Phased Polaron too easy to research?

[AJC]

I have seen the AI use phased shields in v1.19-but not very often. The AI is using phased shields more often in the latest Beta patch! I had a pretty nasty suprise from the AI Last nite- when it opened 2 warp pts into my home systems and then invaded one of the systems with 10 dreadnoughts, 8 battle cruisers and 2 carriers, all had phased shields!

I think that the PB damage needs to be reduced a bit and the cost of researching them needs to be increased dramatically.

I also think the Shard cannon needs to have a 1 turn fire rate.

Some of the smaller weapons for fighters/troops need to be balanced. Several of the small weapons do the same type and amount of damage - but take up less space on the units.