I come in on the other side of the spell buying issue. I don't want my spells to all come from a vendor. I think there should be a very small number of highly random spells available on the vendor and most of them should have to come from adventuring in the world. Learning your spells from an ancient crypt or an enemy sorcerer's tower is the type of immersion I'm looking for out of my mage experience.
I could not agree less. Terrible idea.
Path of Exile has a similar system, and it's probably the weakest and most annoying part of the game. Being forced to only use one or two skills - with no recourse - because the RNG hasn't dropped one you actually want is really annoying.
That's been my experience as well in D:OS, except that it's WORSE here, because combat is difficult, and you need to make use of your available skills to manage it. Not being able to get some that you can afford, and that you can use perfectly well - because the RNG doesn't like you is exasperating.
The idea of quests to get your skills might be fun the first two times, but eventually, people will think "Oh for ****'s sake, I just want to get Skill X for my character, do I have to do Dopey's Dimwitted Dungeon AGAIN just for this one skill?
Path of Exile is a completely different game.
This is just more power gamer mentality. The whole point of the game is that your character isn't just a product of planning. That you cannot decide what you get to do at every juncture of the game because you are subject to the whims of fate.
It's a modern concept that you are handed everything on a silver platter. Maybe in your game world some of the low level spells weren't researched by any of the common town mages so you have to go exploring.
Of course you don't like it because you want to completely plan out your game experience before it even happens. The ability to accept randomness and entropy in your roleplaying game is the key to immersion. When everything is planned out ahead of time then you already know the outcome.
Part of the replayability and challenge of the combat can be using the resources you have available to solve it. Not using the resources you choose to have in order to solve the tactical problem.
From a design perspective the second they have fixed/controlled spell vendor lists is the moment they might as well just let you choose when you level up. Fundamentally they're the same concept with just a small gold barrier in the way.
Just see a very pervasive mentality of players wanting everything to be completely fixed with no real dynamism to the gameplay experience. Enjoy the game as it happens, not in your head before it's even happened.
