This mod tries to make Institute weaponry slightly more powerful than plasma weapons. It modifies the base damage of all Institute weapons, and I haven’t experimented with all the various mod possibilities, so it’s very possible that this mod makes Institute weapons flat-out overpowered.
For comparison: in my game, a stock automatic plasma rifle does 38+36 = 74 damage with a 90 fire rate. A stock automatic institute rifle (with this mod) does 48 damage with a 90 fire rate. By the time we get to the best upgrades, an auto plasma does 86+86 = 172 @ 113, and an auto institute does 200 @ 113. If the other weapon types scale similarly, I’d guess it’s the same scenario… institute < plasma pre-mods, but (substantively) better post-mods. Total guess there though. I made this mod using FO4Edit, changing the "DAMA - Damage" field from 21 to 52 on the "InstituteLaserGun" WEAP record. I haven't done much playtesting, but this doesn't seem to have any adverse effects. Take that as a warning, though - I haven't (yet) played with this extensively, and I don't know what unintended effects this might cause.