[2020] Why I like the new loot system (as an miner/crafter)

That was the plan.

Some players just have a harder time with withdrawal.

The surface is what you stand on. You will notice that the dirt player stops after a few blocks down, no matter if you're on a hill or not.

The distribution really has not changed much since A17. Couple minor tweaks here and there but this old screenshot is still completely representative.

There are still large "empty" spaces between ore veins so digging down at a random spot is not a guarantee to find anything but rocks.