Laser Q-switch question

[lilneoman1]

Hello! I'm making an interceptor with a laser arnament. Problem is, I can't fit many q switches on the couplers due to space constraints. Would it be better to have all couplers with 2 q-switches, or a mix of 2, 3, and 4 switches? My concern is that 2 switches wouldn't provide the rate of fire I was hoping for, and that mixed switches would cause each individual pulse to be too weak to destroy a metal beam.

[Chrozayis]

for the sake of AP it is best to be consitent with q-switches, I like three switches personnally but I don't see a problem with two

[FiddyTrickPony]

Personally, I think 4q switches is optimal for the laser defense because it can shoot quicker, therefore change targets quicker (as long as you have the dmg).

You need to make sure that you have the same number of Q switches on all your couplers, do not mix 2 with 3's, ect. as they will create separate beams essentially (as opposed to increasing the dmg of the one you want). You can put all your frequency doublers on a separate coupler (as long as it has the same amount of q switches!) to get the AP up. You can't do that with destabilizers.

Lastly, missles have about 100hp and I think 5 armor, so you can plan your setup accordingly. I recommend checking out this google spreadsheet someone made, it will help a TON when planning lasers and probably to help understand how it all works too: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bSn6ySaVEWtQ7MM99L4gGQmqBnaLs_uX_PgYl_q5hd4/edit#gid=0

Good luck!

[Januk]

Not to mention this handy guide on how to disco: http://fromthedepthsgame.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=8929

Anyway, as far as I understand it 1 Q switch does the most pulsed damage but slow fire rate. 4 does the least damage with fastest fire rate.

[FiddyTrickPony]

A Q switch works just like having multiple combiners/LAMs, it basically splits your damage. In the case of Q switches, it is the same DPS, just spread over more rapid fire bursts. (Whereas in the case of extra combiners, you're shooting more by having more things that can fire :P).

I figured most of this out after lots of testing, researching and honestly, that spreadsheet is what put it all together. The DMG formula for lasers is: [20C(1+D)/(QB)] - where C is a cavity, D is a destabilizer, Q is a q switch and B is a combiner/LAM.

Hope that helps :)

[Amuros]

also keep in mind that no matter your configuration, 8 is the maximum amount of q switches, you can put as many as you want in your configuration but it wont improve your fire rate any more than having just 8

[lilneoman1]

Thanks for the input, guys. As it happens, though, my craft flies at 300+m/s and oscillates up and down quite a bit (probably due to assymetric drag). This means that, with any number of Q switches, the laser "rakes" the target without doing a whole lot of damage, especially to a specific block. I've ended up testing a continuous laser instead, and since they hit 40 times/sec instantaneously (i.e. no raking), it appears to work better. While it's unfortunate that metal beams take multiple hits to destroy, the raking prevented that anyway.