The tests and calculations clearly show otherwise, that Pershing Ai only come out on top at about 5-10% in prolonged fight and the better aoe is also partly off set by larger scatter. Furthermore, tiger can sit still in longer period of time to dish out more dmg, get better scatter and evnt range with vet while Pershing is force to use mobility thus make it loss event more dps from mg (it is intended to use the mobility, isn't it ?)
Let just get this straight, dose the Pershing have better AI than the Tiger? Yes. But dose the extra AI justify all the other downsides of the unit as a heavy tank? NO.
The natural question is then: By how much is the Pershing AI better than the Tiger to offset the Tiger's other benefits (better survivability, range, ROF). Eg. If Pershing had 1% better AI and Tiger had 20% better survivability then it wouldn't really be "balanced"
I mean, you could buff the Pershing's cannon AI a bit too. I won't speak for OST since I don't play OST enough to comment. But as a player that plays OKW and USF the most (USF more) I can say that playing with a KT or a Tiger in teamgames feels much easier and more rewarding than playing Heavy Cav. Even though Heavy Cav is my favorite commander because of the Rangers + offmap smoke. Don't know how many times I've completely wrecked entrenched players with MG42s and whatnot by smoking and pushing with rangers from one side and rifles from another and using the captain On Me to sprint up to the LV like the Luchs or Flak to snare it. Micro as F*** but rewarding and really fun to play. Pershing... meh. Back in the days of double shot skillshot and larger AOE, I did have a blast wiping blobs and I didn't really need a Calliope. Pershing was really really good at damaging blobs and wiping in 2-3 shots. Ever since the AOE nerf I've had more wins with Calliope and a lot more loses with Heavy Cav.
Proof: Went to top 20 with Heavy Cav exclusively. Pershing nerf. Went to rank 330 or something like that playing Heavy Cav exclusively. Mostly had problems dealing with blobs.
Then I started playing double pak howi in every game. Went to top 60 or something like that. Blobs were no longer an issue. Then the pak howi got nerfed. Went to rank 289 through a series of loses with Pershing + double pak. Again had trouble dealing with blobs. Mines from rifles were to no avail as pretty much always in the blob was a sweeper (or the mines got blown up by stuka/werfer before the Big'Ol blob push). OKW blobs were much harder to deal with because of A-move raketen followed by retreat once they take out AA HT or Sherman or w/e was keeping the blob static.
So I decided to swap it out again.
Started playing Calliope every game and was winning much more than losing. Got back to top 30 playing double calliope every game, no pak howi. Jackson, Sherman(s) and an AT gun with rangers.
Now I oscillate between 60 and 110 playing exclusively heavy cav or recon (80/20) with double paks. Calliope is really really boring to play game in, game out. I do have problems dealing with blobs but unlike before, now I just spam mines so much that the only weapon upgrade I have is the rangers tommies. Now when the blob pushes I try to bait it into the mines that were not hit by the indirects. Usually the double pak howi baits them. They focus it down while I use rangers to nade the minesweeping sturms or pios.