Laser Guide

## Introduction guide to building Lasers and optimizing for targets

Laser systems are one of the simpler weapon systems in the game currently to build. Each laser system can be divided into two parts: "Production" and "Output". "Production" as this guide will refer to it, is where energy is produced to feed the outputs. "Output" will relate to how the energy is discharged in weaponized form. When making a laser system there is only 2 main factors and 5 minor factors to consider. They are

### Main factors

* (production)**Capacity of cavities** - Base damage and reserve energy (think clip size)
* (Production)**Recharge rate of pumps** - how fast the cavities refill, sustainable damage rate

### Minor factors

* (Production)**Fire rate/frequency -** how many beams the system's DPS is split between every second
* (Production/Output)**Discharge rate** - how much cavity energy is used to shoot beams each second
* (Production)**AP value of laser** - ignores armor stacking but reduced by smoke and planar shields
* (Output)**Attenuation** - the rate which damage is lost over distance
* (Output)**Field of fire** - the cone which a laser can aim within without the physical movement of the lenses

## Having a target in mind

Before building a laser system it recommended to have an idea of what target the system will be shooting at. Some common targets are:

* Large numbers of small APS shells
* Small numbers of large APS/CRAM shells
* Missiles and gliding bombs (Preferably not torpedoes)
* Small lightly armored fast ships
* Long distance targets of all types

Each of these targets benefit from laser systems with different configurations. If you know the armour value and HP of your target, it will make designing an appropriate system much easier. This guide will go into more detail on how to tailor a laser system to each target after going over general assembly of "Production" and "Output" segments.

## Building the laser Output

A laser system can discharge stored energy though one or more of 4 ways.

* **Laser combiner** - The most common and versatile output method that allows for long range optics to be attached
* **Short range laser combiner** - A simple ready to go output that is more powerful, less accurate and has a max range of 500m. Also can not be used to shoot down projectiles.
* **LAMS node** - A simple and ready to go output that will shoot down detected projectiles within range. Boasts a wide field of fire but a very poor attenuation.
* **Laser cutter** - A melee output option that multiplies damage and AP values by 10x but requires two outputs to be directly facing one another to function. Due to this limitation, this output method is rarely seen.

### Discharge rate - overall

Any number of these output methods can be attached to a single laser production system. By default each output will drain the energy stored in the system at a base rate of 10%\* of the current total per second. If a laser output regulator is installed on the production side, then the base rate in %\* of max laser energy drained each second per output can be controlled.

* If you are wanting a system that supports sustained fire, you will need to have production that equals your discharge % per second X the number of outputs hooked up to the system.

\*Laser destabilizers attached to the production lines will affect this base rate. More on this in the "Production" section.

### **Simple outputs**

* For LAMS nodes all that is required is laser power, and detection of incoming projectiles (typically via munition defense warners)
* For Short range laser combiners all that is required is laser power, and a local weapon controller if desired
* For laser cutters to function, a second laser cutter will need to be placed a distance away looking directly at the first laser cutter and then laser power will need to be provided to both sides.

### **Laser combiner**

The laser laser combiner is the only laser output method that is customizable though attached blocks as well as the Q menu. When building a Laser combiner output, start by placing a Laser combiner facing the direction you wish to shoot. Then attach any number of either Laser optics or Laser steering optics (or their armoured variants)

* **Laser steering optics** - This segment allows for a wider field of fire (measured from the end of the optic line). Do note that there is a maximum field of fire that narrows as the optic line gets longer, regardless of how many Laser steering optics are in the line. Because of this you will need to balance the number of Laser steering optics, as well as the overall length of the optic line to achieve your desired field of fire.
* **Laser optics** - This segment reduces attenuation of the laser beam. The more of these in the line, the more efficient the laser is at delivering damage at a distance.

These two segments can be arranged in any order within the optic line.

#### **Field of fire**

Field of fire is largely important only in three scenarios: hull mounted outputs, very slow turning turrets, or situations that require instant switching between targets (IE: longer ranged LAMS by means of an anti munitions defense controlled turret). For most 2 axis turret mounted lasers, a field of fire just over 1 degree is sufficient as the turret handles most of the aiming.

#### **Attenuation**

Attenuation is a measure of how much damage is lost over distance (aka damage falloff). This value is represented in the tool tip as a % of the starting value at X distance. This will be critical to know when building/tuning the production portion of the laser system. The lower this value is, the better the damage per material spent can be for your system. This is especially important when shooting at a long distance target or any target underwater (water multiplies the attenuation rate by 20x)

## Building the "Production"

Unlike APS, CRAM, and PAC systems, the "production" portion of lasers can be built in a remote location aboard your vehicle and then routed any distance to your outputs (even outputs on separate subobjects) . This allows for much greater protection of core components as well as greater flexibility with turret sizes. A single production system can be hooked up to any number of outputs. It is also possible to physically segment your production over multiple areas of your ship and tie them together into one combined system.

### **Multipurpose Laser Block and connecting laser power**

Each laser system has a single Multi Purpose Laser block that acts as the core controller for the entire system. You will want to keep in mind where it is placed as it provides many helpful stats in a pop up info box when looked at. It is highly recommended that a Laser Output Regulator be attached to one face of the Multipurpose Laser block. This will change the default discharge rate of the system from 10% of current energy, to an adjustable % of max energy (from 0.01% to 10%). This will allow fine tuning of the system and consistent damage output.

All outputs and Laser Couplers will need to be hooked up to the Multipurpose Laser block by 1 of 3 methods:

* **Direct contact** on any of the 6 sides of the Multipurpose Laser block
* **Laser Connectors** (a cheap direct connection for short distances)
* **Laser Transceivers** (a more expensive long distance hookup that can pass the connection though other blocks and up though the center of sub-objects)

Laser power has 3 points that have to be connected for the system to function. Laser Couplers -> Multipurpose Laser block -> Laser outputs

#### **Laser Transceivers**

While the first two methods of connection are straightforward, the Laser Transceiver has a few nuances to it that bear explanation.

* Laser Transceivers are used in pairs. When properly connected it will shine a blue laser (visual only, this is not a damaging beam) between the two connected transceivers.
* A Laser Transceiver *sending* power can be directly powered by contact from 5 sides (any side but the narrow top end)
* A Laser Transceiver *receiving* power from a sending transceiver can receive the beam from 5 sides (any but the wide flat side) and will provide the received power to the block connected to the wide flat side
* A Laser Transceiver can pass power to and though sub-objects by pointing directly up though the center of the sub-object. This works even if there is multiple sub-objects stacked on top of one anther as long as their center points all line up. The receiving Laser Transmitter will need to be built on the sub-object you want Laser power on, centered on top of the sub-object. NOTE: this connection will remain even if the sub-object moves to where the transceiver would visually look to be disconnected (such as on an elevation turret looking up)
* A single Laser Transceiver can receive from multiple Laser Transceivers. It will combine all beams and forward the power to where it is directly or remotely connected to. If beams with different amount of Q-Switches are combined this way, the tool tip will show stats for each. **Note**: once beams are combined it is not possible to separate them downstream

### **Laser Couplers**

Laser couplers mark the start of the actual "Production" portion of laser systems. Each Laser Coupler has 6 sides that will be split between 3 functions:

* Connecting to the rest of the system to provide power upstream to the Multipurpose Laser block. **Note**: Laser Couplers can pass power through other directly connected Laser Couplers, but will not receive/combine laser power though any other method.
* Attaching between 0 and 4 Q-Switches to change the number of number of laser beams fired per second. (more on this further down)
* Attaching Laser cavities, Laser Destabilisers, and Frequency Doublers. This connection will be referred to as the "Cavity line"

#### **Q-Switches**

Q-switches are blocks that can be put on the side of the Laser Couplers to change the fire mode of the laser system. While they visually will orient themselves to be flush with the first Laser Coupler detected, they can affect multiple adjacent Laser Couplers that share a surface with the Q-Switch. Laser systems are often categorized or refereed to by how many Q-Switches are installed on the system's Laser Couplers. The presence of Q-Switches or lack thereof will affect 3 things about the laser system: base AP value, base damage efficiency, and how many beams per second the discharge rate is split between. The 5 types of Q configurations are detailed below:

##### **0Q Systems**

Laser Couplers without any Q-Switches attached are called 0Q lasers. They are set apart from systems with Q-Switches by having the following properties:

* 0.75x damage per stored laser energy - this means you will have a less efficient laser system from a raw damage perspective
* Base AP value of 60 - meaning you can deal full damage to heavy armour. This helps offset the lower base damage when shooting at targets with better defenses
* 40 beams/second - your discharge rate will be divided by 40 to determine the damage of each laser beam shot. This makes 0Q very good for LAMS countering rapid firing APS. The flip side of this is it makes it more likely it will take several beams to destroy higher HP projectiles or blocks.

##### **1Q systems**

Laser Couplers with 1 Q-Switch attached are called 1Q lasers. These can be called penetrator lasers as they have the highest damage per beam of any configuration and are useful for punching though multiple layers of armour with a single beam. 1Q systems have the following properties:

* 1x damage per stored laser energy
* Base AP value of 40
* 1 beam/second - slow firing but hard hitting. your numerical discharge rate will = your beam damage

##### **2Q systems**

Laser Couplers with 2 Q-Switches attached are called 2Q lasers. These are uncommon as they have neither the advantage of best damage per beam nor fastest fire rate. What they do have over higher Q systems is more possible Tetris configurations while having twice the fire rate of 1 Q systems. 2Q systems have the following properties:

* 1x damage per stored laser energy
* Base AP value of 40
* 2 beams/second - each beam will deal half your numerical discharge rate

##### **3Q systems**

Laser Couplers with 3 Q-Switches attached are called 3Q lasers. These are less common as they don't the advantage of best damage per beam but have a decent fire rate and deal more damage per beam than the faster firing systems. What they do have over 4Q systems is more possible Tetris configurations while still having a faster fire rate than lower Q systems. 3Q systems have the following properties:

* 1x damage per stored laser energy
* Base AP value of 40
* 4 beams/second - each beam will deal a quarter of your numerical discharge rate

##### **4Q systems**

Laser Couplers with 4 Q-Switches attached are called 4Q lasers. This a common system used for LAMS as it boasts the second highest fire rate while also making use of the higher damage multiplier that Q-Switches provide. For offensive uses 4Q systems are best when shooting at fragile targets so less damage is wasted on over penetrating shots. 4Q systems are also the most space consuming when it comes to Tetris as all 6 sides of the Laser Coupler will need to be used (4 Q-Switches, a cavity line, and the connection to the rest of the system). 4Q systems have the following properties:

* 1x damage per stored laser energy
* Base AP value of 40
* 8 beams/second - each beam will deal an eighth of your numerical discharge rate

#### **Cavity lines**

Laser cavities, Laser Destabilisers, and Frequency Doublers can be attached in a line on one or more faces of the Laser Coupler. Each line will be tracked seperately in the info box when looking at the Laser Coupler. The forwards/back orientation does matter for these blocks with the forwards direction needing to face the Laser Coupler. (A visual way to check is many of these blocks have the yellow electric warning triangle on them. The narrow top of the triangle needs to point towards the Laser Coupler it is attached to.)

##### **Laser Cavities**

Laser Cavities provide storage for the laser energy that the system uses while also providing the connection points for the pumps that recharge the system. The total storage capacity of the system is one of the primary factors in determining the damage per shot as the discharge rate is a % of either current or max laser energy. Laser Cavities come in 3 variants:

* **Laser Cavity** - a 1x1x1 block that can support pump connections on 4 sides. While it does provide a small amount of storage, the main function of this block will be hooking up as many pumps as possible
* **Single Input Cavity** - a 1x1x1 block that only has a single pump connection but stores significantly more laser energy than the formerly mentioned Laser Cavity. While not as volume efficient at storing laser energy as the Laser Storage Cavity, it is much more flexible when it comes to Tetris as the space required is stays entirely within the cavity line.
* **Laser Storage Cavity** - a 1x3x3 block that has no pump connections but stores massive amounts of laser energy. It is more volume efficient at storing laser energy than the same volume of Single Input Cavities.

###### **Laser Pumps**

Laser pumps can be seen as an essential extension of the Laser Cavity and Single Input Cavity as at least one pump is required for the cavity line to produce laser energy. The arrangement of pumps (and Q-Switches) are the main factor in laser Tetris. Pumps come in 2 variants, the Laser Pump, and the Laser Pump (3m). Performance and cost per volume they are identical, however the 3m pump uses only a single connection point in the middle allowing for more pump volume to be connected to a system. Due to this 3m pumps will primarily be used in most builds.

##### **Laser Destabilisers**

Laser Destabilizers are an optional block that fits in the cavity line. While contributing nothing to production or storage of laser energy, each attached Laser Destabilizer in a cavity line will add a multiplier to the discharge rate (in % per second) of that cavity line. While this this is an incredibly useful tool, it is important to understand when and when not to use it. Here is some examples of when one or more Laser Destabilizers might be used:

* In systems where pumps produce more than 10% of the storage per second and there is only a single output. - The addition of one or more Laser Destabilizers will up the discharge rate so that the discharge can at least equal the production rate (otherwise the system will have pumps that are unable to contribute to sustained damage)
* In systems where space is insufficient to build storage to meet a target damage value. - by adding Laser Destabilizers the damage per shot can be greatly increased while keeping the production and storage compact. This will mean the system will have far fewer shots in the clip so to speak before needing to recharge. This is particularly useful in tiny LAMS systems that only need to take down a few projectiles but need enough damage per beam to take the projectiles down quickly
* Systems designed to burst/dump all their damage as quick as possible. - One example of this would be a 1Q laser system with 5 Laser Destabilizers on a cavity line. The resulting beam would use a 46.86% of storage allowing for only 2 shots before recharging. However this beam would be able to go though significantly more block HP per shot, due to the higher damage per shot. This can also be used to deal damage before smoke is deployed as the damage is dealt in a single stronger beam.

Here are some examples when **NOT** to use Laser Destabilizers

* When using a laser output regulator set lower than 5.2% - at this point you can adjust to the desired damage with the regulator alone and the Laser Destabilizer is simply making the math more complicated needlessly.
* When trying to deal more sustained damage though a fight (aside from the exception listed above). To deal more sustained damage, more pumps are required.

Finally, some notes on working with Laser Destabilizers: The discharge rate per shot will be shown by looking at the attached Laser Coupler (remember to multiply the displayed rate by number of shots per second to get the discharge rate per second). The modified discharge rate will not be shown at the Multipurpose Laser block. The reason for this is the Laser Destabilizers only affect the attached cavity line and different configurations may be attached to a single Multipurpose Laser Block. One useful stat that can be seen from the Multipurpose Laser block is the damage value of the next shot. This will be accurate and is a combined sum of all attached Laser Couplers.

##### **Frequency Doublers**

Frequency Doublers are a block that while not needed for operation of a laser system, are highly recommended for offensive systems. Each Frequency Doubler will increase the AP value of the laser system a small amount. The amount added per Frequency Doubler depends on if the laser has Q switches (0Q have a base of 60AP, 1-4Q have a base of 40AP), as well the number of pumps in the connected system. Frequency Doublers attach to Laser Couplers as well as other blocks in the cavity line but are unique in that they can contribute to the system even when not in lines with pumps and cavities. The reason for this is that the Multipurpose Laser block takes the avg AP of all connected lines that share Q-Switch configurations.

## Designing/Optimizing the system for a projected target

At this point you will need a "complete" system specs that includes these connected components. These components will need to be adjusted as optimization is figured,

* Laser couplers with storage and at least 1 pump
* a Multipurpose Laser block (preferably with a Laser Output Regulator attached)
* an output

First call to mind or write down your intended target's details and implications:

* max engagement range (for LAMS systems look at the detection range of the target shell size or missile in it's configuration menu)
* desired rate of fire to engage all targets effectively (mostly for LAMS systems but a high rate of fire will help mitigate the pain of missed shots on targets without solid detection)
* The amount of damage you wish to deal to the target (in a single instance)
* The amount of damage you wish to deal consistently (the desired sustained DPS - for LAMS this equates to avg amount of incoming projectile health to be countered per second)
* The expected armour value of the target (including defenses)

### **Max Engagement Range**

For offensive targets this will be the value you set your Local weapon controller's max distance to. For simple calculation purposes round up to the next 100m

For LAMS nodes this will primarily be determined by the detection range of the projectile (unless you set the engagement range on the node lower than the projectile's detection, or have an early detection system built). This is assuming the point of detection and the LAMS node are located directly next to each other. For an insurance factor it is a good idea to add half of the length or width of the craft to your calculation to account for the distance between the detection point and the actual LAMS output. Finally, for simple calculation purposes round up to the next 100m

### **Desired Rate of Fire (RoF)**

#### **Offensive RoF**

For offensive targets simply decide how frequently you wish to shoot beams. A slower rate of fire allows for harder hitting shots, whereas faster rate of fire can alleviate over penetration on smaller, faster targets while also increasing the chance to take out wing blocks or other delicate instruments on the exterior of the vehicle.

#### **LAMS RoF**

For LAMS look at the number of simultaneous projectiles you will need to shoot down and their speed.

1. Take the detection distance of the projectile (not the Max engagement range figured above)
2. Divide by the speed of the projectile
3. Then divide by the number of simultaneous projectiles (occurs when there is multiple barrels in a turret or multiple turrets synced)
4. Then multiply by 40. (The game calculates at 40 frames per second). This will tell you how many frames the system has to successfully shoot down oncoming projectiles before impact

Look at the result of the above problem and pick a Q-Switch configuration that has an equal or lesser value (the values below are the frequency each configuration fires a beam in frames)

* 1 = 0Q system
* 5 = 4Q system
* 10 = 3Q system
* 20 = 2Q system
* 40 = 1Q system

If the answer to the above problem indicates the system has less than 1 frame to engage, then it will not be possible for a LAMS system to entirely keep up without an early detection system. (early detection can be achieved simply by extending the point of detection away from the hull of the ship in a variety of methods IE: a Munition Warner on a series of pistons)

### **Damage per shot**

#### **Offensive systems**

For offensive systems you will need to determine how much block HP you want to go though with a single shot. At a minimum it is advised to deal enough damage to destroy at least 1 block of the type you will be aiming at. Ideally each shot would be strong enough to reach the inside of a craft, but not so strong as to over penetrate then target.

To determine the base laser damage needed to deliver the desired damage to the target follow these steps:

1. Calculate the total block HP you want the laser to be able to go though in a single shot. (IE: 3x 4m metal beams, or 2x 4m wood beams)
2. Look at the attenuation rate per 100m of the output and use the Max Engagement Range to determine attenuation at that distance. (IE: if an output has an attenuation rate of 2.2% per 100m and your Max Engagement Range is 700m then the equation will look like this: 0.9787=0.855 or 85.5% of the base damage)
3. Divide the total block HP in step 1 by the % figured in step 2 to determine how much base damage will need to be outputted by the Multipurpose laser block per shot (this value is displayed in the tool tip when looking at the Multipurpose laser block). To adjust the damage to where it needs to be, adjust the settings on the Laser output regulator, add more Laser Storage, add/remove Laser Destabilisers, or improve the attenuation rate of the output

#### **LAMS nodes**

For LAMS nodes it is a similar process as for offensive systems, but the attenuation rate is a static 9.56% per 100m and can not be adjusted. The Max Engagement Range can be adjusted within 1-1000m in the standard Q menu

1. Determine the HP of a projectile you wish to design around
2. Figure the attenuation rate: 0.9044 to the power of the distance /100
3. Divide the projectile HP by the final attenuation % and adjust the system to match.

### AP value required

For LAMS systems the base AP of the system is more than enough unless needing to shoot though smoke on your own craft. (every projectile currently has an armour value of 20).

For offensive lasers the target's defenses will need to be taken into account. (Note: Laser damage ignores armour stacking bonuses and is not affected by slopes.) Both smoke and planar shield defenses work by reducing the AP value of lasers that pass though them by a %. With this in mind, offensive laser systems benefit from having seeming excessive AP values. A single instance of smoke can reduce the laser's AP value to as low as 10.3% of the starting value. To factor how much AP will be needed to punch though defenses simply divide the amour value of the target block type by the % of each defensive layer the target in mind has. IE: If the target is made of metal and has both minimal smoke and planar shields, the laser beam's AP value will be reduced to 22.1% by the smoke and then to 64.6% of that by the planar shield. The calculation for this senario will look like this: 40/0.221/0.646=280.2 AP required for full damage. As Frequency Doublers are quite expensive, it will be up to your judgement to decide what an aceptible AP value will be for a given laser system when compaired to the cost to raise the AP of the system.