I think u haven´t played both classes (ranged and melee) properly. I´ve played all characs (vanilla and synergies classes, and both, vanilla game and syneriesmog) and they are fairly balanced.

Probably u just are have a better ranged playstyle while being not-so-good at melee.

Both are very different and u can be very good playing one style and really bad with the other.

BTW, Diablo 3 balanced?
Hell yeah, cz its painfully simpe to build a character. U can´t just mess it very bad.

So in diablo there is little trouble sinceu just have to:

farm for better loot, and its not about personal choices or playstile, u just use the drop wich is simply better, for every1 (hence Diablo 3 having just 1-2 viable builds for each character, and in some rare case, a third)

Level up and not to worry how to spec your character. While in TL2 u can consider spec up
STR, for higher physical all-around damage and Critical Damage
DEX for higher dodge chance and critical chance
FOCUS to increase mana regen, elemental damage, and "execute" (double weapon attack)
try different skills combination (u have them all and can change at any time) and reduce fumble
VIT to increase HP AND Armor Rate....

U have D3 where u decide nothing, and where anyways, u have in fact just 2 specs, VIT and DMG, (just DMG is named different for each class)

and finally, skills spec. In diablo u don t have to think too much, u can just test-error the skills or just copy the cookie-cutter build (D3 is heavy cookie-cut game)

Lemme say that i bot love games with more than 800 hours at D3 atm and all characs maxed, and i have lot of fun playing D3 with friends.

But still, TL2 mechanics and design is fairly better. It also recquires more "engineering", but i think thats a Pro. U have more viable builds and much more playstile options.

As said, if u find so unbalanced melee and ranged maybe its cz u have done a good job building ranged but haven´t find out how to build up a nice melee.

Also give it some levels, at the start all characs are kinda weak, and maybe ranged has some advantage first 10 levels since they can easily stay way from damage, but that is just first 20-30 mins of game. And still difference isn´t so hardcore.

Actually there are quite a few builds per class in Diablo 3 that are viable. I'd say about 5+ ea minimum. Of course there are mathematically "best builds", but best build =! viable. Actually, that was another one of my problems with Torchlight 2. The classes and builds are extremely simplistic. There aren't very many creative things you can actually do. Whereas in Diablo 3, there are 5 variants of every single ability in the game.

As for choosing stats (Str, Dex, Focus etc), the choices are fairly obvious depending on what build you are going for in Torchlight. Don't try to exaggerate how hard of a choice it is, because it isn't. Also choosing a main stat like Str or Focus only really changes what you're going to go for on your gear later on. For example, if you stacked pure Str, you're going to have to make up for the lost Crit Chance, Fumble recovery etc with gear.

I think I've pinpointed my biggest issue though. It's knockback. Knockback is such a bad mechanic in this kind of game. It's only frustrating, not fun. It's like an interrupt for melee attacks, which is just a terrible idea. Of course you can stack knockback resistance, or wear a shield, but not usually until end game where you have access to enough of those kinds of gems. It's bad game design to make the player wade their way through frustration to finally be able to have some fun.

Alright after sitting in a corner holding right click down to kill an Ancient Titan for 5 minutes, I have finally realized that I am wasting my time with this game. I was in no threat of dieing, just sitting there, holding right click, attacking, occasionally drinking a potion. Very bad design/balance.

Hmmm...Yeah, even that last comment just shows that the problem is not with the game, but with *the way YOU PLAY the game*. It's entirely possible to just click through a battle, or hold down a button in many cases...It's also entirely possible to mix it up to entertain yourself with a degree of creativity.

The biggest problem I see in game consumer trends is that more and more often, people want a toy that plays with itself. You can't be mad at the game for imbalance if you build a one-trick-pony character. Pour all of your points into a couple skills, and then get mad that those skills are your only option. Sounds legit.

And arguing a comparison to D3? Even suggesting that Diablo 3 has a "build" structure?! Laughable. Actually, the reason I only played D3 for about a month, and my biggest complaint about the game, is that there is NO build structure. All of your skills are assigned to you as you level up. The character is pre-built by design. That is a fact.Your only real choice is which variation of the skill you use, and switching skills in the midst of battle is not a viable option because of the menu and the cooldown. The game is built SPECIFICALLY to discourage switching skills on the go, and makes it kind of a hassle to switch skills even when you're not on the go, which, for me, led to very stale gameplay very quickly. And because you cannot actually build upon those skills as you level up, the only way to substantially improve your character at all, is with gear. And we all know how the auction house looks.

Don't get me wrong: gear is an important part of these games. But the demand for gear should NEVER outweigh the demand for character-building, and in D3, it does EXACTLY that. By a long shot.

You clearly have not touched Reaper of Souls, which fixed literally every problem that launch D3 had. You're also blaming the player for not having fun in a game which is supposed to be fun to play. I was only around lv 15 in that 5 minute borefest. If I have to endure hours of misery to get enough skills to start having fun, then the game is clearly unbalanced/poorly designed.

ah, you were in the realm of discord at level 15 and found the boss room. you had enough armor and health to withstand his damage but didn't have the damage output yourself to put him down. sounds about right at that level.. Although I had more hope he'd kill a level 15 easier then that ;)

Diablo 3 isterrible. Even with RoS. Playe around 25hours and it's repetetive and boring as dogsh*t.