Target Practice.

[Ampere]

That's what I thought.

[1]

Just so you know, there is at least one dummy IG that has an intended use for archery practice.

BUT it is in an archery hall, far away, in another room, from the user. Without people sparring all around it.

IF you are talking about a sparring dummy, in a sparring hall, I'd say no... Too dangerous. BUT in principle, you can throw or shoot anything for practice realisticly.

[BlackMagic0]

I'd not mind seeing more places get archery halls. For such practice.

Though only in a archery hall. Since in a sparring hall, most dummies are surrounded by virtual NPCs sparring.

WAY TOO DANGEROUS to fire arrows into the area.

[brytta.leofa]

As far as I know, the reason this is not allowed in the large outdoor practice yards is due to a problem with the dummies' script.

But, yeah, it's a huge shame that we don't have cheap, readily-available archery targets.  And that arrows are so expensive.  There's got to be some better way to balance the skill, if that's the issue.

[Spoon]

Yep, it's the way they work. So I go for Other, because the other two 'no' answers had weird reasons tagged to them.

No: as far as I know, it's against the rules unless in a specific archery area.

[jhunter]

Yes you should be able to. But if it's not in a place specifically set aside for it, expect IC consequences.

[Lizzie]

There is also an archery field in the game, with a target, that is also away from the user and not surrounded by people sparring.

I know the complaint has come up before but, in most clans where people -would- learn archery, I think it's reasonable to try and get an archery yard/field/indoor ring built, ICly. In the south, probably not so much - maybe the Arena and Tor could put something together for public use..or rental for clan use..

in coded tribal encampments I could definitely see archery practice yards.

[brytta.leofa]

I think that the Arm of the Dragon and House Tor should have access to archery practice facilities.  Having played a ranger in AoD and the Tor Academy, it was frustrating to have no reasonable way to practice archery (as opposed to using it, untrained, in combat).  I know it's expensive in the south, but at least those two clans have good reason to pour money on combat gadgetry.

[spawnloser]

There are archery dummies in game.  If you want one, get one IG and don't shoot at the melee dummies.  That is all.

[Synthesis]

There are plenty of ways to justify doing it IC.

The problem is that it is virtually (if not literally) impossible to hit standard sparring dummies with arrows, due to some artifact of how they are coded as NPCs. Thus, it is a trivial task to completely max out your archery skill (even as a ranger) by doing nothing but shooting at the dummy.

Clearly, the dummies are not intended to be -that- useful in terms of skill gain, because they are virtually (if not literally) useless for training standard melee combat skills.  Thus, I think using them for target practice could easily be construed as bug abuse.

[Thunkkin]

The problem is that it is virtually (if not literally) impossible to hit standard sparring dummies with arrows, due to some artifact of how they are coded as NPCs. Thus, it is a trivial task to completely max out your archery skill (even as a ranger) by doing nothing but shooting at the dummy.

The one "dummy" target that I have encountered in game and that was intended for archery/throwing practice operated in precisely this way.  I was given strict OOC rules about its use.

[Barzalene]

The only thing that bothers me is the not being able to practice backstab. I apologize in advance for the ensuing derail I may have just unleashed.

[brytta.leofa]

There are archery dummies in game.  If you want one, get one IG and don't shoot at the melee dummies.  That is all.

If I walk up to an agent of the appropriate merchant house with enough sid to buy a tent, you think I can get one?  Or are there structural barriers to this ever actually happening?

[solera]

Yes please! I nearly always roll a ranger, but have never used the archery skill because of this.  This thread has stirred a deep seated not-so tiny Want.The one time I was getting close to that archery range, my PC stuffed things up.
Even if you could aim at a stone with your stone.

[Durant]

The only thing that bothers me is the not being able to practice backstab. I apologize in advance for the ensuing derail I may have just unleashed.

How could an inanimate sparring dummy in anyway help learn proper stealth and technique to backstab.

It makes perfect sense not to allow it to be practiced on the dummys.

[jhunter]

The only thing that bothers me is the not being able to practice backstab. I apologize in advance for the ensuing derail I may have just unleashed.

How could an inanimate sparring dummy in anyway help learn proper stealth and technique to backstab.

It makes perfect sense not to allow it to be practiced on the dummys.

Actually I could see it helping in a minor way with specialized dummies. Dummies with vital locations marked out on them and the use of a paint tipped dagger to practice striking the vital locations in single strikes. Back on track, I think it would be awesome if there were archery targets that one could purchase to set out and practice shooting. You could have beginner (large) targets, set to a certain defense against missles. Intermediate (medium) targets, a bit more difficult to hit. Advanced (small) targets, a bit tougher. And up to expert (tiny), the most difficult stationary targets.

[Thunkkin]

For the love of god, let's not have the backstab discussion.

[Xeran Van Houten]

There's already plenty of purchasable archery/melee/backstab targets in Arm - they're called half-elves. And if you're lucky, you can get your money back.

[Cutthroat]

There are target dummies that are different from sparring dummies, but they don't appear widely IG, and there really should be an easier way to practice archery.

I would personally like to see code from the dartboard game transferred onto some sort of round, dartboard-like archery target object that can be shot with a bow and arrow. Shots that hit the center would count as an archery 'success'. Shots that hit off-center or miss the target completely should count as an archery 'failure'. Ideally, these archery targets would be easier to set up than the current target dummies, and hopefully make a little more sense to use.


pull quiver
shoot target
You shoot a round archery target with a pink-fletched, steel-headed arrow.
It hits the center! You get 5 points!

[Thorg]

I voted other because I believe the current slew of dummies in various training halls across the Known just aren't designed to be perforated. They're sacks of rock and sand and are apparently difficult to come by, it'd make sense they don't want people putting (unneeded) holes in them by shooting at them willy nilly.

I think that specially designed targets would be a completely different kettle of weezer larvae, one of balance, for example.

I also think especially adapted ammunition (blunt-ended) or lower-pull bows used on dummies would be another kettle, albeit a more finicky and over-complicated one.

[FantasyWriter]

I voted other because I believe the current slew of dummies in various training halls across the Known just aren't designed to be perforated. They're sacks of rock and sand and are apparently difficult to come by, it'd make sense they don't want people putting (unneeded) holes in them by shooting at them willy nilly.

I think that specially designed targets would be a completely different kettle of weezer larvae, one of balance, for example.

I also think especially adapted ammunition (blunt-ended) or lower-pull bows used on dummies would be another kettle, albeit a more finicky and over-complicated one.

What happened to a bail of plant matter and red paint?

[Qzzrbl]

I voted other because I believe the current slew of dummies in various training halls across the Known just aren't designed to be perforated. They're sacks of rock and sand and are apparently difficult to come by, it'd make sense they don't want people putting (unneeded) holes in them by shooting at them willy nilly.

I think that specially designed targets would be a completely different kettle of weezer larvae, one of balance, for example.

I also think especially adapted ammunition (blunt-ended) or lower-pull bows used on dummies would be another kettle, albeit a more finicky and over-complicated one.

get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
put all bag
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
get rock
put all bag
close bag
drop bag
s
s
s
shoot bag n

I wish....

[Qzzrbl]

I voted other because I believe the current slew of dummies in various training halls across the Known just aren't designed to be perforated. They're sacks of rock and sand and are apparently difficult to come by, it'd make sense they don't want people putting (unneeded) holes in them by shooting at them willy nilly.

I think that specially designed targets would be a completely different kettle of weezer larvae, one of balance, for example.

I also think especially adapted ammunition (blunt-ended) or lower-pull bows used on dummies would be another kettle, albeit a more finicky and over-complicated one.

What happened to a bail of plant matter and red paint?

Defilers.

That's what.

[Bogre]

I think templar's don't use their punishments enough to give their men target practice.

[Salt Merchant]

It should be possible to throw or shoot all you want.

Just so long as it's nearly impossible to miss if you have any skill at all. Unless the dummy is somehow reasonably distant.