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[Xenxe]

Ok so I started playing adventure mode for the first time and I am loving it. After my 8th adventurer died or so I decide to create an archer type character. So im doing my adventurer thing going towards a lair and i sleep in the woods then BAM kobold ambush.

I'm thinking no problem right?

So I learn how to fire the dang bow and i fire it at the nearest kobold.

SUDDENLY GAME GOES LIGHTSPEED LIKE 50 TURNS

Now I am on the ground bleeding with a mortal wound from a swordsbold behind me I bleed to death moments later while my hired wrestler friend wrestles with the swordsbold.

does it take THAT LONG to ready an arrow and fire it? I had competent in bows and skilled archer......

[Shima]

The problem with archery in general, is the reload time.  It only decreases as your weapon skill (Bow or crossbow) and the archer skill go up.

You're actually better off going as a thrower and just buying arrows or wrestling quivers off of bandits, and then throwing them.  Same damage, no reload time, and the arrows don't break from throwing, only firing.

[Xenxe]

... well that sucks even in real life my peasant self with my dabbling archer skill could knock another arrow faster than it takes a swordsbold to run like 10 meters and stab me 10 times. ( I like bows :3...not much of a chance to shoot them in the city.....)

[Ale and Axes]

A fairly safe way to train up Crossbow/Archer is going into Ambush mode and shooting bandits or wildlife. Another option is to hire a swarm of meatshield soldiers from the fortresses and shoot from behind them while they bum-rush the opposition.

A braver, less elfy way is to move towards enemy camps and shoot the mooks at max range as soon as they come into sight. They shouldn't be able to reach you before you've reloaded, so you'll have time to swap out the bow for a melee weapon and get stuck in. This doesn't train the skill fast but it can be useful way to get an early free hit in.

[Fayrik]

1. Train throwing with every rock you can find.
2. Buy arrows.
3. Profit.

I'm not kidding, when you're a ledgendary thrower, you can just throw arrows, no bows or bowskill needed. It's great!

Note: You may need archery skill to complement it, I haven't really tested that part yet.

[Xenxe]

Note: You may need archery skill to complement it, I haven't really tested that part yet.

ive found that throwing sand at a rock trains archery skill idk why

[Chilton]

Check the gamelog - I have a theory that maybe the reload didnt take that look, but you may have taken an injury putting you on the ground, and causing enough harm to keep you there while you finished the reloaded, and causing it to take longer?

[Greiger]

Reload times are the same for all ranged weapons.  So I'm guessing Toady calibrated the reload time to that of a crossbow, which was the only ranged weapon that dwarves could use.   And it certainly does take a long time to reload an old style manual crossbow if you don't know what you are doing.  Hell it takes a long time to reload one if you DO know what yer doing.

At any rate if you get really high skill with your weapon you will see a significantly shorter reload speed.  At legendary you basically don't have a reload delay.  It's like you modified your bow with a magazine or something.  It just takes a bit to get there.

And throwing rocks trains archery skill because archery skill just seems to be your ability to judge the target's distance, lead the target properly, and things like that that make you better at hitting a target at range regardless of weapon.  It's just like how fighter skill increases your melee combat capabilities regardless of weapon.


But as stated, yea, throwing a bolt is just about as effective as firing one from a crossbow.  There do seem to be some mechanics in place to make firing it from the proper weapon be better, but those are either bugged or too insignificant to matter.   Throwing a ballista arrow or trap component is also remarkably effective if you can get your hands on one.  Though they don't retain their ability to multihit from fortress mode, nothing quite yells awesome like a thrown serrated disk slicing somebody clean in half.

[Di]

Check the gamelog - I have a theory that maybe the reload didnt take that look, but you may have taken an injury putting you on the ground, and causing enough harm to keep you there while you finished the reloaded, and causing it to take longer?

Yeach
flying silver arrow scratches you in the left index finger tearing the skin
you give into a pain
kobold swordsman block flying silver arrow
kobold swordsman stab you into the upper body from behind
you've been struck down
 
(I meant arrow launched by you as it should pass above the fingers)

[Sir Iryn]

Archery and Crossbows are, IMO, kinda worthless in adventure mode now. Unless you get supremely lucky all the time, you're not going to compare to a peasant novice axeman.

[Funk]

... well that sucks even in real life my peasant self with my dabbling archer skill could knock another arrow faster than it takes a swordsbold to run like 10 meters and stab me 10 times. ( I like bows :3...not much of a chance to shoot them in the city.....)

when useing guns there is a set range(21 feet) in which you can not draw and shoot a hand gun befor an attacker with a knife can close the gap and attack
wiki page on why

[Misterstone]

I think the key word there is "draw"

[Shima]

To be fair about that, you've still gotta draw a bowstring or train a crossbow on the target.

[Kobold Troubadour]

Archery and Crossbows are, IMO, kinda worthless in adventure mode now.

Then your'e doing it wrong...or not being creative enough. Simply be in ambush mode and they can quite efficient in dealing with threats in advance (Though ammo can be a bit troublesome to acquire in vanilla DF). I've been able to wipe out bandits with just archery & head crushing without being seen or even when I'm ambushed myself...simply go to a good spot to "disappear" again & become the Hunter.

[Veroule]

This is actually a bug, that has been around since the ranged weapons were first usable in Adventurer Mode.

1. The Archery skill covers accuracy for all ranged attacks.  This is why it applies to throwing, bows, crossbows, and blowguns.
2. The individual weapon skills cover the reload time, but it is only applicable to Fortress Mode.
3. The throwing skill controls how much strength is applied to the thrown object.
4. All projectiles travel at the current speed of your adventurer.  If you lie down and fire at a faraway spot while something else is moving around you will see this very well.  Each tile of movement for the projectile is equivalent to pushing the wait '.' key one time.
What Toady needs to do is make the projectiles a seperate object as soon as they are active, allowing them to move at thier own pace; this is what happens in Fortress Mode. Then apply the reload time as needed to the adventurer.

Be sure to whine about it so he finally fixes it.