LagMaster, what you say is based on pure theory and concept and, what is worse, does not include all the different combat "classes": you don't only have Big Gun Bursters, Small Gun Snipers, and "Burst" (SG or BG?) Sneakers - there are also P90c Bursters, Laser Snipers, Plasma Tanks, Rocketeers, etc. Oh and also Knives Throwers! remember them? ("WTF N3RF KNIFS!1!")
However, I do believe that most of the whine about combat balance is inspired by big gunners who simply got their arm crippled by a sniper before they could burst him to oblivion.
If we talk about balance, I am afraid that if anti-crit stuff for armors and things like that get implemented, damage based builds will actually dominate, while crit based builds will become rather useless.