Of course. And the power trip takes place in a fantasy world; it's part of the story arch of your character. If you need to repeat the story arch of the game several times in order to conclude the arch of your character, there is a problem, at least as far as role playing and immersion is concerned. You might put up with it because you're focused on the power trip, as I did put up with it in Titan Quest, because I was focused on collecting armor sets. But that's not role playing, it's pure addictive behaviour.
No, there's a problem as far as you are concerned. That's fair enough - but you're talking about the genre paradigm as "stupid" - where it's really just that you don't like it.
No one is calling it roleplaying - though I think it has elements of that.
I already told you that i have played the previous Diablos. And enjoyed them. But I never played a second round with the same character. The difference between character classes made it worthwhile to replay with another class, but I'm not sure that's true for the latest Diablo.
Oh, then you should know there's infinite "content" through randomly generated levels.
There is a huge difference in how randomness is used in Arena and Daggerfall, where content is expanded laterally.
I see it as much the same. If you've visited a handful of towns or dungeons in both games - you've seen what there is to see in terms of content. Changing the layout doesn't change the feel of the assets. Much like Diablo.
99% of both Arena and Daggerfall is generated through simplistic formulas based on a random seed. If that sort of thing represents "content" that's exciting to you, then we will just have to disagree.
It's true that I have limited first hand experience of the MMORPG genre, since I don't like MMO play. However, I do follow games in the media and on forums, so I dare say that I both know and understand them. Those coming closest to being real MMO RPGs, where people play different roles instead of basically the same role, are games like Second Life and The Sims.
No, you don't understand them if you haven't played them a lot.
I have played them a LOT - and I understand them.
Sorry, but there's no substitute for firsthand experience.
As for your personal perception of what makes an RPG - it has nothing to do with how the genre works and doesn't work.
It has always been multiplayer centric - and lots of MMOs motivate and inspire "real" roleplaying as you understand it. Like LOTRO - where you're encouraged to write your own background, compose and play your own music, own your own house and invite people over. Then we have a game like Secret World - where you can put on your own shows in the theater and entertain people.
Lots of games have lots of features that motivate people to play their roles. It's just not enforced.
The primary difference between old and new MMOs, for this specific issue, is that new games allow people to play by themselves and experience most of the content. That's not because developers are "evil" or WANT players to solo. It's because a LOT of players are not social and don't want to participate in social events. Blaming the games or the genres for human nature is unfair and silly.
That said, you can always pick a RP server - where it's strongly encouraged - if not enforced.
I'm afraid you just don't know what you're talking about. In that case, I would advise not talking about it while pretending you have a position of sufficient knowledge.
And obviously, I'm talking about my personal preferences. We both know the genre from different perspectives. Talking about the genre and where it's at, is only interesting in relation to where we would like it to be.
I don't follow.
I'm trying to educate you in terms of the genre and the expectations of its fans. This might sound arrogant, but it's really not. I'm just aware that I have an excessive amount of experience with the genre - all the way back to Nethack and all the clones - and I simply understand what it's about and what people who share that understanding want.
Not ALL people - but fans of the genre as it came about and how Diablo basically works.
My personal preferences have nothing to do with it. I think there are many aspects that could be improved - and the world and its importance is one of them. So, I'd agree with you about that.
But I don't confuse my own opinion with the "smart" choice and I think it's important to understand where developers are coming from.
Sometimes, you just have to recognise that a genre isn't for you - and that's really all there is to it.