(07-05-2012, 02:38 AM)Elric of Grans Wrote: * Gear-checks reduce variety in gear. Players all need to meet a minimum of DPS/defence. As a result, modifiers that merely add flavour are unpopular, exasperating the point above.
The catch is that a game where mods that add flavor can be chosen instead of mods that add something useful is that it's not absolutely challenging. Pick the useful mods and you win. It's very similar to skill balance, up before inferno most things can work because you just aren't being challenged much. I don't see a real great solution here beyond making flavor mods "free" (this is how uniques/runewords often worked, so in an economy dominated by such, you'll have alot more flavor mods.)
I agree with most of your points but I'm basically willing to forgive alot of D3 flaws because this is the first ARPG where I felt my brain is actually required sometimes. Alot of people are upset about gear checks but for now I'm actually liking it. (full disclosure: yes I use the AH plenty.) I never would have considered farming without them, and NV hunting is so much more fun than pindle runs. There are a million things Blizzard could be doing better, but your average D2 clone has downright primitive combat tactics by compare, so there isn't much of an alternative out there for me right now.