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KyousukeAzai

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So playing around and surviving for a little bit (2 months to be exact) got me to think a little bit about the area I was surviving in, that being West Point and after looting pretty much the whole city dry and seeing everything there is, I just thought of something that could be added, would fit in with the lore and make a survivor's life a bit easier, though it was a bit too obvious so I thought it must have been suggested before, but after skim-reading around a little bit I havent really tripped over it, but if its around I apologize for repeating it

 

Hunting crossbows

Yep, not very original I imagine, but hey I dont know why such weapon isnt really available already, the idea would be pretty simple, mid-range, silent firearm that would allow you to take care of those pesky deaders that are so inconviently in your way to loot and oddly close to a horde that you could just sneak past, if it werent for that one annoying strangler. 

As far as lore goes, West Point has a gun store specialized in hunting gear and in my personal experience these tend to have not just guns, but also hunting bows and crossbows if you are into that, so the loot spot would probably be only it or the shooting range a bit to the east or one of the few hunting cabins in the woods around if you wanted to make them really hard to get.

Ammo-wise it would be pretty simple to craft together a stick and a sharpened rock (it would give use to those things aside some very basic tasks that you can use actual tools for anyway). 

And for the sake of balance it would be either a single shot weapon or you would have to rack each bolt after shooting with a relatively small capacity, lets say 4-6 bolts max. So efficient enough to take one or two guys out and be on your way, but nothing to be killing thousands with and it being silent it might just be your best friend once you find it.

You could even be able to make a hunting bow after all, that would take just a few flexible branches and a bit of twine that could work the same way, but be just the poor man's choice instead.

 

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Bows and crossbows are actually already listed as a "tentative yes" in the Commonly Suggested Suggestions thread, pinned at the top of the Suggestions subsection of the forum. While that doesn't mean it's a YES, it means it's something the devs are at least willing to consider, and has been brought up in the past.  I would politely suggest giving that specific thread a quick glance. :)

 

As for your specific suggestions, the lore does make sense with WP having a store specializing in that sort of thing.  A crossbow would indeed be good for taking out those stragglers, though in my limited personal experience aren't "silent" weapons.  Zeds in the immediate area would still, I'd wager, hear the THWAP sound your average crossbow makes while firing.

 

Fashioning a hunting bow and ammunition for bows and crossbows, while possible, takes a specific knowledge and a certain amount of practice to work out anything usable in a combat/hunting situation.  I'm not nay-saying, just pointing out that it would probably require an entirely different skill to level up.  Your average carpenter couldn't throw together a functional bow on the fly, I wouldn't think.

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Hmm whilst definitely not completely silent, an average(somewhat) quality-made hunting crossbow does have quite a bit of range, having owned one such thing in the past that sucker definitely could go for 150 maybe 200 feet if you are a good shot so, while yes the thwap would be heard in about 20-30 feet around you I was thinking such weapon would be of course used at larger distance so to use it effectively reasonably good aim (maybe a few extra upgrades such as a scope etc.) would be required. 

As far as game requirements for making a bow I was thinking it would require a reasonably high trapping perk along with carpentry say something along the lines of (4 - 6 trapping a.k.a hunting as thats as close as you can get to it and at least 5/6 in carpentry) to justify having a somewhat silent ranged weapon and I believe the devs said that at some point there will also be actual game to hunt in the game (pun absolutely intended).

 

Anyway...thats just me ranting at this point...I must have missed it on the suggested list since I actually gave it a look before this...guess that makes me an idiot so as I said apologies...

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Aw, that hardly makes you an idiot, KyousukeAzai.  I just wanted to point out the thread was there in case you missed it entirely :)

 

I do like the idea of crossbows in the game, make no mistake.  They would just have to be implemented very carefully in order to not be OP.

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  • 1 month later...

Aw, that hardly makes you an idiot, KyousukeAzai.  I just wanted to point out the thread was there in case you missed it entirely :)

 

I do like the idea of crossbows in the game, make no mistake.  They would just have to be implemented very carefully in order to not be OP.

Are they not op though? They are silent, have reusable ammo, and are very accurate. Only real problem is they require two hands and the band (Dont know that the sling thing is called) may snap. Thats about it. Also if it is a non self cocking but that isn't too hard to take care of.

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Why crossbow..just bow. Its relatively easy to make, ammo is dirt cheap (the only trouble to get is the back part of an arrow, feathers or so) and the killing power is exceptional on mid range. We ll need bows only when we ll get animals though, as zombies won't give a ship about an arrow in their head

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Based on zombie lore, I'd like to point out that the best way to kill a zombie is to destroy the brain.  Also, you could chop off the head, or at least render it incapable of moving by hacking off limbs.  Now, as a hunter, I have to point out that most bolts (crossbow) and arrows are fitted with field points for target practice, and broad-heads for hunting.  The point of the arrow "tip" is to sever blood vessels or, with a good shot to the liver, cause a massive bleed-out for the animal.  Zombies don't have to worry about bleeding out, since they're already dead.  For anyone that's ever hit a bone when shooting a deer, it will destroy your broad-head, and it will stop there...maybe it might crack the bone a little.  So, when shooting a zed in the head with a bullet = massive head trauma and brain destruction.  Hitting a zed in the head with a broad-head tip = broken tip.  If you even did penetrate the skull bone with a field point, it wouldn't cause much damage.  If you hit the zed in the chest with the arrow, you would just have lost an arrow until you hacked him to death (again) with an axe.  Only thing I could see bows and crossbows being used for is hunting wild game when (if?) animals are introduced.

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I'd save the broad head arrow tips for hunting animals, definitely. For zombies, I'd probably suggest a wooden arrow with a fire hardened tip. Save those good arrows for hunting. Might not penetrate the skull, but it could definitely cause some cracks and fractures. Especially if the zombie is in an advanced state of decomposition, which might weaken the bone and make it easier to destroy. I could see an arrow destroying the brain in these circumstances, definitely.

 

Would definitely be a better alternative over using guns or approaching in melee to dispatch zombies in small amounts.

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Most arrow heads meant for hunting are designed to make a decent sized puncture wound and cause the animal to bleed to death. Most, not all.

I'm not sure if bleeding to death is something Zomboid Zeds care about, but it'd be a safe bet that they don't and so I think I agree with the idea of bolts being used for animals instead.

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Ammo crafting wise, its maybe a bit of a misconception that arrows are easy to make. Just tying chipped rocks and gluing feathers to a stick would make an incredibly inaccurate bolt.

Building bows is, too, far more complex than sticks and string. Most wooden bows are made from entire logs and combined with things like sinew, rawhide, or bone to equalize compression and tension forces so your shootstick doesn't splinter into pieces. And take weeks to months to finish.

While crossbows would add to the rustic feel, like others, I question their usefulness. Bows, despite what movies/games portray, are actually very loud. Not as loud as a gun, but if your close enough to hit something, its going to hear you.

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Ammo crafting wise, its maybe a bit of a misconception that arrows are easy to make. Just tying chipped rocks and gluing feathers to a stick would make an incredibly inaccurate bolt.

Building bows is, too, far more complex than sticks and string. Most wooden bows are made from entire logs and combined with things like sinew, rawhide, or bone to equalize compression and tension forces so your shootstick doesn't splinter into pieces. And take weeks to months to finish.

While crossbows would add to the rustic feel, like others, I question their usefulness. Bows, despite what movies/games portray, are actually very loud. Not as loud as a gun, but if your close enough to hit something, its going to hear you.

 

I agree with the first two parts, but I must disagree with that last bit.  Bows are not THAT loud, and can be extremely accurate at even ranges of a hundred feet, and would only be heard maybe 20 feet away.  40, if the acoustics of the nearby area are capable of it.  I would say it's probably just a bit louder than say, crushing a skull, because smashing a skull in isn't something that's quiet.  (I'm assuming, with all the bone, and brains, and liquid that it wouldn't be quiet.)

 

Crafting a good (For zombie killing, with it's particular needs of weight and a single point) arrow or bolt would be next to impossible, really.  In my opinion, tips like these or these would work well, particularly on a weighted spine.  (fine point+more mass= greater penetrative power, though correct me if I'm wrong.)

 

As far as building a bow, creating a bow with the proper draw weight would be extremely difficult, especially for someone that has never done it before.  Finding the right type of tree or wood to create it from, free from too many defects, carving it to the right shape, and steaming or heating it so you can bend it into the right  shape... Even for a simple bow, the process would be long, and difficult.  And the chances of it resulting in a bow that would have the proper draw weight, and not snap when you went to draw it, well, unless your very talented and pretty lucky, that's not going to happen your first go around.

 

And I'm just going to point this out, but a person would likely have a better chance of piercing the skull on the sides or possibly behind, as this is where most of the "plates" of bones that make up the skull join together, the most likely weak points of the skull.  (I doubt this will ever be included in the game, just figured you guys might find the info interesting.)

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who is to say that the everyday man cant make a crappy bow? a branch and some twine should be enough to shoot something from it even if that something don't do to much. taking the "park ranger" class or "boy scout" trait would even be enough evidence for me to say he knows how to make a bow and arrows. i like the idea of making somthing simple but not very effective. i hate having to try and lure only 1 or 2 zombies out of a mass of 15 to smack with an axe just to not make any noise. a bow would be great.

  • Branch + twine = first level bow. the camage (draw strength) wold be crap and range low and the bow would brake after 50 shots
  • sturdy stick x2 + twine x4 + glue = second level bow. the damage would be higher and range would be good. this bow last 200 shots.
  • (Found) = cross bow. strongest and most accurate the range is the same as second level bow and bow will last 500 shots

as for ammo, the basic arrow/bolt is easy to make (just sharpen a sturdy stick) but as you can imagine this arrow would not last to long or be to accurate.

  •  blade + sturdy stick = level 1 arrow. this should have a penalty to accuracy and be destroyed after the first shot.
  • twine/glue + "chipped stone"(foraging) + arrow = increases the durability of the arrow allowing it to be retrieved and re-used
  • twine/glue + "feathers"(foraging or plucked from trapped birds) + arrow = increased accuracy to arrows
  • (found) = modern arrow. best accuracy, and durability, and gives a slight bonus to damage.

i think bows should be very inaccurate compared to guns, not because bows themselves are inaccurate but because a bow is harder to learn how to aim than a gun. players should go through more arrows than bullets. players are sacrificing accuracy for silence imo its a good trade off. if players hit a zombie but not in the head its going to notice them and begin to chase them. there are many ways this can be useful. if you were to try and do this with a gun. the whole town is going to know about it.

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