Yeah, Pozzo, this world could be really enjoyable for players like us, but you know, all the crafting system will never be "erased", it will never be changed in this way, I assume.
So, some of you think adding high tier would break the actual game mechanics ?
Well, look :
-HK G 11 : it's the best SMG, but it uses some ammo that no one can craft, and that can only be found in this weapon. Furthermore most of people don't use SMG, especially in PvP.
-Pulse Pistol : gooddamages, but shitty range (15 if I remember well). So it wouldn't be very effective in difficult fights, and in PvP. I know people would try to make some tank psycho-pulse pistol, but it would be as effective as psycho tank-plasma rifle.
-Turbo Plasma : well, it's a really good weapon, that's right, its range is ok, and its damages are... woaw. But in my suggestion, you would have to kill a big Brotherhood patrol, which mean a lot of ammos, a lot of risk, and a lot of bad karma.
XLS, Pancor, 223 pistol... : they already exist, they're craftable, but nobody uses them.
Like I said, in compensation, some encounters would have to be changed to keep the economy working : press gangs, mercenaries would not drop rippers, power fists and needler pistols anymore, for instance.
Remember that people would have to take risks and use a lot of stuff to gain those items. And those weapons would never be craftable, it wuold be the only way to obtain them.
Maybe it would develop trading between "PvE" and "PvP" factions.
Concerning armor dropping, well, it's not possible since Fallout 2, so...
Yeah, we have instanced maps, with random encounters, but it's not what I call "dungeons", and I don't blame devs to make more "dungeons", cause it must very time consuming, they have moe important things to do.
That's why I was suggesting to improve PvE by making encounters more interesting.