As an old-time Laz's Median XL Omega 003 player, I have some feedback about Sigma that I'd like to share. Note that this isn't supposed to be a direct comparison between MXL Omega and the new MXL Sigma - it's just the light in which I get to see the new mod.
Also, please take these ponderings with a grain of salt - I do not profess to be a seasoned veteran like aerial (respect, btw.) with extensive knowledge and a vast amount of in-game experience. Feel free to correct me where I'm wrong, and don't get the wrong idea - the MEH/UGLY sections are longer not because there is more that I dislike than I like about this game, but just because these things typically need a more-detailed clarification.
THE GOOD
- lots of new content - bosses, the new "truly unique" SU item concept looks intriguing and goes to show a lot of thought was given to the SU rework
- the introduction of respawn after dying - this is a huge improvement, and having played for a few tens of hours, I can't get rid of the feeling that it should always have been this way. In many situations, corpse recovery was nearly impossible and having to restart the session because of that wasn't exactly fun.
- new UI - Life/Mana bulbs, inventory - excellent job guys, really love this.
- the menu/launcher artwork is also a very nice touch; beautifully done as well
- level design and graphics of many ubers - most notably the Diamond Gates and the surrouding areas, which are a feast for the eye, as well as K3KBA, which really was quite obnoxious for certain builds and the new mechanics seem to work much more smoothly. The optimized layout and larger size are also welcome changes. Duncraig is nice too, and the occasional need to teleport is OK with the new respawn mechanics.
- higher resolution support - yet again, kudos for that.
- improved mercenaries - rather than just providing a little extra damage/distraction, mercs are truly helpful - and that's a good thing.
- map reveal function - what a boon
- gold rework + autopickup - an excellent idea that put a stop to picking up and selling random rare garbage
THE MEH
Generally, some of the changes appear to form a vicious circle of increased grind/tedium/busywork:
- level progression towards 120 and later - can't talk about MP, but on SP, i.e. /players one, the slowness of gaining exp feels almost discouraging
- Fauztinville made a level 125 area - bye bye great runes
- complicated accessibility of certain ubers - Ureh aside, with crucial areas such as K3KBA orTeganze, it's kinda annoying/boring to have to "run" through the winding paths of the Torajan jungle
- run/sprint - not an enemy of the new running mechanics per se, but the current sprint length does seem too short.
- lowering of MF on items/Lum runes - not sure if drop rates were buffed generally to justify this, but if not, this seems uncalled-for
- removal of FRW - mah char, Y U so slow? Espcially when under the chill effect, this can get maddeningly irritating.
- lowered efficiency of many items such as + max resists on gems, spell damage etc. - in my book, this makes a lot of socketables fall into the "borderline useless" category and invites me to just go with crafted jewels, Lah runes/+%stat or +%res ones.
- removal of /players from SP - I realize this was probably intentional, but the nodrop chance feels kind of high and the inability to improve this by using a simple command whose effect can be simply simulated by other means feels sort of stupid.
- duration spike in bossifights - for instance, NM Duriel took me about 10 seconds to kill, on Hell around 10 times more. Feels like NM act boss HP could use a buff. Mind you, I'm not taling about NM Baal - he is plenty tough
- increased req level gain on MOs - dunno if intentionally, but in my view, this basically makes some T4 uniques or lower level RWs the oddly best options - even for endgame equipment
- somewhat imbalanced drop rates - I know there will always be a certain degree of imbalance, but currently, the quality of drops in Tran Athulua and Khamligrad/Diamond gates, etc. feels, to quote Jimmy McMillan, too damn low, considering the risk/reward ratio (TA can punish you at a moment's notice for missing a single Arrowside, Khalimgrad has those pesky turrets). And no, I do't mean to imply that K3KBA is too good, but if people are to visit those places for more than charms (TA/Khalim)/leveling (TA), the incentive should be a little stronger. Not saying the drop rates are aweful, but they could use some improvement, IMHO.
THE UGLY
- Purify-only boss mechanics - again, this is just a subjective view of an individual, but I'm not a fan of bosses who can only be damaged by Purify. It basically takes a dump on whatever builds you have been working on up to the fight and, in a way, forces you to respec to ridiculous builds with truckloads of HP and enough defensive abilities to withstand attacks which are supposed to be nearly lethal. I generally dislike fights that take along the lines of 10 minutes or more, no matter the game. Usually, it's just busywork because very few games have managed to offer bossfights which aren't just rinse and repeat the same mechanism. The more sophisticated ones have more stages of bossfights, but rarely have I played a game in which there wasn't a point at which a bossfight began to feel drawn out and inflated.
- ubers based on untargettable enemies (similar to the point just above) - yeah, I'm one of the people who will just go on to say that in a game like Diablo II, a quest like Ureh seems terribly out place. Basically, you have to run like a b*tch through a huge area while barely being able to kill any monsters along the way, only to kill one dude at the very and to get those +2 skill levels and be done with it once and for all. To me, this looks like a broken concept. I think if the reward bonuses were something much less significant, it would be for the better - some people would just ignore the quest, others would go there and have their fun, but +2 skills is just so much that you pretty much have to do this quest, even if you detest it. Note that it's the quest concept that I take issue with, not its difficulty.
- making bosses immune to CB% aka It was nice to have met you, Wolf Stance - this is essentially one giant fart in the face of many CB skills/items/builds. Wanna pick a good boss-killer build? Ignore CB. Wanna play some kind of an all-rounder: Ignore CB-reliant builds because you will suck in bossfights.
- Teganze - for some inexplicable reason, I quickly grew to hate this uber. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that A3 junges have tradintionally been the most hated area of the game, maybe it's the annoying and respawning spirits, but I simply don't like this quest. The sprites used for Terul and his minions are cool, though.