I'll give you the realism thing, but consider recent history.
Slot changes implemented: Longbow & Rus bow are 2 slots
Result: Horn bow & other 1 slot bow users can still be fairly effective with a 1 slot melee weapon, but 2-slotter archers go hammer sidearm with very low offensive capabilities. Archers less likely to engage in melee; more 'runners' as a result.Arrow break chance/cost increased: 1 Stack of bodkins costs ~350 gold to repair & one breaks nearly every round
Result: High tier arrows become more difficult to maintain in a loadup and is either compensated by (even) less armor or lower tier arrows. Overall archery damage slightly lower as a result.Missile speed decreased: It becomes harder to high long range targets due to increased 'lead time' for arrows.
Result: Overall reliable 'hit zone' for archers decreased. More misses at range, less chances to effectively hit a closing enemy. Overall archery damage slightly decreased.Cut damage change: Cut damage does reduced damage against armor, but bounces less.
Result: Non longbow archers get overall damage nerf. Consequently more archers drop 1 slot cut bows in favor of heavier cut 2 slot rus bows or (even more common) pierce 2 slot longbows (this means more archers have 0 slot hammers). Now:
Bunnyhopping removed: Archers can no longer draw their bow while jumping.
Result: Kiting abilities of archers nerfed; less shots fired by fleeing archers.So let's recap: Archers pigeonholed into having 2 slot bows for effectiveness, resulting in terrible melee capabilities.
Archers have a harder time hitting things at range, resulting in more running for survival.
Archers unable to draw bow while jumping, resulting in less effective running for survival.
And people wonder why archers hang out on rooftops? People rage at archers running and not engaging in melee unless it's a last resort?
Oh yeah, isn't there a lot of ladder drama going on right now on the forums, with people wanting placeable ladders in battle to be removed (which as a stand alone item I'm in favor of) and others saying all in-game ladders should be removed? Wonder what class that's directed at
There's a reason I traded my MW Horn bow and my MW Bodkin Arrows away and am probably not going to go archer again for awhile. The nerfs (past present and anticipated future) make it a very underwhelming class. Like cav, archers will get most of their kills by preying on peasants and the daft 'walk in straight line' melee players, while smart players are much more challenging to take down. I'm not saying you can't be effective as an archer, but when people get killed at range and rage about archery they probably don't realize it took 2 or 3 different archers to kill him and probably wasn't the work of one guy machine-gunning from somewhere.
I seem to recall Swalker made a challenge for someone to start a pure archer and see if they can retire boasting a positive KD. I'd love to see someone take that up. I'd do it but I'm not into masochism.
E:
I am not a kiting archer, I use a strongbow and I carry a mace. Anyone who plays with me can attest that I am not a kiting archer.
I can vouch for this: Damatacus is a beast in melee. Maybe dropping out of melee to fire a shot or two, but certainly not "a runner".
