There was a problem for a while, say between years 2006 and 2011, Before the (L) items, when useful items practically stopped dropping. What then happened ingame was that the prices for the items needed to progress ingame, for instance FAPs with heal above 42 HP/clicks were pretty nonexistant unless you were one of the happy few who had one (ie mod fap that was duped by some other player a generation ago). I guess that MA saw the solution to create the concept of (L) items, probably to have Control over that new item type.
Or, pretty much, there was a generation ingame who had with them their mod merc, modfap etc that they had looted Before 2005. When prices Went up for their oldschool items they could afford to keep using the best gear, and they were in top level societies for years, where they could trust eachother, so they didn't have any problem findin the gear they needed.
On the other hand, ther was the mid level players, who saw the prices of useful items go up, up and up in auction. I'd guess that a lot of mid level players would eventually give up, if there would just be a small number of players (the oldtime ubers and their friends) who would be able to progress in hunting, and hunt the relatively few mobs that had the potential to drop useful items (the few that still could drop).
The SIB system (maxable weapons) was a way to get average players to use (L) items. If (L) items had the same eco as the normal oldschool items then mid-level players might had kept on using Justifier mk2, EWE-40 (the normal ones) and FAP-80 (possibly EK-2600) (remember that FAP-90 used to be like 2500 PED), and would be stuck at that level.
In a competetive World/balancing perspective, I guess the choice would be to keep the top players happy, or the rest of the players (ie mid level players that didn't have access to mod merc+mod fap).
As for skills, I've often found myself in the situation that I didn't find any item I could afford (or afford to use in the long run) with the skills I have. It was just until last year I was able to buy a fitting plasma weapon with a useful dmg/sec. Waiting to get it, ubers had gotten there eredicator that they were running around most likely skill faster than I was able to. So though I might have had more skills in beginning, from oldschool plasma rifles, I guess the ubers with the eredicators just rushed past me with a gun that actually was useful.
When L was introduced it was a nice time for crafters, as the crafted P5, P1, Aspis, Rutics, Kesmeks have had a market, and could be sold ---- but then MA started to drop tons of UL sib that made all those crafted obsolete additionally removed the needed components from loot, so crafters that paid 1000+ PED for the BPs, now sit on it and can´t even use it for skilling.
When L was introduced it was a nice time for crafters, as the crafted L armors actually have had market, and crafted L armors could be sold --- but thne MA started to let drop much better eco L armors L from hunting loot, that made all crafted armor (lower durability) obsolete, now nobody craft those mid levels, only a few high levels like Lich have market left, although its a lot harder due to shadow/angel L and stuff like that.
When L was introduced it was a nice time for crafters, as crafted FAPs, like the Vivo series (pokeballs), have had a market --- but then MA introduced S10 from gauntlet making all low level crafted obsolete and introduced upgrade mission for EK2350/2600, which made all higher mid level crafted FAPs obsolete.
Control over items, cool. Where ?
MA lost its formerly working ingame economy completely by making everything crafted obsolete!
Weapons L dropping like rain from hunting, which all are better than anything crafted
Armors L dropping like rain form hunting, which all are better durabulity than comparable crafted
FAPs could be upgraded or given for free (gauntlet) that are repairable, making L obsolete.
And people in the comunity still think its the Explo BP that killed the economy --- LOL
And now look at the facts, those old time UBERs that looted MMs, IMKIIs, Mod/Imp FAPs over 10 years ago, are still the UBERs from today.
They still use the old gear and still win every event and manage to drop all the nice new UL Sib items.
We already have to much UL Sib items, making it very hard to sell anything L no matter if crafted or looted, and there is no end in sight, more and more UL Sib floods the market, what actually drops the MU of all existing gear.
I wouldn´t mind if there would be a visible progress to better eco, making old style items like the MMs, IMKIIs, Terminator, Mod/Imp FAPs, all kind of armors, less valuable, as it would slowly be replaced with the better gear.
There is no such a progress, the 10+ year old porsches and ferraries ingame are still the f...ing best porsches and ferraris available. No new inventions, nothing that makes that old things outdated.
I have said that many years ago already:
Slowly move to pure L economy to have working economy for looted stackables
Make old style UL obsolete over time (not to fast, it must be a slow process), stop introducing new UL gear.
But there is no economy knowledge at MA office, sad but true.
Other developers like Blizzard hired some economists who take care that their ingame economy is not dying. They always do balancing, so that there is always demand for nearly everything you can loot. Well thats another company!
Sorry for the offtopic