Dev Diary #153 - Bows and Grenades

[Adam Snellgrove 1451]

Hey there Ylanders!

Some pretty exciting news today adventurers regarding bows and grenades. Yes it is a bit of a weird pair up but hear me out ?

So first off we made leap and strides in bow shooting and in 1.5 we'll be introducing countless improvements, but the ones you'll probably notice the most is the appearance of the actual arrow while shooting the bow (and the crossbow btw and I will not get drawn into a discussion if a crossbow is technically a bow or not ?) and the overall aiming improvements we made to the bow. For instance, you'll be able to see the trajectory after you fire the arrow, making it easier to correct your aim. Bow animations have been also improved, but maybe most interestingly, now when you hold the bow drawn for too long, your arms will get tired and your accuracy will suffer greatly, making your shot much more unpredictable. 

The second item on our list today are the grenades. Grenades are very powerful weapons but haven't seen too much use in Ylands, because they are cumbersome to wield and inaccurate. Well no more! Grenades now how two modes. The quick throw (which is the standard mode) lets you toss a grenade fast in the direction you are facing. The height of the throw is affected by the angle you are looking at the target. But if you press down the right mouse button, you enter the aimed throw mode, in which the trajectory of the grenade will be visualised and you'll be able to lob that exploding pineapple ? exactly where you want it. 

Improvements to both the Grenades and the Bows are great fun and even our team of Designers made a small multiplayer map to try it out and had an awesome time with it ? So a lot to look forward to ?

And that's all for today Ylanders, so don't forget to tune in into tomorrow's stream at 16:00 CET and until then, stay classy Ylanders!

[RedEagle_P1. 905]

I think this was essential for making games great and it will be really helpful for our team so thank you ? 

[jchob 354]

Grenades havent been used because people are affraid to use them. I dont really think they are that innacurate. Lets see how those improvements will work ?

I have a map with custom electric fences (gates made out of impassable barriers) which can only be destroyed by greanades. Also, in the mini-game im making im trying to make use of them, but using the throw tile is giving me wrong aiming/distance, maybe due to my system. (I'm not using the normal hand throw).

On the other hand, bows needed those improvements.

Great to hear it ?

[Deadeye_Rob 908]

I think this is a wonderful and welcome improvement! Bows are the primary ranged weapon throughout exploration. It’s great to see them get a little attention.

 

Might I revive some feedback I made years ago and suggest looking into the possibilities of improved Arrows/Bolts? Different types of arrows (Bronze/Iron/Steel etc) would produce a damage type/multiplier.

Expanding on that, why not combine the alchemy system into it and allow us to infuse our potions into arrows? I’d love to shoot an arrow laced with ‘Potion of Flight’ at a rival play then watch them float helplessly to the stratosphere! ?

[Valour4Eva 75]

The bow fatigue feature sounds pretty interesting. It'll be fun to play with this in editor scripts!