The "worst weapon in vanilla" topic got me thinking about the Heavy Burst Laser (which was mentioned no small number of times) but, really, every kind of burst PD.
Disclaimer: Burst PD has been talked about for years. It is intended to be to inferior to ballistic PD because of the design philosophies of high-tech vs. low-tech. This has been reiterated countless times and at no point do I intend to make burst PD "better" than Flak or whatnot.
That being said, Burst PD has not evolved at the same rate as the game around it. The proliferation of fighters (with shields), decoy flares, and carriers, in general, has made Burst PD a very expensive PD option with little upside compared to lower-cost PD Lasers and IPDAI-outfitted ships.
Problem #1 - High OP Cost
Burst PD of all size varieties (I'm including the Paladin, also) are all very costly to mount. At 7, 11, and 18 OP, respectively, they are "elite-tier" options of point defense but don't provide the same level of PD protection as their Ballistic cousins. Burst PD (small) costs only 1 OP less than a Flak Cannon and though I grant it's in a more ubiquitous Small mount, it is vastly inferior per OP.
Comparing Burst PD to say a PD Laser, the amount gained for nearly twice the OP is relatively small. For the first three bursts, yes, burst PD comes out ahead: usually wiping out a missile or mine immediately vs. the DoT effect of PD lasers. Once ammo runs out, burst pd obviously loses its luster, but "burst" is its namesake so you kind of know what you're getting!
The issue, for me, is that Burst PD is not "better" than normal PD Lasers, just different. You're front-loading its effectiveness at the trade-off for poorer sustained effectiveness. However, the price tag on Burst PD communicates that it is "better," and not just a little, but by nearly 2x as much.
The same could be said of the Heavy Burst PD, but there isn't a Medium Energy PD option outside of it to compare it to. Trying to compare it to Dual-Flak (costing 1 more OP) is a bad comparison: they're designed for two different things. However, 11 OP for the medium version, which is only marginally better than the small version, is too much.
Problem #2 - Too Easily Saturated
Because of Burst PD's front-loaded effectiveness, it tends to be especially vulnerable to PD saturation techniques like decoy flares, overwhelming fighter screens, or mass-missile attacks. Flares, especially, completely negate Burst PD effectiveness, forcing them to expend their precious charges in vain. Outside of equipping your ship(s) with IPDAI, Burst PD will always be drastically reduced in effectiveness should an opponent bring a single fighter wing with flares.
While PD Lasers also fall prey to PD saturation techniques, they are at least equally effective once the saturation diminishes. Your PD/LRPD Lasers will continue to do full DPS once the flares go away. The Burst PD will not.
Problem #3 - Shielded Fighters
All Energy PD is vulnerable to this because all Energy PD only deals soft flux. Burst PD does have the ability to overwhelm shield emitters on Fighters but once the charges are spent, they have little chance of doing actual damage. Like PD Saturation, fighters with shields have a distinct advantage when facing Burst PD because they remove the maximum effectiveness of the PD early on.
Solution #1 - Lower OP Costs
The easiest solution is lower the OP Costs of Burst PD. Reduce the small variant to 5 OP and medium variant to 8. The Paladin is fine at 18 but its issues don't lie in its cost.
Of all the solutions presented, this is the one I'm least fond of. I'd rather see Burst PD remain "elite" and rare and worth its cost.
Solution #2 - Burst PD automatically ignores Flares
As part of the "elite" status of Burst PD, have all versions automatically ignore flares. Call it a lesser form of IPDAI that is built-in, Burst PD would be immune to PD Saturation techniques that rob them of their initial advantage.
Solution #3 - Heavy Burst PD increased recharge rate
At present, the only advantage Heavy Burst has over the smaller variant is a slightly higher damage per burst and 2 more initial charges. I don't believe it justifies its extra 5 OP to mount. It needs more to distinguish itself from regular Burst PD.
The thought here is that it stays the same but recharges like the Paladin (i.e. 1 per second, rather than 1 per 2 seconds like present). This gives the Heavy Burst much greater sustained presence after the initial burst. This would have the side effect of giving it an additional 1-2 bursts during the initial discharge because it will recharge as it fires.
Solution #4 - Burst PD Lasers do hard flux to Fighter shields
However you want to explain it in-game, Burst PD would not be as vulnerable to shielded fighters as PD Lasers. Their burst lasers would have the added bonus of debilitating shielded fighters but not have the same effect against actual ships. While Burst PD would still have to expend their initial volleys on shielded fighters, at least their shots wouldn't be completely in vain: either overloading fighters or forcing them to drop shields and take the hit.
Solution #5 - Paladin flux cost reduction
The Paladin could use its flux cost heavily reduced. The Devastator is the only other Large PD option and at 290 Flux/sec, it also has the added benefit of doing HE damage against other ships and hard flux against shields. The Paladin costs more flux and does far less. My suggestion is drop it to ~200 flux/sec in full burst fire.
Overall
Outside of the OP cost reduction, I think all the other solutions could be implemented at the current OP costs. For their costs, Burst PD would be elite-level PD options that are straight-up superior to PD Lasers but are not as consistent. I also don't think Burst PD would be superior to Ballistic versions, though they would be closer to their effectiveness. However, you'd be paying a premium to achieve something similar, which is part of the design philosophy of high-tech.
Thoughts, suggestions, and comments welcome.