DiabloInc front-paged a no-response response blue post on the official forums regarding the "loot problem." I'm not even sure what the perceived problem with loot is*. I think the item drop system feels very good right now. I think changing the ID system could go a long way towards solving a lot of item-quality issues.

I understand the gift-opening analogy, but everyone knows which wrapped package is socks and no one is excited about opening socks. ilvl 58 rares are socks. The current system doesn't even make sense flavor-wise. My Plvl 14 hero is experienced enough at this point, that he should be able to determine whether most items are trash immediately. I propose a sliding scale of ID times.

Any 4-affix rare with an ilvl at my clvl or below is ID'd upon entering my inventory (i.e., Hero takes a glance and says, "garbage"). Paragon Levels help with ilvl 61-63. plvl 10 ID's ilvl 61 instantly, plvl 20 ID's ilvl 62 instantly, but only plvl 100 ID's ilvl 63 instantly. From there, the time it takes to ID an item scales with the "quality" of the item. All 4-affix rares above my clvl are ID on click (baseline 0 seconds to ID). Every additional quality from there adds to the ID time (i.e., Hero needs more time to study it). Without thinking about it too deeply here's the general gist of an item ID time chart for a clvl 60 plvl 0 Hero with a baseline of ID'ing a ilvl 60 rare:

ilvl 61 = +0.2 seconds
ilvl 62 = +0.4 seconds
ilvl 63 = +0.6 seconds
(plvl 10 reduces this by 0.2 seconds, plvl 20 reduces by 0.4 seconds, plvl 100 reduces by 0.6 seconds)
5th affix = +0.1 seconds
6th affix = +0.1 seconds
ilvl 61 mod = +0.1 seconds
ilvl 62 mod = +0.2 seconds
ilvl 63 mod = +0.3 seconds

Except scale those so that the vast, vast majority of items take less time to ID than current for clvl 60 Heroes.

If we use the chart above as is, for this character a 5-affix ilvl 61 rare with crappy ilvl 60 mods will require only 0.3 seconds to ID the item (5th affix [0.1 s] + ilvl 61 [0.2 s]). A moderately good item like a 5-affix ilvl 62 rare with 2 quality mods would require 0.7 seconds to ID:
5th affix +0.1 s
ilvl 62 +0.4 s
ilvl 61 mod +0.1 s
ilvl 61 mod +0.1 s

A fantastic item like a 6-affix ilvl 63 rare with 3 quality mods would take 1.6 seconds
ilvl 63 +0.6s
5th affix +0.1s
6th affix + 0.1s
ilvl 63 mod +0.3s
ilvl 63 mod + 0.3s
ilvl 62 mod + 0.2s

In-game, the effect of this is to reward experienced players by taking less time to ID items while also creating a dynamic anticipation system. A quick glance at the inventory will show you if there's still a "?" over your rare. If an item IDs almost immediately on click, you know it's trash without even glancing at the mods. If you sit there and your Hero is still "examining the item" after a full second, you know you might have something really special on your hands.

*If you do have a complaint or questions about the item drop system - and feel you are at least capable of changing your mind with a persuasive argument - please post it without fear of being ridiculed so we can have a rational discussion.

any system with auto-ID and I'm in!

Heres how they fix the problem: necromancer class introduced > Cain gets revived as zombie > insta ID for all items in inventory > happy