(07-04-2012, 02:56 PM)smegged Wrote: Yes and no. The difference between the two systems is the connection you feel with the character. You have to debate whether you get the extra 5 strength to be able to wear that item or not. In Diablo 3 there really isn't that choice. Sure, we can always instantly respec our build, but the primary currency is not stats and skills, but items. That's the fundamental difference.
I guess there seem to me to be three variables at play here. (See also, the thread about the Mass Effect 1 vs 2 item system...)
1) The number of choices ("lots of options")
2) The impact choices have on game play ("choices that matter")
3) The permanence of choices ("respeccing")
For the ME1/2 debate, I was arguing that 2 is more important than 1: I would rather have two interesting, differentiated skills that play differently, than 10 skills that play almost identically, or 9 broken skills and 1 clearly superior skill.
For D3, they seem to have done a great job of 1 and 2 - not an easy combination. The sheer number of combinations and builds possible with the various skills and runes boggles the mind, and at least most of them work - certainly a much larger share than D2 skills! Some are better than others, and some mix of defense and offence is (probably) necessary, but there are a great many ways to skin this cat for each class.
The only question then, is whether 3 matters. There are pros and cons to permanence. It does add something to the roleplaying flavour. But in this situation, I don't see why it is more fun to build a 2nd wizard to try disintegrate vs. arcane orb, or whatever. All that encourages is endless skill tree plotting, and a whole swack of grindy replaying of old areas. It isn't even the kind of fun permanence that makes hardcore so adrenalin-loaded. If you pick the wrong skill or build, then you feel kind of stupid, but you don't feel challenged, or excited.
Meanwhile, as it stands, you are encouraged to try a variety of skills and playstyles, to customize to your preference rather than to a cookie cutter build, to adapt your toolkit to particular challenges. That seems like an interesting challenge to me.
They could make the skills slightly less modular - maybe have a respec function back in town that costs nontrivial resources. But I for one am thankful that Blizzard went for the system they did.
-Jester