@Tagada I'm not trying to propose anything directly - but more I'm trying to affect a change in perspective of how to have these conversations and base them on something concrete instead of conjecture. I'd assume that the simple stats are already involved, considering the way they are repeatedly mentioned, but - It's the relationships between them that you have to add to the mix.
Let me make a really simple example - two 'tank' units, from the same tier. One has more armor, more gun but less speed.
Now - modern tank design operates within a narrow performance curve, in any given general weight class. So, for the sake of keeping this simple - let's assume our two tanks are built on the same general 'frame' with common performance characteristics. At that point, the cost, firepower and mobility performance is equal.
How can we quantify the additional armor, and better gun of the one versus the other ?
Armor is dead simple - mass is pretty directly responsible - but - as you add more - you have to somehow account for what that might do to mobility - so a math function is required to describe that effect - for example, 12% more mass = 20% more HP = 10% reduction in speed/turn/acceleration. As you push the armor up - that return becomes less and less - and mobility drops quickly.
Likewise, the gun - but the gun is not so much mass as it is fine crafting - and fine crafting takes E. You want the standard pew-pew gun for that class - no problem - it's built into the base. But, you want more range ? That takes a lot more E to accomplish, and a small amount of extra mass. You want a bigger shell - that's a little different requirement - perhaps more mass. Likewise, as you push range and payload, accuracy may suffer. You want both more range and more bang - well, you see where this goes.
In the end, you get functions that let you play with any specific variable you like - and will give you a corresponding impact on related parameters - and/or - the additional costs you need to incur to make it where you want it to be.
There's a reason that Leopard tanks are far more expensive in the end, than a T-72 - and understanding the above relationship informs you as to why that is so.
I suppose, my point has really been this - we have a lot of real world examples of just how certain choices in any vehicle have an impact on the other performance factors - which implies the relationship I've been talking about. So - at the most basic level - simple relationship metrics like HP/mass, DPS/E, DPS/totalcost can help you identify 'outliers' within a unit 'type' - and if you extend that analogy, between tiers (which goes back to the T3 ASF discussion). Each unit type will have it's own variations - like shield tanks, or artillery - but they all start from a common basis - which is what is currently lacking.
As for the point about arriving at some definition of overall 'power' - it is possible - but it's complicated, not hard - you must break down the components, and evaluate each one, before you can recombine them and say 'this is power'.
No, it's not meant to be definitive, or answer every edge condition - but it's a more focused approach that just tossing around comparisons from one unit to another, or vague moving terms like 'Alpha' strike. No one talks about 'Alpha strike' in the real world, because no one constructs one-shot vehicles, DPS is DPS - whether it's delivered in 10 seconds or 1. If a unit has a weapon that can deliver such a massive punch - but only once every 10 seconds, your function will describe what it took to get that weapon to that point.
Balance comes from the whole picture - and needs to have a firm footing at some level (like T1) which will define the progressions that come afterwards. Along the way, you get to sync that with the lore - and start making sense of things like shields, sniper weapons, bombs and artillery, and how much power it takes to make a certain sized 'boom' have a certain amount of AOE around it when fired at a certain range. And why some factions seem to be more capable in one aspect, while sacrificing something else to make that possible.
I'm not advocating any kind of change - but I do think it's important to get these discussions out of the rut of 'guesswork and conjecture' - so start simple. Do some of the suggest math on the most basic units, and see where they sit.