The ion beam array from krooms forge was actually an inspiration for this. The other is that I was disappointed with the laser blaster's inability to effectively destroy small, agile enemies like fighters. A point and shoot weapon would be more effective in an anti-fighter role than the laser blaster even with shorter range because the laser shot travels slowly enough that an enemy can doge it fairly easily. With the heat ray the beam would hit the enemy instantly making it impossible to doge the attack.
