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[CaptainLambcake]

I was reading about danger rooms, and saw that having your guys wear cloaks will usually keep them safe from the spears within the room, and block plenty of other blows in actual combat.  Cool!  I thought.  I tried to make the cloaks at the Leatherworkers Workshop, and as soon as it'd be created the Cloak would get claimed by a random naked dwarf!  I don't want to make cloaks for the whole fort, so how do I make cloaks that no one will claim so I can let my military use them?

[AutomataKittay]

Make lots of cloth cloaks, cloth are easier to mass-manfacture with pigtail. Dwarves will grab anything that's missing from layer ( under, outer, cover. Cloak is cover, robe is over and dress is under, so they'll try to grab those three for torso cover ).

The once dwarves are done covering themselves up, make leather cloaks and assign them to the military. I think you can even select which material the cloak can be in the military uniform set-up.

[knutor]

Not sure where ya read to use cloaks in danger rooms, unless they are adamantine.  Don't.  When they fall to a x(tattered item)x state they protect nothing.  Only use exact metal uniform in danger situations.  After training, create a new metal+ uniform which includes the extra coverage.  Cloak and Hood.

If ya find yourself using cloaks and hoods in danger room, you'll also run out of them very fast, especially if your using lots of spears traps.

On the specific item assignment, this doesn't happen in DF, the AI makes that decision, all we can do is design uniforms.  Try a specific on, and dye it, to limit it to only soldiers.  They have priority over CIVs, so they should get it, if its in uniform.  And this fella's squad is near the top of equipment priorities.  Sincerely, Knutor

[CaptainLambcake]

Thanks to both, and how can you make a cloak out of metal?

[AutomataKittay]

Thanks to both, and how can you make a cloak out of metal?

Bluemetal extracts into metal thread, which can be woven into bluemetal cloth.

Worst use of the material, I'd say, honestly. Stick to cloth or leather for stuffs that wears out, since even bluemetal clothing wears out at same rate. Cloth and leather cloak and hood protects well enough for dangerroom purpose ( Really, whole armor made of leather and bone will do perfectly! ) and is otherwise somewhat helpful against blunt weapons.

[Pyro627]

Actually, you can assign specific items to specific dwarves or squads, it's just buried in the clusterfuck we call the military menu. 

[AutomataKittay]

Not sure where ya read to use cloaks in danger rooms, unless they are adamantine.  Don't.  When they fall to a x(tattered item)x state they protect nothing.  Only use exact metal uniform in danger situations.  After training, create a new metal+ uniform which includes the extra coverage.  Cloak and Hood.

If ya find yourself using cloaks and hoods in danger room, you'll also run out of them very fast, especially if your using lots of spears traps.

On the specific item assignment, this doesn't happen in DF, the AI makes that decision, all we can do is design uniforms.  Try a specific on, and dye it, to limit it to only soldiers.  They have priority over CIVs, so they should get it, if its in uniform.  And this fella's squad is near the top of equipment priorities.  Sincerely, Knutor

Cloak does helps in danger rooms, I get more injuries without. I don't know what you mean by them running out of them, since they don't wears when impacted, they get worn out through being worn ( around half-year to a year for each level of wear ) or being on fire.

You can actually assign specific equipment to dwarves, I've done it since 31.18. In fact! One of my fortress depends on it for personal roleplay purpose! I wanted to assign specific dwarves very specific outfit that was symbol of their job, out of everything else!

Of course this was before Toady implemented the signal for thing already being in use in red, so I had to do some ringamole using forbidding and selective unforbidding with stock screen and stockpile to make it work

[knutor]

Not sure where ya read to use cloaks in danger rooms, unless they are adamantine.  Don't.  When they fall to a x(tattered item)x state they protect nothing.  Only use exact metal uniform in danger situations.  After training, create a new metal+ uniform which includes the extra coverage.  Cloak and Hood.

Cloak does helps in danger rooms, I get more injuries without. I don't know what you mean by them running out of them, since they don't wears when impacted, they get worn out through being worn ( around half-year to a year for each level of wear ) or being on fire.

Dorfs have been replacing x(items)x, next to never in my fortresses.  Especially ones busy with active/training on.  Unless monitored ad nausea, by the player, they'll just keep training with x(items)x, which is the same as nothing.  I don't agree that only time and fire, causes cloth to decay.  What about when hit with a coated weapon during a spar?  There are other situations, also, like collisions, that are not mentioned at all.  A small danger room, may have many collisions.  Lastly, I prefer not to have a dorf show up for a spar in danger room, wearing ONLY a x(cloak)x and a x(hood)x and no metal piece because his squads equipment priority was set too low. 

All that being said, I would never suggest any player change his/her play style.  March to your own drum.  Sincerely, Knutor

[ExecratedDwarf]

The confusion is that one of you is thinking the other suggested using only cloaks in a danger room. Leather cloaks should be assigned to danger room dwarves in addition to normal armor. Cloth works just as well but doesn't seem to train armor user.

[AutomataKittay]

Yeah, I wouldn't send dwarves in danger room arse-bared but for a flowing cloak.

Leather armor and boots, bone gauntlet, helm and greaves will cover most of a dwarf ( leather armor protects the upper arm, unlike metal breastplate, but like maille ) plus a cloak and hood is pretty much perfect danger room gear. Toes and fingers being unprotected was an bug in earlier 31.xx version.

I've never had a dwarf die using those, even a quickly drafted hauler. Though giving them a leather or wood shield helps too, when I remembers to.

I still don't understand about non-armors wearing out faster on impact, my military replaces their stuff as frequently as the civilians does. It also don't seems to get damaged any more from being put through a blender, both on goblin siege being ground up or my military getting chopped.

[knutor]

No confusion here.  I understand.  I wouldn't either.

However, keep in mind, the player doesn't send them anywhere.  They go where they wish, when they wish, wearing only socks and a grin, sometimes.   Players give them an order, when they choose to do the order is a gray matter.

We wish they would always go with an exact metal uniform, but...   I've had an exact metal uniformed dorf in the grinder, supposedly wearing an exact metal uniform, actually wearing a x(dress)x and no metal chest, because he liked the material.  His skill was high enough that he didn't die of suffocation, however.  I pulled him out of danger room squad and put him in the drag queen squad.

I'd rather that not happen, so I avoid including cloth and hood.  It opens up item conflicts where they need not be.  Sincerely, Knutor

[thegoatgod_pan]

Wearing many cloaks has been scientifically tested before and confirmed to be effective. Danger room outfits should always have many cloaks and many shields.

[knutor]

Nah.  Player intelligence just does not replace dorf stupidity. 

The Exact Metal Uniform has been sufficient here.  Success really comes down to danger room designs.  Triggers, number of spears, and the cushion the fortress has in regards to cloth, in order to waste them on irrelevant item decay.  Not whether or not the dorf has a Exact Metal Uniform + a cloak. 

Exact Metal Uniform works.  Exact Metal Uniform + a cloak, works too.

The only soldiers needing eyeballs are the marksdwarfs, anyway.  I'd rather they lost their ears.  No ears, removes the 'heard smoothing/engraving noises at night' bad thought, doesn't it?

[Hans Lemurson]

I had been under the impression that any clothing/armor items assigned as part of a uniform would be immune to wear and tear.  Is this not correct?

[AutomataKittay]

I had been under the impression that any clothing/armor items assigned as part of a uniform would be immune to wear and tear.  Is this not correct?

Only actual armor is immune to wear of being worn. Backpack, quivers and waterskin don't wears, but they're not directly assignable.

Anything dwarves will wear without being assigned in military, now that they're working properly, will start to wear out by one x in around a year. Which means cloak, hoods, etc, will wear out.