Aiming your bow - suggestions?


Ultimateauthority

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Perhaps this topic has been covered before, but  how exactly do you AIM your bow and arrow at an animal?  There does not seem to be any sight to use, like with the rifle - so I was just wondering.  Also, I have noticed that you cannot shoot your arrow when you are in the crouched position.  Maybe I am getting it wrong.

 

Your suggestions are welcome.  Thanks.

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Nope, you can't shoot the bow from crouching. This is personally something I'd like to see added with higher archery skill levels; shooting a bow in a tilted, or even horizontal position, isn't that detrimental to aim with low-tech equipment. 

You can shoot a bow from crouching at archery skill level 5.

As for aiming, it takes some getting used to, but probably the best way is to use the head of the arrow as your sight and build a feel for how high you need to aim for various distances. If you have a lot of arrows, you can practice against inanimate objects (or an archery target, if you find one), but this will damage your arrows (potentially a precious resource). It is probably best to get a feel for it "on the job" - but maybe trial and error is better against deer and rabbits, rather than wolves.

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I'm rubbish with the arrow myself but @mystifeid has quite a lot of experience wolf hunting with the bow :)

There is a target reticle with the bow but it becomes invisible when you draw the bow back. Accurately placing a shot then becomes an exercise in remembering where the reticle was and anticipating how it moved as a result of drawing back the bow. Also, your range with the bow is quite limited.

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You could also setup a Pilgrim game for practice.  Make a bow and a bunch of arrows and bring them to the Barn in PV.  There is a target there you can practice with.  You could also mark different distances by putting things on the ground to stand behind.  Start off close to the target and back up as you begin to get a feel for it.

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20 hours ago, Timber Wolf said:

You could also setup a Pilgrim game for practice.  Make a bow and a bunch of arrows and bring them to the Barn in PV.  There is a target there you can practice with.  You could also mark different distances by putting things on the ground to stand behind.  Start off close to the target and back up as you begin to get a feel for it.

That's a great idea Timber - you approach the subject just like you would do it in real life. 

You must have had your brain food this morning (wink).

 

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^^^ Or just use the save game system to your advantage.

Enter building/Exit building.  Practice with Bow and Arrow.  Exit/Reload.  Repeat until you can predict where the bow is shooting.

 

Note: "Targeting Dot" is not a targeting dot.  It is the selection dot for picking things up.  It used to be on the screen all the time rather than fade away.  It was put back into the system for carrying the bow because players from years ago were using it as a crutch to aim rather than attempt to learn how to actually target the bow.  But it is still just that.  It tells you where the center of your view is, not where your arrow will go.

Certainly, the direction you are looking affects arrow flight, but it is not the only factor.  Distance and arrow arc must be factored as well.  But the final factor is variable. The bow sways back and forth and up and down on the screen, but it has a center.  Interpret where that center is by watching its periphery and you will become a dead-eye shot since the arrow always launches directly at that center (and not to the center of the screen). 

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7 hours ago, cekivi said:

I don't think so. Otherwise it'd be too easy to exploit.

I agree, there would have to be distance values at work in the code. I like it when games put stuff in like this, actions that help to increase core player skills, not just increase numerical character stats alone. With the bow, it models real life "instinct shooting" skills really well.

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 The target at PV barn may not add skill points (something of which I am uncertain), but it is certainly useful nonetheless. It does degrade the bow and arrows, but the return is getting a 'feel' for distances and improved accuracy.

 When first using the bow, I was awful with it. I ended up just taking potshots at the frantic deer bouncing off rocks in a somewhat corralled area (a clearing some distance off but in front of the PV farmhouse, on the way to the Three Strikes Homestead). Finally, when I did actually hit one, it was a hail-Mary and hit the animal in the butt - hardly a 'critical hit' - but it just died! Like it felt bad for me or something. :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

I actually learnt to use the bow quite effectively against charging wolves. I can't remember who it was on youtube who taught me this trick, but I found I got a hang of the bow by actually getting close to wolves, getting them to charge me, and just releasing the arrow a second before they jumped on you. Most of the time it's a straight headshot, otherwise, they lunge on you, and if you have a knife to defend yourself, the struggle is barely half a second long before they die.

I thought this was going to be suicide, but it actually got me really used to how the bow works. I find rabbits are just too small and quick to bother with (and the snares can deal with them so much more easily), but also fantastic if you just crawl up onto a deer, then stand quickly and fire.

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On 27 March 2017 at 3:15 PM, Carbon said:

Finally, when I did actually hit one, it was a hail-Mary and hit the animal in the butt - hardly a 'critical hit' - but it just died! Like it felt bad for me or something. :)

Actually, a butt-shot counts as a critical hit.. it's my favourite way of taking down deer with the bow. You can sneak up close behind them, wait until they put their head down to graze (this maximises the time it takes for them to realise you're behind them when you stand up), then stand up and take your shot.

On 16 April 2017 at 5:28 PM, OptimusCrime said:

I can't remember who it was on youtube who taught me this trick, but I found I got a hang of the bow by actually getting close to wolves, getting them to charge me, and just releasing the arrow a second before they jumped on you

Most likely one of GELtaz's videos.. he's a bow hunter, par excellence.

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Crouch until you get near your target (aim while you are crouching), stand up, draw and fire as fast as you can or you could startle your prey (if it's a deer or rabbit) or make them hostile (if it's a wolf or bear).

I would watch GELtaz on YouTube because he's a really good bow hunter and The Long Dark player in general. :)

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