Mod: Brazen Benevolence (Bronze Armors)

[JimMorrison]

At this point, I'm mostly in agreement with you. Really after all of the digging, and the mulling, it started to feel like (considering 3 distinct and disparate ages) that too high a level of realism isn't achievable without huge overhauls in the recruitables, including creating many new types of armor, tweaking gold costs, blah blah, tons of stuff way beyond the intended scope of the mod.

So to sum up - It really seems like ultimately the actual Encumbrance difference between Bronze and Iron is minimal, and too small to simulate in Dominions terms (Bronze won't be 33% or 50% more Encumbering), and because of the small numbers, probably wouldn't be noticeable until Steel armors, if at all. Likewise, differences in Protective ability were not overly profound, other than if we say that all Bronze is cost, and all Iron is wrought (for sake of game), in which case the wrought items have greater density, and then of course there is a very noticeable jump again, to Steel.

Then it's just a matter of looking at the various armors, and trying to determine "does the actual design of a Hoplite Breastplate differ significantly enough in design properties from an Iron Breastplate to justify a change in values". I guess at a certain point, you allow some things to have higher or lower numbers just because they have a different name, and the intent is to have different capabilities of the units.

Grrr, I'm glad I joined into this conversation, but I am also sad. I'd imagine you feel the same way, by now.

[analytic_kernel]

Originally Posted by JimMorrison

it started to feel like (considering 3 distinct and disparate ages) that too high a level of realism isn't achievable without huge overhauls in the recruitables, including creating many new types of armor, tweaking gold costs, blah blah, tons of stuff way beyond the intended scope of the mod.

AFAIK, the prot ranges for mundane armors could be expanded, but then all of the magic armor prots would also have to be bumped up and weapon damages would have to be changed as well. A Dom 3 rescaling project might be neat - but, yeah, definitely beyond the scope of this mod.

Originally Posted by JimMorrison

Then it's just a matter of looking at the various armors, and trying to determine "does the actual design of a Hoplite Breastplate differ significantly enough in design properties from an Iron Breastplate to justify a change in values". I guess at a certain point, you allow some things to have higher or lower numbers just because they have a different name, and the intent is to have different capabilities of the units.

Actually, I have no problem with two functionally equivalent things having the same name. I think it is kind of stylish, actually. (I did that with the Bronze Scale and iron Scale Mail armors, but another poster seemed uncomfortable with that.) Probably a matter of differing tastes....

Originally Posted by JimMorrison

Grrr, I'm glad I joined into this conversation, but I am also sad. I'd imagine you feel the same way, by now.

Hey, glad you dropped by. You challenged a hidden assumption or two, and that is usually a good thing.

[analytic_kernel]

Greg, I think encumbrance is strictly related to weight. A defence penalty can be given to account for other things, such as ill-fitting armor, restricted neck or torso motion, restricted field of vision, etc....

Redeyes has a point about the scale armors, but I think even cuirasses were adjustable, because of separate front and back plates.