If that is a desired effect or not is subject of a long discussion, I guess.
Well, this is why I opened this topic, so it's okay to discuss it
I think one of the biggest issues in cRPG is the fact, that it contains
some kind of rock-paper-scissors-system. I say
some kind of, because the game was not designed around it but rather around historic medieval warfare. And medieval warfare (or warfare in general) is not designed as rock-paper-scissors, it's more like rock-paper-shotgun, and everyone tries to be the shotgun. This is why I don't like to talk about "counters" in cRPG, never mind if soft or hard, because counters imply some kind of
intention behind them, which is wrong in our case.
What do I mean?
We have several classes in cRPG:
1hd + shield
2hd (halberd, axe, sword, mace)
Polearms (spearlike weapons with stab as main attack)
Crossbowmen
Archers
1hd cavalry
lancers
horse archers
throwers
Now if you would compare the stregthes and weaknesses of all classes against the other ones, give them values on how likely it is to kill the other class (for example from -5 to +5), and add all those values, I bet you would have different results.
For example compare archers to spearmen. An archer basically has good chances against anyone without a shield. Only shields make archers really helpless. In the worst case chances are about even (against crossbowmen and so on)
But now take a spearman, most likely a pikeman with a two slot weapon that can't be sheathed. All he can do really effectively is threatening cavalry (a stopped horse isn't a dead cavalryman neccessarily) and supporting other melee fighters. He is really vulnerable to enemy fire (and we know cRPG is a range fest), and if he is on his own he also has little chances against melee classes, too. So basically only melee cavalry is left. (And now remember that the balancing team planned on removing the block from pikes - no comment needed about their competence...
)
So in short: archers have only one weakness (shields), spearmen have only one strength (cavalry).
Things like this, basic balancing issues, can cause a lot of anger and grief, resulting in whining. And I didn't even start about different maps favouring certain classes, and the percentages of map "types" in the rotation.