By all rights there shouldn't even be a sight, and we should shoot on instinct. That's how long bow and traditional recurve works. I shoot traditional recurve, and there's no other frame of reference than your gut feeling and it's totally awesome.

I've had no issues and can usually hit a standing target as soon as they come into draw distance after a few shots to gauge range.Moving targets can be hard but that's how it should be.

Just aim high and compensate for arrow drop. It's not like an FPS sniper rifle where crosshairs on target equals "boomheadshotz!".I have heard it can be glitchy but mines been fine...so far.

Not true. I'm a thief/assassin at level 37 and I have a self-imposed rule to only used a bow and arrow (I carry a trusty dagger, but that's for the sleepers) for the entire game. It's been nothing but gangbusters so far. Advice? Practice until you figure it out.

If you've ever shot with a bow in real life you'll realize the game mimics the path of a real arrow. When shot they tend to go upwards slightly, arch, and then go down. They DO NOT fly in a straight line like a bullet out of a gun. You'll notice less of an arch when fired from close range. Longer distances will require you to offset your shot to compensate for the arch/gravity.

[edit] Doh! Thought I was still in PC H/S section. Damned tabs. Sorry console folks.


There is a thread around here with a fix for that. I wish I could remember the ini setting.....*looks*.....found it.

[Actor]
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1279548-archery-magic-range-limit-fix/ That's the line, number to use, and a link to to the post itself.

I used it and can now hit things I can barley see. Wolves are just black smudges way off in the distance, and after a bit of range find, I nail em.

Archery sniping is so fun in this game.

P.S.

Range finding: Shooting arrows, and waiting to see what direction they look/move to. If the arrow lands behind them , they turn around, ahead, and they'll either stay, or move in your direction depending how close it is.

Archery sniping is so fun in this game.

You have to allow for weight and windage. When I sneak kill with my bow, I usually go first person as well. I play the game in 3rd person for the most part. I will say the aiming mechanic is not the best...but archery would be overpowered if the arrow went exactly where the reticule was placed evrytime.

you don't play alot of shooters - do you?

I've had no problems. Sometimes people don't hold it long enough for the arrow to be drawn back all the way, which affects distance big time. Other than that the arc is easy to get used too. I've hit enemies at range, higher and lower in elevation with ease. The only enemy that is hard to hit is a dragon going straight across the screen at range but that just takes practice and steady aim. I've only used zoom on one character and with others just damage bonuses.

i fixed it with a great mod

Same here. I think it is pretty realistic. From long range, I need to aim high.... just like in real life, and let it drop in on the target.

lol They're broken? Really?

I'm starting to wonder if some of the posters on these forums know what the word "broken" means. Just because you don't understand how it works ("works" being the operative word here) doesn't mean that it's broken. Just because it doesn't work the way you WANT it to, or the way you think it should doesn't mean it's broken.

I've yet to find ANYTHING in this game that is actually broken. That doesn't mean that there are not things in this game that ARE actually broken, I just haven't found any. Have I found things that weren't to my taste, or didn't behave the way I would've liked? Sure. But broken? lol Exaggeration is the new form of communication I suppose.


Edit: Fixed typo.

i thought i would add some formal definitions, so that we're all on the same page. the trajectory of the arrow is always

[height] = [character height] + distance * tan(angle) - gravity * distance^2 / (2*speed*cos( angle )^2)

the height is ultimately the trajectory.
the Oblivion Model (OM) sets the [character height]. however, the player controlled both the angle and the speed (pull duration). this let the player manipulate 1 or 2 variables, also enabling the player to draw the bow completely and eliminate the speed variable. in this model [angle] = [crosshair angle].

the Skyrim Model (SM) sets the [character height]. however, the speed is constant and can not reliably be changed by the player. the "arcing" effect is actually the addition of a constant to the crosshairs. this results in [angle] = [crosshair angle] + correction angle constant. the skyrim model also imposes a max distance.

broken speed: arrows sometimes fall flat and do not have consistent speed.
broken angle: arrow angle is 'altered' by the game
broken distance: arrows disappear after maximum distance

broken speed seems to be a game engine problem. broken distance exists due to limitations of end user machine specifications, can be fixed via the ini.
broken angle is a conceptual error. the correction angle constant (cac) that is added is calibrated for the wrong distance. this is the angle adjusted for a distance, however, the problem is that it is a constant rather than a variable. the OM simply eliminates the cac and allows the player to determine the proper [angle]. the SM alters the trajectory predictably in an incorrect way. this correction is correct for exactly 1 point across infinite distances (1/inf = 0); it is always wrong. this is why it's broken, the concept of correcting for a variable distance with a constant is incorrect.

Not the bow is broken, 3rd person is broken.

In 1st person, you aim at the target, the arrow hits where you aimed.

In 3rd person, you aim, the arrow hits left of the target.

Also, when you try to pick up things in 3rd person, the crosshair must not point directly at the object, but to the left of it.

It doesn't arc up you idiots. It follows a normal trajectory.

The crosshair is just zeroed in for a longer range.

Its not an opinion that can be agreed/disagreed with. Its a known fact that arrows disappear. There's a command line to fix this, but it is there in vanilla Skyrim. The rest of your post is pretty much unreadable. Know more about Skyrim.
Has nothing to do with play style, arrows disappear, or go through the target. Fact.

[IMG]http://i40.tinypic.com/2r5ca9x.jpg[/IMG]

LOL. Doesn't get much clearer than that!