Bows in Build 42?

[Hanbara]

In the Build 42 crafting outlines you showed, there was a big mention of a bow/bowyer system. But it’s been months and I haven’t seen any updates about it. I also haven’t seen any news saying it won’t be added. Is the bowyer system still planned for Build 42, or has it been delayed/removed?

[BitterSwede]

Do you mean this one? https://projectzomboid.com/blog/news/2022/08/slapdashdoid/
That wasn't a set-in-stone outline for B42, it was a map of their idea for how the new crafting system would work, years before it was first being implemented. They say in the next section that this was just to get an idea, and that more exact details would be provided when they had a better idea of what would be included.

As far as I can see, there is no further mention of bows by TIS since this post, 3 years ago. And it is not on the roadmap (which currently goes all the way to Build 48, which is currently expected to be the final update before V1.0).

[Fun is Not Allowed]

We NEED bows (crafted and manufactured) in the game. Possibly even primitive slings as a very early ranged weapon.

[★Rainmaker★]

Originally posted by DrLamp:

We NEED bows (crafted and manufactured) in the game. Possibly even primitive slings as a very early ranged weapon.

Atlatls too :)

[GMA]

Unfortunately, archery will probably be ineffective, expensive, rare, fragile, slow, noisy, and inaccurate. Don't get me wrong, it's been more than a decade since I'm waiting for archery in this game. Mods are okay, but I wanted it in vanilla. But I really don't think it will be as exciting as it should be (look what they did to spears).

[maeharaprojekt]

Originally posted by ★Rainmaker★:

Originally posted by DrLamp:

We NEED bows (crafted and manufactured) in the game. Possibly even primitive slings as a very early ranged weapon.

Atlatls too :)

The atlatl is a seriously deadly piece of kit and I have long been disappointed that it is not found in many survival crafting games which have a neolithic tier of technology.

China, during the Song dynasty, had a militarized variation of the principle behind the atlatl, a two-man weapon that could launch a 2 meter spear instead of the usual atlatl dart. Unfortunately for the Song, it didn't fare well against the Mongols, who were just too fast to be easily targeted.

[AJABOOBOO]

Originally posted by maeharaprojekt:

Originally posted by ★Rainmaker★:

Atlatls too :)

The atlatl is a seriously deadly piece of kit and I have long been disappointed that it is not found in many survival crafting games which have a neolithic tier of technology.

China, during the Song dynasty, had a militarized variation of the principle behind the atlatl, a two-man weapon that could launch a 2 meter spear instead of the usual atlatl dart. Unfortunately for the Song, it didn't fare well against the Mongols, who were just too fast to be easily targeted.

they are deadly. against living things.
not so much against something thats already dead.
archery would be cool but again, limited effectiveness against a zombie.

unless you get a perfect headshot, the zombie doesnt care how many arrows it has sticking out of it

[Toblm]

Originally posted by AJABOOBOO:

Originally posted by maeharaprojekt:

The atlatl is a seriously deadly piece of kit and I have long been disappointed that it is not found in many survival crafting games which have a neolithic tier of technology.

China, during the Song dynasty, had a militarized variation of the principle behind the atlatl, a two-man weapon that could launch a 2 meter spear instead of the usual atlatl dart. Unfortunately for the Song, it didn't fare well against the Mongols, who were just too fast to be easily targeted.

they are deadly. against living things.
not so much against something thats already dead.
archery would be cool but again, limited effectiveness against a zombie.

unless you get a perfect headshot, the zombie doesnt care how many arrows it has sticking out of it

Mostly true.

But B42 has living creatures to murder and eat. Killing rabbits with a handgun seems excessive.

[pisang kecil]

yeah that would be cool.
living in the jungle in a military suit but only having a spear is not cool

[Ivan]

Originally posted by GMA:

Unfortunately, archery will probably be ineffective, expensive, rare, fragile, slow, noisy, and inaccurate. Don't get me wrong, it's been more than a decade since I'm waiting for archery in this game. Mods are okay, but I wanted it in vanilla. But I really don't think it will be as exciting as it should be (look what they did to spears).

Nice adjectives

[sanjuro28]

I actually see that you guys are seriously underestimating bows. It's true that one you could make yourself and handled by someone without training would be tremendously inaccurate. But there are very precise compound bows that are quite easy to hit at a fairly short distance (less than 25 meters). It would be quite easy to get a good shot with a little practice. Not to mention crossbows, some of which even accept scopes. Some bows and crossbows are powerful enough to even penetrate bulletproof vests. They are lightweight, easy to maintain, and very quiet.

[AJABOOBOO]

Originally posted by sanjuro28:

I actually see that you guys are seriously underestimating bows. It's true that one you could make yourself and handled by someone without training would be tremendously inaccurate. But there are very precise compound bows that are quite easy to hit at a fairly short distance (less than 25 meters). It would be quite easy to get a good shot with a little practice. Not to mention crossbows, some of which even accept scopes. Some bows and crossbows are powerful enough to even penetrate bulletproof vests. They are lightweight, easy to maintain, and very quiet.

true but again against something like a typical zombie you would need a head shot into the brain which can be a bit hard to get considering human skull shape and structure.

in the movies they always have the zed skulls made of a thin gel like material but in reality, skulls are tough, hard and angled at near every side of importance

something in the face wouldnt effect a zombie and the brain is protected by a thick angled plate of bone.

not to say you wouldnt be effective with it especially with some training and the right arrow its just not a weapon you may be able to count on every time and may be a liability.

plus moving and shooting is not easy with a bow with enough power to puncture a skull reliably.

dont let youtube videos of these fast shooters fool you. real bows are much stronger than the 45ib or so target bows those kids use.'

i got a big bear 2 thats around 65 ib or so and even that i would want to aim JUST RIGHT on the head of a zed to be sure and even then i would be worried about a deflection from lack of power and angle of attack.

[Fun is Not Allowed]

I'm not even thinking of using bows against zombies. I'm thinking of using them as hunting tools.

[maeharaprojekt]

Originally posted by DrLamp:

I'm not even thinking of using bows against zombies. I'm thinking of using them as hunting tools.

Same. Some of our fellow commenters do not appear to be picking up on this yet or are busy digging a realism rabbit hole.

[Cavete Dracones]

Agreed for needing bows for hunting, especially if handcrafted as a renewable long-range weapon. Against zeds, the most effective use would be as a precision ignition device, if an expensive one; craft a fire arrow using a rag and arrow, ignite with a lighter, set one zed on fire with a guaranteed loss of the arrow.

Against zeds a sling or slingshot would be more effective thanks to blunt trauma to the skull. Slightshot with lower damage and range but greater accuracy, sling with greater damage and range but low accuracy, especially at low skill. Even better would be if you could target inanimate objects like cars and dumpsters with the slingshot, to use as a noise generator/distraction for zeds...

[CHAINY]

Originally posted by DrLamp:

I'm not even thinking of using bows against zombies.

I am. Some people in this thread don't know what they're talking about with a notable exception for the guy who said bows are being underestimated. There are bows that can pierce a human skull and I'm talking about ones predating even the middle ages. Never you mind modern compound ones.

Actual reason we won't see them is because this dev abhors realism if it's overly beneficial to the player. And bows would be overly beneficial. As it is their game just isn't ready for a silent ranged weapon with renewable projectiles which can be crafted from wood lying around. They should work towards it but I doubt they will soon if ever.

I would start by making zombies react when another zombie near them is hit from far away and falls over dead. They might not know it's because of a shooter but it should be enough to stir them up into a search mode. Reins in suppressed guns and starts laying the foundations of a system that can handle bow & arrow without it being too broken.