Bows and Arrows in video games

[KingHodor]

At this point you are VERY much overestimating the lethality of guns. They don't guarantee a kill, unless you're in a Hollywood movie of something. Depending on the type of arrowhead used a bow can do more damage to the flesh than a bullet. Both are fatal if they hit a vital organ. While I'm not saying a bow will outperform a high-caliber sniper rifle or anything like that, a solid bowshot can at the very least match most small firearms.

It really depends. When it comes to cutting through flesh, broadhead arrows outperform bullets. When it comes to penetrating hard stuff, the bullet wins out.

A high-powered compound bow with a good broadhead can humanely take an elephant (which otherwise requires a really big gun or a lot of bullets - whereas the arrow does its job with the kinetic energy equivalent of a tiny rimfire cartridge), but when any kind of penetration of solid objects is required, a common rifle easily wins out.

 

[Nieroshai]

They're silent weapons with retrievable ammo. A crossbow might be better, but then there's the problem of reload speed. I'm sad they didn't implement it in Far Cry 3, but the ammo for bows is more easily craftable than guns.

In Crysis 3, I'd say the only good reason is that the super suit lets you put a ridiculous amount of draw strength into the bow, with the payoff of at least twice the velocity and penetration of a normally shot arrow. Thus, a silenced sniper weapon with more lethality than a low-caliber full metal jacket.

Wooden arrows may be easier to craft than bullets, but they are also not particularly stable. Making carbon (not to mention aluminium-carbon composite) arrows is harder than making smokeless powder, casting/swaging bullets and re-loading empty casings. Re-using possibly damaged carbon arrows is nothing less than dangerous.

Regarding your super-bow example: When you're putting in 4 times the kinetic energy to make an arrow fly twice as fast (remember, KE = m*v²), then that arrow is suddenly going to be way too light for all the energy you're putting into it. Which means there is a good chance that it will break under the acceleration, especially if it's a retrieved arrow, driving pieces of the shaft into your hand and/or arm. I don't have to mention that this is going to very painful, and you won't be shooting a bow anytime soon.

You do have a point, albeit only in worlds where a frat boy lost in the jungle can't figure out how to properly skin and tan and sew animal hides after only a week, and Koreans can't see through rubble and foliage to spot a prone motionless soldier. Even then, having not played Crysis 3 (apparently), I'm not even sure if arrows are retrievable in that game, or what they're made of. My reply to splintering: physics be damned, everything else is made of adamantium and is as light and dense as cardboard.


What I mean to say is that in video games, even realistic video games, there are some implausibilities we have to accept or else we never go anywhere. I think indestructible arrows is one of those things.

 

[Ashadowpie]

i forget what game it was but i used a bow and killed the badguy, ran up to him and got my arrows back thats another good reason to use a bow! you can get your ammo back, once you shoot a bullet, it blows up or whatever.

 

[Nieroshai]

It's good that at least some of the people in this thread know their archery.

Also, to re-iterate my point on why the "bows are great because you can re-use arrows" argument is flawed: Do a Google Image search on "carbon arrow injury". Or better yet, save yourself from nightmares and don't, and take my word that you do *not* want to put your hand in front of a slightly cracked piece of carbon fiber that's about to be accelerated from 0 to 325 fps over a distance of 23 inches.

We're talking about arrows in games. Do you really WANT devs to account for damage to arrows? You're right of course, in real life, but believe me when I say encouraging players to use bows by letting them retrieve arrows should not be combined with punishing players by maiming their hands for trying to use them. Rule of Cool does get to win out sometimes when you're trying to entertain as opposed to simulate.

 

[Nieroshai]

It's not that strange. There are some definite advantages to bows. They are easy to maintain, completely silent, less prone to malfunction than firearms. The main downside to bows is the amount of training required to use them effectively compared to the training required to use guns, meaning any widespread deployment of bows is pointless. However, in a survivalist/stealth context they make a fair bit of sense.

In addition to the training needed to employ them effectively, they lack the significant range of a rifle.

In combat, there's a great difference between the effective range of a weapon and the typical range of an engagement. There is a reason bows are still used for hunting; they don't have the range of a rifle, but along with doing the deed without a big BOOM, they do have enough range to hunt, and that's all that counts.

 

[Nieroshai]

How many people have actually shot a bow on here? No they are not completely silent. And remember, arrows are designed to bleed out the target by cutting through its major arteries. An "insta-kill" with a bow is a rare phenomena. Go hunting with a bow and you know what I mean. So if one did try to stealthily take out enemies with a bow an arrow more than likely the first guy you hit would have enough time to set off an alarm/alert others before he bleeds out. Unless of-course, you magically hit him in the head.

Sorry to be nit-picky but its not called a silencer, its called a suppressor, because it doesn't completely "silence" the weapon.

OT

Stronghold Crusader.. Can never have enough Archers... Especially if you give them braziers.

1. "Twang" is far more quiet than BANG!"
2. Hunters use bows because they are silent, and swear by them. There are even attachments to the bowstring that disturb the air and soften the sound. Sure, someone will hear something, but it will take them a while to realize what, and from where.
I have a feeling the distinction between "I've held a bow before" and "I've hunted with a bow before" is lost on a significant number of posters. The archery range isn't a perfect example of what a bow is or does. If you (Escapists at large) hunt, I apologize for not knowing, but then how do you believe what you do and still bag game?

With silenced weapons in general, you fire them out of earshot, and if you're in a stealth situation, you're only going to take out a lone target anyway.

You are right on the no insta-kill thing, it's not inconceivable to be shot in the head however, as arrows do have a decent chance to penetrate the skull if you can manage the shot. As for "magically," someone trained with a bow has as much of a chance hitting a bullseye as a rifleman with iron sights, albeit with more need to compensate for drop and windage. I can't imagine a head being any harder than an apple-sized circle, unless it's moving.

 

[freaper]

I liked Skyrim's, though the arrow trajectory wasn't really "correct".

Age of Chivalry: Medieval Warfare did a pretty good job too.

 

[SerithVC]

D&D and Pathfinder are the best when it comes to the use of bows. As much as i hate to admit it, skyrim probably has the best video game mechanics for the bow. But if you all want a game where you can make a free roam world and pick what monsters populate it, how the towns are, what the quests are and all that stuff, i highly recommend D&D 3.5 and/or Pathfnder. D&D 4E is really only good if you want the equivalant of easy mode in video games (unless your like me and wide out a party with 2 traps and 10 kobolds which are lvl 1 creatures with 1 hp since they were minions).

 

[Alcamonic]

In Fable: The lost chapters using a bow with magical arrows are not only super good, it makes all bosses trivial.

Want 8 arrows firing a once? Now you can!

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

I miss the tech bow from Turok 1-3

 

[Jfswift]

Demon/ Dark souls use a pretty good bow system. Its extremely useful in many situations.

 

[VeneratedWulfen93]

An english yew longbow has like a stupid measurement for how hard it shoots arrows. I don't what the measurement is called but I think it relates to the force the dart is cast at. If I remember what I was told about the english longbow its that it is 4 or 5 times more powerful than the bows used in the Olympics.

I have experience with archery and even the safe arrows I used landed with a heavy thunk into the target. An arrow in the head would easily instantly kill someone.

However as practical weapon if I were to improve a bit more on my archery and ever needed to use one against another human I would use two things. Barbed/hooked arrows and poison. Simply because an arrow doesn't hit with the same force as a bullet and will not make an exit wound If I wanted to kill who I was shooting at my arrow would be barbed so it would tear the wound/ insides if it was removed and it would have a toxin of some sort coating the tip. For non lethal, the same really only i'd drop the barbed arrows and use a non-lethal poison that can incapacitate someone.

In video games the fact that an arrow can be pulled from a wound has never been used and I would love to see that feature implemented. I love Far Cry 3's archery and Skyrim's archery. Dark Souls has cool bows but they aren't very practical. Like the Dragonslayer Greatbow that fires spears.

 

[Vern]

I'll have to go back to the first FPS bow that I can remember, Turok's Tek-Bow. Yeah, the first Turok, on N64. It's still a fun game, and it had a pretty impressive arsenal of weapons. From a regular wooden bow, upgraded to the Tek-Bow that fired explosive arrows, through pump and automatic shotguns with regular and exploding shells, an assault rifle, plasma weapons, one of the most satisfying mini-guns I've ever used, up to a weapon that essentially fired thermonuclear explosions. Turok 2 had a pretty impressive arsenal, as did Turok: Evolution. The series had real promise, it's a shame it was pissed away, and it died as a crap modern shooter clone.

The initial premise was great: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. It's a guy who kills dinosaurs and the evil people trying to control them and enhance them with cybernetics. Fighting a Velociraptor with a plasma gun for an arm, or a T-Rex with a laser eye, or a Triceratops with multi-pod rocket launchers is fun.

 

[Strazdas]

A modern bow and arrow can be very effective. Problem is, one needs far more training than with firearms.
this is no new phenomenon, many games have bows. and i dont mind.

 

[Dandark]

I play a mount and blade expansion mod called Prophesy of Pendor.
I thought bows were terrible in that mod, then I saw the Noldor......

I usaully like bows and arrows well enough but games don't always implement them too well. Mount and blade did a pretty decent job of it like they did for most things, I get really annoyed at bows being damn near useless in games compared to using ranged magic instead.

I know that they are usually supposed to be used by the stealthy assassin/thief/rouge but it would be great if games started making more warrior focused bows, even if they resort to using crossbows. Anyone here read the Berserk manga? You know the crossbow guts uses? GIMME SOME OF DAT!

 

[Tamrin]

I will say I felt the bow in Far Cry 3 could have been better. The normal arrows to be specific. Normal arrows were a bit underpowered and a total ***** to find if you miss and go looking to pick them up. The explosive and pyro arrows were fun as hell and no problem.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

There needs to be a game based on this man... and then that will have the best use lf a bow in a game!!