What we need is tracking .. lots and lots of tracking. All crystals should have a tracking bonus so that we have the option of sacrificing dps for the ability to actually apply dps (ie. same as is done with projectile ammo) ..

I would argue YES, but I don't. Here's why:

Through recent changes and advancements, only about 60% of Amarr ships are incapable of doing other damage types. Why 60%? Because the other 40% have been given large drone bays, launcher hardpoints, and in many cases, simply no weapon bonus at all, making the use of autocannons and artillery far better an option.

We've been granted the ability to diversify quite well. Adding more versatility in our damage capabilities at this point would almost completely throw the developer reasoning for converting so many Amarr assets into amalgamations of Gallente or Caldari ships, that it would create fire and brimstone on a threadpocalypse level.

I'm a huge Amarr fan, but giving them variable dmg types would be the weapon system far to powerful imo. I do think however some the Mattari T2 EM resists are some what extreme.

Lasers are already the 2nd best weapon system in game overall. And exp lasers are harder to explain lore wise.

Hybrids should be the ones getting dmg variations. They could use a boost, and not only would it be easy to explain lore wise, it's hard to explain why different element hybrid ammos don't already do different dmg types.

A great weapon system on paper, which significantly penalizes the usefulness of the ship when used, and cannot be reasonably be fitted on ships that don't receive specific bonuses to do so.

Hybrids are used by two races which each have options for completing their damage portfolio. They aren't exactly hindered, especially since hybrid damage types specifically address shields and armor in turn, and caldari missiles and gallente drones receive far more boosts within their race than, say, Amarr.

All in all, I'm feeling it's kind of balanced around here, though I predict an equally large threadnought if Amarr were left as the only two-damage primary weapon system.

I have a Idea to Address the lack of damage variation to the laser weapons.

Mining lasers use a tunneling laser to bore into rock and a tractor system that draws in the raw materials.

reverse this Idea, make laser crystals with metal cores that when the laser is fired it strips the core material and strikes the target with alternate forms of damage (I.E. Lead, Iron and Tungsten do Kinetic. Uranium,plutonium do explosive) allowing variation to which weapon damage type works best against the target.

Also these Metal cored crystals have a limited Lifespan of shots as with each shot they strip more and more of the core material with each shot. Thus making them "Ammo" limited weapons.

Such "Core" crystals could be easily added to the game as blueprints that us crystals and the needed rail/blaster ammo to manufacture them. Display wise adding off color motes into the laser stream should make note that this is a "Core" crystal in use.

While we're at it, let's give blasters and railguns ammo types that do different kinds of damage. Let's cut the DPS of blasters a bit, give them really, really good falloff too, and then call them "Autocannons".

Also, we should consider giving Railguns a massive increase in volley damage while basically throwing their rate of fire into the toilet, and also cutting down their range somewhat.

I think this new and incredibly powerful weapon system should be christened "Artillery".

Lets give the already frighteningly op pulse lasers choice of damage (which they can instantly change) as well, what can possibly go wrong?

Truth is limited damage types only matters at all if your enemy knows what you are going to be fielding, and if your enemy knows what you will be fielding you have worse problems than damage types. Normal fits are all omni tanked so whether you have em/therm lasers or kin/therm hybrids is largely irrelevant. The damage adaptability of projectiles is massively overestimated (it doesn't exist on t2 ammo and even with t1 ammo it only allows for partial coverage often with 3 damage types meaning you are always doing one of the worst damage types as well). Only missiles allow for true damage type choice and they are limited in plenty other ways.

You can easily say the same about T2 Amarr Resists, a Vengeance with a damage control, one adaptive nano plating and level 5 assault ship skill has, 74.2% EM, 66.5% Thermal, 80.7% Kinetic and 89.7% Explovive resistance. So if Minmatar T2 have high EM and Thermal resistance I think it is completely balanced.

The main thing to happen with crystals is give us a choice between EM heavy or Thermal heavy. While the T2 Crystals can (& I think are) semi balanced between the two.

This can be done easily by removing the 25% range steps... This then gives us 6 kinds of T1 Ammo, 2 at +50%/0/-50% which lets us choose EM or Therm heavy damage. Giving us a little flexibility, especially at long range where Amarr only do EM damage pretty much on the T1 crystals.

Did the legwork using current numbers
New and improved;
T2 crystals as is.
Heatsink RoF modifier changed to damage ditto, for T2 make it 22.5% damage which is 0.4% dps decrease .. small (maybe too small) price to pay.

Multifrequency: 36 EM, 12 TH. -50% optimal range.
Gamma: 36 TH, 12 EM. -50% optimal range.

Xray: 24 EM, 12 TH. +20% tracking.
Ultraviolet: 24 TH, 12 EM. +20% tracking.

Standard: 24 EM, 12 TH. 25% reduced capacitor need (note: This is only half the bonus present on hybrid ammo!)
Infrared: 24 TH, 12 EM. 25% reduced capacitor need. (note: This is only half the bonus present on hybrid ammo!)

Microwave: 15 TH, 5 EM. +60% optimal range. +5% tracking.
Radio: 15 EM, 5 TH. +60% optimal range. +5% tracking.

Four groups each both EM and Thermal represented, divided into three range bands with the middle having twin flavours of tracking and sustainability.

...You could simply give T2 Ammo the possibility to absorb overheat damage. So its useful and needed in high amounts :D
You could choose to do 5% more Damage for using T2 or 20% more for X seconds...

Physic says no.

Laser are made of light, light is made of photons, photons do not explode and have kinetic impact.

So, EM and Thermal only for Lasers.

Physic says no.

Laser are made of light, light is made of photons, photons do not explode and have kinetic impact.

So, EM and Thermal only for Lasers.

Lets give the already frighteningly op pulse lasers choice of damage (which they can instantly change) as well, what can possibly go wrong?

Truth is lmited damage types only matters at all if your enemy knows what you are going to be fielding, and if your enemy knows what you will be fielding you have worse problems than damage types. Normal fits are all omni tanked so whether you have em/therm lasers or kin/therm hybrids is largely irrelevant. The damage adaptability of projectiles is massively overestmated (it doesn't exist on t2 ammo and even with t1 ammo it only allows for partial coverage often with 3 damage types meaning you are always doing one of the worst damage types as well). Only missiles allow for true damage type choice and they are limited in plenty other ways.

They dont start with 90% resists though.

There probably should be EM/Therm and Therm/EM crystals. Makes sense to me anyway.

The other one is rail guns. Rail guns should do immense kinetic damage, more than any other ammo/gun system by far. The extreme velocity of a rail gun charge means it penetrates armor better than a larger, slower arty round. They should have higher alpha than arty.

Artillery comes in two forms, shot and shell. Depending on type it will either have a payload or be kinetic only. This payload can be anything from toxic gas to a small atomic weapon and only your imagination is the limit here.

What I would like to see is a rebalance of all the gun/ammo/missile types in game. Right now it's a mess. I know people don't like change but the way it's setup now is very unimaginative for a futuristic space game.

Physic says no.

Laser are made of light, light is made of photons, photons do not explode and have kinetic impact.

So, EM and Thermal only for Lasers.

Actually, like you just said, Light is made of a particle. That does actually have a physical impact. Hence why solar sails are possible, since the kinetic motion of the photon is transferable to the ship the solar sail is on.
So, Physics actually says yes. They have found with RL laser weapons that a pulse of a laser often has a kinetic impact on the target also. Resulting in exactly the same result as a bullet would have done. Depends on the exact frequencies used obviously. But light is both a wave & a particle at the same time.
However, RL Physics is irrelevant to Eve, regardless, since we don't use RL physics.

Lasers applied in a burst can very rapidly ionize only a thin outer layer of a target surface into plasma, which immediately blasts back off the target, applying a kinetic impact.

I'm a huge Amarr fan, but giving them variable dmg types would be the weapon system far to powerful imo. I do think however some the Mattari T2 EM resists are some what extreme.

And exp lasers are harder to explain lore wise.

Physic says no.

Laser are made of light, light is made of photons, photons do not explode and have kinetic impact.

So, EM and Thermal only for Lasers.

For a sufficiently low power flux the thin surface layer will be heated to the fluid state but will stay beyond the evaporation temperature, while the solid-fluid interface will slowly progress into the bulk material by heat conduction. In iron the typical progress rate is about 10-2 cm ms-1, and the power flux for this situation may be around 106 W cm-2. [...]
At a somewhat higher power flux, between 106 to 108 Wcm2 [sic], the thin absorbing surface layer is heated up to its evaporation temperature before the solid-fluid interface has progressed appreciably into the material by heat conduction. Thus, with continuing laser power, a less than ++-thick layer of material will continually evaporate, with the material-air interface progressing into the material. Typically a gas jet develops [...]. The gas jet ejects also part of the molten material, thus that the progress rate of the hole is faster than with evaporation of all the material. [...]

At a still higher flux of 109 to 1010 Wcm-2, after initial evaporation of the surface layer, the gas jet is thermally ionized and absorbs most of the incident radiation, which is such blocked away from the material. The surface layer explodes with an ultrasonic jet, its temperature may rise beyond 10 105 -¦ K [sic], its pressure beyond 103 at.[
...
A thin layer of target material is flashed to plasma, and the plasma absorbs the rest of the pulse. At this point, the plasma is at extremely high pressure, much greater pressure than the strength of the target material.
The expanding plasma launches a blast wave. A shell of hot vapor blasts out into the air, while a shell of super-hot, highly compressed material propagates into the target. Pressures are so high the target material flows like a fluid.
...
Eventually, the blast wave has done so much work pushing through the target material and has spread out so much that the pressure is no longer far in excess of the material strength.

mpulse shock indicates that the armor is vaporized at a rate exceeding the speed of sound, tearing and damaging the surrounding hull. You can pretty much consider the compartment utterly destroyed.

They way I see crystals should work is

Radio - Standard: EM damage, gradually moving towards Therm.
Radio = 100% EM/ 0% Therm
Microwave = 80% EM/ 20% Therm
Infared = 75% EM/ 25% Therm
Standard = 60% EM/ 40% Therm

Ultraviolet - Multifrequency: Therm damage, gradually moving towards EM.
Ultraviolet = 40% EM/60% Therm
X Ray = 25% EM/ 75% Therm
Gamma = 20% EM/ 80% Therm
Multifrequency = 0% EM/ 100% Therm

Have the 'LR' crystals do mostly shield damage, the 'SR' crystals doing mostly armor damage.

Then Conflag and Gleam are heavy close range Thermal/Armor damage crystals and Scorch and Aurora are both long range EM/Shield damage crystals.

There. Damage type selection. The numbers can be messed with of course, as they are meerly suggestions.

Also: I wouldn't be opposed to removing one of the short range crystals and adjusting things so Standard is a straight 50/50 split.
And if people think damage selection on lasers is 'too powerful' I don't mind having even T1 crystals break on occasion, provided that CCP find a way to make a full rack of grouped guns all crack their crystals at once. :/ Having to regroup guns in the middle of a fight on those rare occasions when you suddenly find your on your last 8 Scorch is a pain in the ass!

This isn't what happens in a vacuum and you can't state what would happen when they are absorbed by shields either.

Lasers don't need adjustment. Sure they have strengths and weaknesses but so does every system.
If you want to be able to deal different damage types you will have to put up with a 10 second reload time like missiles and projectiles.

And quit complaining you have Scorch.

I see this as a decent way to map hybrid damage, with thermal being short range since blasters are supposed to be gallente based and kinetic for long range. Starting with antimatter doing the highest thermal and lead doing the highest kinetic.