1. That will change nothing in their common effectivness.
2. That will promote blobbing and will reduce effectivness of support teams play.
3. Lelic don't know how to nerf/buff stuff correctly, expect it to be up or op.
I disagree with all three of your points.
1. It will change the amount of frustrating one shot squad wipes from
AUTO FIRING indirect. The barrage will have the potential to wipe full squads since it requires good micro and should be rewarded.
2. The barrage will become
MORE effective against blobbing and the auto fire will deal more consistent damage to blobs (high dmg profile overall by lower lethal AOE).
3. Relic has come a long way from the start and is doing an excellent job balancing the game. Like every other company, they need to make money and it seems they like to use OP commanders to get it. The AEC is a good example of a unit that has been brought to a good state.
I would would like to see less whining and tearing down of relic and instead more constructive feedback.
They probably stopped listening to most of the community because no matter what they do, someone in the audience finds a reason to complain. I have noticed that the balance section has been rather empty aside from things like Sim City being an issue (I think it is too). This implies (at least to me) that the game is continually moving in the right direction in terms of balance.