If Use The Force and Skill Focus Use The Force is strong, it is only because a lot of resources got sunk into it...
1. Use the Force as a Skill. I know people love that Noble/Exceptional Skill UTF, The Force knows I do, but hey, you sunk a skill into it.
Most classes that shoot have pistol and rifle proficiency for free. You don't have to blow a skill or take Skill Training.
2. Feat Investment
Force Sensitive and Skill Focus: UTF if you aren't a Jedi.
Before you even do anything with The Force, you need Force Training. Now you're down 1 skill and 3 feats if you aren't a Jedi.
Of course you have to invest to get good Force usage, otherwise the game would not be balanced. Also, there’s no comparison between pistol and rifle proficiency and Skill Training UtF and Skill Focus UtF. If there was a skill that increased your attack power by +5, don’t you think the Soldier would jump on that? If there was a feat that improved that to +10, the Soldier would jump on that too. Sure it costs 1 skill and 3 feats, but show me a “1 skill + 3 feats” combo that is anywhere nearly as powerful. You won’t find it. Nothing grants +10 to a soldier’s attack.
And that’s only if you don’t start in jedi (usually done when you want more skills). If you do start in jedi, the investment is much less, since you already have Force Sensitivity. If you play a Miraluka, you’ll get a free Force Training also (or Human if you take it as the Human bonus feat).
3. MAD
Multiple Ability Dependency.
Charisma, Wisdom and Dexterity are all necessary. You want the jacked UTF score, you want to be trained enough for the UTF to even matter
and Dexterity is the best stat in the game. Now you're hurting on Intelligence. Now the Strength suffers. Ataru is great until you lose the lightsaber, isn't it?
Now you're down on Constitution: HP, Damage Threshold and Fortitude are all suffering.
Again, this was done deliberately for game balance.
Dex doesn’t always matter. A jedi with Deflect is very hard to hit, since you’re shooting against his UtF check, not against his Reflex.
Additionallly, if you’re playing a force wizard, you don’t need Dex, all you really need is WIS and CHA. I was playing a Force Wizard and I min-maxed my character Str 6, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 18. I never used my lightsaber, I destroyed everything with the Force.
The Force User has so much sunk into it that I don't understand why people complain about it being "strong."
My force wizard was always miles ahead in combat ability compared to our next best combat player - the bounty hunter. At level 1 I was destroying a 6-sq cone of Stromtroopers without even trying. After level 5, I was nearly impossible to hit, as I had DR 20 from Energy Resistance (which I activated and maintained as a swift action every round). I had Force Shield which gave me an additional SR 20. So when I got hit with 40 damage, I got hit with no damage. If I actually did take damage, I also had Negate Energy, which I could spend a FP and not only negate the damage but actually recover hp! I had Obscure which I used to impose a -5 penalty on my attacker.
One battle, my GM got so discouraged that he couldn’t damage me that he gave up and went after the others. I became so powerful that I decided to take the Draw Fire soldier talent so that all the opponents would be forced to shoot me.
By level 10 I was a destroyer. I had over 20 force powers and a UtF of +20. I would regularly deal 30-40 damage to two opponents with Move Object. I had multiple reroll abilities with Crucial Advice, Force Power Adept, and Telekinetic Practice. I also had Intercept, which is an amazing defensive power. Basically it’s my incredible UtF check vs the opponent’s attack roll to negate the hit, which always worked. I had Phase to pass through walls, Cloak to become invisible. Who needs Persuasion when I have Mind Trick to make people do what I want! Use Computer? Nah, I had Technometry.
Shall I go on?
1. Role play restrictions
2. Character concepts. Lots of them, if not the majority of them, do not call for Force use
3. Setting restrictions. Have fun during the Dark Times with your tricked out Force Wizard!
This only works if your GM imposes these restrictions. I was playing my force wizard in Dawn of Defiance, which I guess is at the end of the Dark Times. I didn’t have a problem. I did have fun during the Dark Times with my tricked out Force Wizard!