How I'd like to see armor...

from Elemental Forums

I'd like to see armor handled in the same way that Master of Orion 2 handled weapons and special systems.  In MOO2, older weapon types alwyas held specific niches in warfare, and even after you had discovered 2, 3, or even 4 generations of new weapons, you could still go back to older weapons and use them in useful ways (also, each new generation of weapons provided new buffs that you could add to old weapons.)  So rather than have a linear progression in which each discovery out-dates the previous discovery, each type of armor would have special angles that would keep them useful depending on how you equip your armor.

For instance, your first armor type might be a simple leather tunic, which gives minor armor advances and allows your units to maintain a brisk speed.  However, you might discover splint mail later which grants more armor but less speed.  Discovering splint mail, though, would also let you add the "splint rib" buff to your leather armor, which adds armor to your leather armor (still less armor than your new splint mail) but raises the cost of soldiers created with leather armor.  Also, resistance could be implicit in specific kinds of armor, rather than the player only being able to stack on resistance to armor types.  For instance, "Feather Iron Armor" might give a soldier enhanced speed, decent defense, and resistance to lightening damage.  "Magma Iron Armor" might give a soldier enhanced damage, decent defense, and resistance to fire. 

What might be even more interesting are emmergent "special" armor types from novel techs.  For instance, you might discover a small population of unique, giant, tame insects.  If your farming techs are high enough, you can tame them and open up a research option that gives you "Chitenous Armor" made from their shed exoskeletons.  This armor might be fantastic for the mid game, but gradually lose its edge as the game moves on.  Numerous armor options like this could exist, not all of which are available to everyone (someone without the right farming techniques might not have the option of taming the insects and, instead, only be left with the option of slaughtering them or leaving them alone.

elemental
5,761 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Love it, 100% agree :D  

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

yea ... I also think you should be able to use Said Domesticated Insects as MOUNTS!! (If your animal husbandry skill is high enough)

 

Personally think I would like to use a pack of Wyvern as mounts as well. Consider them Smaller, Unintelligent versions of dragons which can be domesticated. (also they only have legs and wings per lore, as opposed to 4 legs and wings like dragons do) ... of course, both Wyvern's and Bugs have the possibility of being equal in terms of game mechanics ... as being large, rare, flying mounts ... although no-where near the size or power as a dragon obviously, simply several times more powerful than a large war-horse ... sort of like a flying angry rhino. The bugs might have less attack, however, and maybe the Wyverns could shoot fire from their mouths or Spit Acid.

Either way, I think it would be interesting if the Bug chitin had a high resistance to arcane damage, due to a fluke of evolution. Or at least 70% resistance to fire damage (to make it some-what balanced with the Wyvern option ... as cancelling out the fire-powers of the Wyvern) ... so you could have a Grasshopper Cavalry using Bug-armor, and be almost completely immune to fire.

Meanwhile the Wyverns developed an evolutionary path to counter the age-old nemesis of fire-users .... Water. Therefore if, instead of riding the Wyverns you skinned them, you could create many sets of Ice-immune armor. Of course, if you used them for mounts, the mounts themselves would be completely Ice Immune (unless having them as mounts is already a completely balanced factor, although if only the mount is immune I see no harm done in Overstrengthening the mount option ... simply a choice between really good armor or really good mounts ... and only a finite number of course)

The Political Machine 2024
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Another great idea, Demiansky. I like it. Maybe send it over to the "Elemental Idea's" section and I'll add it to the list.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

On the "armors always have a purpose", I'm guessing they'll do that anyway  (Similar to how galactic civilizations small ships were still useful in certain ways even after larger ones were added.)  Still seems useful to keep in mind, though.

 

The "special armor" idea seems cool as well, it actually seems like a good mix with the quest system.  I wouldn't necessarily make the armor a type that goes obsolete later on, though, just a type that is perhaps slightly better, or more flexible, than other equivalent armors at the time it is discovered, but not so much better that other armor couldn't be competetive with it.

(The same ideas could apply ot weapons also.)

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

The only weapon that has no match is the Titan Sword :P (or maybe the Holy sword after the angel blesses it). Just imagine it like a zelda Master Sword on crack.

sure its one of the sharpest things, for mundane damage or whatnot, but it deals +50% damage to beasts, +100% damage to angels/demons, and also has a maximum attack which combines its arcane and physical elements. Each strike with the sword gives an damage attack via mundane and arcane, however the "to hit" roll is the combined value of its physical attack and its arcane attack. this mean it almost always hits, and if you have resistances to neither damage you get its full power. Of course, being immune to magic, per se, would make you immune to "third?, half?" its damage, although not its attack.

Also, both attack and damage are increased when attacking a beast or an extra-planar creature. This sword was primarily used to take over the other planes of existence, and therefore is specialized in combating outsiders.