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Old 28th August 2010, 23:49   #7 (permalink)
Flintwick
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mats Persson View Post
There are several instances where player-skill kind of replaces features that would have been Dexterity-based if MO had been another game. This is because DEX is often rather naturally interchangeable with player-skill in action-based gaming. For instance aiming while taking distance and wind into account is something that is possible to let YOU do (and not your characters DEX), however drawing a bow or carrying 100kg is somewhat less intuitive to represent with player-skill.

That said, DEX will have effects on archery later on. Although it will never really help you to draw heavier bows.
I understand and mostly agree with this standpoint, however when shooting a bow, the accuracy does quite heavily depend on your dexterity over strength or other "intuitive" skills. Yes, anyone can aim a bow at a target, but whether the arrow goes exactly where you aim it depends on:
  • The Grip (how you hold the bow affects a lot, too tight or with bad hand placement will affect the shot)
  • The Draw (is your elbow at the right height, are you using your back/shoulders rather than arms)
  • The reference point (do you draw the string to the same place every time?)
  • The release (Do you release smoothly, snatch at the string, let your hand forward when releasing, pull it away from the face... etc)
None of these, except maybe the Draw, have anything to do with strength. Yes, you need strength to draw them (even my 65lb English longbow wears you out pretty quick), but there is much more to archery than drawing the string. Yes, I agree, player skill can be used to determine whether the player can aim at the right spot (taking wind/range etc into account), but how close the arrow comes to the mark they are aiming at should be much more reliant on character dexterity.

EDIT: and also skill points of course, but no matter how much you practice, if you are a clumsy bugger, you aren't gonna shoot straight
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