LogFAQs > #965248574

ParanoidObsessive posted...

I'd argue that organic doesn't really matter unless you're going for a full-on realism experience

I'd disagree, in many cases. For ARPG's in particular, when I say "organic," I'm meaning that you don't have to think about loot or farming to have that loot enhance your gameplay experience. A lot of people liked Borderlands 1 better than 2 for that reason: You will encounter random drops as you play through normally that amount to meaningful upgrades and change the way you play. In that sense, the random loot is dictating how a given playthrough pans out and makes for a different experience each time. If the interesting loot has to be target farmed, though, you don't end up getting interesting upgrades unless you deliberately go out of your way to get them, so you do have to think about it.

Of course, that stops being relevant when you start getting into more deliberate min-maxing for endgame content (or just because that's how you like to play). Then, you're going to be deliberately farming and thinking about loot regardless of what system is in place, so how organic the loot system is stops mattering. It can be a tricky balance to strike, especially with so many ARPG's promoting long-term endgame content over replay value.