SEGA released a summary report of future plans on balancing every existing class

[Uncle_bob]

If GU and BR get nerfed too hard who is gonna carry all the scrubs in TD?

[gigawuts]

http://ameblo.jp/sega-psblog/entry-11813489741.html

From Sakai's blog...

To get the full "balanced" gameplay will take about 6 month total tweaking and testing.
Short term goal, to get people to use multiple PA/Tech, instead of just one, some will be buffed and other will be nerfed

Shunka and Gu s-roll was talked about, basicly, they will be tweaked/nerfed in the late march, early april update, and Ra will also get a buff.

And future Pa/Tech tweaking, the team will put a focus on DPS and try to make all the class more balanced.

Watch them give every class identical DPS, making FO king just like in the old days because of how it can hit things and how many of those things it can hit at once at any range.

Stuff like that is why balance is so difficult to attain in a game like this. With your standard complement of short range, long range, single-target, and AOE as your methods of applying damage, the usual issue is that the long range almost matches the short range so it doesn't have to worry about travel time making it the best...or the long range deals diddly squat and the short range's damage stomps all over it.

AOE vs. single target is the same deal - if AOE almost matches single target, AOE wins because it's more versatile. If single target is stronger, AOE is too situational to use half the time because it can't kill bosses fast enough.

It gets more complex when you add secondary roles to that, i.e. FO is long and short range AOE, while melee is short range single target and AOE, etc. Then the issue isn't just inter-class balance, but intra-class balance.

There are many solutions to this sort of thing, but they vary in complexity. Things like making techs not that great at damaging bosses, but able to hit multiple parts at once. The boss takes 7k damage from a tech, and any part in the path of that tech does too (gibarta on a banshee's face would bring both front claws and her face 7k hp closer to breaking, but still only damage the banshee for 7k). Melee should work that way too, honestly.

The lack of unique behaviors like that is what will keep classes from ever really approaching balance, since everything is just point-click-numbers. Whatever gets the biggest or most numbers will win every time.

[Arksenth]

If GU and BR get nerfed too hard who is gonna carry all the scrubs in TD?

Yes! This is my stage cue!

Go!

The prettiest magical girl in all of PSO-World High!

Magical Melee Techer Girl Arksenth is here, in the name of tough love and meseta!

-transformation scene with lots of stripping-

[WildarmsRE5]

Satellite Zondeel Combo will carry you all!!!

[Uncle_bob]

I hope so, pal. I just hope they don't nerf GU and BR right off the bat and not buff other classes until later on.

Otherwise we'll just kind of be in a limbo where everything is pretty much awful.

[gigawuts]

I just want to see sroll JA bonus removed, then make Aerial Advance be an extra 20% damage bonus for the player being in the air, and then get Aerial Advance 2

[WildarmsRE5]

I just want to see sroll JA bonus removed, then make Aerial Advance be an extra 20% damage bonus for the player being in the air, and then get Aerial Advance 2

then what is High Time? I thought it was for us being in air and shooting.

[Arksenth]

Honestly, I think it's less "everything is awful" than it is that we're too used to setting GU and BR as our normal standard; outside of TD, GU and BR absolutely smoke everything that it's a complete joke. I'd describe the issue with TD as one of teamwork than class weakness - I've been in plenty of parties where there weren't any GUs or BRs or at least only one or two, yet we still manage to clear the run with 100% health and time for 3 because the teamwork is coordinated. GU and BR just happen to be strong enough that they can make up for a gulf in coordination, but really, players just need to learn to work together better.

The new TD2 is really crappy because a lot of people haven't figured out how the spawns and mobs function just yet, but the original TD has gotten a lot better - even without the presence of GU and BR, such that 3 runs is fairly consistent now.

[Xaeris]

Well, awful is a relative term in this case. Braver and Gunner make everything else look mediocre by comparison in most situations, but (most) of the other classes are still overpowered compared against the enemies they're pitted against. Rangers and Fighters, at the very least, would still demolish content if Braver and Gunner were to be rendered impotent (the worst case scenario of nerf); just not quite at the clip we've become accustomed to.

It'd be more a reacclimation than a period of struggle, I think.

[Sizustar]

Honestly, I think it's less "everything is awful" than it is that we're too used to setting GU and BR as our normal standard; outside of TD, GU and BR absolutely smoke everything that it's a complete joke. I'd describe the issue with TD as one of teamwork than class weakness - I've been in plenty of parties where there weren't any GUs or BRs or at least only one or two, yet we still manage to clear the run with 100% health and time for 3 because the teamwork is coordinated. GU and BR just happen to be strong enough that they can make up for a gulf in coordination, but really, players just need to learn to work together better.

The new TD2 is really crappy because a lot of people haven't figured out how the spawns and mobs function just yet, but the original TD has gotten a lot better - even without the presence of GU and BR, such that 3 runs is fairly consistent now.

Well, the new TD, I think it's also Fo/Te not bringing the right skill to help.
Status effect is more useful then single target Megid, or the new Light spell.
Ice freezing the enemy preventing them from touching the tower, or Zondeel trapping them for the other class to finish them.