So the Hero Class, the First Advance Class, Just How Much More Powerful is it?

[Aexorcet]

Simple example. Try to balance 2 classes. One class deals 100 point of damage every second, and the other deals 200 points of damage every 2 seconds. They do not have any other damage.

You can't. If enemy has 100 hp or less, then the second class has 50% clear speed. If enemies have between 101 and 200, then they have equal clear rate. If enemies have between 201 and 300 hp, then class B has 75% clear speed. On and on. Class A is in every single case equal or better than class B.

So if you try to buff class B by reducing the cooldown of its damage ability or increasing the damage it deals, it can be shown that class B then becomes better in almost everything than class A.

Give enemies 400 HP. The difference goes away. You can also just have varied content that plays to each classes' strengths. If damage windows are limited, class B has an advantage without the need for any buff. It will put out 200 damage during those short windows, while the other class can only do half that.

Balance and diversity aren't at odds with each other in my opinion. It can take work to achieve both, but it should almost always be achievable.

[Dark Mits]

Give enemies 400 HP. The difference goes away. You can also just have varied content that plays to each classes' strengths. If damage windows are limited, class B has an advantage without the need for any buff. It will put out 200 damage during those short windows, while the other class can only do half that.

Balance and diversity aren't at odds with each other in my opinion. It can take work to achieve both, but it should almost always be achievable.

In the above example, all values between 200*k+101 and 200*k+200 for k=0,1,2,.... make classes equal. It works for 150, 320, 600, 701 etc. But that means that content has to be designed with this class limitation in mind. However content cannot be static. It has to provide variety. Sometimes you have lots of mobs and low-hp bosses, sometimes you have single-target boss with high hp, sometimes you have quick-moving boss, sometimes you have boss with adds, etc.

If two classes are not identical in what they can do gameplay-wise, then one class will be better than the other. The "best" a developer can do to "balance" the situation is to make content where some classes are good, and content where other classes are good. Then we would have equal QQ from all perspectives (which as another poster pointed out is the closest to balance you can get).

[Aexorcet]

In the above example, all values between 200*k+101 and 200*k+200 for k=0,1,2,.... make classes equal. It works for 150, 320, 600, 701 etc. But that means that content has to be designed with this class limitation in mind. However content cannot be static. It has to provide variety. Sometimes you have lots of mobs and low-hp bosses, sometimes you have single-target boss with high hp, sometimes you have quick-moving boss, sometimes you have boss with adds, etc.

Content needs to be made cohesive regardless I think. In PSO2, solo quests need to factor in for the low DPS classes for example. In the case described above there are some poorly balanced cases, but the majority work well. Not only are certain multiples of HP even, but the difference in uneven cases gets smaller as HP gets higher. To relate it to PSO2 where you could use hundreds of attacks per EQ, class A and B are essentially the same in a damage race.

I agree that content should be varied but I don't think that this is a hindrance either. If a quest has two phases where the first is many low HP enemies and the second is evasive high HP enemies, then both classes will have strengths and weaknesses in the quest. Rapid fire A will be better in the first phase while heavy hitting B will outperform A in the second because it can put out more damage in the short windows that allow for attacks.

If two classes are not identical in what they can do gameplay-wise, then one class will be better than the other. The "best" a developer can do to "balance" the situation is to make content where some classes are good, and content where other classes are good. Then we would have equal QQ from all perspectives (which as another poster pointed out is the closest to balance you can get).

It depends on how it's implemented. You can have these different situations play out all in the same quest so that no one is left out. Modifying my 2 phase quest example from before, if an EQ boss spawned a bunch of aggressive mobs and began to power up for a MPA wide attack, that gives each player a choice on what to focus on. Forces might decide to go after the mobs with Zondeel and AoE's while Gunners would start building up chains on the boss. You could do it the other way around, but it wouldn't be as effective (barring what I'm hearing about S roll's buff).

It works on a larger scale where entire pieces of content are easy/hard for certain classes if there is a wide range of content (PSO2 doesn't have this) that provides multiple paths to the same objective. I'd actually really like to see that, although not in PSO2 as it is now.

There are definitely challenges when it comes to doing this, on that I agree with you completely. I just don't see why it's impossible or beyond any reasonable difficulty for a developer in general.