1) x-bows HAVE to be hybrids. They cannot be a primary class due to the severe shortcomings of the x-bow (standing stock ass still to reload for 10 seconds, inability to properly kite)
...
First of all, I think you should play a few times with karma. He uses about 150 wpf in crossbows, there's no room to be a hybrid with that...
...
This is the intrinsic quality that crossbows have that separate them from archers: they will see either see melee combat or they will be camping a roof. The lack of mobility means that if you are a mainly melee character using one you are keeping yourself from using your primary skillset (and thus performing far more poorly as far as your team's welfare is concerned) or else you hardly get to use the crossbow anyway. You camp, you're not fighting; you fight, you're not shooting. There's almost no room for the odd potshot with a crossbow.
This also means that for a dedicated crossbowman you will most likely see melee combat more unavoidably than an archer does, as oftentimes there is no "second shot" (or third, or fourth...) regardless of any theoretical choke point. In Karma's case, specifically, he has to keep up with his ability in melee fighting or else find himself at a loss anytime his shot doesn't put someone who gets close to him down. He may not have much proficiency in his melee weapon, but a round when he doesn't use it is the outside chance.
In the case of the lower level crossbows, their weak projectile speed (or "bullet drop", if you will, which makes the effective range a lot shorter in addition to altering the aim) coupled with their subpar damage-to-frequency-of-shots ratio makes them somewhat feeble in terms of actual efficacy, regardless of who is using them and with how little investment.
I will say, however, that anything resembling the situation under the old experience system, where everyone had no reason not to carry a crossbow, and rounds would never properly get started for melee characters due to the sheer amount of thingies flying through the air is not only frightening but could also be viewed as regression as far as the state of the mod is concerned. On the bright side, crossbows have had their damage significantly reduced since then, and bolts are penetrating shields faaaaar less often, so ubiquity aside, they're not nearly as randomly deadly.
From a more personal perspective, some of my close friends and clanmates would be hindered by such a change as the thread title suggests, and I hope that doesn't come to pass... as for myself, I typically use a crossbow with zero proficiency only when a map arrives in the rotation that I don't feel like participating in regularly, but I'd get over it if I couldn't do that anymore. We'd probably be better for it, I reckon.
I do hope the hunting crossbow can remain available to all, even if it gets nerfed into a the realm of peasant weapons.
