If I'm technically able to hit a target a ridiculously long way away, will there still be damage?

I ask this because there have been a numerous times where I have been far away from an enemy and shot an arrow at it. I SAW the arrow and it looked like it reached the target, but I got no notification of "sneak attack" nor did I see a health meter.

Do I have to be close enough in-range for damage to be detected?

I wont say it's impossible I missed.

All I know is that I noticed there seems to be this drastic and suspicious drop in my "accuracy" after a set distance.

Like:
Distance of X = "pretty good accuracy."
Distance of X+1 foot = "0% accuracy"

Tried testing this on the largest, slowest, animal I can find. A Mammoth.

I was sneaking and positioned myself on a large rock. I shot an arrow at a very far distance. I Fired 10 arrows at varying levels of my crosshairs

Although the mammoth was "aware" that something was going on, NO damage or sneak attack messages were displaying.

I cut my distance in half, and suddenly the Mammoth started taking damage from my shots.

Conclusion: After a set distance. Archery DOESN'T register damage.

Im an archer and I have noticed this too. I just figured my arrows disappeared after a set distance.

It svcks because in Oblivion this wasn't the case. I could snipe mobs 2x as far in Oblivion as I can in Skyrim. I'm sure it'll be fixed with mods though.

i to have found this, i shot an arrow at a mammoth really far away from me, on the plains outside Whiterun, and still no sneak attack , and i definitely hit it

Sigh, back in the olden days, a dev would be right here to give you the formula

Accio Dev!

Did it work?

hmmm

Well, at least you did some testing. Maybe someone from the modding section knows?

I noticed this too. In oblivion I was a great shot, and now I'm not hitting things at great distances anymore. I think I'm missing though because like the op says the target is aware because I see them moving to the noise of the arrow hitting the ground. I just need to train more I guess.

Well, I just wanted to make the issue known to the folks at Bethesda. Please fix archery.

Thanks.

When you can't hit with arrows, try firing a fireball at it. You can't normally miss a standing target with a fireball, but it will go straight through.

You really have to aim well and know the distance of your arrow, and flight path.

Its hard but not impossible, try training on a tree, shotting arrows from a distance, and notice where they hit, it can help in the field.
Shot straight up and the arrow will come down.

But i think the flight distance have been shortened, compared to Oblivion.

No Meaneye. The OP's suspicions are correct. Arrows seem to pass right through enemies at a certain distance. This really needs to be patched as it's a huge drawback to one of my favorite in-game archery systems I've played to date.

Sadly, there seems to be a maximum limit that you can shoot a target up to. After that limit, the arrow passes through. Is it a glitch? Or is it purposely implemented so that the player has no choice but to sneak around a little closer?

no .

Arrows have a range at which they just dont hit anymore , its very easy to test just fire at a mammoth in stealth and you will find a point were you always miss , its not that bad to be honest but would be nice if they fixed it , maybe its a balance thing and they like it as it is.

Do you really think they need to implement a "balance feature" like that when enemies can quick dodge sneak-shot arrows? Just sayin'

Let's push for the fix. I hope gamesas is reading the forums.

It is definitly a glitch, you can watch arrows pass through the target, it also works with spells and you can watch the spell pass through the target and impact on the other side. And I don't consider the ranges this happens at to be extreme at all, it actually happens at pretty much exactly the range I want to start my fight from, and I'm primarily a melee character.

Everyone should watch this youtube video of long range archery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxmNZDhQEnY

^^ At large distances, the arrows pass through the targets without registering damage.

Needs fix ASAP!

Totally agree that this is either an annoying feature that should be changed or a glitch that needs to be fixed. I realize that the developers don't want us to kill everything from insane distances but the current range limitation (if it is intended) is just too short.

Its actually the same for magic. :laugh: There is a set max collision distance for projectiles.

My guess? improving performance for consoles. :flamethrower:

Arrows aren't supposed to stay aloft indefinitely, inflict the same amount of damage at 20 yards as they do at 200, and critically wound a mammoth with a single shot.

Nothing to *fix* about it.

No.

Try to read the thread or at least comprehend the actual problem.

One of two things needs to happen. Either they need to put Oblivion's range back in, as several people here have suggested, or they need to provide the player with some kind of visual indication where this radius is so we can make informed decisions about where and when to shoot.

I notice that its situational. Outside of whiterun I can't hit a mammoth unless I'm within what I would guess is 100m.

But If I'm on a cliff I can usually hit people that are just inside of the draw distance, which I would guess is anywhere from 200-300m.


Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like depending on where I am determines how far the range of my bow is.

I dunno, I've had it happens on and off cliffs/level ground and in as well as outdoors.

Try comprehending my post. If it's an 'actual problem' it will be fixed officially, if it's just a few nubs complaining that they aren't as good at archery as they think they should be, it won't.

Sounds like many of you aren't even sure there is a problem.

Like I said the problem is confirmed. You would know this if, like I said, you'd read the actual threads on the topics, multiple of which I have been keeping track.

Your post isn't even addressing what the problem is, it has nothing to do with travel arc or aim. The arrows are very well making it to their intended target.

You would have known this and seen it with your own eyes if you'd have watched the video posted on the subject.

Problem Plain and Simple: They are not colliding with the target actor.

Let's keep the facts straight.

There is a 100 yard bug. Arrows will litterally ghost through targets. I prooved this to myself by setting up a test but I later found this video that shows the problem perfectly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxmNZDhQEnY

I don't mind dealing with bugs, but my problem right now is that there hasn't been any responses as to wether or not they are aware of this.