OP, who better to balance the game then the players who know its ins and outs?  Sure there are some glaring issues(a single path to victory being the biggest), but you have to step back and observe the bigger picture about how this impacts the game long term.  Assume these issues will be fixed and provide your feedback and be the change you want to see in the game. 

Ah, perhaps I didn't explain myself very well. Let me try again. The plain game itself (in other words, NOT THE REBELLION EXPANSION) is not balanced. Or, at least it wasn't balanced for the years I played it, so I can't imagine it is currently balanced unless some old-timer like a Cykur-type pops in here and says "Yo Agent, after you left, the devs spent tons of time and resources on the issue so yes, the game itself is finally balanced!" Since the "plain game itself" was never balanced when I played it, and since I presume it wasn't brought into balance after I stopped playing (in other words, I presume it is currently still not balanced), how can there possibly be hope for balance in adding more stuff to the game in an expansion?

unbalanced + adding_more_stuff = even_more_unbalanced

Quick note: I'm using the term "balance" here a little broadly. I'm not implying something like "all things being equal, the vasari are always OP" (that may or may not be the case - certainly there were debacles like this in the past which lasted for eons, with a particular "advent OP" episode regarding scouts, disciples, and carrier caps being quite fresh in my memory). I mean ANYTHING regarding balance:

- Races dominating other races, all other things being equal (historical example - Advent owning everyone else in multiplayer for the longest time, resulting in the situation where most players chose Advent, leading to all Advent vs. Advent games).

- Particular ship types dominating most others, all things being equal (historical example - carrier cruisers being OP at one point, and the lrm-type frigate spam being ubiquitous since day one release, leaving little or no role for generic light frigate type).

- Some capships being well-developed while other capship types were essentially ignored by the devs (historical example - carrier cap spam was seriously en-vogue when I left the game).

Also, note that I am talking multiplayer balance. It seems that single player types will always regard the game as "balanced" in their single player gameplay experience.

As a modder, I can tell you more often than not, balanced + adding more stuff = something just as unbalanced. As long as major features are going to be added its very difficult to keep a game balanced. Its what Stardock does after Rebellion is released that will determine whether this game is ever "balanced" enough for your standards. What they could have done in Diplomacy is mostly irrelevant.

He didn't get the beta, he hasn't bought Rebellion.

Anyway, such is RTS, Kharma, what is balanced and unbalanced changes like the seasons, when you think you're close, someone out there comes up with something and bam, new unbalanced strategy. I've yet to see a truly balanced RTS.

Instead of complaining, saying broad terms like 'the game is unbalanced. Fix it or I'm gone,' put in the time to see what is unbalanced and come up with fixes yourself and suggest them to the devs.

Oh wait, what's that? You haven't played in 'eons?' Then you're a troll, blabbing about something you know nothing about. Go away. We don't want your kind here.

Trinity balance is different now than the OP remembers and has improved I think. Ironically, Advent are now considered the weakest of the races in MP, but not necessarily by a huge amount - skill still has a greater influence. I quit playing sometime during Entrenchment when carrier spam beat all and the balance when I came back to Trinity did seem improved. Titans have thrown that all out of whack again but, as stated, this is a beta, and I have confidence the devs will tweak it into shape before the beta ends.

I've actually been playing the game faithfully since it first came out in '08. I believe you came after me, good Sir.

You're still a troll who offers nothing to the forum except complaints. I don't like that, therefore, I don't like you.

Eh, for 2/3 races, yeah. Advent early game (if they can survive it) I believe tends to be Seeker, Disciple and Defense Vessels. No more Illuminators with 3 weapon banks all firing at full damage while you micro them through some guy's fleet like I remember from when I last played.

The amusing thing right now is that in this beta LRMs are nonexistent against Titan firepower.

Hello AOK, I thought you disappeared into abyss (well, I was also disappeared into abyss until Rebellion beta came out.)

I highly doubt that this game, which has so many complex, deep techs and amount of ships and stuffs, will be ever roughly balanced.

But again, even games like SC2 also has glaring imbalance and it is really fate for all RTS. Players always beat game developers/balancers and it is not new idea.

I say, buy the game and enjoy it. At least new TEC capital ship (boarding ship) is very fresh and unique. Gamedesign-wise they are going into right direction.

SOASE has never been spreadsheet balanced and probably for a reason.  Putting 3 factions in and running armor/hull/shields/antimatter/dps vs credit/metal/crystal/fleetcost is involved and tendious.  Just getting the base stats in and figuring out a dps/fleetcost ratio to see what their effectiveness is is a pain, but possible. 

Seriously, who in their right mind would put something like this together to balance factions.

Okay, so I'm nutz and you too if you took a good look at that and it doesn't even have the formulas displayed.  Muahahahaha!

MP is the primary concern of StarClad.  If they gave a damn for SP there would be a campaign, deathmatch type options for accelerated game and limiting tech, more options on a map like respawning militias, militias that roam, more use of the planetownerismilita instead of noowner and many other options asked for by yours truly and others like 3 years ago only to get flamed and trolled that 4x games don't do that.

Play SP and deal with an AI too stupid to put the numbers 0 to 9 together in the correct order, do research like a player might (even if they had an IQ of 80), upgrade their starbases fully, and fight battles without running back to their homeworld.

Play MP and deal with all that comes with MP: checksum errors, mesh differ (was that EVER FIXED?), players leaving, flaming, smurfing, going afk, trolling, etc...

perhaps having priority 1 mean that the item will get researched will help, but AI loves just researching the ships and getting little else researched.  You have to mod the damn game so dummy ships that can't be build are attached to strings of research just so they will research up.  Just so much AI stuff that needs improving.

They indeed tried to fix the lrm problems by making the carriers strong, and then here comes flak, light frigates, etc...

I think at this point, other than defenses too strong and certain capital ships too weak, the game itself is pretty balanced if we consider the complex elements of the game. It is no doubt that developers took so much time fixing balance issues (I almost believe something was going on IC.), but they were eventually fixed, at least roughly.

Ima preety sure the devs ignore threads like this one.

you guysgotta be alot more sneakies about this I think.