XCOM EU Laser Launcher, Portable Laser Canon

[KoaBosk]

Is it possible for someone to make a laser launcher or portable laser canon. I was thinking if someone could use the rocket launcher but give it the ability "Cannon Fire" from the sectopod and using the laser animation. It could do more damage than the regular rocket launcher but to only a single target.

[TrollofReason]

I was about to make my own thread suggesting this. A longer-ranged, more damaging man-portable laser cannon (because lasers do, indeed, cause things to explode when they're big enough) with a reduced blast radius. Call it the Laser Blaster. Hell, one could even keep the Shredder Rocket effect by replacing it with something called "Heat Beam" or whatever. A lower-intensity blast that does less damage, but disrupts and weakens armor by partially melting it, scrambling many of the more exotic molecular tweaks in the alien armoring technology.

As for why it's single-use? Well, there is no more efficient means of storage energy than in a chemical form. That's why gasoline is so useful, it's a lot of power in a small space. That said, you can't "recharge" gasoline, can you? Once you release its energy by burning it, it's essentially worthless. The same can be true of a laser cannon pack able to be used by a person. You can't just strap a jet-portable generator onto someone's back. They couldn't move after that. Just give them a can of power and watch the aliens explode.

 

It'd be more a side-grade to the rocket launcher, because the blast radius would only be 1 square (with an increase to 2 squares with Danger Zone, halving it for this proposed weapon), but the damage would be more intense. Something like 12-15 for the regular laser blast, and 6-8 for the heat beam. It could have, even, a longer range than the Blaster Launcher, that way the eventual switch to the more advanced and devastating weapon would be a far more strategic choice instead of a straight-up "it's better, I have to have this." It would also allow for something that this game woefully lacks - heavy fire support, despite having a Heavy infantry class.

Edited November 12, 2012 by TrollofReason

[KoaBosk]

Thought of a nice name, Lance Cannon