Bay 12 Games Forum

Dwarf Fortress => DF Modding => Topic started by: JakeSlayer on February 15, 2019, 07:03:10 pm

Title: Armor modding and how it works?
Post by: JakeSlayer on February 15, 2019, 07:03:10 pm

Okay so my specific question is armor in the base game goes up to ARMORLEVEL:3 but I would like to add unique armor for dwarfs that's another lever higher so ARMORLEVEL:4. is that do-able or does the game only go up to 3? In a past mod i had worked on for years (Laptop exploded and I lost 4+ years of work so no it's not a thing anymore) but I never though to test it and just assumed that adding powered armor with a AL of 10 was do-able. So yeah can I go up a level/go up infinitely or is 3 the limit. ~JH

Title: Re: Armor modding and how it works?
Post by: Teneb on February 15, 2019, 08:23:26 pm

Hey you. Yes, you. Would you like to ask a modding-related question? (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=168353.0)

The wiki also covers modding stuff (http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Armor_token)

So as you can see, ARMORLEVEL merely states if it is cloth (0), leather (1), mail (2), or plate (3).

Title: Re: Armor modding and how it works?
Post by: Sver on February 16, 2019, 07:13:46 am

Armorlevel only affects NPC uniforms, e.g. what do the invaders, caravan guards, adventure mode hearthpeople etc. wear.

0 - everyone will wear these, including civilians. These items will also suffer wear overtime, even without direct damage.

1 - ranged units of all kinds will mostly wear these.

2 - melee invaders, adventurers, caravan guards and hearthpeople will wear these.

3 - melee invaders and adventurers will wear these in addition to their level-2 gear. Rarely, ranged units will too wear a piece of body/head armor this level, but this only seems to apply for Elite (Cross)Bowmen types; in fact, elite weapon users seem to get these regardless of their profession (due to the [EQUIPMENT_IMPROVEMENTS] entity tag, apparently).

The protective qualities of armor are a somewhat more complex, but to keep it short: if you want to give your dwarves some better armor just give them easier access to steel. No other race gets steel, so the dwarves are already above everyone in that regard. And when it comes to armor-ignoring attacks, such as biting, armor is, well, useless; modding in shields with a higher BLOCKCHANCE value should do the trick, though.