Give Feedback
Which Faster version is more 'realistic'?
I get this question a lot, first of all let me clarify that I didn't create ABT SE to make archery more 'realistic', I made this mod to make the game more fun, providing different options to suit different tastes. Having said that, let's try to understand what realistic speed means in real life archery.
'Realistic' arrow speed depends on several factors, what follows is a brief list of the most important ones (though there are other things I didn't cover here that influcence arrows as well, such as aerodynamics for example). When you want to know what exactly makes arrows go faster/slower, you need to consider all these things:
- Type of bow: there are many types of bows, the most common ones are traditional longbows (D-shape), recurve bows (used on the Olympics, notice the S-shape at the end of the upper and lower limbs), flatbows (used by tribes, easier to make from a wide variety of timbers, the limbs are flat instead of rounded), composite bows (widely used in Asia in the past, they are harder to draw, the end of each limb usually bends backwards when fully drawn), or even more modern bows such as compound bows (easier to draw, uses a levering system, usually of cables and pulleys, to bend the limbs without sacrificing force).
- Materials of bows: bows' limbs are usually made of multiple layers of fiberglass, carbon and/or wood on a core of carbon foam or wood (see here). The riser (middle part of the bow) can also be made of different materials, such as magnesium alloy risers, or wood risers.
- Poundage: this refers to the amount of force you need to do to fully draw a bow, limbs are made with different poudages, or the entire bow if it's made from only one piece of wood for example. The poundage of the bow is usually written on the back side of the lower limb (see here). Bows with lower poundages are easier to draw and begginers start practising with these kind of bows. Bows with higher poundages are harder to draw, they require greater strengh from the archer and proper drawing technique to avoid lesions and injuries.
- Arrows: of course the arrows themselves are a factor. There are different materials used on their shafts (aluminum, wood, carbon fiber, fiberglass), fletching materials (feathers, plastic, silk-threaded), and even different fletching types (straight, which is the most common one, but also helical, which provides more spin and greater in-flight stability, you can see other types here).
- Archer: one of the most important things, regardless of equipment and materials used in it, is the archer's technical aspect itself, what I described before only relates to the bow and arrow, but there's a reason archery takes time to learn, you could give the exact same gear (bow, arrows and add-ons -see below-) to different archers and the speed, distance and aiming will differ a lot based on: the strengh of the archer (anatomy and musculature), posture (proper position of body and arms), breathing cycles (release in apnea), how and when the bow is drawn and the string is released (collectively known as the shooting sequence or 'the process'), the amount of time the archer keeps the 'follow-through' of the shot (the bow is held in shooting position even after the string is released), and some technical aspects related to the shoulders, arms and how the archer moves his scapulae after releasing the shot (seriously, this is called the 'Expansion' of the shot). All these things, believe it or not, influence the 'speed' of the arrow.
- Add-ons: there are special add-ons that can be used in archery to improve the shot, most have an indirect (though noticeable) influence in the speed. Some examples are sights (basic, advanced), stabilizers (they help reduce inconsistencies of the archer's release by increasing the moment of inertia of the bow, thereby increasing precision) and bow squares (to make sure the bow is properly calibrated, very important!), among other things.
As you can see there are lots of technical details to take into account in order to really understand what 'realistic' speed means, some are major and static (like the materials of the bow and arrows), some are dynamic (like the skills and caracteristics of the archer), and some are relatively minor in comparison, like the materials used for the bow's string (Fast-Flight string for example) or the arrowheads (which influence the arrows' aerodynamics, most noticeable in long-distance shots and outdoors archery).
Long story short:
There's no easy answer to that question, archery in reality is a complex process accomplished by lots and lots of things put together in order to make an arrow go from point A to point B as accurately and effectively as possible.
When it comes to Skyrim, IF you want to look at it from a 'realistic' point of view (even though it's full of fantasy elements such as dragons, undeads and magic), then I would say that different bows (Imperial Bow vs Orcish Bow for example) using different arrows (Falmer Arrows vs Ebony Arrows) should make arrows fly at different speeds. If you think about it, that means that an archer in Skyrim would need lots and lots of practice (and by lots I mean it would take him months in real life) with each bow and each arrow type in order to understand how they behave with each other... assuming you are not using a crosshair, which would also be the 'realistic' approach.
Skyrim is supposed to mimic reality, but in a fun (entertaining) way, so you will have to decide how to balance both things in your own game: reality vs fun.
Conclusion:
If you don't know what speed increase to use, I suggest you choose +50% and see if it suits you, it's a nice midddle ground. If you feel it should fly faster, then you can move up onto +75% or even +100%; if you feel it should fly slower, you have +10% and +25% options to choose from.
Have fun, and consider your real-life knowledge of archery improved by +1 :P
0 comments