Difference between revisions of "Recon armor"

Latest revision as of 03:18, 17 February 2024

Recon armor is a set of power armor that forms a full set along with the Recon helmet.

Acquisition[edit]

Recon armor can be crafted at a fabrication bench once the recon armor research project has been completed. Each requires 80 Plasteel, 10 Uranium, 3 Advanced components, 45,000 ticks (12.5 mins) of work modified by the general labor speed of the crafter, and a crafting skill of 6.

Alternatively, the armor can be received as a quest reward, purchased from traders, or found on Imperial Janissaries and other Raiders.^[Which?]

Analysis[edit]

Overall, recon armor tends to be overshadowed by the flak vest + over-garment combination. Thus, many players like to skip recon armor and just build the heavier power armors instead. But if move speed is of utmost importance, such as for kiting tactics, then recon is the best for the job.

Compared to flak vests[edit]

Flak vests are the primary competitor to recon armor. They are significantly cheaper, require less research. And, unlike recon armor, vests can be worn with duster, jacket or flak jacket for extra protection. A vest becomes significantly better when paired with dusters of strong materials such as devilstrand or thrumbofur.

Sharp: A flak vest alone is better at protecting the torso, vital organs, neck, and shoulders against Sharp attacks - the most common type of damage. This only becomes better with any sort of outerwear.
Blunt: Flak and duster is slightly inferior than recon against Blunt attacks. However, the qualitative and quantitative disparity between the armor sets is small. At most, this is a 4% - 5% armor difference. In any case, even recon doesn't offer much Blunt armor, relative to the AP of blunt weapons likely to be faced.
Heat: When worn with any duster better than cloth, dusters provide roughly equivalent Heat armor to all body parts. Devilstrand or hyperweave dusters offer massively more Heat protection to all body parts.

As the vest doesn't cover the limbs, recon armor will always protect natural arms and all legs against Blunt and Sharp attacks, regardless of duster material. While the limbs impact combat performance, they aren't "vital" to a pawn's life, unlike the heart, liver, or neck protected by the vest. If an arm or leg happens to be shot off, then it can be replaced for 15 Plasteel, 4 Advanced components, assuming there is a surgeon with decent Medical skill available. Note: Artificial arms (prosthetic, bionic, and archotech arms) attach at the shoulder; their installation allows the vest to protect the full arm. Installation of two such arms limits the benefits of recon to only the legs.

Also note that flak vests provide a −0.12 c/s move speed, while recon does not slow the user at all.

Thus, while not necessarily outright superior, flak vests and a suitable outer layer are often a better choice for their more focused protection and significant cost effectiveness.

Compared to other power armors[edit]

Recon armor is the lightest of the three power armors, the other two being marine armor and cataphract armor. Compared to the others, it is notably cheaper, requires less research, and doesn't slow move speed, but offers the least protection. The recon armor is roughly equivalent to marine armor one quality level below (e.g. a Normal Recon armor ~= Poor Marine armor), or cataphract armor two quality levels below.

Generally speaking, if the full body protection of recon is valuable enough to warrant its use despite its cost, upgrading to at least marine armor is also worth the extra cost. Exceptions exist however, such as when recon is all that can be acquired or when a set of particularly high quality is available.

Compared to locust armor[edit]

Locust armor is a sidegrade to recon armor. Locust armor has −5% Sharp and −5% Blunt armor, before quality. It also costs 40 plasteel, 3 components, and 100 chemfuel more than regular recon. A jump pack, which gives a functionally equivalent jump, costs 30 Plasteel, 3 Components, 100 Chemfuel, so this is only a 10 plasteel difference. Note that a full set of locust armor must be replaced when destroyed, while a jump pack will never degrade when worn.

In exchange, locust armor (and jump packs) allows for up to 5 jumps at once, each costing 20 chemfuel. You are invincible during the jump, but have a small warmup and cooldown, as mentioned in the locust armor page. Jump distance is variable by quality, but a normal quality locust armor can jump up to 23.9 tiles. Unlike the jump pack, locust armor does not take up the utility slot, meaning you can wear a shield belt or other item with it.

Overall, if you would be using recon armor for mobility, then you should use either jump packs or locust armor as soon as Jump packs have been researched. The jumps give more options for movement, which helps with mobility. If you have any other item you'd like to equip in the utility slot, then use locust armor; the net 10 plasteel cost and armor penalty is negligible. If you have no other uses for the utility slot, then jump packs are slightly cheaper and are functionally the same. However items like smokepop packs and firefoam pop packs are cheap and can be very helpful in certain scenarios.

Stats table

Recon armor	Sharp	Blunt	Heat	HP	Insulation - Cold	Insulation - Heat	Market Value
Quality	Sharp	Blunt	Heat	HP	Insulation - Cold	Insulation - Heat	Market Value
Awful	55.2%	24%	27.6%	280	-25.6 °C (-46.1 °F)	+7.2 °C (13 °F)	770
Poor	73.6%	32%	36.8%	280	-28.8 °C (-51.8 °F)	+8.1 °C (14.6 °F)	1155
Normal	92%	40%	46%	280	-32 °C (-57.6 °F)	+9 °C (16.2 °F)	1540
Good	105.8%	46%	52.9%	280	-35.2 °C (-63.4 °F)	+9.9 °C (17.8 °F)	1925
Excellent	119.6%	52%	59.8%	280	-38.4 °C (-69.1 °F)	+10.8 °C (19.4 °F)	2310
Masterwork	133.4%	58%	66.7%	280	-48 °C (-86.4 °F)	+13.5 °C (24.3 °F)	3540
Legendary	165.6%	72%	82.8%	280	-57.6 °C (-103.7 °F)	+16.2 °C (29.2 °F)	4540

^{For the full effects of qualities, see Quality.}

Protection charts[edit]

Note: Lower on the graph is better.

Sharp Armor

Blunt Armor

Trivia[edit]

Every set of Recon armor found on an Imperial Janissary will be black.

Version history[edit]

1.1.0 - Added.
1.1.2647 - No longer meets the clothing requirement of nobles, replaced in that role by Prestige recon armor
1.2.2753 - Icons of spacer armor now display as off-white instead of dark gray.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{infobox main
+{{Infobox main
 | name = Recon armor
-| image = ReconArmor.png|Recon armor
+| image = ReconArmor.png
 | description = A suit of light partially-powered armor, designed to permit quick movement. Lightweight plasteel-weave plates block attacks without compromising mobility, and neuro-memetic assistors in the lower body allow a human to wear the armor and still move easily. Armor like this is often used by imperial scout troops and glitterworld police forces.
 | type = Gear
 | type2 = Armor
+| tech level = Spacer
 | hp = 280
 | production facility 1 = Fabrication bench
 | research = Recon armor
 | work to make = 45000
+| work speed stat = General Labor Speed
 | resource 1 = Plasteel
 | resource 1 amount = 80
@@ Line 22: / Line 24: @@
 | insulationheat = 9
 | mass base = 9
+| lifestage = Adult
+| clothing for nudity = True
 | coverage = Torso, Neck, Left Shoulder, Left Arm, Right Shoulder, Right Arm, Left Leg, Right Leg
 | layer = Middle, Outer
 | skill 1 = Crafting
 | skill 1 level = 6
+| has quality = true
 | thingCategories = ApparelArmor
 | tradeTags = HiTechArmor
@@ Line 32: / Line 37: @@
 | thingSetMakerTags = RewardStandardHighFreq
 }}
-'''Recon armor''' is a set of power armor that forms a full set along with the [[Recon helmet]].
+'''Recon armor''' is a set of [[power armor]] that forms a full set along with the [[Recon helmet]].
 == Acquisition ==
-As a complicated piece of technology, Recon Armor can only be made at the [[Fabrication bench]] and requires [[Research#Recon armor|Recon Armor]] to be researched in order to be constructed. Crafting the armor requires {{Required Resources}}s, {{ticks|{{P|Work To Make}}}}, and a [[Skills#Crafting|crafting skill]] of 6.
+{{Acquisition}}
-Alternatively, the armor can be received as a quest reward, purchased from traders, or found on [[Empire#Janissary|Imperial Janissaries]] {{RoyaltyIcon}} and other [[Raiders]].
+Alternatively, the armor can be received as a [[quest]] reward, purchased from [[trade]]rs, or found on [[Empire#Janissary|Imperial Janissaries]] {{RoyaltyIcon}} and other [[Raiders]].{{Check Tag|Which?|What other raider use recon armor?}}
+<!--Table is probably unnecessary unless other raiders wear it, but maybe should be enabled for standardaisation and ease of use anyway? - Harakoni
+{| class="wikitable sortable"
+|-
+! Raider Kind !! Chance !! Average Quality !! Health
+|-
+| [[Empire#Janissary|Janissary]] {{RoyaltyIcon}} || 100% || Normal || 70-230%
+|}
+-->
 == Analysis ==
-Recon armor is the lowest tier of the three types of power armor, the other two being the [[Marine armor]] and the [[Cataphract armor]].  As such they're both significantly cheaper and have fewer research requirements, while also offering significantly less protection. While they have the same coverage, the recon armor is roughly equivalent to a Marine armor one [[quality]] level below (e.g. a Normal Recon armor ~= Poor Marine armor), or a cataphract armor two quality levels below.
+Overall, recon armor tends to be overshadowed by the [[flak vest]] + over-garment combination. Thus, many players like to skip recon armor and just build the heavier power armors instead. But if [[move speed]] is of utmost importance, such as for [[kiting]] tactics, then recon is the best for the job.
+=== Compared to flak vests ===
+[[Flak vest]]s are the primary competitor to recon armor. They are significantly cheaper, require less research. And, unlike recon armor, vests can be worn with [[duster]], [[jacket]] or [[flak jacket]] for extra protection. A vest becomes significantly better when paired with dusters of strong materials such as [[devilstrand]] or [[thrumbofur]].
+* '''Sharp:''' A flak vest alone is better at protecting the torso, vital organs, neck, and shoulders against [[Apparel#Protection|Sharp attacks]] - the most common type of damage. This only becomes better with any sort of outerwear.
+* '''Blunt:''' Flak and duster is slightly inferior than recon against Blunt attacks. However, the qualitative and quantitative disparity between the armor sets is small. At most, this is a 4% - 5% armor difference. In any case, even recon doesn't offer ''much'' Blunt armor, relative to the {{AP}} of blunt weapons likely to be faced.
+* '''Heat:''' When worn with any duster better than [[cloth]], dusters provide roughly equivalent Heat armor to all body parts. Devilstrand or [[hyperweave]] dusters offer massively more Heat protection to all body parts.
+As the vest doesn't cover the limbs, recon armor will always protect natural arms and all legs against Blunt and Sharp attacks, regardless of duster material. While the limbs impact combat performance, they aren't "vital" to a pawn's life, unlike the heart, liver, or neck protected by the vest. If an arm or leg happens to be shot off, then it can be replaced for {{Required Resources|Bionic arm}}, assuming there is a surgeon with decent [[Medical]] skill available. Note: Artificial arms ([[prosthetic arm|prosthetic]], [[Bionic arm|bionic]], and [[archotech arm]]s) attach at the shoulder; their installation allows the vest to protect the full arm. Installation of two such arms limits the benefits of recon to only the legs.
+Also note that flak vests provide a {{--|0.12}} {{CS}} [[move speed]], while recon does not slow the user at all.
-Compared a [[flak vest]] and [[duster]], the recon armor offers strictly superior protection to the arms and legs when all items are the same [[quality]], regardless of duster material. The interactions of two layers are dictated by the games [[Armor#Armor Rating|Armor Rating calculations]], and the result is that any combination of duster and flak vest offers superior protection of the torso, neck and shoulders than the recon armor, assuming all items are the same quality. The overall impact of the opposing traits of superior arm and leg protection and inferior torso, neck and shoulder protection on pawn survivability is currently unclear. However in this comparison, it should be noted that several vital organs are in the torso and the destruction of these can result in immediate death.
+Thus, while not necessarily outright superior, flak vests and a suitable outer layer are often a better choice for their more focused protection and significant cost effectiveness.
-It should also be noted that flak vests come with a movement penalty of -0.12c/s while the recon armor does not, meaning may be a reason to choose the recon armor even with inferior protection.
-It occupies both the overgarments, middle, and shell layers, while flak vests only occupy the middle layer - meaning it can't be worn with dusters.
+=== Compared to other power armors ===
+Recon armor is the lightest of the three [[power armor]]s, the other two being [[marine armor]] and [[cataphract armor]].{{RoyaltyIcon}} Compared to the others, it is notably cheaper, requires less research, and doesn't slow [[move speed]], but offers the least protection. The recon armor is roughly equivalent to marine armor one [[quality]] level below (e.g. a Normal Recon armor ~= Poor Marine armor), or cataphract armor two quality levels below.
-{{Apparel Quality Table}}
+Generally speaking, if the full body protection of recon is valuable enough to warrant its use despite its cost, upgrading to at least marine armor is also worth the extra cost. Exceptions exist however, such as when recon is all that can be acquired or when a set of particularly high quality is available.
+=== Compared to locust armor===
+[[Locust armor]]{{RoyaltyIcon}} is a sidegrade to recon armor. Locust armor has {{--|5%}} Sharp and {{--|5%}} Blunt armor, before [[quality]]. It also costs {{Icon Small|Plasteel}} 40 [[plasteel]], {{Icon Small|Component}} 3 [[component]]s, and {{Icon Small|Chemfuel}} 100 [[chemfuel]] more than regular recon. A [[jump pack]],{{RoyaltyIcon}} which gives a functionally equivalent jump, costs {{Required Resources|Jump pack}}, so this is only a 10 [[plasteel]] difference. Note that a full set of locust armor must be replaced when destroyed, while a jump pack will never degrade when worn.
+In exchange, locust armor (and jump packs) allows for up to 5 jumps at once, each costing {{Icon Small|Chemfuel}} 20 [[chemfuel]]. You are invincible during the jump, but have a small warmup and cooldown, as mentioned in the locust armor page. Jump distance is variable by quality, but a normal quality locust armor can jump up to 23.9 tiles. Unlike the jump pack, locust armor does not take up the [[utility]] slot, meaning you can wear a [[shield belt]] or other item with it.
+Overall, if you would be using recon armor for mobility, then you should use either jump packs or locust armor as soon as [[Research#Jump packs|Jump packs]] have been researched. The jumps give more options for movement, which helps with mobility. If you have any other item you'd like to equip in the utility slot, then use locust armor; the net 10 plasteel cost and armor penalty is negligible. If you have no other uses for the utility slot, then jump packs are slightly cheaper and are functionally the same. However items like [[smokepop pack]]s and [[firefoam pop pack]]s are cheap and can be very helpful in certain scenarios.
+{{Apparel Stats Table}}
+== Protection charts ==
+'''Note:''' Lower on the graph is better.
+{| class="wikitable"
+! Sharp Armor
+|-
+| {{Apparel Protection Chart
+| color = Mediumturquoise, Red, Firebrick, Lightgrey, Grey, Black
+| set1name = Recon Armor (Sharp)                | set1armor1 = {{Q|Recon armor|Armor - Sharp}}
+| set2name = Flak + Devilstrand [Torso] (Sharp) | set2armor1 = {{#expr:{{Q|Duster|Armor Factor - Sharp}}*{{Q|Devilstrand|Armor - Sharp Factor}}*100}} | set2armor2 = {{Q|Flak vest|Armor - Sharp}}
+| set3name = Flak + Devilstrand [Limbs] (Sharp) | set3armor1 = {{#expr:{{Q|Duster|Armor Factor - Sharp}}*{{Q|Devilstrand|Armor - Sharp Factor}}*100}}
+| set4name = Flak + Thrumbofur [Torso] (Sharp)  | set4armor1 = {{#expr:{{Q|Duster|Armor Factor - Sharp}}*{{Q|Thrumbofur|Armor - Sharp Factor}}*100}}  | set4armor2 = {{Q|Flak vest|Armor - Sharp}}
+| set5name = Flak + Thrumbofur [Limbs] (Sharp)  | set5armor1 = {{#expr:{{Q|Duster|Armor Factor - Sharp}}*{{Q|Thrumbofur|Armor - Sharp Factor}}*100}}
+| set6name = Flak Vest (Sharp)                  | set6armor1 = {{Q|Flak vest|Armor - Sharp}}
+}}
+|-
+! Blunt Armor
+|-
+| {{Apparel Protection Chart
+| color = Mediumturquoise, Red, Firebrick, Lightgrey, Grey
+| set1name = Recon Armor (Blunt)                | set1armor1 = {{Q|Recon armor|Armor - Blunt}}
+| set2name = Flak + Devilstrand [Torso] (Blunt) | set2armor1 = {{#expr:{{Q|Duster|Armor Factor - Blunt}}*{{Q|Devilstrand|Armor - Blunt Factor}}*100}} | set2armor2 = {{Q|Flak vest|Armor - Blunt}}
+| set3name = Flak + Devilstrand [Limbs] (Blunt) | set3armor1 = {{#expr:{{Q|Duster|Armor Factor - Blunt}}*{{Q|Devilstrand|Armor - Blunt Factor}}*100}}
+| set4name = Flak + Thrumbofur [Torso] (Blunt)  | set4armor1 = {{#expr:{{Q|Duster|Armor Factor - Blunt}}*{{Q|Thrumbofur|Armor - Blunt Factor}}*100}}  | set4armor2 = {{Q|Flak vest|Armor - Blunt}}
+| set5name = Flak + Thrumbofur [Limbs] (Blunt)  | set5armor1 = {{#expr:{{Q|Duster|Armor Factor - Blunt}}*{{Q|Thrumbofur|Armor - Blunt Factor}}*100}}
+}}
+|}
 == Trivia ==
 Every set of Recon armor found on an [[Empire#Janissary|Imperial Janissary]] will be black.
-==Version History==
+== Version history ==
-* [[Version/1.1.0|1.1.0]] - Added
+* [[Version/1.1.0|1.1.0]] - Added.
 * [[Version/1.1.2647|1.1.2647]] - No longer meets the clothing requirement of nobles, replaced in that role by [[Prestige recon armor]]
+* [[Version/1.2.2753|1.2.2753]] - Icons of spacer armor now display as off-white instead of dark gray.
-== See Also ==
+== See also ==
-*[[Locust armor]] - a slightly less protective variant of recon armor with an integrated jump pack.
+* [[Locust armor]] - a slightly less protective variant of recon armor with an integrated jump pack.
-*[[Prestige recon armor]] - a variant of recon armor that both pleases nobles and improves psychic ability.
+* [[Prestige recon armor]] - a variant of recon armor that both pleases nobles and improves psychic ability.
-{{nav|clothing|wide}}
+{{Nav|clothing|wide}}
 [[Category:Armor]]