guess you need this
/s
also
i cringed at "since i've never been shot by you" lmao
Whatever bud, when you decide to type logical sentences in english you can rejoin the discussion.
The fact we need a cap for one type of class should speak volumes about the issue with cRPG meta gaming. People gravitate towards ranged as its so versatile and its a skill equaliser. If people are shield whoring you take an axe..too much cav you take a long polearm..too many 2 handers take ranged. Too much ranged? Take more ranged. You can take more shields but its still better to simply have more ranged as that deals damage. A shield is only a defensive item, like manual blocking. You can take cav maybe, but its very limited in which terrain its useful in, and its equally as good against melee and they don't want their horse to get shot by going to archer nests
Nerfing ranged probably won't change that key issue with the game. Making ranged harder to play (less of a skill equaliser), and less versatile (weaker against some classes) might help somewhat
BUT HOW is the question Grumbs: I mean, there's historical accuracy: Milanese and Gothik are arrowproof IRL. But is that the best option? If I'm honest, armor balance is currently fucked also, with most armors above the 40-45 mark being given arbitrary numbers, and many very high tier armors that shouldn't be, tbh, considering their construction methods and materials, they should be alongside mailshirts. I really wouldn't mind a COMPLETE armor overhaul, with armors being rated by actual historical effect, and the plate armors having some more weight added, with difficulty and a lot of price added too. Currently I don't think upkeep is a real problem for anyone who isn't brand new. At least, it has never been an issue for me...ever. Infact the only times I even look at it is when stuff is repaired and I want to share my amusement with how little it costs with the server.
Do that, and make the plate armor what it was: proof against arrows: Sure a bodkin from a longbow can be made to penetrate plate a few MM when fired directly at the flatter sections: but its not like when you wear plate you wear it touching your naked skin, most times you have a shirt, then a padded akketon, some maille sections and then your plate ontop. Arrows were recorded to stick into milanese when fired from under 10 metres, but the wearer remained upright and unhurt. Look at battle of Verneuil: Lombard and Milanese mercenary cavalry, both the riders and the horses, were literally impervious to English longbow spam, the English had to win the day with the Poleaxe.
Then archers will cry: Oh I literally cannot hurt that guy: yeah, thats right, you can't. Tough shit. Only way for archers to hurt plated guys: sustained arrows to the head, each glancing but JUST managing 2-5 points of dmg.