be separated. D-class escape through the tunnel Chaos used to spawn from and scientists go to the same place. This avoids any confrontation if NTF spawns.The O5 card is the dues ex machina of this game. Having an easily accessible card (a few turns of 914) and in turn being able to contain 106, open every armoury and turn on the nuke. This completely destroys the use of any other card in the game and they’re just the rainbow of colours to see before upgrading to the O5.Removing the O5 card promotes teamplay as maybe one player will have a Facility Manager Card to activate the nuke and escape through the gates, another player follows with a Lieutenant Card to access the armouries. , another follows with a Containment Engineer Card to open SCP-106’s chamber (only card to access SCP-106). Maybe D-class choose to run a lieutenant card, access the armoury to defend against facility guards as they could risk running into facility guards in the HCZ. Therefore, blocking access to the nuke or SCP-106 because they don’t have a manager or engineer card.There should be an item in the game called ‘pouch of lavender’ added. This pouch can be acquired via going to a greenhouse in light containment (maybe make SCP 038 and have growing around it) which means that NTF will have to go all the way down to LCZ to contain SCP-049 or D-class and scientists can be beyond and attempt to contain SCP-049. When LCZ is closed, then shooting SCP-049 is the only way to killAfter you acquire the pouch, you now have a throw able item that sticks onto SCP-049. After this, SCP-049’s player loses control and SCP-049 finds the closest path back to its containment chamber. A human player can press a lockdown button inside the red observation room which locks SCP-049 inside and ends the game for that SCP.To counter this, other SCPs can remove the pouch of lavender which makes the SCP player retake control and drops the ‘pouch of lavender’ on the floor.The procedure for 096 is very similar to SCP-049. There should be an item inside SCP 096’s containment chamber called ‘opaque bag’ which can be picked up.The bag works similar as a disarmer but on SCP 096, when put on the player for SCP-096’s screen goes black and they lose control. The human player then leads SCP-096 to his red containment chamber, locks SCP-096 and presses the lockdown button on the room outside and contains SCP-096.Again, the counter can be to kill the human leading SCP-096 and then removing the bag on the floor which can be picked up and reused.I don’t really like how SCP-096 can easily be killed during his charge or shot dead when he’s low HP. In lore, SCP-096 survived a whole MTF squad, minigun and anti-tank missile point blank. The only way the foundation contained SCP-096 is via a bag. SCP-096 is easily killable with a squad of NTF and a well placed grenade at full HP during charge.SCP-096 should be given double the HP it has to make it more durable and its damage should be scaled to its state: 1x damage for when he’s crying, 0.25x damage when he’s charging and in rage mode. This will make SCP-096 much harder to kill and encourages players to run instead of spam left-mouse when he’s charging.I also don’t like how when SCP-096 is in rage mode, after a certain time period the SCP just stops raging. So a human player could survive inches away from SCP-096 just because the timer ran out.I think that SCP-096 should keep a constant rage until all humans in his vision has been killed. This stops the stupid moment where the timer runs out and the guy escapes scot-free. After no humans are in sight, then the timer starts.This incentivises people to find the bag to quickly contain SCP-096 and also to avoid looking at him.I’m actually fairly happy about SCP-106’s gameplay. It makes sense that he has a containment procedure, and he is extremely hard to kill which incentivises containment. Maybe just add more health to SCP-106 to make containment a priority.In SCP: Containment Breach, SCP-173 is actually contained by the NTF and you can see the process. The procedure involves three NTF to surround SCP-173, warn each other when blinking and setting up a box, trapping SCP-173 and then bringing it back to the containment chamber.Translating it in to SCP:SL, at least 3 NTF members need to be present and when the NTF are at a certain distance SCP-173 cannot move. Then, the person holding the ‘containment cage’ (NTF commander spawns with this) can drop the cage nearby peanut which traps peanut inside the cage. Then the three NTF have to escort SCP-173 back to his cell in the LCZ. If the LCZ has been locked down, then inescapable locations like SCP-076’s chamber also counts as ‘containment’ which will end the game for SCP-173.At the game’s current state, SCP-173 is easily the weakest SCP in the entire game. It cannot move when stared at, moves fairly slow if not damaged, if surrounded by NTF can be wiped out in one fell swoop. To rectify this, peanut should move quicker at higher HP and should have more HP to make it more durability (ofc scaling HP and speed properly). Another buff peanut could have is using ventilation systems around the facility. SCP-173 in SCP: Containment Breach is seen to use the vents to follow people around. In SCP:SL, this could be seen as the player clicking on a vent and then randomly teleporting to another part of the facility to escape/catch a human off-guard.With all the nerfs I’ve given to the SCPs, I think the NTF should deserve some as well. The NTF squads in SCP: Containment Breach are always small squads of three but are crack-shots and well-versed in SCP containment. With gunplay being reduced in importance, I believe that NTF should be limited in numbers. In a 20 player server, it’s often that around 10 NTF spawn (after all D-class dies) that decimates any other human faction and can easily contain SCPs.I think the NTF should be reduced so that the maximum of 5 NTF can spawn per wave. This encourages team play for NTF and incentivises working with facility guards and helping scientists escape to bolster their ranks.One idea of a new faction I’ve had (apart from facility guard) is the janitor class. One or two janitors will spawn in the LCZ with the scientists and D-class. Since they are not D-class, they are not violent and potentially ruin escape attempt but since they are not scientists they are not important foundation personnel.Adding janitors will add a new layer of game play. Janitors are sought after by Chaos because they also have knowledge about the foundation and weren’t sacrificing D-class like scientists, Janitors may also be sought by NTF as their goal is to rescue foundation staff and game play wise janitors can bolster their ranks. Janitors can be killed by all human factions however.Therefore janitors can choose to either help scientists or D-class. Helping scientists just adds another scientist, but helping D-class guarantees a keycard on spawn (especially if pesky scientists decide to steal all keycards). Janitors can choose to join Chaos or NTF by going to their respective escapes.Lore-wise, facility guards make sense. The NTF wouldn’t be deployed right after the containment breach and so guards have to attempt to secure the area before NTF arrive. However, game play wise spawning the guards closer to D-class to avoid D-class being killed early on is stupid.Guards should be nerfed by having them only spawn with pistols, since they are entrance zone guards they shouldn’t have powerful firearms like in the containment zones. However, there should be an armoury room in the entrance zone only accessible for a senior guard card. This means the guards will either rush LCZ with weak pistols or get a better card in the HCZ, return to entrance zone to arm themselves to P90s and then go to the LCZ. This gives more chance for D-class to escape and hide in the HCZ or arm themselves in the LCZ armoury (which should also have pistols and a couple of p90s).Same problems with the NTF. Too many Chaos spawning ruins the game and since guns are taking a backseat there’s no point of having too many. Owing to superior guns, the Chaos should have a maximum of 4 spawning at one time. They teleport in an empty Entrance Zone room.Right now, D-class often conglomerate into a huge conga-line of necks for SCP-173 to snap since they are all joined together in the spawn. It also removes a lot of the horror factor when you have 10 other D-class jumping and shouting ‘D-BOIS’.To rectify this, D-class should spawn in random locations around LCZ. A majority of D-class will still spawn in the living quarters but maybe one or two spawn outside SCP-173, SCP-012, SCP-914 etc. This separates D-class and makes the start scarier for the player.