Muro's Arcanum Weapon Database version 1.0.5 (2016 update!)

Good heavens, is Christmas early this year or what?

227 weapons total in 239 entries.

The user fills in the following information about the character for which the weapon data will be calculated:

• Strength
• Magick/Tech Aptitude
• Melee Training
• Throwing Training
• Firearms Training
• Bow Training

The database, in return, provides the following data about every weapon:

• Name
• Type
• Magick/Tech/Hexed/Neutral
• Magick/Tech Complexity
• Magickal Power Available
• Minimal Strength Required: one-handed (shield/device in another hand)
• Minimal Strength Required: two-handed (no shield/device in another hand)
• Speed
• Action Points per Attack
• Minimal Damage
• Maximal Damage
• Average Damage per Action Point
• Ammo Units per Attack
• Average Damage per Ammo Unit

The data can then be sorted in any way the user wishes.

Much more information can be found in the database's readme part.

~ DOWNLOAD LINK ~

Do enjoy yourselves.

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Changes in version 1.0.1:

- Corrected the damage calculating formulas of the Sword of the Derian Ka.
- Added the Sword of the Derian Ka section to the README part.

Changes in version 1.0.2:

- Corrected the damage calculating formulas of the Fine Revolver.

Changes in version 1.0.3:

- Fixed a loophole in minimum and maximum damage calculating formulas which erroneously elevated the damage of the Axe of Lost Time and Grack's Burdensome Staff for characters combining low strength and high magickal aptitude.

Changes in version 1.0.4:

- Added the Bow of Damage to the DATABASE part.

Changes in version 1.0.5:
- Fixed sorting for the 2007 and later versions of Excel. (!!)
- Included additional trivia in the Harrow section of the README part.
- Removed the mention of a potential side database supporting mods (A:WIP or otherwise) from the README part (since by this point it's pretty clear I'll never get around to that).
- Added a couple more entries in the Thanks section.

 

This is excellent! Thank you for your hard work.

 

I really love to come to arcanum forum to see people are still interested in the deep details of game, now reading through the guide. thanks alot for your hardwork Muro

PS: I am really looking forward to a version of this with Fatigue Damage values included in the future, and about data collection if there is anything we can anyhow be helpful I would love to do my best

 

Looks really good! I wish that I wasn't such a lazy jerk, so I could actually read it and give a better feedback.

Also, a small suggestion, not all people have MS Excel/OpenOffice installed, so it might be a good idea to export it into html page or tell dummies to download the Excel Viewer. Just saying...

 

What can I say, such a positive reception is always a nice thing to experience.

Fatigue damage? As in, people actually pay attention to that parameter while choosing weapons?

That would be the most handy version of the database, indeed. Had I the HTML skill required for such an endeavour, I would be more than happy to create such a thing and host it on TA, but alas, I do not.

I checked that Excel Viewer thingy. It allows to view xls files but not to modify their content, which means one cannot change the values of Strength, Aptitude nor training levels in it, nor is it possible for him to sort the data in any way with that program.

Needless to say, while the database still provides a lot of useful info in that state, its main purpose (being a tool for ranking the damage-dealing efficiency of weapons for any desired character) is impossible to be achieved because of this.

OpenOffice's Calc is almost fine. Almost, because - as mentioned in the readme - it doesn't seem to be able to sort descendingly/ascendingly, which means it lacks an option which is very helpful in arranging the data.

The way it is, Microsoft Excel seems to be the only program with which the database is fully compatible, or at least the only one I'm aware of at the moment. I'm guessing most Arcanum players have Excel on their hard drives anyway (not necessarily a legal copy, but still), so this shouldn't be that much of a problem.

 

You don't need to know html, it's possible to export it directly from Excel as html page. File->Save As->Select HTML from bottom combo box.

Should be working, if not, making html page from it won't be hard, its simple form. Maybe the javascript you'll need to recalculate stats might be harder to code, but nothing impossible.

Try to export it, and if it won't work, tell me and I'll try to force myself to help you making that web version

 

Muro, it's awesome. It's as good as anyone could ask for.

 

I can add nothing but more applause. Well done, sir.

 

actually I only value weapons by how LESS damage they deal, how MUCH fatigue they hurt per AP for my FOLLOWERs.

therefore certain weapons shine above others like gems even though they may be considered useless normally.

-virgil is equipped in either dread armor, or magical robes with a mystical staff (the one with 60 mana and +18 fatigue damage)
-tech melees with quaility maces or gauntlets + barehand
-tech range tranqulizer guns

I have tesla rods for tech ranges/shocking staff or pyro axes or balanced swords for tech melees/magical high damage weapons for virgil in their inventories. also have dog. but dog is always in "back off" unless I need them desperately.

as to why; my chars generally lack dex/str at all (I fancy firearms / throwing / items that has effects such as; flash/smoke/stun grenades, traps, poisons, disarm spell, dominate will etc) I dont go for harm spell for example in my mage chars at all.

I love when combat takes a while (which does not happen if you have harm or high str+melee/throwing or followers in heavy weapons or simply dog around). but this brings survival problems. when coupled with my GREAT speed (dex 9 with 2 charged rings even at maxed lvls, I love jayna for her crafts when I need some more dex) I desperately need some other effects that will slow down the combat. followers knocking out one/two opponents is great for that. then I say "back off" and handle things. I even love plastics + detonator (I play in turn based, not fast-turn based). So yes, I value fatigue damage alot, especially when coupled with low damage

 

An interesting way of approaching things, symban. I might consider adding fatigue damage to future versions of the database after all.

The result is similar to an xls file viewed with the Excel Viewer - an htm file with a content that cannot be modified, therefore one can neither change the values in the six white cells nor sort the data. Any idea how to deal with this problem?

 

I used Google Docs (Create New -> Open -> Upload -> View) to view the file, it does everything Excel does. I did have to slide/stretch the C column over a bit because it defaulted column sized on the Readme for some reason. You just need a G-Mail account to use it.

The README AND the database were EXTREMELY informative for me because I didn't even know about any of the unique bugs/properties pertaining to certain weapons (throwing dagger, or shocking staff) I really appreciate all the hard work.

If possible could you add another segment to each item; Drop Type. I am curious if it is a Quest Reward, Boss Drop, Mob Drop, Purchased via shop, or perhaps craftable. I am some what ignorant on that topic. Overall I am extremely pleased with this, as well as relieved to find I am not the only one still playing this classic work of art.

~Dzarc

 

Muro should start his own Arcanum wiki. *wink wink*

 

Well, I do seem to enjoy gathering and sharing information so one day, who knows.

I checked it and the result was not the most satisfying one.

The database was laggy, it insisted on adding some empty lines at the beginning while not showing some of the last ones (probably its greatest sin, making it impossible to read some of the data), that which was supposed to be hidden wasn't and that which wasn't - was. It was possible to edit the six white cells and after one figured out how to sort the data he could do so ascendingly/descendingly, but not by leaving only cells with/without specific data in them.

All in all, it has most of Excel's possibilities but not all of them. Furthermore, the layout is distorted and while it is possible to use the database, doing so with Excel is significantly less tiresome and more user-friendly.

It's not something I would want to add to the database, really. It definitely wouldn't do the database's clarity any good.

Still, I can fully understand how that sort of data could be useful to some so here is the thing you wanted in a separate file.

Note that it was a quick work and most weapons only have the most typical and/or important location types mentioned (for it would be hardly worth mentioning that ten different NPCs have a specific weapon when it is easily found in your nearest general store).

 

Having been lurking for a while, I never felt any real reason to sign up, or to post anything. Having just discovered this however, I feel inclined to.

Thanks a tonne for the effort this must have taken Muro, your work helps metagamers everywhere.

::salute::

( Edit: Both a crap sentence flow and a grammatical error in my first post? I'm on a good start. )

 

Registering specially to thank me? Truly makes one smile during a hard day.

Thanks, Stasgard, always pleased to be of service. Glad you find the database useful.

 

Here are a few more just in case -

 

~ CONTINUED FROM HERE ~

I see. I think I'll try to contact Chris Beddoes, then. Not counting on much, but there's no harm in trying.

chrisarcanum@yahoo.com (the email address he shared in the Polished Car Arcanum readme) doesn't sound like something that is still being checked by a fellow who hasn't been heard of in the Arcanum community for about six years now, though. Anyone recalls any other means of contacting the fair chap?

 

Chris Beddoes was a fairly active poster on the RPG Codex forums back in the day, the laughing stock of the place, actually. His broken English and naivety provided an endless source of amusement. IIRC, he was from Greece.

Anyway, he disappeared from the face of the internet a long time ago, so I doubt you'll be able to contact him and take an interview about his "masterpiece" of a mod.

 

Excellent work Muro!

Have you any more motivation left to still work on the database a bit?

How about a column with plain old average damage, not per AP? It's not hard to see the ballpark when just looking at the stats now, but having the exact numbers visible could be nice. When comparing different weapons on hand this could be an extra criterion. A character with a certain amount of AP could have an equal number of attacks with weapons of different speed, for example 11 AP with attack costs 4&5. Also I think higher damage weapons give more xp, allowing bigger overkill on weaker monsters even if they die in one hit.

Come to think of it, I guess it could be possible to calculate damage/turn if the character's speed were an extra variable in the database. Character speed per attack AP cost, rounded up, times average damage for the weapon.

 

They don't. You always get exactly the same amount of XP for killing a critter, no matter how many hits did it take you, just as long as all the hits were yours.