[CF-Devel] Change in equip method.

[Todd Mitchell]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Yann Chachkoff"
>
     
      Some thoughts about all those ideas...
     
     >
     
     
     >
     
      The bow problem:
     
     >
     
      ----------------
     
     >
     
      Bows are indeed not very useful, mostly because other, better ranged
     
     attacks
>
     
      are easily available to anyone (ranged spells).
     
     >
     
      Bows should never be used in conjunction with another weapon (in game
     
     terms,
>
     
      both being applied at the same time). Seems rather difficult to hold a
     
     sword
>
     
      and use it efficiently when wielding a bow in your other hand...
     
     >
     
      Either you have your bow, ready to band it for fire (then you can consider
     
     it
>
     
      'applied', and thus also preventing the use of another weapon), or you
     
     have it
>
     
      in your bag/sac/back and you've something else in your hands (a shield and
     
     a
>
     
      sword for example - the bow is then 'unapplied'). You get only the
     
     bonus/malus
>
     
      of what you're currently using (in game terms, what is currently
     
     'applied').
>
     
      Note that simulating this with the 'body slot' system shouldn't be too
     
     >
     
      difficult; you then just need to make bows two-handed weapons.
     
     >
     
     
     >
     
      I'm also not sure changing the way bows are handled could create big
     
     changes
>
     
      in their usefullness. I don't use bows simply because they're too weak
     
     >
     
      compared to other means of doing ranged damage. Maybe the average attack
     
     >
     
      strength of bows should be aligned with effectiveness of other common
     
     ranged
>
     
      attacks of comparable level (thrown items and common ranged spells)?
     
     >
     
     
     I don't know if making bows more powerful is the best way to encourage their
use, maybe magic is too powerful or it is too easy for players to get
powerful magic.  If you keep upping the ante things tend to inflate,
although maybe some tweeking is necessary.  Ranged combat should be less
powerful than melee since the risk is lower and you should have more time to
attack where with melee you need to hit hard and be able to take damage.
Maybe making ranged weapon skills like bows and throwing agility skills
rather than physical skills would help since they wouldn't dip from the same
pot so to speak.  This would also have the effect of greatly increasing the
other agility skills for ranged weapon users (which may then need some
adjustment).  Magic should be like a cross between the two, a mix of
powerful attacks and ranged attacks to give magic users an equal footing.
If every one can get really powerful in melee and magic, there is not much
use for ranged combat.  Perhaps amulets should have caps on magic levels or
a lower ratio of SP than the players with  the magic skill to make it harder
for non magicians to get powerful spells while still allowing lots of
character customization.  Maybe there should be more distinction between the
classes for magic, ranged weapons and melee skills which would encourage
different styles of play.