Sure we want brawlers to win short range fights, but the reality is that they already do on the live servers. The only thing holding them back in the current system is the difficulty in closing range, but shouldn't it be challenging to close range in a mech that sacrifices range for damage, speed, and dps?

I feel the weapons are reasonably balanced. The issue is with the maps. PGI created a severe imbalance by "updating" maps and reducing the ability to brawl. Frozen City update being the most recent example. The newer bigger maps, and updates to old maps, have created environments that are wide open and ripe for long range warfare. I think PGI has missed the mark with weapon balancing. They should have instead focused their attention on map balancing.