Now let me start off and say that Diablo 3 was amazing, the game was great. Reason i say was is cause ive pretty much done everything upto 3 months ago till i stopped playing.
So i took a break to try out Path of exile and i saw quite a few interesting features which would really really help diablo 3.
Few of the features that really caught my eye are 1) End world maps (You make them and have a fresh new zone to farm each time so it doesnt get repetitive 2) constant new legendries/skills. Before people say that its asking too much, PoE is free to play and im not saying its a better game but it does have its strengths.
Also on a side note what are people doing in this game anymore, im talking about old players. Like whats left to do?
Please do contribute and correct me if im mistaken.
ps - reason i want d3 to implement these features is because i miss the game but there isnt much to do.
You can always upgrade your equipment. You can always do something new - hunt achievements, try PvP, play another class, hardcore, ubers, try out fun builds, and so on. Is it repetitive? Sure as hell it is. Repetition has always been part of the entire Diablo series. But compared to D1/D2 I think there's much more to do. Farming Demonic Essences like crazy to craft godly trifecta gloves/amulets.
If you want constant major updates of content in a game, you need to play an MMORPG like WoW. (Maybe PoE is the exception and has awesome upgrades for free every few weeks, but it's just nothing you could ever expect from Diablo 3).
That's a singularly personal decision. Personally, having played mumble-hundred hours, I'm going to sink my annoyingly limited game-time into other games for a while, and see what comes out of Blizzard's PR department over the next few months... but D3 is still my go-to game for killing a quick half an hour, or if I just don't feel like a marathon Anno session or playing with cubes of dirt.
I have to say, though, that by far the main barrier to playing is that I'm kinda sick of my main, but when I play an alt, I hate it that my MF is gimped because my main's paragon level is so far ahead of my other characters
What do you expect to do? It's a game about farming, loot, sometimes interesting builds, building a set of items that suits your needs, doing some brawling if you feel like it and that's pretty much all. This goes for all ARPG games. What bigger purpose do you want? Random maps in PoE - farming acts in D3. A few updates in the coming months should balance things out a bit when it comes to farming different acts with the same efficiency. But the core is that you just farm. What ideas do you have for ARPGs in general is my question?
For me the Diablo series is all about progression. Ladders would help that out alot. I agree that once you hit a level where your gear is good there's not much point to farming. I still enjoy D3 but ladder resets is what reallly made D2 exciting for me..
What do you expect to do? It's a game about farming, loot, sometimes interesting builds, building a set of items that suits your needs, doing some brawling if you feel like it and that's pretty much all. This goes for all ARPG games. What bigger purpose do you want? Random maps in PoE - farming acts in D3. A few updates in the coming months should balance things out a bit when it comes to farming different acts with the same efficiency. But the core is that you just farm. What ideas do you have for ARPGs in general is my question?
My input on this matter is this. Why be limited to such? Why does it have to be about, and driven solely by loot, why would anyone want to take a great name franchise and limit it at every turn? Sure, I've played Diablo 1, and Diablo 2 way back when they were freshly created. I've seen what they have become, what they have accomplished. As time goes on, and as life and technology progresses, so to does the desires and taste of the community. Not only that, the gaming industry grows larger with each passing day, week and month.
If there is the ability, and the desire to see something happen, why not to do it? Is it because of the fact of "This design isn't meant to be in a Action RPG" Who stated that, and where does such a rule exist. Why not have survival dungeons, better PVP, even skills like collecting, gathering, cooking like an MMO would have? By suggesting this I'm not saying I want them implemented, my point I wish to get across is where did all of this limiting talk come from? Great the majority of the game is about slaying demons and finding loot, awesome! Sounds fun, but oh, there's something more besides the bloodshed and repetitive? Even better!
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"From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man - the function of his reasoning mind." ~ Ayn Rand
You can always upgrade your equipment. You can always do something new - hunt achievements, try PvP, play another class, hardcore, ubers, try out fun builds, and so on. Is it repetitive? Sure as hell it is. Repetition has always been part of the entire Diablo series. But compared to D1/D2 I think there's much more to do. Farming Demonic Essences like crazy to craft godly trifecta gloves/amulets.
If you want constant major updates of content in a game, you need to play an MMORPG like WoW. (Maybe PoE is the exception and has awesome upgrades for free every few weeks, but it's just nothing you could ever expect from Diablo 3).
I dont get why we cant expect it from d3. If many many people want these very suggestions and i see that theyre looking for suggestions so why cant this work.
The game is a little stale for me right now... Hurry up itemization fixes!! Till then I just play to level and kill time. I haven't found or crafted any upgrades in 15 paragon levels. (Current pl89)
Why not have survival dungeons, better PVP, even skills like collecting, gathering, cooking like an MMO would have?
Because we don't want an MMO?
To the same degree I say this, WHY do things have to be limited to certain genres? Just because it was used in one game or what type of game doesn't mean it cannot be used in another. They are not trade-marked to the genre, just like fighting enemies is in any type of RPG, but also in First Person Shooters, and even smaller arcade titles. No one should consider anything limited to a certain genre. I hate that mentality. That's basically being stereotypical in a non-personified way.
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"From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man - the function of his reasoning mind." ~ Ayn Rand
What do you expect to do? It's a game about farming, loot, sometimes interesting builds, building a set of items that suits your needs, doing some brawling if you feel like it and that's pretty much all. This goes for all ARPG games. What bigger purpose do you want? Random maps in PoE - farming acts in D3. A few updates in the coming months should balance things out a bit when it comes to farming different acts with the same efficiency. But the core is that you just farm. What ideas do you have for ARPGs in general is my question?
Read my suggestions which were taken from Path of exile. It relates to farming and farming in general isnt what im complaining about. What im saying is to make farming more fun, why not implement new gear every patch and create a random map generator so you dont farm the same level endlessly. Thats what i love about path of exile. Im no path fanboy as i much prefer d3 and i would like seeing d3 improve. But path has 2 amazing features 1) Maps which negates farming the same place over and over. 2) New skills/Legendries every patch which gives people a new chance to try out different builds and look forward to new gear. Maybe adding new skills might not be profitable for blizzard but with new gear theyre going to get plenty from $AH.
New skills would still benefit Blizzard. More Skill = more builds which more builds = more different type of item builds which would then again be chained to the AH. So that shouldn't be used as an excuse.
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"From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man - the function of his reasoning mind." ~ Ayn Rand
Why not have survival dungeons, better PVP, even skills like collecting, gathering, cooking like an MMO would have?
Because we don't want an MMO?
To the same degree I say this, WHY do things have to be limited to certain genres? Just because it was used in one game or what type of game doesn't mean it cannot be used in another. They are not trade-marked to the genre, just like fighting enemies is in any type of RPG, but also in First Person Shooters, and even smaller arcade titles. No one should consider anything limited to a certain genre. I hate that mentality. That's basically being stereotypical in a non-personified way.
This, i was just imagining how awesome it would be if there was a mmoargp. Like a diablo-isque mmo but arpg system with constant updates. Diablo 3 was amazing for plenty of people for a good 3 months until they ran out of stuff to do.
New skills would still benefit Blizzard. More Skill = more builds which more builds = more different type of item builds which would then again be chained to the AH. So that shouldn't be used as an excuse.
Cost of programming new skills might not be worth for them maybe, i dont know but i know blizz for sure will never add new skills without an expansion. This is blizzard after all. However they would with massive support add a random map generator/new legendries.
Interesting idea, and I like to fuel discussion and imaginative thoughts. Although even with not changing the genre of the game, it is still possible to implement updates, content, and other mechanics that would not change or harm the genre itself. Genres are only split by thin hairs by themselves, but ideas can still cross to others without changing the style and feeling of it. Limiting based on a genre shouldn't happen, especially since there is no fine print or anything disconcerting that. For example, Diablo, an Action RPG and Borderlands, a FPS RPG are both driven by killing, and of course loot. Look at how different they are from each other, but how similar. Things shouldn't be limited just because of what they claim to be.
New skills would still benefit Blizzard. More Skill = more builds which more builds = more different type of item builds which would then again be chained to the AH. So that shouldn't be used as an excuse.
Cost of programming new skills might not be worth for them maybe, i dont know but i know blizz for sure will never add new skills without an expansion. This is blizzard after all. However they would with massive support add a random map generator/new legendries.
If they already are using labor and expenses to further update the game, they should do so which would increase profit along with popular demand. Other companies have realized this too. Bethesda, Bioware, Jagex, etc. They are starting to realize that consumers drive this industry forward and without them their game is essentially hemorrhaging money.
They would gain far more profit to create skills or items, then they would if they made randomization, Paragon, changed how monster affixes worked or make the game quote on quote "easier".
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"From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man - the function of his reasoning mind." ~ Ayn Rand
I've taken a totally different approach to Diablo III than I have to any other game and I believe it's why I'm still enjoying it and log on almost every day.
I've taken a very casual approach to Diablo III. Knowing that content patches would be very sparse (before launch, obviously that has changed due to obvious reasons) I took my time. I poke at the game for a few hours here and there. I actually didn't hit 60 on my first character until the first week of June. After that I slowly picked at progressing through Inferno. By the time I was able to do Act 3 they had introduced Paragon, and then about a month and half later monster power and the ubers. Because I play so little (probably only 500 hours since May 15) I am now just at the point where I am killing ubers with friends.
Now, with that being said, my advice isn't "You won't enjoy the game unless you play 2 hours a day and are a casual Sandy". However with my approach I can offer advice for any type of player that can help make the game more enjoyable. Here are my tips
-Don't use RMAH. Feel free to use the regular AH as much as you want. Don't buy gold and just get a bunch of gear, this is a more obvious tip but I know people who have just fallen to temptation because of how cheap gold is.
-Don't get uber carries. Yeah, it's simple to just throw the game on MP5 farm keys and get your ring. Then get a free carry. However it is 100000x more fun to farm keys with a group of friends, and do the ubers on MP5-7 and actually die to them. Killing them is much more rewarding when you know that gear you earned got you that kill.
-Think of Paragon levels as a gear upgrade. I've posted this before, but I think a lot of people just see Paragon levels as a number and neglect the fact that each level progresses your character. Yes 1 level the gains are minimal but over time it makes a difference.
-Achievement Hunt. This is not the best tip but consider it. It's not for everyone but you do earn banner sigils and such, so it may feel like some type of upgrade lol.
Lastly, I think the reason why a lot of people are playing is because the future is looking brighter. The game isn't perfect yet but please compare the current state of it to launch and it is easy to say it has made some leaps. Now that itemization seems to be gaining focus there is stuff to look forward to. Take a break if you need, you can always try it again for free. I've noticed a lot of friends really enjoying themselves after a month or two away from the game. I took about a 3 month break (August-November) and it really sparked my interest again that is still going.
Read my suggestions which were taken from Path of exile. It relates to farming and farming in general isnt what im complaining about. What im saying is to make farming more fun, why not implement new gear every patch and create a random map generator so you dont farm the same level endlessly. Thats what i love about path of exile. Im no path fanboy as i much prefer d3 and i would like seeing d3 improve. But path has 2 amazing features 1) Maps which negates farming the same place over and over. 2) New skills/Legendries every patch which gives people a new chance to try out different builds and look forward to new gear. Maybe adding new skills might not be profitable for blizzard but with new gear theyre going to get plenty from $AH.
I did read your suggestions. I understand that random maps is a cool feature to have and would like to see it myself. The problem is that it's just another way to farm. The only incentive would be that it's different but it doesn't really give a long lasting solution. In a few short months players will want something new again. That's understandable and to the non-developers out there it would be a great idea to constantly push new ways to farm (like infinite dungeon and such). A good incentive on the other hand was Paragon levels, because believe it or not a lot of people farmed the heck out of the game to progress their character, even if the incentive itself wasn't the greatest (cosmetic rewards, maxed MF and increased base stats).
What would be wiser is to bring new incentives, not necessarily new ways to farm. In this you propose new legendary items. This is a fine suggestion as well, but this way, in a year of about 4-5, maybe 8 packs of new legendaries, the game will be flooded by them. At some point they'll become the only thing worth farming, just like it is now (less with the introduction of BoA crafts) and as you can see the player base just does not want to have legendary items to be that influential to the game's natural progress (as is apparent by feedback over the last few months), almost completely removing rare items from the table. And make no mistake, that will happen. Legendary items are meant to bring something new to the mechanics of the game and just how many new things could there be? If 1 patch brings 10 legendary items they all need to be different from the rest, offer new and unique things, not completely remove rares from that item slot, be relevant for multiple classes and somehow cater to all players. The last part I mention because these new items will be great for a good amount of players, but top players that have hoarded tons of gold over patch releases will have them almost instantly through the Auction House, completely negating the item hunt and just receiving the gist of the patch immediately. The new crafting reagent was a good workaround for that, because it made you farm in order to obtain and then you could try (for yourself) to get some good pieces of gear, getting greater joy instead of buying things off of other players.
But what about ideas that don't generally cater to the empowerment of characters and still hold within the boundaries of ARPGs? I like visual changes for example. Blizzard is not about to do this but here's an idea: instead of introducing dyes for legendaries, which is incoming by the way, make special legendary dyes that are bop and are greater in number than normal dyes that work on rares. You could attach them to bosses (8%, requires NV 5) and elite packs (2%, again NV 5). To top it all off... you only have access to a few certain dyes and they gradually unlock to be able to be dropped as you gain Paragon levels.
Something else Blizzard have announced to introduce at a later time is a sort of Transmogrification feature (if you're aware of that from WoW) where you can swap your gear models with older tier sets. Why not, instead of just letting that happen, not make it another tiered part of the content that unlocks gradually. For example you collect drops of 'Tier 1' pieces and when you have them all (helm, shoulders, chest, pants, gloves, boots) then you'll be able to Transmog to that tier set. And they would of course drop from various places and monsters (let's say, sometimes, rarely, as quest rewards as well, giving incentives for quests). And maybe as you progress into Paragon levels (every 20 levels for example) you unlock Tiers that don't actually exist right now, as in completely new sets. A new "wardrobe" kind of UI feature could be implemented to keep track of how many pieces of each Tier set you have completed and where you can instantly swap to a completed one. Unique per class of course. You're a Monk - you farm for a Monk set.
I've had a friend say this exact same thing over and over again ("what's the point in playing"), claiming there's "no point" in doing anything else in the game.
If you look at games like that, there isn't a point in doing anything in any (singleplayer/coop) game out there. Why finish the campaign in Tomb Raider? Why play through Far Cry 3 twice? Why even play Borderlands 2?
The reason people play single-player/coop experiences is just have mindless fun. It's not to "reach a certain point", it's not to "get to a certain goal". That's why the "infinite utopic item hunt" is so fun to some people, because they're not trying to reach a certain point, they know the quest is endless.
Also, as soon as a game developer starts setting these "abstract" goals (by either making them too easy for hardcore players or insanely hard for casuals) they start losing audience, which imho is the reason why D3's dev team made a conscient choice of not implementing these "artificial" end-games.
If you see Kripparian's "map farming" in PoE, you'll immediatelly see that a TON of feedback is "you're doing the same thing over and over again - that's grinding". It's only grinding if the mechanics don't change, if the actions are boring. People LET Diablo 3 become that to them, they consciously let their minds tell them that what they were doing wasn't fun or varied enough (when obviously most of them didn't even do all the game had to offer, they didn't even try other classes or other items - complaining is a lot easier).
It depends on what you want your gaming experience to be. Back to my friend's case: he never experienced all classes (has only 1 geared lvl 60), he never even tried different working builds (not even for his lvl 60), he never even made an effort of getting a Hellfire Ring or lvling up his Paragon lvls. The reason he's not hvaing fun is because he wants is a competitive environment (because it's his "thing", competitive multiplayer - which is why he plays Black Ops 2).
But what he's missing is the point of doing all those things (Paragon, Hellfire, farming, etc.), which is to get ready for PvP. I can't even begin to imagine his utter frustration when we get an actual PvP and he's one of the weakest guys around, and worse he won't even have a way of easily switching builds/classes/gear. He'll be stomped in the competitive environment because he never even tried getting ready for it.
With all that said, choose what the game is going to be to you.
I love both single player and coop/competitive multiplayer experiences. So I'm having fun trying to make crappy builds work on MP 4-5 with shitty budgets (sometimes the crappy build with a shitty budget does what a 50 mil budget can barely do - I'm looking at you CMWW), and getting as many characters and gear sets ready for when PvP hits.
Meanwhile I'm having fun going through the whole game again on MP10 (which is an EXTREMELY fun challenge, since gear's power is kinda limited by levels), getting 2 chars of each class to 60, and getting materials for Hellfire Rings for all my characters - which is also a pretty time consumingquest considering how I can't do MP10 Wardens/Ubers.
See all the people complaining and focusing on the alleged "problems" of the game (sometimes they're not even close to those problems, which are mostly related to extremely high-end gear), and blaming bots/AH for their lack of time to farm or personal failure at the game - they're OBVIOUSLY going to not have fun (maybe not even in real life which has a lot of these negativities/injustices as well). Get over all that, and you should be fine
People play games for different reasons, and with different expectations. People who approach an MMO with a single player mindset are going to get frustrated if the game doesn't really allow for that. (And really, in the end, the best progression will always be with groups even WITH moderately okay single player content in an MMO. You will HAVE to deal with people somehow eventually, or miss out/get stuck.) You can't approach a game like Diablo expecting a massive competative PVP thing, when it's not THERE yet. And those who do plan to compete in such things, when it hits, are getting ready, heavily. They're looking at what's available, what stats will translate best, hunting the items to do it, etc. Unless they plan to negate Paragon in a PVP environment (or matchmake based on close levels), grinding Paragon matters. (And even then, if you're not self-made, you're grinding for the gold to buy the "optimal items" (well, what you consider such from what's currently available). Smart people are going to have good, SOLID items before the actual content launches, so they hopefully land it cheaper than it probably will if it's affixes that aren't as popular right now.
I don't think Brawling is going to be the final example of how PVP will play out. I'm sure there will be more to consider, and yes... a grinding/PVE build probably won't fly as well in PVP, so if he hasn't tried anything else he's going to be in trouble... or he's going to rely on information of others and just use their stuff instead of figuring it out on his own, which always saddens me when people don't try/think outside the box. "Oh, well, people say this WW barb works, so I'm just going to do that and follow what they say, and get that gear." Okay, and there's at least 2 other major builds going, and plenty of people playing with other set-ups that work that no on hears about, I am sure. I certainly don't follow any major builds, and it works for me, I just have to find very specific items for what I personally want. That's the hard part. I was using certain monk skills before they all got buffed (so it was a huge net gain for me) but now I have people looking at these skills seriously and acting like it's a new thing. Nope. Was using it before it was a thing to use.
I think the problem with a lot of gamers is wanting instant gratification (something Diablo games have never given, or games like it), and basically a "I want to be best so I will look up what people say is, instead of trying things" ... after all, how do those "best" builds happen, except by people trying things. And hell, part of the goal of D3 was for people to TRY stuff, without feeling restricted, or having to go through hassles to do so, etc. Sure, the biggest drawback is losing Neph stacks, but it's not hard to jst bother starting a new game and trying again. Half my fun is mucking around til I find something that works. And seeing what I can get, and do. (Although today's lesson was FUCK MP5 Siege/Kulle ubers. I cannot handle that at all. it's bullshit. And they're the one I need an organ from.)
Everyone plays for their own reasons. And their own reason that make them happy will vary. Some people's whole goal is to play through once on one character and that's it. Others are trying everything, playing with different variations, etc.
Also, more skills does not mean a better game. If anything, too many skilsl make for a messy situaiton, especially if/when PVP happens. More skills is not always better, especially if new skills do not bring anything new/interesting to the table that wasn't already there somehow. We don't NEED more skills. (Some buffing of some skills to make them closer competatively with more highly used skills maybe, which would encourage diversity. Right now it's pretty much "this skill doesn't compete in damage so it's worthless, and I won't look at any utility it might offer, so meh" ... or it's the "people are more focused on damage then other uses" problem I see with anything where "cookie cutter builds" happen.)
Done rambling, but yes, people do their own thing that makes them happy, and some people get bitchy "starting over" with new characters. (Which I love to do. I am a total altoholic on MMOs as it is.)
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Looking to start my own little discussion here.
Now let me start off and say that Diablo 3 was amazing, the game was great. Reason i say was is cause ive pretty much done everything upto 3 months ago till i stopped playing.
So i took a break to try out Path of exile and i saw quite a few interesting features which would really really help diablo 3.
Few of the features that really caught my eye are 1) End world maps (You make them and have a fresh new zone to farm each time so it doesnt get repetitive 2) constant new legendries/skills. Before people say that its asking too much, PoE is free to play and im not saying its a better game but it does have its strengths.
Also on a side note what are people doing in this game anymore, im talking about old players. Like whats left to do?
Please do contribute and correct me if im mistaken.
ps - reason i want d3 to implement these features is because i miss the game but there isnt much to do.
If you want constant major updates of content in a game, you need to play an MMORPG like WoW. (Maybe PoE is the exception and has awesome upgrades for free every few weeks, but it's just nothing you could ever expect from Diablo 3).
I have to say, though, that by far the main barrier to playing is that I'm kinda sick of my main, but when I play an alt, I hate it that my MF is gimped because my main's paragon level is so far ahead of my other characters
Ha. Bagstone.
My input on this matter is this. Why be limited to such? Why does it have to be about, and driven solely by loot, why would anyone want to take a great name franchise and limit it at every turn? Sure, I've played Diablo 1, and Diablo 2 way back when they were freshly created. I've seen what they have become, what they have accomplished. As time goes on, and as life and technology progresses, so to does the desires and taste of the community. Not only that, the gaming industry grows larger with each passing day, week and month.
If there is the ability, and the desire to see something happen, why not to do it? Is it because of the fact of "This design isn't meant to be in a Action RPG" Who stated that, and where does such a rule exist. Why not have survival dungeons, better PVP, even skills like collecting, gathering, cooking like an MMO would have? By suggesting this I'm not saying I want them implemented, my point I wish to get across is where did all of this limiting talk come from? Great the majority of the game is about slaying demons and finding loot, awesome! Sounds fun, but oh, there's something more besides the bloodshed and repetitive? Even better!
Because we don't want an MMO?
I dont get why we cant expect it from d3. If many many people want these very suggestions and i see that theyre looking for suggestions so why cant this work.
To the same degree I say this, WHY do things have to be limited to certain genres? Just because it was used in one game or what type of game doesn't mean it cannot be used in another. They are not trade-marked to the genre, just like fighting enemies is in any type of RPG, but also in First Person Shooters, and even smaller arcade titles. No one should consider anything limited to a certain genre. I hate that mentality. That's basically being stereotypical in a non-personified way.
Read my suggestions which were taken from Path of exile. It relates to farming and farming in general isnt what im complaining about. What im saying is to make farming more fun, why not implement new gear every patch and create a random map generator so you dont farm the same level endlessly. Thats what i love about path of exile. Im no path fanboy as i much prefer d3 and i would like seeing d3 improve. But path has 2 amazing features 1) Maps which negates farming the same place over and over. 2) New skills/Legendries every patch which gives people a new chance to try out different builds and look forward to new gear. Maybe adding new skills might not be profitable for blizzard but with new gear theyre going to get plenty from $AH.
This, i was just imagining how awesome it would be if there was a mmoargp. Like a diablo-isque mmo but arpg system with constant updates. Diablo 3 was amazing for plenty of people for a good 3 months until they ran out of stuff to do.
Cost of programming new skills might not be worth for them maybe, i dont know but i know blizz for sure will never add new skills without an expansion. This is blizzard after all. However they would with massive support add a random map generator/new legendries.
If they already are using labor and expenses to further update the game, they should do so which would increase profit along with popular demand. Other companies have realized this too. Bethesda, Bioware, Jagex, etc. They are starting to realize that consumers drive this industry forward and without them their game is essentially hemorrhaging money.
They would gain far more profit to create skills or items, then they would if they made randomization, Paragon, changed how monster affixes worked or make the game quote on quote "easier".
I've taken a very casual approach to Diablo III. Knowing that content patches would be very sparse (before launch, obviously that has changed due to obvious reasons) I took my time. I poke at the game for a few hours here and there. I actually didn't hit 60 on my first character until the first week of June. After that I slowly picked at progressing through Inferno. By the time I was able to do Act 3 they had introduced Paragon, and then about a month and half later monster power and the ubers. Because I play so little (probably only 500 hours since May 15) I am now just at the point where I am killing ubers with friends.
Now, with that being said, my advice isn't "You won't enjoy the game unless you play 2 hours a day and are a casual Sandy". However with my approach I can offer advice for any type of player that can help make the game more enjoyable. Here are my tips
-Don't use RMAH. Feel free to use the regular AH as much as you want. Don't buy gold and just get a bunch of gear, this is a more obvious tip but I know people who have just fallen to temptation because of how cheap gold is.
-Don't get uber carries. Yeah, it's simple to just throw the game on MP5 farm keys and get your ring. Then get a free carry. However it is 100000x more fun to farm keys with a group of friends, and do the ubers on MP5-7 and actually die to them. Killing them is much more rewarding when you know that gear you earned got you that kill.
-Think of Paragon levels as a gear upgrade. I've posted this before, but I think a lot of people just see Paragon levels as a number and neglect the fact that each level progresses your character. Yes 1 level the gains are minimal but over time it makes a difference.
-Achievement Hunt. This is not the best tip but consider it. It's not for everyone but you do earn banner sigils and such, so it may feel like some type of upgrade lol.
Lastly, I think the reason why a lot of people are playing is because the future is looking brighter. The game isn't perfect yet but please compare the current state of it to launch and it is easy to say it has made some leaps. Now that itemization seems to be gaining focus there is stuff to look forward to. Take a break if you need, you can always try it again for free. I've noticed a lot of friends really enjoying themselves after a month or two away from the game. I took about a 3 month break (August-November) and it really sparked my interest again that is still going.
But I think there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I did read your suggestions. I understand that random maps is a cool feature to have and would like to see it myself. The problem is that it's just another way to farm. The only incentive would be that it's different but it doesn't really give a long lasting solution. In a few short months players will want something new again. That's understandable and to the non-developers out there it would be a great idea to constantly push new ways to farm (like infinite dungeon and such). A good incentive on the other hand was Paragon levels, because believe it or not a lot of people farmed the heck out of the game to progress their character, even if the incentive itself wasn't the greatest (cosmetic rewards, maxed MF and increased base stats).
What would be wiser is to bring new incentives, not necessarily new ways to farm. In this you propose new legendary items. This is a fine suggestion as well, but this way, in a year of about 4-5, maybe 8 packs of new legendaries, the game will be flooded by them. At some point they'll become the only thing worth farming, just like it is now (less with the introduction of BoA crafts) and as you can see the player base just does not want to have legendary items to be that influential to the game's natural progress (as is apparent by feedback over the last few months), almost completely removing rare items from the table. And make no mistake, that will happen. Legendary items are meant to bring something new to the mechanics of the game and just how many new things could there be? If 1 patch brings 10 legendary items they all need to be different from the rest, offer new and unique things, not completely remove rares from that item slot, be relevant for multiple classes and somehow cater to all players. The last part I mention because these new items will be great for a good amount of players, but top players that have hoarded tons of gold over patch releases will have them almost instantly through the Auction House, completely negating the item hunt and just receiving the gist of the patch immediately. The new crafting reagent was a good workaround for that, because it made you farm in order to obtain and then you could try (for yourself) to get some good pieces of gear, getting greater joy instead of buying things off of other players.
But what about ideas that don't generally cater to the empowerment of characters and still hold within the boundaries of ARPGs? I like visual changes for example. Blizzard is not about to do this but here's an idea: instead of introducing dyes for legendaries, which is incoming by the way, make special legendary dyes that are bop and are greater in number than normal dyes that work on rares. You could attach them to bosses (8%, requires NV 5) and elite packs (2%, again NV 5). To top it all off... you only have access to a few certain dyes and they gradually unlock to be able to be dropped as you gain Paragon levels.
Something else Blizzard have announced to introduce at a later time is a sort of Transmogrification feature (if you're aware of that from WoW) where you can swap your gear models with older tier sets. Why not, instead of just letting that happen, not make it another tiered part of the content that unlocks gradually. For example you collect drops of 'Tier 1' pieces and when you have them all (helm, shoulders, chest, pants, gloves, boots) then you'll be able to Transmog to that tier set. And they would of course drop from various places and monsters (let's say, sometimes, rarely, as quest rewards as well, giving incentives for quests). And maybe as you progress into Paragon levels (every 20 levels for example) you unlock Tiers that don't actually exist right now, as in completely new sets. A new "wardrobe" kind of UI feature could be implemented to keep track of how many pieces of each Tier set you have completed and where you can instantly swap to a completed one. Unique per class of course. You're a Monk - you farm for a Monk set.
No?
Ha. Bagstone.
If you look at games like that, there isn't a point in doing anything in any (singleplayer/coop) game out there. Why finish the campaign in Tomb Raider? Why play through Far Cry 3 twice? Why even play Borderlands 2?
The reason people play single-player/coop experiences is just have mindless fun. It's not to "reach a certain point", it's not to "get to a certain goal". That's why the "infinite utopic item hunt" is so fun to some people, because they're not trying to reach a certain point, they know the quest is endless.
Also, as soon as a game developer starts setting these "abstract" goals (by either making them too easy for hardcore players or insanely hard for casuals) they start losing audience, which imho is the reason why D3's dev team made a conscient choice of not implementing these "artificial" end-games.
If you see Kripparian's "map farming" in PoE, you'll immediatelly see that a TON of feedback is "you're doing the same thing over and over again - that's grinding". It's only grinding if the mechanics don't change, if the actions are boring. People LET Diablo 3 become that to them, they consciously let their minds tell them that what they were doing wasn't fun or varied enough (when obviously most of them didn't even do all the game had to offer, they didn't even try other classes or other items - complaining is a lot easier).
It depends on what you want your gaming experience to be. Back to my friend's case: he never experienced all classes (has only 1 geared lvl 60), he never even tried different working builds (not even for his lvl 60), he never even made an effort of getting a Hellfire Ring or lvling up his Paragon lvls. The reason he's not hvaing fun is because he wants is a competitive environment (because it's his "thing", competitive multiplayer - which is why he plays Black Ops 2).
But what he's missing is the point of doing all those things (Paragon, Hellfire, farming, etc.), which is to get ready for PvP. I can't even begin to imagine his utter frustration when we get an actual PvP and he's one of the weakest guys around, and worse he won't even have a way of easily switching builds/classes/gear. He'll be stomped in the competitive environment because he never even tried getting ready for it.
With all that said, choose what the game is going to be to you.
I love both single player and coop/competitive multiplayer experiences. So I'm having fun trying to make crappy builds work on MP 4-5 with shitty budgets (sometimes the crappy build with a shitty budget does what a 50 mil budget can barely do - I'm looking at you CMWW), and getting as many characters and gear sets ready for when PvP hits.
Meanwhile I'm having fun going through the whole game again on MP10 (which is an EXTREMELY fun challenge, since gear's power is kinda limited by levels), getting 2 chars of each class to 60, and getting materials for Hellfire Rings for all my characters - which is also a pretty time consuming quest considering how I can't do MP10 Wardens/Ubers.
See all the people complaining and focusing on the alleged "problems" of the game (sometimes they're not even close to those problems, which are mostly related to extremely high-end gear), and blaming bots/AH for their lack of time to farm or personal failure at the game - they're OBVIOUSLY going to not have fun (maybe not even in real life which has a lot of these negativities/injustices as well). Get over all that, and you should be fine
I don't think Brawling is going to be the final example of how PVP will play out. I'm sure there will be more to consider, and yes... a grinding/PVE build probably won't fly as well in PVP, so if he hasn't tried anything else he's going to be in trouble... or he's going to rely on information of others and just use their stuff instead of figuring it out on his own, which always saddens me when people don't try/think outside the box. "Oh, well, people say this WW barb works, so I'm just going to do that and follow what they say, and get that gear." Okay, and there's at least 2 other major builds going, and plenty of people playing with other set-ups that work that no on hears about, I am sure. I certainly don't follow any major builds, and it works for me, I just have to find very specific items for what I personally want. That's the hard part. I was using certain monk skills before they all got buffed (so it was a huge net gain for me) but now I have people looking at these skills seriously and acting like it's a new thing. Nope. Was using it before it was a thing to use.
I think the problem with a lot of gamers is wanting instant gratification (something Diablo games have never given, or games like it), and basically a "I want to be best so I will look up what people say is, instead of trying things" ... after all, how do those "best" builds happen, except by people trying things. And hell, part of the goal of D3 was for people to TRY stuff, without feeling restricted, or having to go through hassles to do so, etc. Sure, the biggest drawback is losing Neph stacks, but it's not hard to jst bother starting a new game and trying again. Half my fun is mucking around til I find something that works. And seeing what I can get, and do. (Although today's lesson was FUCK MP5 Siege/Kulle ubers. I cannot handle that at all. it's bullshit. And they're the one I need an organ from.)
Everyone plays for their own reasons. And their own reason that make them happy will vary. Some people's whole goal is to play through once on one character and that's it. Others are trying everything, playing with different variations, etc.
Also, more skills does not mean a better game. If anything, too many skilsl make for a messy situaiton, especially if/when PVP happens. More skills is not always better, especially if new skills do not bring anything new/interesting to the table that wasn't already there somehow. We don't NEED more skills. (Some buffing of some skills to make them closer competatively with more highly used skills maybe, which would encourage diversity. Right now it's pretty much "this skill doesn't compete in damage so it's worthless, and I won't look at any utility it might offer, so meh" ... or it's the "people are more focused on damage then other uses" problem I see with anything where "cookie cutter builds" happen.)
Done rambling, but yes, people do their own thing that makes them happy, and some people get bitchy "starting over" with new characters. (Which I love to do. I am a total altoholic on MMOs as it is.)