[Arralen]

Boron said:

Why does the chain mail get a higher malus to def than the full plate ? Imo you are more immobile , the stronger your armor is . So with a chainmail you should be more agile then with a full plate imo .

A common misconception, maybe stemming from all those RPG rules which where authored by -to put it midly- some folks which didn't have a clue about either a)statistics (roll your dice...) and b) medieval/ancient combat. Hollywood filmmakers aren't that much better naturally.

Actually, I tried to model the differences, while keeping it somewhat somewhat consistant with the rest of DOM2, between two fundamentally different armor techniques.

First the heavy, ankle-long double-layered chain mail with underlying padding. In the real word (TM) known in principle since roman times, it was the late 1000s when it became "fashion" (don't quote me on the date, I'm notoriously bad with those. But I know where to look it up ) Earlier, it 'was simply too expensive and/or the material too bad to actually manufacture mail that long. This kind of armor was used 'til 1200, when first serious improvements where made: full "pot" helments, later the first "platen", which developed into the cuirass.

Second the full-body "gothic" armor, similar to those made by Lorenz Helmschied, Augsburg (not Ulm ), around 1480 for "Erzherzog Maximilian I." (later Emporer). Those armors are sometimes depicted "gothic", while they where in fact pre-gothic I think. For a visual check the mod icon ! Those are definitly not much heavier than a full chain mail. But a chain mail does not have "articulated joints", so movement is much more hindered in such an unshaped armor. With "gothic" plate, you can you actually jump, sprint, and it's said someone tried cartwheels with it successfully.

While the chain mail is made to absorb a blow and keep the edge from cutting, the plate armor is made to foremost deflect a blow from a weapon - or a missile.

It doesn't matter much though because defense is very low for ulm units anyways . Their main protection is just protection

That is only partly true - even within the constraints of DOM2. If you check it out - the Black Plate Inf with Tower Shield ends up with a Def of 11, which isn't that bad IMHO. And I'm really thinking about upping the Def of the plate armor even more.

From my personal experience of beeing "on the receiving end" of such an armor, I can tell you that it's amazingly difficult to get an effective hit in, especially if your adversary additionally carries a big shield.

Only -but big drawback- of the "hard case armor" is the prevention of air circulation. You may do everything you want in it - but only for some hours at best. After that, you'll have to get rid of some parts or you'll be boiled alive ... . Wearing a full armor on a long march is impossible.

That's why I gave the mail armor troops strat move 2 and the plate armor troops strat move 1 - they simply need more time to get battle ready and have more difficulties hauling their armor in general.

Btw do you plan in future to improve the 2 ulm themes as well ? And tien chi ? And maybe a few themes like return of raptors , pan new age ? Would be cool

Theme modding is still somewhat difficult. Practically it means using the "notheme" switch and re-doing the whole nation from scrap. Something I don't have the time to atm.
And I must admit, I'm e.g. somewhat clueless what to do about TC S&A to give it a faster start. And Pangaea New Age is something I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole