One question: what do you prefer:
- Loot ROUNDS or loot PLACES ?
This alone tells the big story and what the “next steps” are required to do. If you prefer to loot rounds then:
- high capacity for repetitiveness
- predictability but with most basic form of task variety
- “rare” encounters are always the final step
- “tools” to play with are designed to be “perfected”
Are more important
If you prefer the latter then:
- Slowed down progress with incentives for exploration
- healthy dose of unpredictability
- rare encounters are key to encouraging exploration (and are required to be in less predictable places)
- build “tools” are “experimental” in nature (regardless if fitting or not so much for a “build”)
Are more important
I’m heavily (if not heaviest) leaning toward the latter, I think that A LOT of capacity and uniqueness of the game would be lost if the game is into a “round looter” type
But sadly a lot of that kind of “damage” has already been done
That being said, I think they better make dungeons more/bigger mazes with “checkpoints” if need be (instead of adding a “new loop”), increase amount (or at least potential) of unusual encounters. And kinda do same/similar with smaller open-world events
But, that’s just me
State below your take 