I rarely load into a serious game and think to myself "penals". The reason being, at least in 1v1, is that a heavy T1 opening is very exploitable and easy to counter by a competent axis player. It doesnt mean penals themselves are terrible, which they arent, they make it a nightmare for OKW in good numbers. If i do open T1 in a game, most likely in a 2v2, i usually make a penal or two so that my engineer can sweep for my win condition ( quad )