Because seriously, who doesn't mine in a straight line?
Euclidean geometry proposes that the shortest distance between two points = a straight line. IC2 physics proposes that mining lazer = awesome.
Mate the two and see why I often dont mine in a straight line. I often mine diagonal down or diagonal sideways, sometimes when shaft mining or at least prepping for it, but especially whenever I am clearing a large area or trying to create a good fast walkway to a pre-defined location. The lazer clips the corners of many more blocks as it travels, and clears areas with less walking. Much cheaper and more controlled then any kind of explosion.
I would cry if they took that ability out.
