Correct, mechanics can be added. For example, the sprint key was beloved by well over 95% of players, because it greatly enhanced the environment and made a more level playing field for players (as many would have a sprint toggle hack that couldn't really be proven as well). A far better thing to have done would be nerf armor as they did, add back block-hitting, reduce the timer to .1 second delay (just enough to disable auto-clickers. If you're getting more than 10 cps, it's not making a difference), and making mobs themselves stronger.
Actually, many of these strategies do not exist in 1.9. The timer eliminates all combos, butterfly clicking, jitter clicking, advanced strafing, and the dozens of other tricks people have envisioned. "Making every click count" is a terrible idea, because most servers cannot detect a sword swing when you click only once, but your local client still renders the swing. It relies on a single packet being received be the server, versus several packets being received before. Picture it as sending a squadron of bombers to destroy a factory. Factors outside of the bombers (lag, faulty connection, server errors) can "shoot" it down, but sending many bombers means it is more likely to score a hit. However, you don't need to overkill it by sending hundreds of bombers, when a smaller squadron will do. Long story short, the target will be hit if you send multiple bombers.
Quite the contrary, bows were already a practical weapon prior, and had numerous uses. I used to know a guy who, when fighting with his team, would target anyone with a bow just because he knew how good they could be.
Actually, traditional Super Smash battles in competition levels have a set timer for which the match lasts. PvP simply goes until someone is dead. Super Smash battles (in competition) allow you to score points by killing the enemy for points, not a stock battle where it lasts as long as there's more than one player alive. The game is not longer at all.
No, you're right that people don't often use shields, and you must remember they were redone slightly in 1.11 to block 100% of damage and take no durability damage to non-weapons. Still, my solution remains: bow spam. Rapid right-click with a bow will cripple a shield's durability. I know this from experience. People try to use a shield against me, and I literally just fire the bow as fast as possible until it breaks. They can't ever kill me because their sword is too slow to do any damage with 1.10+ regen.
On the contrary, players had been complaining that armor was too strong in 1.8 versus 1.7. All major complaints about PvP were changes made with 1.8, because 1.7 is still considered to be the best for combat. I know of several places that did indeed test and stick with 1.9+ combat mechanics. Servers didn't panic at all, they had been testing these things since the snapshots released, and just didn't like it. Players said they missed the block-hit animation, they said they thought armor was too strong (It was 80% damage reduction for standard diamond armor in 1.8, not even including protection), and they said Gapple fights were too long.
Yes, people are always going to complain about updates. People said pistons felt like modded, they said hoppers were too overpowered, they said new biomes didn't fit, and just about everything else. Know what the difference was? Now, we look back and enjoy those features after using them for quite some time. I can't imagine trying to build farms and such without hoppers, or life without pistons. More than a year later, though, over 75% of the Minecraft community (78% on this thread's poll) still don't like the new combat. More than a year later, Pocket and Console versions still do not have these same changes, despite getting nearly everything else (even Woodland mansions and llamas are in PE now, so they're essentially in 1.11 by now, without the combat changes from 1.9).
People don't like it for many reasons, but the fact remains it is still despised, even though I haven't played 1.8 combat since August. Using me as an example, I know how to fight using it. I know how to take advantage of the changes (just ask people in KitPvP how it goes), but it still isn't as much fun as before.
~ @CluelessKlutz
