That armor specifically? Maybe or maybe not. But muscle cuirasses were worn in battle. Roman Officers wore them for one, as well as cavalry in various periods.

Ignorant stereotype. One that's not even supported - if you compare Skyrim (and previous TES armor) to the typical female "armor" from current f2p "Asian-style" MMOs, the TES armor is positively prudish and realistic.

Revealing armor is not a "Korean MMO" thing. Western Fantasy has been showing sixy/revealing/impractical armor for decades upon decades. From the original "pulp" magazines; to old-style adventure novels (Conan, John Carter of Mars, etc); to Frazetta and Vallejo paintings; to Heavy Metal; to the D&D artwork of the 80's amd 90's (Caldwell, Parkinson, Elmore, etc)...... well, you get the idea. sixy armor (or the lack thereof) is an incredibly long-running staple of the genre.


Given that background, as I mentioned, the TES series has been remarkably restrained.



Same way you get those thick plates to make all the nice, close-fitting, articulated & curved plates for male armor - lots of hammering on an anvil.

http://www.biographyonline.net/people/images/joan.gif

Look up the box art for TES: Arena

Clearly you've never seen the female model of the ebony armor, for example.

That's Joan of Arc, a known transvestite. Your point doesn't stand up very well against that.



Why? It's easily at least a quarter-inch thick, forged into the right shape.

I think Ebony Armor has the worst case of this, when it comes to the "briast"plate.

The armor look fine to me.

Someone said inch thick. The armors are far too slender and form-fitting for that. They're too form-fitting to have much padding underneath them, either.

It's really simple. Think of how a wedge works. You hit the flat end with a hammer, but because the other end is pointed, the force is concentrated and can split wood or rock. Curve a piece of metal into a sharp edge and then hit it with a mace or even flat end of a sword, and it's like driving a wedge right into your sternum. With a rounded, uniform briastplate, the force of the blow is distributed across the whole plate.

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv146/gmosko/TESV2012-02-0318-59-03-45.jpg Orcish armor still has the center crease, but is much flatter and also looks sturdier.

I hate boob plate with a passion. I know that even some women like it, but the mind rebels. It is just so silly looking.

You're acting as though the material is flexible enough to drive the point into the sternum, which it's not. In fact, Ebony would shatter before flexing under a blow. The reason it doesn't is because it's so damn indestructible.

This is very silly because some people are choosing to compare Earth standards with Nirn standards. If anyone cannot see how this is pointless, I suggest studying history a bit more... for both worlds, mind you.

If we're talking about medieval Europe, it might be helpful for people to recall that armor was seldom worn except when actually going into battle (or dress armor for special events, receiving royalty, etc). A knight's squire was necessary to help the knight into armor, on and off horses, etc. People did NOT go running around in heavy plate armor, or most any other armor, really. They certainly did not attempt sneaking, thieving, etc in such things (not for long, anyway, because they'd be caught and immediately killed or have their hands cut off).

If we are speaking more broadly, it might be worthwhile to remember that fighting and defense has had different styles across various human cultures throughout history.

As was pointed out, ancient Greeks deliberately emphasised false muscles on their briastplates to intimidate their foes. Keep in mind that certain mythologies such as Greek and Norse had very powerful goddesses as well as gods. Emphasising the female briast is not at all against the culture or the military intent of such societies. It would be for intimidation purposes, not anything regarding some sort of need to hide the female briast or consider practical physics.

Also, I found it odd that some people claimed that ancient people did not have sophisticated math, physics, etc. Actually, they did, as many archeologists and anthropologists would tell you. That's why they were able to make not only the armor and weapons they used, but also buildings, artifacts, and other elements of their cultures.

People who hate "boob plate" must also hate the "peck plate" I suppose. That's ignoring history, though. However, as I said, Earth history doesn't matter for a fantasy game setting. The same rules do not apply. The problem is the player's perceptions and assumptions, not the game.

Finally... about East Asian art styles... I am truly sick of the ignorance shown on these forums and the lack of aesthetics in Western games. I suggest checking a variety of fantasy and/or sci-fi works from Japan, Korea, and China, and you will see a very wide variety of styles for everything from weapons to armor, or even simply clothing. Heck, check Sailor Moon, a story created by a woman for little girls, and with anime character designs by a woman. OH, but it's totally unrealistic for girls to be fighting in such outfits, or with hair that long, let alone going to the North Pole, outer space, etc, right? Yeah... well, it's a story with important motifs, and the girls have specific destinies to fulfill, so they are not bound by normal laws that you expect. Don't force your expectations on what is "appropriate" on others and everyone will be able to get along far better, right?

You're still not getting it. The plate has to be put on a person's body, with the curved edge of those ridiculous briasts pressing right on the sternum. Even if you have a couple inches padding under there (which is impossible, given that the fit is so close), that sharp edge is going to be pushed into your sternum with every blow you take on the chest. Even if it wouldn't kill you, it would be extremely painful. It should also svck the breath right out of you.

Let's not try to pretend there's anything practical about this design, okay? It's there for one reason- boobs.

Nah, it's because the ladies have discovered the advantages of sloped armor!

Please tell me how "I have big [censored]" would intimidate an enemy.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BoobsOfSteel

Furthermore, the more developed and stronger a female's pectoral muscles are, the more prominent and larger the briasts appear (This is also true of males, as one scene involving Vin Diesel in The Pacifier demonstrates).

So yes, there is a strong relationship between the physical strength and prowess of a woman and the size of her briasts. While it doesn't always hold true (especially when artificial augmentation comes into play), those are the exception, not the rule. (On that note, don't mess with my mother. Her chest puts anime mods to shame, and she throws horses around for a living)

Therefore, in a pre-implant society, the easiest way for a woman to say "I'm Strong. Don't mess with me" is to prominently display a very large bust.

Celan, you are so far off the mark with your comments it is impossible to have an intelligent discussion with you. I will respond here, but that's it. You are only looking at things from your own perception, but that doesn't matter for someone who does not share your perception. Besides, as I said, your arguments are based on false logic, anyway, because Earth and Nirn are totally different places.

The reason you seek is the same reason that "I have big [censored]" for male armor is intimidating (or is perceived to be). If you were in such a culture, the very last thing you would want is for a goddess to be angry at you or target you for the kill.

One point: armored knights did not require help getting on and off a horse. Plate armor was extremely mobile and comparable to the weight a modern soldier wears into combat - perhaps even a little less. The weight was distributed over the whole body as well, while a modern soldier carries the bulk of his weight, apart from his helmet and weapon, on his shoulders alone.

Well, please enlighten me how far off the mark I am. I find it hard to take seriously the idea that big mammary glands are going to scare anyone in battle, either on Nirn or earth.

See my post above - Before implants, large mammary structures (the glands themselves are largely irrelevant) were the easiest, most reliable way to gauge the strength of a woman, even moreso than limb muscle definition, due to the way female fascia obscures the arm and leg muscles.

oh its THIS thread again (never though i'd say it )

Well, if you instead give females the same plate armor as males and closed helmets, it quickly reaches a point where picking male or female has little consequences left cause all you see is someone in a tin plate

It could go even better. We could get cleavage armor too. One can dream..

And there is a (very small, thankfully) minority who would actually prefer that, because it would be "more realistic"


Personally, having grown up with fantasy gaming since the 80's and D&D, I'm perfectly fine with "impractical" armor that looks good. Like I said earlier, it's a staple of the genre.

It's funny that people make such a fuss over this. It's fantasy armor for a fantasy game. It doesn't matter if it would work in real life or not.

That's not as bad as some games where they're just wearing a skimpy stripper bikini and they call it armor.