That said, I’ll compare simple mechanics first.
Problem 1: Stagger Mechanics
Destruction magic, for example, has perks that make every dual-cast spell stagger the enemy, effectively keeping them permanently at range and unable to retaliate. Combine this with gear that makes spells cost no mana at all, while I have to lug around all these arrows.
With archery fully perked you only get a 50% chance to stagger, and not against boss types at all. Realistically it is archery that needs to keep an enemy at ranged, since they have really no effective tools once things get in close aside from maybe dropping a Destruction rune or Conjuration atronach or my favorite, “run for the shadows and pray they don’t detect you.”
Destruction just damages through this. However, archery damage pretty well svcks. Even with a fully perked Smithing improvement and fire enchant it is often taking two or more sneaking shots (perked for triple damage) to kill things one dual-cast fireball obliterates on my mage.
Problem 2: Unreliable Targeting
Also with a mage you don’t really have to worry too much about “aiming.” Anywhere on the body with a fireball or other spell and the enemy satisfyingly and believably bursts into flame or appropriate spell effects, with the stagger effect to boot.
Archery on the other hand, man what a crap shoot! Even with the crosshair turned on, even fully zoomed in, even with a stationary enemy, and with the bowstring fully pulled back, targeting is completely unpredictable. I was looking forward to the new combat system, to zooming in for head shots and such but so far at level 30 (character, level 50 archery), it just isn’t happening.
The problem I feel is partly with the animations. If a character is, for example, mining, or sitting, or talking, or grazing, or looking around, or… pretty much doing anything aside from standing perfectly still, their hit box is not the actual outline of their character. So, I can get all lined up for a satisfying head shot, release, and BAM! Arrow sails right through their head with no damage! I have also yet to see a single special finisher with bows.
This also becomes an issue when I inevitably find myself backpedaling/running. With a mage I can run, turn and throw a quick shot anywhere on the body and be guaranteed a stagger, so I can then get more range. With archery, stagger is unreliable plus it takes longer to pull an arrow back if you don't want it to just plop out in front of you (there is no quick-draw penalty on magic), plus again aiming on archery is far less forgiving.
Problem 3: Wasted Enchanting Charge
Then there is the issue with enchantments. With enchanted swords (or any other weapon) I can swing my enchanted blades all I like, even hit things like training dummies or the wall, and never lose enchanting charges. With bows, if I accidentally shoot an arrow, or do target practice on a dummy, or miss, I STILL lose a charge! Charge loss should be consistent across all weapon types. In other words, I should only lose charge if I actually strike an actual enemy for actual damage.
This is especially frustrating as a stealth class without a reliable stagger mechanic like destruction, as one shot and an enemy will start running (see crappy damage), and since AI has them constantly change paths and arrows have a flight time, it is less about skill and more about firing several shots until you get lucky, and each miss is costing you enchanting charges.
I guess being a stealth class I was expecting more of an assassin type game with archery, and instead it seems more like a “take a cheap shot then run like a girl, repeat till all are dead” type class, which is not much fun at all really. Guess I’ll have to roll a dagger rogue to play an assassin, with their 30x backstab damage.
So, here are my suggestions thus far:
- Make bows only lose enchanting charge when you actually hit an something living for actual damage like every other weapon.
- Make stagger shots depend on location, so a headshot or torso shot will always stagger like Destruction dual-cast always staggers.
- Have limb shots slow fleeing run speed considerably.
- Increase perk damage multiplier for bows. Come on with the 15x damage (plus gear to make it 30x) for daggers and only 3x for bows?
- Add finisher moves for bows? Maybe they exist but at level thirty I have still yet to see one.
- Remove the penalty for quick-firing arrows, or speed up the animation for equipping the bow and pulling back the string considerably.