Lower Level, Non-Slotted Armor

[akmotu]

Does the lower level, non-slotted armor actually do anything relevant? Let’s say you’re fighting biters: does the armor actually increase your staying power enough to notice a difference compared to not wearing armor at all? So far, I personally haven’t noticed.

If lower level armor doesn't create a noticeable difference in personal defense, then what is the point of making it or having it in the game at all? Think pick axe.

Any thoughts or new things I should know?

[Deadlock989]

It makes a small difference. Appropriately, because it's very, very early tech.

Worrying trend for threads suggesting that things be gotten rid of recently. Wonder why.

[akmotu]

It makes a small difference. Appropriately, because it's very, very early tech.

Worrying trend for threads suggesting that things be gotten rid of recently. Wonder why.

It just seems like a superfluous item that doesn't really do much, since by the time most players are actually interacting with biters, Light Armor does very little, if not practically nothing.

I'm curious how many players actually make Light or Heavy armor and use it as it was designed to be used.

If it made more of a difference, I'd use it more. As of now, it's an item that robs you of 40 iron plates and does little to nothing, depending on when you make first face-to-face contact with biters.

[Deadlock989]

"Robs you" of 40 plates.

It takes a single burner miner about 2.6 minutes to pull that much ore out of the ground and a few minutes more for a single furnace to smelt it. If you went flat out, say, you had a whole four drills and a whole four furnaces - I know, crazy stuff - you'd have to wait almost an entire minute.

Yeah, daylight robbery.

Yes, I do craft them in every game, when I have biters on anyway.

[mmmPI]

you notice more the difference when you fight huge hords of non-evolved biters. I picture it as biters does 10 then 50 then 100 damage, lower tier armor gives you 8 defense. those are made up numbers, that's how it feels from scenario like diggy, where you are regularly fighting lots of small biters at the start.

[FrodoOf9Fingers]

Armor is essntial for some death worlds

[eradicator]

Heavy armor definetly increases your survivability against hordes of small biters by a significant margin, given that it costs basically nothing at all (and is now indestructible thanks to recent updates). Light armor i've never used though, as heavy is early and cheap.

Edit: Just for fun i measured the damage of a small biter in-game:

No armor: 7
Light armor: 3.2
Heavy armor: 0.7

So with light you survive twice, with heavy ten times as long against small biters.

Edit2: @mudcrab beat me to the punch :p. Chapeu.

[mudcrabempire]

Small biters(SB): 7 dmg. Medium biters(MB): 15 dmg. Big biters(BiB): 30dmg. Behemoth biters(BeB): 90 dmg.

With light armor: 3.2 dmg(SB), 9.6 dmg(MB), 21.6 dmg(BiB), 69.6 dmg(BeB).
With heavy armor: 0.7 dmg(SB), 6.3 dmg(MB), 16.8 dmg(BiB), 58.8 dmg(BeB).

Light armor makes you about twice as durable against SB. Heavy armor makes you 10 times as durable against SB and about twice as durable against MB. Both still give you a decent boost against bigger biters.

Acid resistance (for spitters and worms) is purely a percentage: 20% for light armor and 40% for heavy armor.

I'll leave it to you to judge the usefullness of non-modular armor, but I always make them ASAP, if I expect trouble.

[conn11]

Light armor is a cheap means for some extra protection (see above) wich doesn't requires any research. Depending on the map setting it makes a difference at the beginning of the game. Heavy armor adds nicly to the prerequisit of the mil 1 research (boosting your offensive capabilities with the shotgun) by enhancing your survivability greatly. A well implemented feature I would say.

[b_d]

also you can use old Armor to repair the Damaged Armor

[Durentis]

I found out recently when I started a marathon death world that these low level armours make a huge difference. Especially when combined with fish, which apparently aren't for throwing at biters. Who knew? /shrug

[akmotu]

I see. Thanks for all the replies!