Bronze

[SekoETC]

Ok, this is just because getting iron is so difficult sometimes but.. couldn't we use bronze? There is copper and tin in the game, mix them together. You would need a smelting furnace for the process. Oh yeah, and coal or charcoal or gas..
Bronze could be used for weapons and jewellery, at least some of the tools that usually take iron... and locks, please! Though it would be relatively weaker and bronze lock would thus be easier to break. Since you have to combine two metals that you must get from different areas, and also build the smelting furnace so it wouldn't be too easy.

[Pirog]

I have also thought about it.
When item deterioration is implemented I would very much like to see both weapons and items made out of bronze.

Sabres, pickaxes and other steel items should be able to make with regular iron too, but with less durability.

Until that comes in effect bronze weapons might be a bit tricky to implement though...

[jeslange]

More metal types/more processing for metals is something the RD has had on its list for a while.

The issue is basically that we could make items with less durable metals and simply make them less beneficial than the iron or steel versions of the same tool/weapon type, to somewhat represent item deterioration before deterioration is actually implemented.

But then, we basically don't feel it's needed, because there are already bone, wood/stone, etc versions of a number of items, and also a char could simply choose a weapon that is easier to make and less effective than the steel/iron weapons, rather than choosing a lesser version of the steel/iron weapons which would be less effective anyway.

This does not mean that different metals aren't going to be able to be made into objects. Rather, it means we tend to let it go to the back burner for now while we focus on other things.

Actually, it's gone from the back burner to the "Things to ponder again" list, so perhaps alternative metal objects are not in the terribly far future.

[The Industriallist]

I'm not sure, but I think bronze equipment tends to be heavier. That might be a result of it being a weaker metal, so you use more, I don't know. But that gives a compensating disadvantage, maybe.

Bronze smelting uses much lower temperatures. You could do it in a kiln, maybe even an oven. In a better smelter, it could take less fuel.

[Pirog]

Industrialist>

Yeah, heating it up with wood would make bronze a good idea for people who can't find coal.

[NetherSpawn]

I'm pretty sure bronze smelting was originally done over an open wood fire. You might need some sort of tool (in theory you should need a mold, but then there would have to be molds for everything) but I don't think even a kiln would be necessary.

The reason bronze is important is because very few tools can be made without iron. Also, there is a huge gap in weapon power between a hunting bow and a war bow. I would propose scaling back hunting bow (and bone spear) damage a bit and making a bronze weapon with damage around 27-30.

Finally, bone items tend to be worse than wood items, so bone can't really function for technology between wood and iron.

[Dozess]

I support bronze lock for buildings. It may be not so reliable as iron. I have few chars in are where bronze is reasonable to make, only problem is storage of items and resources, iron is not accessible in that area.

[wichita]

Already planned.