So CCP has thought about implementing capacitors, but I think that wouldn't be very elegant for programmers, or easy to manage as infantry.

Instead I have a set of suggestions that would effectively allow for a kind of assymetrical EWAR.

(1) Hybrid Ionization - For Hybrid weapons create an attribute that's like 'overheating' on laser weapons, but opposite, call it 'Ionization'. Basically, ionization reduces your damage the longer you fire. It would 'reionize' when you stop firing. Depending on the weapon level the ionization rate would impact damage rate more or less. Example, the base Plasma Rifle would do 100% damage for its first 25 rounds and then get down to 85% by its 60th if it held down fire continuously. IOW: IF RoF>Ionization rate then the weapon's damage efficiency goes down.

(2) Ion grenades/ destabilizer gun- Then you'd make a version of flux grenades that do MUCH less damage to shield (like 15% of current) but has a ionization/heating impact on hybrid/laser weapons. So at STD level these grenades would reduce Hybrid ionization and increase overheating absolute values of STD 30%, ADV, 40%, PRO 50%.

So catching a scrambler rifle user with a ion grenade who has 75% overheat will cause a small amount of shield damage, then the gun to lock up, and create additional feedback damage giving the attacker a temporary advantage.

Catching a plasma rifle user with an ADV ion grenade would mean, until he re-ionizes for a second or two w/o firing, his starting damage rate would be 60% of normal damage rate (or some balanced modifier thereof).


(3) Projectile and Explosive weapons may be weapons based on ancient technology, but their ammunition has gotten 100s of times more volatile and dangerous. Therefore their delivery systems are very prone to vulnerabilities caused by this volatility. So for explosive and projectile weapons create a mechanic called 'volatility'. Weapon volatility is tied to the % of endurance a player currently has. As a moves/jumps/sprints around a player's endurance decreases, the volatility of their ammo increases with more likelihood to cause a jam. 0% chance per second at 100% endurance and 10% chance per second at 1% endurance.

(4) Friction locus grenades would be the counter to projectile and explosive weapons. Friction locus grenades detonate and cause a slight knockback and friction enhancing compound cloud that temporarily reduces dropsuit endurance levels and regeneration rates further increasing the likelihood of volatility jams.

If an explosive weapon jams and the user doesn't immediately reload, the next trigger pull will detonate explosives inside the weapon. If the user survives, all rounds in clip are destroyed and the weapon must be reloaded.

If a projectile weapon jams the weapon must be reloaded. If the jam is 'shot through' the clip is then removed, no damage is done to the user, but a much longer 'jam clear' must be enacted.

In summary/ Tl;dr: Each weapon type has a mechanical drawback that must be dealt with by the user that affects tactics. Two types of grenades are introduced that excacerbate those drawbacks, can cause weapons to be temporarily unusable or reduced in effectiveness, and have added secondary beneficial uses. The ion-flux grenade would increase the overheating on laser weapons and reduce the RoF/damage on hybrid weapons. It would also be more effective at taking out deployed equipment (while flux would be less effective). The friction-locus grenade would affect the volatility of projectile and explosive weapons leading to a high rate of jamming which could disable these weapons. Volatility of these weapons is a function of the dropsuit's endurance level and the friction-locus directly reduces a dropsuit's endurance level and recharge rate.