Armor Multipliers
- Armor multipliers are not related to, and have no affect on Armor Types or Template:TTL. In this case, "armor" is a label given to bonuses that decrease damage taken overall.
There is a comment in the rules:
; For armor, think of it as max strength being multiplied by the number (in reality, damage is divided by this
For general modding, you can adhere to this comment. However, analyzed in detail, there are two subtle differences between a straight multiplier to Template:TTL, and a divisor to Template:TTL taken:
Damage Taken
A slight advantage over a straight multiplier is squeezed out of the way strength and damage are calculated – in integers, rather than floating point numbers. Any decimals are simply knocked off. This leads to a minimal fraction of damage that just "vanishes" with every hit, from the notion of a multiplier variant, and can, under certain circumstances, buy the unit enough strength to take one or more additional hits.
Examples
- We are assuming a tank with a Strength of 1000. The tank collects a promotion crate, and Template:TTL is applied. The tank is then ambushed with a weapon that, after Template:TTL is applied, deals 100 damage with each hit.
If armor bonuses were a straight multiplier to Strength, the tank would now have 1500 hitpoints, of which 100 are deducted with each hit. The tank can withstand 15 hits before being destroyed (1500 ÷ 100 = 15).
However, armor bonuses are applied as a divisor to Damage. Therefore, the tank still has 1000 hitpoints, but only 66 are deducted with each hit (100 ÷ 1.5 = 66.66...), and as noted above, the decimals are dropped. But 1000 ÷ 66 = 15.1515..., meaning that after taking 15 shots, the tank still has 10 hitpoints left (66 × 0.1515... = 9.99...). So in actuality, the tank can withstand 16 hits before being destroyed – one additional shot to kill the last fraction of health. - The examples get more extreme the less damage is dealt. If the weapon dealt only 10 points of damage each shot, it would take 150 shots on a multiplier (1500 ÷ 10 = 150). But as a divisor, the figures show that it would take 167 shots (1000 ÷ 6 = 167) – a whopping 17 shot difference!
Healing & Repairs
The more important or "obvious" difference between armor bonuses being a multiplier to strength and a divisor to damage taken is that a unit with an armor bonus heals/repairs to full strength in the same time that it takes the same unit without the armor bonus. This is because the unit's hitpoints remain the same; it just takes less damage.
Assuming Template:TTL applies to units as well, figures show that
- It will take 188 repair ticks as a multiplier (1500 ÷ 8 = 188).
- It will take 125 repair ticks as a divisor and without the armor bonus (1000 ÷ 8 = 125).
Taking into account that Template:TTL works out to roughly one second, that's a difference of over a minute of repair time.
