as I read more and more comments I am becoming depressed about this game
Namely, that character creation and level up seems boring and meaningless. Picking race, culture and social status being just flavor is lame. Linear progression of stats is lame (IE,weighted 3d6 is much better system IMO), lack of specialization in general is lame and boring. More specialization=more meaningful choices and differences=more tactical variability and fun. Don't like that it seems you could almost pick things at random because having higher XXX attribute will just balance out in the end. Means all choices are just flavor. This is the end result that comes from the 'balance' fetish which seems to be some sort of aspie, OCD trait. Balance is not inherently better, in fact is is often times worse, or might as well play checkers.
I hope they fix this things but I worry because many of these issues seem to be issues that are being created on purpuse by Josh Sawyer believing that they are good design, so I worry that the entire foundation of POE is somewhat cemented in place. I don't see JS backing down on certain design ideas. I wish this updated IE could just be based on a modified D&D system. Everybody complains about AD&D for years, but honestly I have never played a CRPG that is superior and don't understand people constantly wanting to re-write it. Much of it seems based on some person having not liked some aspect of D&D and thinking they could do better, but most systems end up being worse.
People think things like magic users not being able to use swords, or clerics edged weapons is 'stupid' and not 'realistic' so they go 30 years wanting to make a muscled wizard because they are butt hurt AD&D would not let them. Or they think wizards being weak and sitting out of fights is 'bad design'. Josh Sawyer often says he thinks people don't know what they like in a game. Its ironic a bit because I feel that people don't understand why D&D is fun in the first place and rewrite the wrong things.
Not allowing clerics to use edged weapons or wizards to use swords or wear armor, make D&D a more specialized and tactical system. Same with non-linear stat bonuses and uneven strengths of relative classes at various levels. These are not bad design, they create interesting tactical trade offs. Unbalanced classes good at different specialized powers with varying strength and weakness at different levels all with restrictions or bonuses to certain types o weapons and armor are all things that add up to making a good and tactical game IMO.
Some bodies life long desire for his wizard to wear armor and carry a two handed sword is power gaming and misses the point of why D&D is fun in the first place. All my opinion.