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[Felgar]

When it comes to quality of items, does it ever trump the base metal? In other words is a superior quality Bronze or Bismuth Bronze item ever better than a normal quality Iron item? Is there a chart for this somewhere? If not is there any way to tell in game when one item is a better replacement for what you’re wearing?

I’ve seen the chart at the bottom of this page, but it doesn’t address crafting quality changes to the base materials abilities.

http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/v0.31:Metal

[Knigel]

Quality tags are multipliers of hit chance and penetration power for weapons and deflection chance for armor (including shields). This means which is better is depends on the situation: even with a multiplier a copper weapon still has little chance of penetrating iron armor compared to an iron weapon, but against an armorless opponent the multiplier would make the copper weapon much better. However, I've heard some people claim no quality tag but masterwork (which is a x2 multiplier) makes a difference.

Either way, bronze and iron are basically exactly the same for purposes of both weapons and armor.

[blah_1123]

I have a question on a similar subject, I get that density affects how good a metal is for blunt weapons, but what makes 1 metal better than the other with sharp edged weapons like swords. Also what's the difference between slashing and stabbing, if any?

[Isher]

http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/v0.31:Armor#Materials

Bronze is better than iron (for armor) due to last year's changes (according to the wiki).

@blah

http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/v0.31:Weapon#Weapon_Material_Quality

Scroll down just past that for testing results. Edged: Adamantine>Steel>Iron>Bronze>Copper>Silver

[Felgar]

Bronze is better than iron (for armor) due to last year's changes (according to the wiki).

Are you sure about this? Under the Materials header near the top of the page, the chart shows Bronze is superior to iron in 0.31.11 and iron superior to bronze after 0.31.12? Has this changed recently?

And thank you very much for the links, these are just what I was looking for.

[Isher]

Are you sure about this?

I'm just an English major, I don't know anything

I don't think anyone here is sure about anything, though a lot of people claim to be. I think the wiki is a little more accurate than posts on the forum, but only Toady really knows for sure.

Anyway, Iron IRL was not used because it was better than bronze, but because it was more abundant. According to the all-knowing and entirely accurate wikipedia (I kid):

Though bronze is generally harder than wrought iron, with Vickers hardness of 60–258[3] vs. 30–80,[4] the Bronze Age gave way to the Iron Age; this happened because iron was easier to find and easier to process. Bronze was still used during the Iron Age, for example officers in the Roman army had bronze swords[citation needed] while foot soldiers had iron, but, for many purposes, the weaker wrought iron was found to be sufficiently strong. Archaeologists suspect that a serious disruption of the tin trade precipitated the transition. The population migrations around 1200–1100 BC reduced the shipping of tin around the Mediterranean (and from Great Britain), limiting supplies and raising prices.[5] As ironworking improved, iron became cheaper; and as cultures advanced from wrought iron to forged iron, they learned how to make steel, which is stronger than bronze and holds a sharper edge longer.[6]

[truckman1]

When it says "edged" and "blunt," where does a stabbing weapon like a spear go?

[Montague]

Spears are 'edged'.

I liked the 40d system much better then the system we have now, it was straight forward and realistic enough for a fantasy game anyways.

[Batmantis]

When it says "edged" and "blunt," where does a stabbing weapon like a spear go?

Depends how you use it, a stab will use the edge, a slap will use the blunt.

[minno]

Stabbing attacks are just slashing attacks with lower contact area and higher penetration depth.  They're better at getting through armor and thick skin, but worse at severing body parts and causing widespread damage.

Slashing is the best attack against unarmored humanoids, blunt against armored humanoids, and stabbing against large creatures.

[Audrais]

For comparing what material is best for weapons and armor consult Zabigu's weapon research page:
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=53571.0 .
The post is older than a year old, I believe it was last updated using data from 31.18.

[Urist Da Vinci]

I have a question on a similar subject, I get that density affects how good a metal is for blunt weapons, but what makes 1 metal better than the other with sharp edged weapons like swords. ...

Compare the [SHEAR_YIELD] values (higher wins). For the most part, this determines if a material is able to cut another material. The amount of damage done depends on many other factors though. This is why obsidian swords are currently bugged - the default stone [SHEAR_YIELD] is too low to cut flesh, so the swords only act as clubs.