Ranged weapons?

[Rain 0]

Would bows or some ranged weapons be incorporated into the system in the future? Just wondering cause I kinda want to make a hunter, tracking, bows and stuff.

[Hirru 0]

Negative.

Bows were never apart of Sword Art Online (the game) for the players, as the main point was for pure melee fighting.  Enemies did have them, but players were never able to buy / make / equip them.

The only ranged weapon that has been seen is the short range <<Throwing Pick>>, but there have been issues in the past, so it was taken out of the site.  There is a <<Weapon Throwing>> skill in the actual game, but the same issues appear to come into play for it too.  Mostly distance and weight of the items in question.  It's too complicated with too many factors to put into it.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Hirru

[Shirien 0]

Bows are pretty non-existent in SAO as far as I am aware. That said there WERE throwing weapons, so it is conceivable to us throwing knives or the like in my mind. Though, no such weapons are listed in the skills or anything for some reason.

I don't think it'd be hard, it could be the two-handed equivalent for daggers (listed as one-handed daggers hilariously). Like, maybe holding a regular dagger in your left hand (or right depending on your primary) for close combat and the right would throw new daggers. Though, that could be viewed as dual wielding, so maybe keep throwing weapons as a 'two-handed' light weapon skill so that they aren't being thrown off balance by a shield or such even though you are only using one dagger/dart/pebble at a given time. 

Kirito didn't do any fancy equip/unequip stuff, he just sheathed his sword, reached down, and drew his throwing dart and then threw it. Similarly he used a sword art WITH A PEBBLE.

Edit: Reading the above post, I see how that might be a problem....... From and RP perspective, not an actual mechanic perspective. You would RP out the actual weight distance issues, while systematically we could say they are a 'mid-range' weapon and not a 'long-range'. Functionally it would work just like any other weapon, but in character they are dodging and making distance while throwing their weapons or using them up close in an emergency. There is no need to make new systems to involve it.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Shirien

[Rain 0]

Just a thought, since there are bows in the PS Vita game. :p

[Shirien 0]

True, HOWEVER!! It is an ability unique to Sinon. We cannot use a bow in that game nor can anybody else. IF you use that logic then the bow needs to be a unique skill.

[Takao 0]

The main issue isn't even really is canonical relevance, it would be mechanical implementation. SAO-RPG has no system for denoting range from player to monster, and implementing one would create a domino effect of other changes. I did have a few suggestions regarding throwing weapons doing less damage overall, but having bonuses to accuracy for when you have to fight something evasive, but I haven't really put that forward since it's an incomplete idea and would be generally useless in its current iteration considering how users can fine-tune the stats of 90% of the monsters they fight.

also the PS Vita game is non-canon and poopybad.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Takao