It's not the way healing "is meant to be". Age of Conan had more dynamic healing. And if you scoff at that... Guild Wars 2 has severely criticized the 'WoW' model of healing and is using it as one of the game's major selling points. Developers have talked about it on videos. But it might be you're just thinking about raids. PvP healing is more dynamic. Go watch some of the PvP videos of heal classes here and the good ones do damage half the time. Healing is pointless if the target's not in danger.

This is a good engineering guide: http://swtorsniper.blogspot.com/2011/12/07-engineering.html And this is my build: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#400bcMZrIMboRbRrsZh.1 I'm focusing on being a defensive duelist that can hunker down and blast melee that come to try and take points. My thinking is you can't go wrong if you focus on complimentary skills. If every skill you pick also is used at the same time as at least one other skill, then it'll be a decent build.

Assuming you don't want to heal, your best bet is really full-on dirty fighting.

This is a pretty good overview: http://swtorsniper.blogspot.com/2011/12/07-engineering.html Written from the mirror engineering tree perspective of the imperial agent. Says its main strengths are utility, defense, and high burst, with medium mobility. I consider the lack of set rotations as a plus, too.

I've decided to play that lesser played spec of the lesser played class, and this is my Saboteur build, based on some of the stuff written in this thread. Is for levelling and PvP. http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#700bcZrIbbRRbRrsZh.1

A lot of people from September are in, and September comes after August.

Reading comprehension's not the problem. The problem is that's a really bad way to communicate. Just think if people spoke that way to people they knew. "Yeah, I'm coming to your birthday party, but that means up to and including one minute before it ends." Do you talk to people like that? If not, why not? I don't hold advertising to any lesser standard, especially as it's designed to get people to part with their money. If anything, it requires a higher standard of communication.

My name concerns are down to that I have played my character with a name in a previous MMO for 3 years, and I'd like to continue that character, with the same people form that previous game that are also rolling there so they know me. It's not a lack of imagination issue.

I don't like the waves just because with every new wave the chances of me getting the character name I want get lower. Playing time wait I can put up with, permanent loss of name not so much.