What's all this nonsense?
Just another guys view of things.

I agree. Although I don't exactly get all your AoC references, I totally know where your coming from. A lot of people criticize MMOs that have "healbot" classes, but personally I loved raiding with my holy paladin in WoW. Healbots cover a niche that isn't filled by anything that tries to be "more" than just a healer.

Devs tend to think that these hybrid classes are more interesting to play, but I know plenty of people who would rather just sit back and heal. Of course, this brings up the problem of designing a game with both healbots and hybrids. For balance to be maintained, the healer must be better at its job than the hybrid, but then the hybrid becomes basically useless. It's a tough job.

I can solve that problem, actually, Storm.   Remove "hybrids", and in its place simply advance the core class into multiple roles based on a spec.  Then, to open your game to more players, allow each core class the ability to choose two specs at once....and give them a skill which allows you to switch them every half hour.

BAM....you have pure healers, and still give the player a route which allows him other options if he doesn't feel like doing it that day.

I also enjoy healing roles.  So much so that I actually MADE one in CoV (which does not actually support such a role).  In Flyff, I'd fly back to noob zones and do nothing but buff and heal people with my insane spells.  In WoW I'd spend hours literally doing nothing but exploring zones and healing the dead players I'd find.

Once, I even sat in WoW noob areas I knew would have encounters sure to kill a few players.  I just sat at a post in those spots and rez'd those whom fell.

I can solve all your problems, instead of forcing people to play classes, give them skills and allow them to build their characters exactly how they want instead of pidgeon-holing them into what someone else thinks is a good design. If people want to be a pure healer (very much a minority, thats why it's always hard to find healers in well, pretty much every game) then they spec or skill up their heal skill.

The point is, leave it wide open (not so much that it becomes inbalanced) so people can spec/skill up however they want. Let the player base design their hybrid.

I enjoy playing pure healers, if I get bored I'd rather hop to an alt then play a hybrid. I like what KaltesHerz is saying, I like building characters to fit my style of play. The more real choices we get in making and leveling a character the better.

i enjoy playing healers too, the most i had fun healing was in guild wars.  that was a blast.

I think WAR has got an excellent solution. ( Side note: I'm starting to become a WAR fanboy.... so don't take me too seriously.... )

anyway, in WAR there seem to be 3 types of healers:

- Healing + Melee DPS ( Warrior Priest and Disciple of Khaine )

- Healing + Ranged DPS ( Goblin Shammy and High Elf Mage )

- Healing + Buffing ( Dwarf Rune Priest and Chaos Zealot )

Now healing is equel to all of these guys. If balance turns out right then all of them will be able to keep their group alive.

But each of them adds a second aspect to the group. The Melee DPSers add offtanking ability and well melee DPS. The Ranged DPSers add some nuking power. The Buffers add extra power to the other classes. So in the end all of them add a little extra to the group. Next to that this little extra is required for them to heal more.

So for us healbots ( yes, I'm guilty of that too.... Fanboy and Healbot.... ) we can choose the Healing + Buffing option and we'll be focussing mostly on our allies instead of enemies. But at the same time those that want more variety can still heal just as good as us, but instead of making their group mates stronger at killing they themvelves are stronger at killing.

It's probably worth noting that not even D&D has plain old pure healers anymore.  I think their reasons for making this change are quite sound.