are we all actually playing the same game? i've read numerous times now that plate proficiency doesn't allow you to use chain. that's just wrong. do you guys actually try that kind of stuff before you post? the tooltip for plate mail proficiency even states that it allows you to use both chain and plate pieces and guess what - that's exactly what it does. that's why plate proficiency costs 10 labor vs. the 5 labor of chain proficiency.

The thing with chain proficiency that I don't quite get is that I don't see chain anywhere. It isn't in the tech tree and I've only ever seen one piece of it as a random drop from a quest. What am I missing?

the armor tech (warfare tech tree) unlocks chain armor. if that tech is missing, you probably picked "no armor" faction weakness (or play default Resoln faction, which has that weakness) Edit: or you play a faction with the "Light Plate" trait (default Gilden) in which case that tech unlocks light plate armor, as stated in the trait's description

This is a really great solution, if you ask me. Since the extra labour cost already covers the trait's production value, there is absolutely no reason why we can't have a dedicated 4th armor slot that allows you to specify your unit's chosen level of armor proficiency. If it's unoccupied, maybe you could give the unit an initiative or dodge bonus, as suggested above, making leather armour need a trait too (but only do this if adding this extra slot, or nightmares arise).

On a related note, the default unit designs seem even worse now with the addition of these extra armor traits. Early game, there is really absolutely no reason to build units with additional labor costs for armor proficiencies when all you really want are cheap and quick units that, if they have full trait kit, would not need the armour proficiencies that won't even be useful until halfway through the game when you research "Armor".

Also, the new updates outfitted scouts with the Soldier's Cloak, which is fine, but it costs crystal. So now, early game, I can't even afford to build Scout units because they cost 3 crystal which of course I don't have. And again, this would be fine, except I can't redesign the scout unit and keep the "Weak" trait, so they end up costing more anyway. It's a pain! And unnecessary.

I think it would be better to have a single "Armor proficiency" trait that removes the initiative penalty of all armors. Without the trait a full set of leather armor has an initiative penalty of 2, a full set of chain mail has an initiative penalty of 4 and a full set of plate mail has an initiative penalty of 6. Commanders, defenders and warriors should have access to that trait.

First of all, it's ridiculous that chain and plate armors are different skills. Armor training consists of tempering one's body to have enough strength and stamina to move with the armor with acceptable speed, and getting accustomed to slightly diminished freedom of movement when fighting in it. But the notion that a combatant trained to fight in chainmail would be helpless in plate is ridiculous. 

Second, there is a prevailing notion in fantasy games that chainmail armor is lighter than plate, and that plate armored combatant is a sort of heavy, slow tank. Plate armor was in fact a technological upgrade to chainmail, and was superior in every way, including being lighter and offering better mobility and protection. Even when full plate suits were rendered obsolete by firearms, cavalry retained the use of plate cuirass till as late as 18th century, while nobody would ever think of wearing chainmail after 1500 AD. 

Yes, but it's a convenient fiction. Fantasy conventions are the name of the game as far as designing a fantasy 4X goes, so I don't think anybody is really complaining 

once again - chain and plate proficiency are just different skills so you can define units that don't upgrade beyond chain armor (e.g. a semi high initiative unit with fast, warg mount, haste amulet and finesse trait) - you can still upgrade the shield to a tower shield this way without breaking the whole concept of the unit. chain proficiency is slightly cheaper than plate, too. if you want to upgrade the unit to chain and later to plate, just use the plate proficiency, which - once again- unlocks both, chain and plate.

Are you sure about this statement? I have redesigned the Explorer unit speciifcally to use the Weak trait for creating cheap fodder, it's working fine as far as I can tell.

re-using the scout for the weakness trait works, but the trait is removed when you change gender or randomize their look, so you are pretty much stuck with the default look of the scout.

True. Have you tried porting the weak trait over to another custom design, then randomizing THAT unit?

Just checked this in my current game, and my redesigned Explorers, Peasants, still have the Weakness trait, and while stil male, are very different in appearance to the Explorer. So, you can alter their appearance, as long as you don't randomise their appearance first, as Azunai noted. Blind luck that  I didn't randomise their look before attempting the build, else I'd have thought it was unusable in a new design.

Also tried designing a female version, and the weakness trait also immediately disappears. Same when trying to switch to Henchman(and why can't Henchmen be female?), as well as when trying to redesign from the redesigned build, thus proving that in Legendary Heroes at least, men are the weaker sex.

Someone at Stardock has a problem with men. 

This is evidently the case! I mean, female units just aren't a thing. They require too many character models, and, as we all know, the default soldier is a male. ALWAYS A MALE.