Crossbow reload animation issue + other feedback

[frigid wave]

1. Please separate projectiles into arrows and bolts.
2. Add a small sized bolt quiver on the belt area so the animation looks more immersive.
3. Show the proper quiver depending on what type of ranged weapon is equipped, back for bows, belt for crossbows.
4. Change the crossbow animation so there is a string pull first, then the bolt is placed on it, the current one looks odd.
5. Increase projectile speed for both ranged types so it feels more powerful.
6. Remove that horrible automatic projectile turning!

[weak tide]

Reloading animation does look a bit like Bezi is caressing the crossbow.

[frigid wave]

it does!

not to mention the way too long projectile on it

[edgy ravine]

Agreed. The way he pulls the string makes it look like a toy. Compare to KCD II. https://youtube.com/shorts/C9XuAww0cDY?si=U6wwjys4cMRscmtW

I mean, how Bezi loads it so easily, the bolt would hit the ground after 10m and wouldn't hurt anyone, unless you'd hit someone's eye.

[fast perch]

I do not want crossbow to be loaded more than 2 seconds in GR, other way crossbow will be useless or used only for first strike. Too much realism isn't a good way in GR in my opinion.

How it looked in original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR-hMNuX9kE

[mint heath]

In reality there are different ways of reloading a crossbow.
You can definitely do it by hand, and it will be strong and deadly enough. Especially against animals or people without armour that is more than enough. But you would have to fixate it on the ground using the ring at the front like shown in the KCD II video. Not just while holding it with one hand and reloading with the other…
For stronger crossbows you would need a lever or like shown in the video: one of those cranks to do it. That takes a lot of time. Too much time for a game imo.

Its very realistic and it should be slower than a bow… but not that slow.
Using a lever might be ok in speed. There are also belt hooks to hook the string to it and push the crossbow down to reload it. But that might look stupid…

But any other animation would be better than what we have right now.

[meager scaffold]

honestly something like this would be perfect:
https://youtu.be/MJk1nksDZYs?t=315

5:15-5:17

it would be realistic and fast enough for gothic game

[mint heath]

And easy enough to speed up when the character reaches a higher crossbow level!

[edgy ravine]

I agree. My point was that crossbows are mechanical, not magical. They work by accumulating energy.
Loading a crossbow necessitates either some effort or time.
But the current animation in the Remake has neither. It looks like he is pulling a rubber band.

[gentle bone]

my question is, how strong can the crossbow be if hero can pull the string with two fingers?

for once i woulndt demand historic authencity. having to wind up the crossbow midcombat in an action game is - yeah. We allready complain about slow combat

early game crossbows can be still be charged with the hand

mid tier may need two hands -> UNLESS you learn crossbow level 1 or 2 ^^

and late tier crossbows use a cranklever that can be done in a quick animation

crank the string, load the bolt and aim

[meager scaffold]

i think all crossbow should be reloaded by hands, using some lever

like in the video i send earlier

[weak tide]

I wonder if this level could be a separate item you need to buy and keep in your inventory to increase reloading speed?

(ignoring the need for a separate animation for it)

[meager scaffold]

i think that is an overkill

[tranquil sand]

https://tenor.com/view/cat-cute-wholesome-meowscles-2025-gif-11259296285918076027

[tranquil sand]

in kingdom come it's a heavy crossbow, there are also light crossbows

[tranquil sand]

there are different types of crossbows, the crank one is a very heavy crossbow

https://youtube.com/shorts/rqCL7sVEW1w?si=zmckOscXQJRI20-C this is a light crossbow similar to the Nameless has One in the demo

[meager scaffold]

yea, it's too slow for gothic game

[fast perch]

It just should be faster on each skill level. Animation could stay as we need more strength for better crossbows (which could stand for "harder" bowstring to handle).

[sterile notch]

I think it is. In the newest HandOfBlood gameplay it seems to be reloading way faster

22:32, sorry can’t add timestamp on mobile
https://youtube.com/watch?v=NaTB4EGa1Mw&si=6TO_rQeQ_XRnl-T0

[frigid wave]

animation speed can be easily tweaked, pulling a crossbow string with an arrow is the main issue here 😄

it would make sense with crossbow skill maxed and bolt beeing much shorter, but right now it simply looks both stupid and unpractical

[iron meteor]

We'd need to zoom in the animation to tell for sure
But it doesn't seem totally unrealistic that Bezi pulls the string while holding the bolt at the same time, or that the string has a little place where the bolt fits and it can be pulled with the bolt in it.

[tacit cedar]

I think that’s the most practical compromise. Pull with 2 hands, either against a footsling or some place on the belt.

Could also be used to differentiate light and heavy crossbows.

[tranquil sand]

The Nameless One is above a human, he is able to take a Troll punch in the face, not only survive, but also take a few more

[tranquil sand]

that's why he's able to pull with one hand instead of two

[tacit cedar]

True ^^
Would not be a catastrophe for a game

[quartz rune]

1. What do you mean? We have bolts and arrows separately for bows and crossbows
   2-3. We didn't implement it in the game before the Demo, it was WIP. Now it is in the game.
2. I agree, but it will slow down the whole process significantly
3. Is it too slow?
4. What do you mean here?

[tacit cedar]

Great detail about 2-3 !

About the others:
4. Loading a projectile and loading the string need to be done, not sure why it should be quicker if you do one before the other ? Seems like both are independent and require the same time regardless of the order. One could even make it so that if an enemy hits and interrupts you during the process, the string stays loaded and the player only has to add the projectile, speeding things up.

6. I think he might mean the aim assist.

[frigid wave]

1. Thats good, due to the bolt lenght I thought there is only 1 ammo type (bolt is a bit too long)
2. Great to hear!
   4 You can just speed up the animation so the overall reload time is still faster than the gamescom demo one
3. I do think so, they lack speed and feel weak on impact, also the projectile trail could fade out faster
   6 Issue in the video, set you time for exact moment

https://youtu.be/YCVQS3ej49Y?si=khRNcGcyi9HLXGfh&t=686

another examples at 5:38

arrows are curved in the air and seek the target

5:55 arrow just spins in air confused where to fly because the wolf moved

[quartz rune]

1. No, they are different, dont worry
   4-5. Maybe, we can take a look
2. Ah I see. It is a magnetic thing, that helps with aiming I guess. Maybe it can be decreased.

[frigid wave]

I think it should be disabled on pc completely

[tranquil sand]

No akurat ten youtuber nie zna się na kuszach zbyt dobrze ...

[frigid wave]

A jakie to ma znaczenie? Po prostu na tym materiale widać wyraźnie problem ze skręcającymi strzałami

poza tym nie potrzebujesz specjalistycznej wiedzy, żeby stwierdzić, że coś jest nie tak ze strzelaniem w grze

[tranquil sand]

Tak, popatrz na strzały i bełty z orginału, też skręcały, Alkimia chciała to odwzorować a wyszło jak wyszło

[frigid wave]

skręcały przez ułomność silniika nie jako celowy zabieg

[tacit cedar]

Wasn’t there a rule for English in general purpose areas ? ^^

[tranquil sand]

I didn't start the conversation in my native language I just referred to the material from YouTube which was not in English

[frigid wave]

question in polish, reply in polish

[low lance]

Translation for those who don't speak Polish (basic rough translation lol)

Upades: Well, this youtuber doesn't know much about crossbows.
Cinek: So what? The footage still shows the problem. You don't need to know crossbow information to tell its wrong.
Upades: Yeah, in the original, arrows and bolts curved to follow the target, and so Alkimia is trying to make it like the original.
Cinek: They turned due to engine defect, not deliberate design.

[tranquil sand]

Do you know what we think about crossbows versus bows? For me, the Nameless One looks too slow, but maybe that won't bother me when I play. But I can see the improvement from the demo with Nyras

[lethal kraken]

Anyways, the current animation looks like a grandma using an iPhone the first time. The crossbow needs to be held in some way that the hero can put reasonable force into pulling the string. Even if he is just holding it down and pulling the string up with one hand. A lever or mechanism would not really fit the fantasy on the other hand.