The plasma cannon is pretty useless, and one of the reasons why is because it takes SO long between shots; by the time you shoot once, and reload, the tank has killed you, or you're pinned.

We can also agree that the amount of damage it does is basically nothing. The area of effect damage is so low its not useful as a souped-up mass driver, the trajectory and bullet velocity doesn't make it a direct fire weapon, and its raw damage is too damn low against tank armour to make it useful against tanks, and you can't seriously consider trying to take out a dropship at normal altitudes or an LAV with a slow velocity arced round.

I propose we first off make the standard version do a good amount of damage for its fire rate (fire rate is discussed later) making it an effective anti armour weapon, or keeping its damage ratios, and once it hits armour it has a special effect (slows the vehicle, reduces weapon damage, reduce turret turn movement). Either of the two methods would make it an AV weapon.

Second, reduce the CPU requirements. If you have any hopes of using it currently you need to make sure your fit doesn't use a single bit of CPU which is just silly when you want to fit basically ANYTHING else with it.

Third, let it have a small magazine but increase reload. I say put a revolving chamber at the back with 3 canisters, and these canisters can be replaced one by one. The way it would work is that the barrel would charge for 2 seconds, filling up on energy from the canisters, then the shot is fired, then a 1.5 second cool down. A second system might be that the cannon can have the 3 canisters but each canisters are work 100 joules, and the cannon charges its shots, and depending how long you hold the shot for, depends on how many joules of energy goes into the shot, with each shot having the potential for a full 100 joules.

Tell me what you think, because I'm looking for a useful area control weapon that might actually be a threat to tanks if not be complete AT weapons.

As my signature states, plasma cannons and swarm launchers need to be sidearms, because it will never be practical to carry one as a primary weapon.