Combat Module A: Bows and arrows.

[Burzuk]

By far the most radical weapon class on AR, bows use a completely different system of how they interact with player defenses. Beginning with the help file:

[Nuonorp]

Well, first thing I did after getting on AR today was to go kill a ranger, and I noticed a few things. From a technical point of view, the help quiver feature has not yet been implemented. From a gamer's point of view, this REALLY kills those people who dual wield: I found a mob with a bow, and he absolutely slaughtered my character. You can now find me cowering behind the largest shield I can find.

[Bucky]

help file missing?

[Bucky]

Your bow bash injures a blah

Shouldnt that be, Your bow's bash?

[Brains]

As for the 'bow bash' vs. "bow's bash", I hope that you'd be the one doing the bashing (with the bow) rather than the bow doing the bashing on its own, hence 'bow bash'.

-edit
Yup, bows are two handed. As if anyone expected otherwise...

[Angelic Mortal]

From my point of view, bow is completely ownage even when they are wearing a shield it still lands quite alot. Decent damage even from an ashen longbow + arrows from the weapon store.

You can parry and dodge with it, which makes it all that more powerful especially when your dealing several attacks a round of masscre without sanc. Can't wait to find more elite bows.

[Brains]

See if you can find a thief or a ninja to shoot a bow at. My guess is (assuming practiced skills) that the bow won't seem nearly as good as it does vs those with crappy defenses, a la untrained, pre-35 warriors.

However, this does seem to suggest that, yet again, training to 90-95% is going to be mandatory. :)

[Mulan]

Sounds interesting. What classes can use bows? All of them?

[Hilemal]

Uses for bows, anyone found anything interesting? I've only had a chance to play around with one as a thief, and they do good damage (same as above, ashen + weapon store arrows). Due to the loss of parry (and now also counterbalance, which by the way, is awesome as a defensive skill), I can only see myself using it to try and finish off a weakened foe when I'm still feeling pretty healthy.

That's all I've noticed thus far. I'll keep playing with it and see what else I can find.

[Burzuk]

Still waiting for someone to hit the jackpot in saying what bows are designed for. Eldorian and I have a bet: he thinks you guys won't figure it out, and I think you guys will. Don't prove me wrong now.

[Nuonorp]

[Quiet Wanderer]

To my knowledge, bards and paladins can't use them, I don't think. I'm on crappy AOL so all I have right now is a paladin... And telnet... ::shudder::. I am not quite sure what bows would be purposeful except for ranking or destroying the dual wielding warrior of DOOM! Hail to the healers!

[divsky]

So what classes do get bows?

Please excuse my retardation as I just notice this question was just posted 2 posts ago.

[divsky]

Btw, as to what Burzuk said, I think common sense applies and bows are designed mainly for someone fighting at a distance.. i.e. not doing the tanking. Think about it, it's an awesome offensive weapon but an extremely poor defensive weapon.

Elf rangers can flee, let their pets tank, and whip out some mad pwnage from the back row.

[Bones V2.0]

[divsky]

I can't remember how many time's I've suggested that idea just to be told by dav himself that theres no way it'll ever happen, it just upsets too many balance issues.

[Gygh]

One problem with that... Rooms are diffrent lenghts. Notice how you loose diffrent amounts of movement in diffrent rooms? This is effected by the terrain and distance (I think, possibly level too). Oh and try mapping Seringale, you notice how some rooms "should" overlap. It could work, I think. But too much work, maybe there should be a spell where you can see into another room and cast a spell at a target. Nah that would be too mean.

[Burzuk]

The fact that people wielding bows do more damage with point blank (i.e. while tanking) than without pretty much shoots down the "ranged attack" theory.

Still waiting...

[Dalero]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that your reasoning behind setting up bow combat like this is two fold. 1. Its unique as hell from all other sorts of 'ranged combat' that I've seen or looked at on other muds, so go unique factor.

2. It's a way to bring interest to underplayed class combos *cough Tinth anybody?*

3. The specific conditions set behind bows got some nice bonuses and setbacks, first off, it bypasses a major defense on certain races, e.g. halflings, drow, anybody with high dex. It's another way to exploit racial weaknesses, provided they can use the arrows. *damn stormfury arrows for being anti evil*

4. Well, I lied about two reasons, but hey, it's another way to promote using different weapon styles, i.e. sword and board, or 2 handed staffs/polearms, etc.

Them's my guesses

[Resatimm]

Bows are strictly so someone can now make a human ranger, call him robin hood, and blast people with arrows.