This is not a guide, or a "normal is too hard / nightmare is too easy" thread, this is a posting for people to discuss creative way fights could have been different between all difficulty modes. I apologize for any misconceptions.
My guild just started doing Operations this week, though I have been watching videos and doing researching about them as soon as I possibly could. The one thing that has bothered me about them is that they are all essentially the same strategy between each version, but with the only differences being health and damage values. One thing that I hope that Bioware does in the future is have a different strategy or add more to bosses to make them more unique between each mode.
Normal mode operations are meant to be easy and puggable, as well as a good stepping stone for guilds to become more organized and prepare for hard mode operations. Many of the strategies used on normal can be devastating on new guilds, and fresh level 50s attempting to do operations.
Hard mode operations are meant to be a challenge for organized guilds. Most of the boss fights seems like they were designed as hard mode, and then had their healths increased or reduced based on the mode.
Finally, Nightmare mode is meant to cater to the hardcore players that enjoy a substantial challenge and being recognized for their accomplishments. This last one, while it is a challenge to beat nightmare mode, it loses some of its glory when the bosses only scale up health and damage, but strategy stays the same.
Below are some creative ideas about some of the bosses I have currently fought. While these obviously won't be changed at all, I hope that it provides some ideas for what could be done in the future. I also don't expect to see varying strategies coming with 1.1, but there is hope for 1.2.
Eternity Vault
Turrets
Normal Mode
Don't have the 10-12 adds that appear when engaging the turrets. This fight is a killer on new guilds participating in operations. Normal operations are the first ones that most guilds go into, and having this massive amount of adds spawning is very overwhelming, especially on healers and first time raiding guilds as it is the first pull of the operation.
Hard Mode
Here you can have the adds for the more organized group, and keep the fight as it is meant to be done.
Nightmare Mode
In addition to the adds spawning, add a shield around the turret that it can not be attacked until the power cells at its base have been destroyed.
Annihilation Droid XRR-3
Normal Mode
On normal mode, don't have Annihilation Droid do his missile barrage. This will result in the normal strategy not requiring the use of running around a turret, or a Gunslinger/Imperial Agents shield.
Hard Mode
Keep the fight as it is intended, added missile barrage and the strategy use of avoiding it.
Nightmare Mode
When missile barrage is being cast have Annihilation Droid put a shield on himself protecting him from taking any damage. Also, when hiding behind the pillars, have the missiles continue to launch towards the pillar where players are hiding, not hit them, but at the pillar they are hiding behind.
After 3 barrage rotations at a piller, that pillar will collapse, no longer making it viable to hide behind, thus having to then use the other one. Should even one player go behind an opposite side one, it would get attacked and count towards one of the three hits. This would require more coordination to ensure the proper turret is being used to hide behind.
Karraga's Palace
Bonethrasher
Normal Mode
On normal mode, do not have the adds that appear at 50% come out. The ones that come down and if he eats, he enrages are still good to keep, just take out those other two adds.
Hard Mode
Keep the fight as intended, still having the cats appearing at 50%.
Nightmare Mode
When Bonethraser slams the ground, after 5-10 seconds of the slam, have the floor crack and create a hole in the platform that exposes down to the nasty green ooze of death. This will require a higher awareness of where players are standing and strategy as the fight progresses.
These are just the fights I have done personally, what changes would you make to have Normal Mode be easier for recently hit level 50s / guilds, and what changes would you make to Nightmare mode to make them more challenging and unique fights for hardcore raiders?