"Who is claiming there aren't balance issues? I think there is agreement there. What those balance issues are, and how significant they are, and how difficult it is to fix them, are, I think, the topics of debate."
Thank you for repeating my point.
"If there is someone who claims the game is balanced, please compare:
Mechanoid Race Vs Advanced Storage (each cost 1000 points)"
This would depend on how often your opponent uses plague bombs! (or how high your random events are) Mechanoids is a very specialized trait.
"Repair vs Maint Reduction"
The only issue here is the weakness of armor in the standard game, combined with the lethality of fleet vs fleet action. In other words you don't often have much to repair! (see minerals vs organics..). Repair is MUCH less expensive than maintance reduction.
"Torpedoes vs. DUCs or PPBs."
Torps, at max:
1.25 damage/ton/turn
DUC V:
1.33 damage/ton/turn
Torps have the first-strike advantage, DUCs have a better damage over time (slightly). DUCs are cheaper to research since it requires half as many levels to get there (the initial mil sci is irrelevent because 99/100 you want that anyway). Torps have a longer range with no damage falloff. Neither has a to-hit bonus.
Cost is about the same, per ton, with the torps costing more radiactives.
Phoenix-D