Durability is about making choices. If it is a skill it is a choice to take it or not. If not then you have to take care of what weapons you use. I would consider it to be an addition to gameplay.
Agreed. And it's removal is a limitation (albeit a minor one). Trips to merchants are neccessary anyway, I never really found repairing troublesome. (DD, D2, Titan Quest, can't really think of any other games that used it).
On a broader note, "streamlining" is not always a good thing. It can run periously close to "dumbing down." Take the upcoming Diablo III, which has all but removed the role playing from "Action-RPG" - no more buying those pesky potions (baddies drop health orbs as in a FPS) no more headaches over confusing stat points (auto-leveling of attributes now), no more relying on hotkeys, it can all be done with just the mouse, with virtually no trips to merchants, just click click click on monsters from game start to finish!
It's a bad trend. Not that Divinity 2 seems to be coming anywhere close to this, mind you. I just can't help feeling alarmed any time developers say they're eliminating choices in the interest of making the action more non-stop or for whatever reason. It's not all about action. It's about stepping into the shoes of your character and becoming as immersed in his/her world as possible.
The brothel area in Divine Divinity was hilarious... :p
I'd love to see a return of that area \:D Can we?
The times have changed and our hands are tied by the ratings.
BTW, what is Div2 going to be rated anyway? 6 and up or something? It's not like Divinity 1 was The Witcher or anything...
