I agree that Blizzard should introduce more crafting recipes, but for a slightly different reason than above. The gameplay of D2 basically boils down to this: kill monsters, gather loot, equip loot, kill more monsters, rinse and repeat, combine with some decisions on stat and skill point allocation, and add a bit of social interaction if you play online. In order for this formula to work, you have to make each stage as enjoyable as possible, so the player is hooked in a cycle of addiction. An extensive crafting system can have a huge positive impact on the gather loot, and equip loot phase here. Not only does crafting create more toys to play with, it also significantly increases the value of any loot you gather. A simple Eth rune that wasn't worth its space in your backpack is suddenly a great discovery as you know it can be used to craft some potentially uber Blood boots. The same can be applied to gems, jewels, and many common magic items. In short, as long as crafted items are properly balanced, they can be a huge boon to D2 gameplay. Blizzard can easily take advantage of this if they would just spend some time designing new crafting recipes.
Note to Blizzard Sales Department: While implementing a new and expanded crafting system in an old game like D2 may not seem like a good investment on first glance, it can actually be a valuable experience for implementing a good crafting system in World of Warcraft ;)
Note to Blizzard Sales Department: While implementing a new and expanded crafting system in an old game like D2 may not seem like a good investment on first glance, it can actually be a valuable experience for implementing a good crafting system in World of Warcraft ;)