Patch 1.03 changes to gameplay blown out of proportion?

[Prime]

I'd be interested to compare notes with other peoples' experiences.

 

I have played about 4 hours in online FFA sabers-only with patch 1.03, so I think I have played enough to have a somewhat informed view of how things have changed. This was on five different servers IIRC. Some of the servers had lots of people (12+) and some had only a few (<5). Here is what I have found:

 

1. No one was spamming DFA. However, some still use it, and with great effectiveness. I never use heavy stance, but it seems that is is still very usable. Someone who swings through a conjested area is likely to get some kills. Anyone who uses it care to comment on that?

 

2. 1 vs 1 takes a little longer, but not substantially longer. I also found that since drain and heal have been reduced drastically, in a FFA you are much more likely to come across someone that is already hurt. So while it takes a little longer to get through peoples' saber defences, you have less health to wear down.

 

3. Even with medium stance you still do spins and other moves. I'm not too sure of the exact steps required yet, though. Shouldn't be too bad to figure out.

 

4. People say that medium is a lot slower than before, but I haven't noticed a big difference. In fact, I haven't really noticed any difference, but there may certainly be some. I've never been good at judging those things:) But it certainly isn't like it is unusable.

 

5. Another thing I've heard is that it is very difficult to get an attack through that doesn't get blocked. I haven't really found this to be the case. I guess attacking head on while they are defensive, sure you aren't going to get through. I know that I can get hits through pretty regularly, either by attacking when the other person has swung, or by getting around the side. I seem to get hit as well. It is true that that hits happen less than before, but they certainly do happen. Some people say that hits never land, and I just haven't seen this as the case.

 

6. I'm always light side, so I don't know about drain, but I actually like the new heal (well, except when I have 5 health). Someone said it is now like a medpack instead of immortality, which I think is a great analogy. People had to use strong stance before because you needed to drop the enemy's health before they could get it back up. I think Raven has the right idea in allowing people to hit less, but also limit their healing ability.

 

7. Kicking. I'm not sure why people say kicking is really difficult now. I was never really good at it before, but I seem to be able to do it just as well now, if not better, than pre patch. Once it's second nature that you have to hit jump twice, kicking is not hard. One guy I came across kicked the hell out of me, so obviously it is possible to use it regularly.

 

8. Ramp up time. Like I said, I use yellow stance the most, so my style really didn't have to change all that much. After practicing against bots for about an hour, I was able to go on most servers and be near the top, which is where I usually was before (not to brag). So for those people saying it is too hard to change, I'm just not buying it. Sorry. Although, it may be more difficult for those who only used only heavy stance, especially DFA.

 

9. Saber throw spamming. I never came across it. Is it really as rampant as some people say?

 

Anyway, overall I kind of found that the MP game isn't substantially different than before. Most of the complaints seem to be a bit overstated. The patch isn't perfect to be sure, but saying that you will not play the game anymore and the patch has ruined everything is a bit much IMHO. I haven't tried guns, so I won't comment on those, but I'd be interested to hear about them.

 

I'd love to get others' opinions on the above. Also, many (most?) of the servers I clicked on seemed to have the patch, so all the complaints about the patch may be moot before long.