This game is reintroducing a variation of the musket, with some silly crank operated, single fire weapon. A weapon that would have been obsolete in terms of laser weapons before the bombs even got close to dropping.

If that silliness is going to pass, I can scarcely see how bows and crossbows seem unfeasible. Especially considering tribals that may not have been exposed to guns before (Dead Horses and Sorrows for example, if I remember right).

Also, armor was practical before Power Armor. The regular infantry was equipped with some armor. It may not have made them walking tanks, but it provided them with some protection.

You do know that the last few Fallout games had swords, right?

Crossbows! Crossbows are a more modifiable, and crossbows have better penetration power than bows! (Although they are inferior in firing rate (unless we are talking about the Chinese Chu-ko-nu here), and range than bows and guns, and definitely very inferior to modern guns in almost every field)

Their greatest merit? Silence! That is why some special force units still use crossbows in covert ops (or for firing cables).

If they are going to put crossbows in the game, and if the skill system is pretty much the same, it would be most likely (although a bit... illogical) to put them under the melee weapons skill, because so far in FO:NV they put the throwing weapons (not grenades, of course) under that skill...

Some possible modifications for crossbow:

- Repeating mechanism + magazine - greatly improve fire rate at the cost of significant loss of power and range. Basically turns your crossbow into a chu-ko-nu (a lever operated, repeating crossbow which have a magazine, and have lesser power and range than average crossbows)

- Improved mechanism - Slightly improves range and stopping power without changing much

- Sights and scopes

- Conversion into heavy crossbow - basically overhauls your "ordinary" crossbow into a heavy crossbow with steel prods. Significantly improves the stopping power and range of the crossbow, at further loss of firing rate (because it is heavier to pull and nock the strings back - it needs to be cranked)

- Explosive tipped bolts

That is what I was going to say. Who cares if it's not realistic, it looks cool. And that is all that matters. The cool factor.

On another note so I don't make a new post, again if there is bow or crossbows and you don't like them, DON'T USE them. They are OPTIONAL if Bethesda so chooses to put them in the game. I say have them in the game for people who want them. Don't like them don't use them. You like them, use them. Hell for people who like Hunger Games can have a Hunger Games feel to it if they so like.

Why take that away for people who want that just because some people don't want them? Just like Fast Travel. Don't like Fast Travel, don't use it. Don't rob people who love it or want it.

The English longbow, generally credited with the death of knighthood in Europe, might have something to say about that claim.

Yup! They have way more superior range too!

One reason why the English won a battle against Genoese crossbowmen in the French side (I can't remember the battle), is because they could fire in the rain, and crossbows couldn't!

Too bad the best longbows (and longbowmen) are only available in England... Crossbows were much more widespread, and logically would be the death of knighthood in other parts of the Europe, Knights even once tried to pass a papal bull banning crossbows!

EDIT: the bows which I have talked about in my previous post are bows other than the English (or Welsh) longbows and the Japanese yumi (which is also a longbow) - I'm talking about recurved, composite, and shortbows -w-' sorry, my bad that I didn't specified that beforehand

I hope so, more options is never bad.

I would love to have a crossbow.

New craftable. Railway Crossbow.

And a recipie for explosive spikes, and in some cherry bombs.



Also, gimme dat Plasma Crossbow so I can feel like a wookie.

Bring back the 'woot woot' from Fallout 3 and I would endorse this.