11-02-2006, 02:43 AM
Quote:Hi,
All too true. However, for each person looking for a challenging game there appears to be hundreds looking for a way to waste time through instant gratification. Those time wasters are the true market of the game companies, since they are the only audience big enough to fund the cost of developing a modern game. And so, for those of us looking for an interesting game the choices are to look at mods; to look at independent games (e.g., Angband); or to play varients. To complain that mass produced games are produced for the masses is a tad bit naive.
Item glut in D2? Try hard core, using only items you find or buy and never repairing them (just toss or sell when they wear out). It does take some of the 'easy' out of the game and the vendors do become your best friends:) Combine that with some non-optimal builds, and the game can stay interesting for a long time.
That's a great point.
I've always been one of the "D2 should be harder" ranters, but I've come to the conclusion that one of the reasons it still has a hold on me and what I'd call Challenge Players (As opposed to "Challenged Players" or "Challenging Players".) is partly because it is so easy. This lack of difficulty combined with its skill and item system is what makes the almost never-ending stream of variants and restricted builds possible.
Consequently it's very good as well at accomodating people of widely varying skill and attention levels, even in the same game.