Lasers

Lasers are directed energy weapons that have light-speed projectiles that can be created to burn into an enemy target with very high accuracy, or to snipe pesky missiles and shells from the sky. They are one of the main weapon systems in From the Depths.

Overview

Lasers are hit-scan (instant hit) weapons that use Engine Power to charge. They excel at hitting fast, highly-manoeuvrable targets above water. Additionally, they are one of the strongest active defence systems, able to destroy Missiles, CRAM Cannon shells, and even APS shells.

Lasers are a powerful weapon, but they are easily countered. Smoke generators decrease the intensity of lasers. Shield projectors also lower the intensity of lasers. Additionally, lasers lose a lot of power when going through water. For these reasons it's best to set up weapon controllers to aim above water, and to be aware of any smoke generators on enemy vehicles.

Most other weapons use their armor piercing divided by the target block's armor class to determine actual damage. Lasers use their intensity divided by the target block's fire resistance. Different components can increase the intensity of a laser.

Some key parameters of lasers:

• Require engine power rather than ammo to charge the laser system. Damage occurs by draining laser power from the laser system.
• Can be used both offensively and defensively against missiles, CRAM Cannon shells, and APS shells.
• Very accurate, and shots arrive instantly (called hitscan) – great against fast, nimble targets.
• Loses damage with range (called attenuation). Damage loss is 20x more severe in water, less damage lost when using many Laser Optics-blocks.
• Laser Transceivers allow the bulk of the laser to be built far away from where the laser is actually emitted.

Components

Lasers have many components which help the player customize the weapon system as needed for different builds and needs.

Core Components

All laser systems will have the following components.

• Multipurpose Laser - This is the foundational block that the entire laser system is built around. It connects the laser power generation components to the offensive and/or defensive components.
• Laser Coupler - Connects the Multipurpose Laser to energy storage and creation components.
• Laser Cavity - Holds the laser energy needed to fire the laser. The more laser storage on the system, the more damage the system can do per shot. There are three types of laser cavities.
  • Cavity - Most basic energy storage block. Holds 125 energy and can have laser pumps attached on four sides. This component favors small storage and high energy creation.
  • Single Input Cavity - Similar to the regular cavity block, but holds 500 energy and can only attach pumps on one side. This block balances between high energy creation and high energy storage.
  • Laser Storage Cavity - Large storage component. Holds 5,000 energy but cannot attach pumps. Useful for systems that focus on high energy storage. Lasers cannot be built with only Laser Storage Cavities because there would be no pumps to charge the system.
• Laser Pump - Creates the laser energy that is stored in cavities. There are two types of laser pumps, single pumps and 3m pumps. A standard pump creates 12 laser energy per second by using 30 Engine Power per second. The 3m pump creates three times that amount (36 laser energy/sec and 90 engine power/sec). Energy creation is directly proportional to the amount in m³ of laser pumps on your system.

When creating lasers the storage and energy creation are fairly straightforward. The two formulas below can be used to plan storage and energy creation.

• Energy Storage = 125*(# of cavities) + 500*(# of Single Input Cavities) + 5,000*(# of Laser Storage Cavities)

• Energy Creation (laser energy/second) = 12*(m³ laser pumps)
• Power Requirements (engine power/second) = 30*(m³ laser pumps)

• Damage against smoke: Damage % $\frac{18}{(smokestrength+1,500{)}^{0.4}}$
• Add formula for damage against shields

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  A graph showing damage reduction effects from a smoke dispenser.

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  A graph showing damage reduction effects from a shield projector.

Offensive Components

There are three ways to create an offensive laser, with the Short Range Laser Combiner, the Laser Combiner plus Laser Optics, or with a Laser Cutter. The component you use depends heavily and the desired application.

Lasers received a massive overhaul in update 4.0 with the addition of flamethrowers and fire damage. Most formulas created before 4.0 (released on 3 May 2024) will no longer work. Most design concepts are still similar, but offensive lasers output damage differently than before the update.

• Short Range Laser Combiner - The simplest component for a laser, good for creating small short range lasers. Has an adjustable focus distance which is used to adjust the damage, Armour Piercing (AP), and Inaccuracy. Lower focus gives higher damage but lower AP and accuracy. Higher focus provides lower damage but higher AP and accuracy.
• Laser Combiner - The base component needed to create more advanced offensive lasers. Similar in concept to the firing piece on CRAM Cannons and APS systems. Laser Optics are attached to the end of the Laser Combiner, which act similarly to barrels on CRAMs and APS.
  • Laser Optics - Focuses the laser beam, decreasing damage lost with distance (attenuation). Every Laser Combiner should have at least one of these, but ideally more.
  • Laser Steering Optics - Increases the field of fire of the laser. Longer laser barrels require more laser steering optics for the same effect.
• Laser Cutter - Placing two laser cutters facing each other creates a continuous beam damages anything that comes into contact with it. Connects to Laser Connector blocks. Can be useful when creating a melee craft.

Defensive Components

Lasers can be used to create one of the most powerful active defence systems in From the Depths. This defensive system is called a Laser Anti-Munition Defence System (LAMS). There is only one dedicated component for LAMS, though some offensive components can be setup to be both offensive and defensive.

• LAMS Node - Fires lasers to destroy Missiles, CRAM Cannon shells, and even APS shells. Even if a LAMS doesn't destroy what it's firing at, it can often damage it to lower the effectiveness of the projectile.
  • LAMS have a set attenuation of 0.01. See the formulas below for more details
• Laser Combiners with a Close-in Weapon System (CIWS) Controller can be dual-purposed for offensive and defensive roles.

LAMS nodes are highly customizable. They can be adjusted to focus on certain types of projectiles, as well as the range and angle of the projectile.

Add formulas here

Additional Components

These components are not required to create a laser system, but most are necessary for all but the simplest of lasers. Depending on the desired use of the laser (offensive/defensive/both, short range/long range, strength, AP, fire generation/damage), a combination of these components will be useful.

• Laser Connector - Connects different laser components together. Useful for creating large laser systems and LAMS.
• Laser Transceiver - Links distant sections of a laser system together. Fires a small laser out of one end and can receive lasers from other transceivers on any side. Functions similarly to laser connectors but over large distances. Required when building a laser on a turret/spin block.
• Laser Output Regulator - Forces laser systems to use a set percentage of each cavities maximum energy, helping to distribute the load of the system.
• Q Switch Used to convert a laser from continuous fire to pulsed fire. Up to four Q switches can be placed on a laser coupler. Each bank of cavities will need Q switches on its laser coupler, otherwise the laser will fire different types of laser pulses erratically. Lasers with zero Q switches have 60 intensity (AP), while lasers with at least one Q switch has 40 intensity.
• Frequency Doubler - Placed on the a cavity bank, it increases the intensity (AP and fire generation) value of the laser. Multiple frequency doublers create a linear stacking effect to increase intensity based on the pump volume and total laser energy capacity of the laser system.
• Laser Destabiliser - Placed on a cavity bank, it increases the rate that the systems uses up the cavity bank's energy. This creates higher damage in a smaller window. Multiple destabiliers create a nonlinear stacking effect, causing more damage at the cost of faster cavity drain.
  • Energy drain from destabilisers: % used per second = 1 - (1 - 0.1)^{# of destabilisers+1}
• Superheating Modulator - Placed on a laser combiner, increases the fire damage of the laser while decreasing the raw damage output. Can be adjusted to convert up to 25% of the laser's energy into fire damage.
  • Superheating fuel factor: % = 1 + (6*superheating fraction)

Q Switch Effect on Lasers

Number of Q Switches	Shots/Second	Damage/Laser Energy
0	0	0.75
1	1	1
2	2	1
3	4	1
4	8	1

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  A graph showing the effects of destabilizers on the % of energy use per shot with zero Q Switches.

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  A graph showing the effects of destabilizers on the % of energy use per shot with one Q Switch.

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  A graph showing the effects of destabilizers on the % of energy use per shot with two Q Switches.

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  A graph showing the effects of destabilizers on the % of energy use per shot with three Q Switches.

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  A graph showing the effects of destabilizers on the % of energy use per shot with four Q Switches.

Laser Optics Effects on Firing Arc and Attenuation (No Steering Optics)

Number of Laser Optics	Firing Arc (degrees)	Attenuation (% loss/100m)	% Damage at 1,000m
1	6.67	6.47	35.3
2	5	4.89	51.1
3	4	3.93	60.7
4	3.33	3.28	67.2
5	2.86	2.82	71.8
6	2.5	2.48	75.2
7	2.22	2.2	78
8	2	1.98	80.2
9	1.82	1.8	82
10	1.67	1.65	83.5

Laser Intensity = 40 + (100*number of doublers) / storage

• 0Q lasers get a 1.5x multiplier to intensity

Attenuation

Laser combiners have a base attenuation of 0.02. LAMS have a base attenuation value of 0.01

Laser combiner attenuation = base attenuation / (2 + # of optics)

Damage Reduction = attenuation^distance/10, Air and water damage reduction is added separately and multiplied together.

Formulas for field of fire

Max number of steering optics = total optics / 4

Field of fire = 4 * # of steering optics / total optics, this value cannot exceed 1

Inaccuracy = max(20 /(2 + total optics), (300 * field of fire) / (4 + total optics))

In Practice

Lasers are extremely versatile as both offensive and defensive systems. They are the only hitscan weapon in the game besides Particle Cannons (PACs), which makes them invaluable when fighting fast, highly-manoeuvrable targets. They are very powerful, but have a couple counters (smoke, shield projectors, and water). They are somewhat expensive to create, but can fill extremely valuable niches on vehicles.

Offensive Designs

Offensive lasers can be incredibly powerful. Damage from a laser is highly dependant on energy storage, number of optics, frequency doublers, and destabilizers. Additionally, Q switches, output regulators, and superheating modulators will also impact the damage output. Laser systems can be controlled by the player or by an AI. Any AI controlled lasers will need Detection to fire accurately. Due to the characteristics of a laser it's helpful to have high-resolution and high-refresh detection components, especially for hitting small, nimble targets.

Add examples of offensive laser designs

Defensive Designs

Defensive lasers (usually called LAMS) are one of the most powerful forms of active defence in the game. Damage from a LAMS is highly dependant on energy storage, frequency doublers, and destabilizers, Q switches, and output regulators. LAMS have to output a lot of damage in a very small timeframe and at short distances, so designs that prioritize short, high intensity blasts of lasers are generally more effective. LAMS require an AI and Munition Warners to function. Offensive lasers can be dual-purposed to also provide munition defence by attaching a Close-in Weapon System (CIWS) Controller. Defensive lasers can fire underwater with the help of active and passive sonar, though this is typically not advised due to the high attenuation (damage loss) of water.

LAMS can be configured to focus on specific types of projectiles (Missiles, CRAM Cannon shells, and APS shells), size and speed of projectiles, and angle of projectile in relation to the LAMS node. Additionally, LAMS can be configured to fire up to a specific range, above or below water (or both), and can be turned off in smoke. LAMS nodes have high attenuation, losing 39.5% of its damage at 500m. Most LAMS will have high burst damage at short range to maximize the damage on projectiles while ensuring the laser doesn't fire at projectiles that are missing the vehicle.

Add examples of LAMS and dual-purpose designs

Tips & Best Practices

• The most important consideration for building a laser is its intended purpose. Lasers can be created as a catch-all system, but usually perform better when they are specialized.
  • Offensive lasers should be built with a specific target/defense type in mind. A common objective for an offensive laser system is to destroy XX block type at XX range.
  • Defensive lasers should be built with a desired defensive capability baseline. There are a handful of in-game designs that are popular baselines for testing out defensive systems. A common objective for a defensive laser is to destroy XX% of projectiles from XX vehicle.
• It's important to balance cavities, pumps, and destabilizers to fit the intended purpose of the laser. There is not one correct answer, so the system must be adjusted as needed to fit its intended role.
• LAMS usually benefit from short range, high power bursts. They work best in a continuous (no Q switch) or fast pulse (four Q switches) design with many destabilizers attached.
• Lasers can be configured to only fire above water. Due to the high attenuation (damage loss) of lasers in water it's usually best to keep them from firing at targets underwater.
  • LAMS can fire at torpedoes underwater with the help of active and passive sonar. LAMS that are designed to fire underwater should have short firing ranges to counter the high attenuation from being underwater.

External Resources

Always check the dates and versions of any laser references/tools. Lasers were heavily modified in update 4.0 with the addition of flamethrowers and fire damage. Most calculators created before 4.0 (released on 3 May 2024) will no longer work. Most design concepts are still similar, but offensive lasers output damage differently than before the update, so care should be taken when referencing guides and videos.

The From the Depths Discord channel is a great way to see user designs and receive help/feedback with your builds.

• Lasers offensive/defensive - Has good information for building and modifying lasers.

There are some calculators online that can be used to plan a laser design.

• Laser Efficiency Graph by Solar Sausage - Calculator that provides graphical outputs of laser damage per second (DPS) per cost and per volume. Useful for designing a laser when there are a set of desired expectations and parameters.
• Laser Optimization Calculator by AoKishuba - Calculater that utilizes a GUI to determine the optimal design of a laser system based on a set of desired expectations and parameters. The output is an Excel file. Requires downloading the application through GitHub.

There are currently no up-to-date YouTube videos covering lasers. There are many videos about lasers prior to update 4.0. Many design considerations are the same but enough changes have been made to the laser systems that it is risky using older videos.