Currently, Diablo 3 follows a model of progression of what I call Random Progression. What this means is that a lot of the high end game play depends on RNG factors. Although a player’s time is included within the formula, the RNG aspect tied to items is in turn used to determine for the most part a person’s performance at the end of the game. I feel as though this model needs to be revamped for a major Loot 3.0 type of patch.
A huge flaw in the game was obviously the entry of the Auction House. The Real Money Auction House essentially was too central in the way loot was designed to be highly randomized. By making perfectly itemized loot nearly impossible to obtain, Blizzard managed to create a method to make some $$$ for themselves rather than charge players on a per month basis like World of Warcraft. Even with Loot 2.0 introduced in Reaper of Souls, the RNG aspect in the game still holds the game back in terms of a total satisfying experience.
Because the Real Money Auction House no longer is with us, there is absolutely zero incentive to retain a highly RNG based itemization element in the game. Blizzard does not make a single dollar extra on players’ time spent within the game. So while finding awesome loot still feels special, over the course of time the psychological aspect will diminish once a character receives enough items to feel powerful. Also, from a competitive gaming point of view, RNG really lowers skill level over sheer luck.
Instead, I think that in the next expansion or perhaps major content patch we need to see the return of what I call Controlled Progression. Controlled Progression lowers the emphasis on RNG by making items second class citizens to skills. Leveling and skill trees with more meaningful points to distribute would have a far greater impact than items in the game. Items still retain a critical place in acting as a support function, but not to the current degree. Nonetheless, the important aspect here is that players’ time invested into the game does yield a real output as opposed to a false longtail effect.
There’s plenty of examples where Blizzard can draw upon for Controlled Progression. I’ve used the Bard’s Tale as a chief classic example. Another great example is Wizardry 6. In Wizardry 6, the class would dictate how well a party could do based on how many levels that character could progress through as well as multi-classing. In that game, you could take a Samurai, max him out with the critical hit bonus, mage skill bonuses then switch him to become a ninja and give him the ability to hide in the shadows. Items like the Muramasa Blade, while helping to make your samurai extremely powerful, weren’t as necessary compared to all the skills and classes you’d provide. The idea of perfecting your party was not exactly in finding all the items, but giving them all the skills in the game. Item hunting would be a bragging right once you were able to handle the harder monsters in the game. Ultimately though, your satisfaction would be derived in improving your characters’ skills.
Kripparian touched upon this briefly in his video where he talked about the elements of Diablo he would like to see. He still perceives Path of Exile to have enough complexity which make it the top ARPG for him. But in truth, Path of Exile’s real strength in game play is exactly the leveling and point distribution parts that go into a Controlled Progression type of game.
Currently in Diablo 3, because everything centers around high end items and the RNG around those items, you end up with a far more limited game. The game has come a long way since the Whirlwind Only Barbarian as one of the two exclusive classes/playing styles, but at the highest levels you still only end up with a very few viable playstyles/classes and most of that is dictated through the items rather than allowing players to pick a power/combo and improving upon that part to make it viable.
Now, I don’t know if I want to go back to the static itemization the way a World of Warcraft, Wizardry 6, Bards Tale, etc. work. But I do think that my time investment into the game should become more meaningful and yield better outputs through minimizing the impact of RNG. I feel that I would probably put more time that feels less mind numbing in with that type of system in place.