The P2 can win games if they're isn't enough AT or it avoids a mine and wipes multiple squads on retreat. So not being able to get a panther a few mins later is irrelevant if you are forced to give up the flanks or lose all your infantry.
And rifles lose to folks in the big picture because there are more volks than rifles and volks have the benefit of retreating to a damn fortress to further dominate rifles for their cost,
Once they vet,even a little bit,t they can resist even LMG rifles until other numerous squads arrive to help
unless they spend muni and fuel ON DOUBLE BARS(because one has no noticeable effect)which makes them cost disproportionately more. And then obers shit all over that mechanic
DPS comparison is a fucking lie unless you're fighting in a vacuum. just having a 1v1 gun fight at range with both in proper cover will take ages for rifles to win unless there both standing in red cover looking each other in the eye and smellin each other's breath. Which doesn't happen. Unless it's Stalingrad or something similar. Hats the only time rifles truly dominate anything. Losing 2-3 models and health and not being able to fight the inevitable next squad is not dominating anything.
sturms are well balanced because they beat rifles when used properly and with skill and ability usage, and get murdered when used idiotically with no brains like Volks are used 90% of the time.
You also bleed thanks to reinforce cost.
The P2 is good at it's job, this isn't an issue. The issue is that the Stuart needs to be redone and the T70 needs more health.
There are more Volks than Rifles because Volks are cheaper, but they are also effective filler, they aren't your DPS. You use them to screen for your real hard hitters. Rifles are your mainline unit and you can actually upgrade their anti infantry DPS.
And once they vet up, they still get owned by LMG rifles because LMG's are very good right now. Volks are basically all you have unless you spam call in infantry, which isn't a smart idea.
The DPS comparison isn't a lie, most maps are small and filled with cover letting you get right in an enemy's face to do the most amount of DPS you can, and Volks are 5 models just like Rifles, every loss of a model for Volks is equal in a model loss for rifles since in each case your losing 1/5th of your DPS. And when Volks are upgraded with the shrek they lose 1/5 of their AI dps anyway.
Sturms are expensive because they have very good close range DPS that falls of as you get into medium range. They are basically your only way have discouraging rifles from just running into your Volks and out DPSing them. Sturms don't really require that much more skill, don't charge them at enemy ranged squad's, not really much of a hard thinking task there.
When was the last time you saw Jackson fightning medium like Pz4?
The only unit with 40 range is Tiger but it has good survability. Jackson usually fights with 60 range Jadgpanzer or 50 range Panther so it's 10 more, just like Puma vs medium so again... Double standards?
The Jackson is normally fighting Panthers/Tigers because people don't make PzIV's anymore thanks to the Jackson itself. And no it's not normally facing JPIV's because the JPIV as I said earlier is just a shittier Panther, if you can make a Schwer there is no reason to go for it. The Puma's strength is it's mobility, but it's pen isn't fantastic and at the end of the day it's still an armored car.
It's not double standards, the Puma doesn't do 240 damage, nor does it cost the same as a Jackson. The two are incomparable.
The SU85 can see farther only when its movement is nerfed through focus sites. The imapact of the fuel advantage will not kick in until late game. Period as USF needs to pay more fuel while starting with less to Tech. And again that advantage only amounts to about one more tank with equal map control. Its not like USF gets 33% more tanks!
Think about it like a race, OKW starts with a lead but is slower meaning that USF and OKW get to the finish line about the same time. The issue with OKW however is that you shouldn't give a faction a fuel penalty and then no medium tanks resulting in OKW either being stuck making very light easy to kill vehicles, or big monstrous heavy's that cost a fuckload.
If OKW had a analogue to the Sherman or T34 in Tech 2 you might see less fuckery with Panthers. They could add in the PIV Ausf J at 105 fuel.