This post is directly addressing Mr. Bulmahn in the second person, because it's easier for me to write that way. It is not meant to be disrespectful.
So, first, congratulations on an excellent book - I really like it overall, especially the race and class changes, as well as some of the mechanical tweaks. I know there's been a lot of disagreement over skills, but as someone who honest-to-god loves playing fighters, I have a different issue with Alpha 1.1.
Combat Feats. On almost every thread I've posted on so far, I end up talking about them. I didn't realize I was doing it at first, but now that I have, I feel a need to fully construct my opinion on this matter.
It is generally accepted that melee-oriented characters, particularly Fighters, Rangers, and Paladins have very few options beyond "I attack" when it comes to D&D combat. While flowery (gory?) description of your agile twists and powerful lunges can up the fun to a degree, combat for these classes is heavily lacking mechanical variety. Many times, authors have attempted to correct this, by adding new feats, publishing new mechanics (Maneuvers from WoTC's Tome of Battle, for example) or trying to create new melee classes with magical enhancements (Duskblade, Gish Prc's, etc.) or bard type abilities (Knight and Marshall). But the issue remains: The Fighter, one of the Big Four, probably the first class to be invented for role-playing games, is, well, lame.
I understand that Combat Feats were an attempt to fix this. Fighters would now have a wider selection of feats to choose from, and would have to make tactical decisions as to which was best for the situation, just like spell casters. This is not a bad idea.
My issue is twofold. One, that some of the utility, bread-and-butter type feats from 3.5 (Dodge, Mobility, Manyshot, Throw Anything, etc) have been placed into this category, reducing the Fighter's effectiveness round-by-round (which is already low compared to spell casters). Yes, it nerfs them. These feats are all nice to have, and work well in *combination* with other feats, but are simply not worth turning on once you get better feats. Essentially, it limits options even further, since you can't use feat combinations to achieve better effects . Your combat just becomes "Use a defensive feat, and attack" or "Use an offensive feat, and attack."
Two, none of the combat feats available are that enticing. If I can only use one feat per round, and I have to be level 11 to get a particular feat, that feat needs to do something on par with shape-shifting into a giant or taking out multiple enemies with a single action (both things that a 11th level caster can do).
Some examples:
Deft Shield and the other feats in the chain. Being able to attack with a shield and not lose my AC bonus from it was something I could already do in 3.5, and the 3.5 version was actually BETTER (since it didn't require TWF as a prerequisite, which wastes valuable ability points on Dex, and didn't require the hit to connect). Shield Master is alright, but again, lackluster for level 11.
The new version of Manyshot requires a full-attack. Adding one extra attack to a full attack (with no extra precision damage for the rogues/scouts/etc) is very weak for a feat that high up in the requirements ladder. Not being able to use it in conjunction with Shot-on-the-Run as you could before is grating.
Weapon Swap is...erm, ok, yeah, it's nice to only have to carry one weapon, but I'm a TWO-weapon fighter. It's pretty pointless, and yet it's a requirement for the best two-weapon feat. (I understand it lets you use your main hand weapon for all attacks. There is very, very, little mechanical benefit for doing so, and most TWF'ers will have identical or near identical weapons in each hand anyways).
I won't dissect each other feat individually, but overall, the Combat Feats are disappointing. The only one that I like the change to is Cleave.
My suggestion is to either eliminate the mechanic entirely, which would put Fighters back at their 3.5 level of power...meh...
OR, keep it, but remove all of the original 3.5 feats from the list (i.e. they can be used in the same round as other feats) and add a new set of truly unique combat feats that are as fun and useful as spells. Tactical Feats and Maneuvers from WotC supplements are a good inspiration. The 2nd Edition of the Conan RPG by Mongoose has new feats and "extra" combat actions (basically feats you get for free if you meet the pre-reqs)that include things like removing limbs, doing damage with parries, instantly decapitating someone with a well-executed attack of opportunity, and so on. Those are great fun, and I would suggest looking over that book.
Thanks for reading this, to whoever does so (hopefully J.B. is among them). I hope that this will have at least some influence on the game's final design. My only desire is for the Fighter, the multi-scarred, limping and battered veteran of 10 years of punishment, will find his feet and reclaim his (or her) former glory. I want people to remember that steel, strength, and rigorous martial training were the real-life tools of medieval combat, and respect those who embrace that.