i guess the happy middle ground could be patching it once or twice instead of 8 billion times. they could have easily supported the game for just as long but not patch it as frequently
Sup Jonnitti:
Patch 1.01 -- The day 1/week 1 update that fixed the fact that the game was broken or some major features had issues. Lex Luthor had an infinite, this was fixed.
Patch 1.02 - Adds Lobo, some fixes for online connections. Fixes stage transition issues, the ridiculous damage on OTG interactibles, the hitbox issue with Doomsday's splash hitting you from a mile away
Patch 1.03 -
This was the first major balance update. Also fixed hero card bugs, the ragequit loss bug, fixed the game so it could be played with 5 button sticks, fixed the Space Ship allowing for easy 100+% combos, and fixes the bug where the tool chest or Motorcycle bug out and ruin the entire match. Also fixes the ridiculous Cyborg IAFB block inifinite, the issue with Grundy's chain grab being unclashable for the win, and fixes Ares' semi-guaranteed reset.
Tones Superman down a bit, makes Sinestro's Arachnid sting usable so he can wake up, gives Shazam, Lobo and Joker a little bit of help, gives Bane the dash which he sorely needs, tones Deathstroke's Call of Duty gunplay down so he has to play Fighting Games. Tones down Aquaman's trident rush chip (can you believe it used to do even more damage on block? yikes)
Patch 1.04 - Fixes issues where you couldn't wake up when you were supposed to be able to. Fixes incorrect frame data. Fixes a bug where the Flash would perform Sonic Pound without you inputting it, fixed the bug with Deathstroke's Sword flip not working correctly as a wakeup.
Balance-wise, minor: 4 less frames on KF daggers, HG mace charge block adv. changed a bit, Flash can MB Lightning charge.
Patch 1.05 -
Second major balance update. Fixes the ridiculous bees-to-honey tracking on flying interactables, reduces the half-the-screen-wide explosion hitbox on the drones and chandelier, fixes the bug where pressing 1, then 3 gets you an interactible attack and ruins your combo. Gives the cast anti-air, at last. Fixes Batgirl's broken infinite MB Bola madness, and fixed the fact that you could MB Lex's mine without spending a bar (also his incorrect d2 damage). Fixed Grundy's walking corpse whiffing when it looks like it connects. Fixed the incorrect hitbox/level on flash's running man.
Balance-wise: Superman MB breath block advantage of death toned down, Scorpion no longer competes with top tier using only teleport, hellfire and j1/j3, Nightwing's ridiculous near block-inifite d1 toned down, KF vortex toned down a bit, Joker and Harley get a bit of help, Flash is finally fast, Catwoman no longer gets that crazy +8 on 1f2, Black Adam's crazy damage toned down a bit, Bane charge becomes useful and Aquaman's f13 no longer a frame trap.
And then
1.06, which as we know now was a major update 6 months in that pretty much saved the game's competitive life.
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So when you look back through the patches, a lot of them just fixed things that were either critical to fix or were really hurting the gameplay; while there are a couple of questionable things (poor Green Arrow), not every patch was a major balance update. I'm not sure why people always act as if they majorly changed the balance of the entire game with every patch.
There were a lot of major issues to fix and not all of them could realistically be fixed at once.
Let's be real.. How silly would it have been if Superman and BA kept their original damage and day 1 frame data, combined with the original interactible damage and hitboxes, just so people could say they "didn't patch the game?" Or Cyborg kept his IAFB as an automatic win against half the cast, the Space Ship was an automatic 100% every time you were hit with it, and d2 was useless for all but 3 characters just so NR would avoid making a patch?
Imo they did a good job and fixed a lot of things that probably should have been fixed anyway. And it's probably the only thing that kept the game and its competitive community alive.