Yea, thing is that the problem is that Diablo 3 DID go through the same problems as D2 did at release. Which gives the impression that they didn't learn a damned thing and shouldn't have made many stupid decisions that could easily be seen by observing years of d2 play,
Monster luring into town? If D1/D2 didn't show anything, griefers will do anything to abuse stuff like that?
Waypoint lag into death? If D2 didn't teach us anything, we can't allow people to start a game in the middle of nowhere, because areas may take time to load. Basic mistake that makes hardcore unplayable til this very day.
Trade Window Scam? Why is there no double confirmation?
ID items-- Why is there no NPC to ID all items? Do you think anyone would enjoy ID'ing everything manually? Why else would people in d2 get a early quest reward for Cain to ID all your items. Oh, but we killed Cain! That shouldn't affect gameplay.
Forced cinematic that must be skipped each time you encounter a boss-- bad for action RPGs
4 player max. What the fuck? Oh, did they not realize people enjoyed playing in big games? Not just D2. Every fucking Blizz game since 1998? Don't give me the technical limitations crap when Blizzard has managed to force it in the grand majority of their titles at the cost of making it look pretty. Diablo 1 had 4 players... but that was what? 18 years ago? Starcraft 2 can have practically a thousand things happening at once...
The ultimate downfall of D3 was prioritizing the economy over making a good game. Many "changes" such as increased repair costs and the IAS nerf were attempts to stabilize the economy. All so that gold on the RMAH has some kind of value. And with that, they made sure D3 was a better economy simulator than a ARPG. Both are atrocious changes. Unfair repair costs discourage experimentation. IAS nerf ensured that the only thing to stack offensively was Crit Chance, Crit Damage, and more Crit Damage. Yes Crit damage >>> Main Stat by far. It's stupid. 1.03 was a worthless piece of turd that singlehandedly wiped out my friend's list.
I'm not opposed to the AH. The AH is the only thing that makes the game playable. People need to trade in a secure environment without scamming. I don't want to spam trade chat channels and having to deal with potential morons and idiots upfront. But it cannot be the primary focus.
The economy relies on scarcity-- being unable to find some of what you need. If you are able to find everything you need, then you don't need to buy. It's fine to have an economy for "luxury" items, but the game at release was heavily biased towards buying for basic gameplay instead of just getting extra upgrades because it is a boon.
Guild Wars 2 isn't the best comparison, but since D3's so MMO'ified anyways, let's compare it. The Guild Wars 2 economy runs on luxury. Drop rates are generally poor, but there's a train of bottom tier items that are practically guaranteed and basically standardized so that you will have at least a functional gear set as long as you play. Standardized, usable, and easily attained gear with little variety in rolls. This is something fucking D1 got right. With how unreliable drops are in D3, you are guaranteed squat on D3. In Gw2, you buy equipment to propel yourself. In D3, you buy equipment so you can actually even think of touching the content. Why does an unequipped character do 20 dps? Really?
The patch changes in D3 have shifted the AH into becoming more of an option rather than a requirement. But it's still heavily skewed towards even middling gear being unattainable by anything less than hardcore farming. The economy needs to crash even more, for the game to actually be good.
Anyhow, I posted more overall thoughts a while back on the progression of D3 patching a while back.
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/7200054434#8
It's actually not pessimistic at all. Just disappointed.