The game was in completely different state, the built at the time included heavy use of weapons teams , including maxim spam while currently people use brute infatry force.
Penal where not being used because maxim spam was allot easier.
The point I making is that if expensive lethal infatry are available early the game become about first engagements. If one can stop that strong infatry (SP/Penal or what ever else) he win, if that infatry win first engagements the game start to snowballs with little chance of a comeback.
I guess Grenadier vs Conscript spam meta were consider weapon teams at that time. You are underestimating the time frame Penals remain useless. 6 months after release they were a meme unit to recrew weapons with and it took 3 years to finally rework them. We've seen maxim spam, conscript spam (with and without PPSH), double clowncar, double sniper, 3 conscript into maxims, Guard spam, double Shock, cheesy wiping Partisans, etc.
EVERY SINGLE UNIT, on BOTH OH and SU, saw use with the exception of Penals and Su76 before their reworks. 3 years. You can't blame game state to a failed concept. It's like developers blaming players for not liking their vision design and not wanting to pay and play their games.
Penals when they were 360mp saw no use because you don't have the mp to build them, on top of having to waste resources in both, the cost of T1 and time you waste with your CE.
Penals at 270mp didn't see use, because you would rather have your CE be in the front and build 2 conscripts from the get go.
Penals will never be a thing, if they are made equally to PFs, Volks or slightly stronger Conscripts.
It's not hard to grasp the concept that SU starts with less man power and have to spend time and resources to build their tiers if they don't want to open up with conscripts.
If we accept that PF design is the correct one for alternative mainline infatry, the same rules should apply to Penals as alternative infatry. That start weak and upgrade. Else PF should be able to upgrade with g43 from start with no MU cost.
Would you build PF if you had to build a SwS truck first before been able to deploy them? That's why the concept is doomed from the start.
For PF to be equal to Penals, the moment you pick the commander you lose 80mp. SP are bound to the base till the SwS is built. And then you spend an extra 60mp to unlock PF. They now arrive as 6 man PF with 6 G43 which just mimic SVTs.
The pace of the game should be set by the stock mainline infatry.
That ended the moment main line infantry cost stopped being 240mp.