AR's are a very general weapon. Shotties are great for CQC, HMG (despite the whining) shines the best when used defensively, snipers hit hard from a long range...

AR's are "good" to have in many situations, but can be outperformed by other weapons given the proper situation. There's better weapons for every situation, but the AR lets you adapt quickly.

Diversity on the battlefield seems to be going the way of the dinosaur. Logistic guys running around like bright yellow targets. The heavies have become a joke with their over-nerfed hmgs. Seems to be nothing out there but swarms of assault suits with AR's.

Where's the balance? I'm starting to suspect that the only developers who actually still play dust on a regular basis run AR's, most likely tactical the after seeing the buff on it.