No, because how are you supposed to protect yourself from zombies? I think it's important to have a bow to be able to at least somewhat protect yourself. Because, if you're defenseless, a dick with a gun will just massacre fresh spawns without even a small fight.

 

I have to agree with loveless here the bow gives freshspawns a way to kill zombies and a chance to kill someone that has a gun it's not a big chance but enough to make them stop and consider trying to kill them. Take away the bow and it will be open season on freshspawns as zombies and players murder them without a fight.

 

I don't know, the bow makes killing zombies a bit too easy for a fresh spawn.
You can easily headshot any zombie with no real trouble or risk, as a fresh spawn, which removes from the difficulty / fear.

Don't get me wrong, I love my bow, and find extremely useful, but realistically
it makes the game A LOT easier for fresh spawns, maybe too easy.

You can still kill zombies with a fist or stick, and that feels more realistic for a fresh spawn.
Being able to super easily kill any zombie right as you spawn just feels overpowered.

 

not when they start increasing spawn nbers of zeds. plus its need for self dwfense against humans out weighs the concern about zombies

 

As an alternative to removing the makeshift bow, I think that it should not have the ability to make 1-shot kill headshots on players. Wooden bow minimum for 1 shot kill headshots on players. Makeshift bow still able to 1 shot headshot kill a zombie.

 

I think they should still keep the makeshift bow. I'm sure zombies will get stronger and more abundant as the game progresses. How can you protect yourself when you first spawn, not only from zombies but other players?

 

It really isn't a 1 shot for players, well other fresh spawns yes but most players know the priorities after you spawn.

1. Make a base if you haven't already
2. Find a gun / ammo
3. Find a helmet

 

It IS a one shot kill for players, assuming headshot. Exactly the same as it is for zombies. Not everyone has, or can find a motorcycle helmet. But EVERYONE can make a makeshift bow, within 30 seconds of spawn. That is fine, as a tool to keep you sorta safe while looking for the parts to make a wooden bow, or some other more effective weapon. I feel like the makeshift bow should be gimped to the point that no one wants to use it, unless as a last resort defense against a zombie or wolf etc. IE: actually make it live up to the makeshift name. A wooden bow, or maybe the ability to loot a simple recurve bow in the world somewhere, to me would bridge a few gaps and connect some dots that needed connecting regarding bows.

 

Actually, I'd totally remove makeshift bow. Get a branch + beat zombie in panic mode. Run into a populated area, search dumpsters, find twine and BAM! Bow time....

Hell, I have like 10+ twine from playing for 2 hours yesterday and 1 hour today.... It's nutso. Used to beg a diety for that stuff pre-wipe (that sounds dirtier in my head then it should ... tee hee... pre-wipe).

 

I´d like to remove it as well, there is no melee at all at the moment. You might as well remove melee weapons

 

+1
fresh spawns should use a branch or just run and hide inside a house

makeshift bow is a carebear bow tbh

 

If I spawn close to a building I'll often skip shredding the shirt and pants in the hopes of finding scrap cloth and a backpack. Although players have an immediate weapon to defend themselves, it's a trade-off. Keeping your clothes means that you have 1200 inventory space if you find a backpack which often is pretty easy.

 

The age old fight between what is good for PvP vs PvE. The fight to balance PvP at the expense of PvE. Wondered how long it would take.

We have the makeshift bow and we want to keep it. Leave it alone. Go find a gun and shoot someone.

When many more zombies appear and they massively chase you for miles, you will want some kind of protection quickly.

 

It's just the number of zombies about that makes it easy at the time. I logged in just after the wipe and after having to defend myself from a zombie with my fists (while helping another freshspawn who ended up "finding an AR15 and apparently unlimited rounds within the next 4 minutes to kill me"), I did the shred, stick, bow thing.

I ran down to the some wood shacks just below and immediately was set upon by about 6 zombies all at once. I made it, barely, even with Q-push it was touch and go, the zombies behind me were overwhelming me, headshots weren't fast enough. I got 3 of them and finally got into the shack and closed the doors. Zombies banging on the front door, 2 actually ran to the back door, was down to 10% health, bleeding all over the place.

Of course it was then that I ran into the guy I just saved, raised my hands to him thinking he would remember I had just pulled his ass out of the fire and then went to bandage. Apparently he didn't remember or just didn't give a flying ****, he unloaded 10 rounds of .223 into me. But that's another story.

I guess I just got lucky finding a "herd" just after server unlock, but even with that bow if you get mobbed it is not "easy".

And I really do mean I was lucky, it was one of the most exciting moments in the game yet for me btw.

 

i think makeshift bow is good, but i agree i would be better if you couldnt make just respawned, i mean, its recipe must contain something easy but not contained just by the very begining of the round.

 

I agree, I think zombies should drop 'string' and than with the string you can make the bow. This will force players to use some sort of melee to kill a zombie before they get a bow.

 

Zombie-gut instead of cat-gut? Liking it...liking it...

 

I like the makeshift bow as is with the exception of durability, which I think should be cut in half of not more. As other people in this thread have noted make it live up to the makeshift name. Then perhaps also increase the range of the wooden bow helping to distinguish it as the better of the 2 bows

 

The stomping land did this. Robbed their starting players of a weapon to fight off other human players. The consequences were garbage. Those who were geared up first mowed down freshies without much danger.

The bow can head shot and it should. The bow is wildly inaccurate, hard to aim, easy to dodge. The balancing factors are already in place.