(Split from my larger "More Villager Variety" suggestion so it can be judged on its own merits.)
Many people have suggested old-style muskets or arquebuses before, but there's always been problems- they're too strong, too weak, have no purpose, or are thematically strange and/or unfitting. Well, here's my attempt at making an idea for an old longarm that'd be right at home with Minecraft.
Crafting Recipes
Arquebus: One flint and steel, three iron ingots, and three wooden planks.
Cartridge: One iron ingot, one gunpowder, three paper. Gets you four cartridges.
Basic Information
The arquebus is a ranged weapon complementing the Bow, designed after the matchlock guns used by soldiers in the late Medieval Period and the Renaissance- in fact, the very same weapons that spurred real-life armor makers to create the bullet-resistant full plate armor knights are famous for. It looks pretty old, with a curved stock, flint-and-steel lock mechanism, and a long iron barrel with a wooden grip lining it. The arquebus has around 70 shots worth of durability, and can be repaired with another arquebus in the crafting table like any other tool.
The weapon starts unloaded; to load it, you must hold right-click. A bar will fill up in the arquebus's hotbar slot; this takes three seconds, in which the player is slowed to sneaking speed and the gun tilts upwards in their hands. Letting go of the right mouse button during this will cancel the reload. Once reloading is complete, the gun will emit a clicking sound and one cartridge will be consumed from your inventory. If you mouse over the arquebus in your inventory it will show whether it is loaded or not with a tag.
Holding right-click when the arquebus is loaded slows the player and causes the gun to aim forward, zooming slightly (just like with a Bow). The gun starts out with horrific inaccuracy if you simply right-click to shoot, but aiming for longer lets you get better accuracy, allowing you to snipe with the arquebus. Letting go of the right mouse button fires; a puff of smoke and a loud boom results, and the arquebus lets loose its shot. It cannot fire underwater, but is unaffected by rain for balance purposes.
The bullet of the arquebus travels quickly and is only barely affected by gravity. It travels roughly 50 blocks before it comes to a rest when fired horizontally, leaving a tiny trail of smoke behind it. Arquebus bullets deal 6.5-7 hearts of damage (13-14 damage) per hit, compared to 4.5-5 (9-10 damage) for a bow. The bullets of an arquebus are armor-piercing within 30 blocks. This means that they ignore 1/2 of the armor's damage resistance when they hit it.
Arquebus bullets pass through shields, but are then subject to the full damage resistance of the armor behind it. Beyond 30 blocks the bullets do not penetrate shields or deal armor-piercing damage. If the shield is pierced, there will be the sound of splintering wood, while pierced armor shows a visual effect and a loud "clang". These sounds serve to tip off both the shooter and the target that their armor has been pierced.
So what's the point?
What purpose does the Arquebus hold? Well, for starters, it's got a unique ballistic trajectory compared to the Bow- that is, how the shot travels. Instead of flying on a curve, limiting range but allowing you to shoot over walls, the Arquebus's shot simply flies straight, dropping very little from gravity until it hits the ground at 50 blocks. Since its shot travels quickly, it can be a very useful sniper weapon. But because the shot leaves a loud boom, a puff of smoke, and a tiny smoke trail following the bullet, it can also reveal your position more than a bow.
At close range, it has a different role. The Arquebus must take three full seconds to reload, during which you're slowed to sneaking speed; so you'd better hit your shot, because it'll be your only one before your enemy closes to melee range. To reward skillful players, and to give this expensive gun a role here, it can pierce (that is, take only 50% armor resistance for the shot damage against armor, or just pass through shields) either armor or raised shields, though not both.
All of that is counterbalanced by the lack of enchanted ammo for the Arquebus. Sure, it can get Power and Infinite and all the nice toys, but the only thing it will ever shoot is standard cartridges. That carves out a continued niche for the cheaper bow- that of a close-range rapid-fire tool with reusable ammo and a wide variety of specialist arrows. Combine that with the higher cost of the arquebus and its ammo, and you have a reason to keep the bow in your inventory late in the game.
To sum it up:
The Arquebus is more expensive than the Bow in both initial crafting and ammo upkeep.
The Arquebus can't shoot over walls or use enchanted/tipped ammo like a Bow can.
The Arquebus fires more slowly on account of its need to reload following each shot, compounded by the fact that you need to aim to get accuracy out of it. However, right-clicking (even though it's terribly inaccurate) will still deliver the full damage of the shot at point blank in an emergency.
The Arquebus deals more damage and its shot travels much faster, with less falloff, over a longer distance.
The Arquebus's bullets take only 50% of the damage resistance of an enemy's armor. They can totally negate a shield but will then take the full damage resistance of the armor behind it.
The Arquebus is overall a decent sniping weapon and also great for piercing a heavily-armored enemy, at the cost of firing speed and specialist ammo, giving the Bow a place alongside it even late in the game.
Meta Explanations
Here are just some common anti-musket arguments I've observed. This section will try to explain my rationale behind any apparent issues with the "meta" of this suggestion.
"But wait- Minecraft's an E-rated game. Wouldn't this make it violent and raise the rating?"
Well, no- Minecraft's an E-10+ game, in which fantasy violence is noted. That can include killing zombies with swords, setting animals on fire, or blowing up villages with TNT. An old musket with a puff of smoke and a "bang" to its attack sequence is really nothing special or even out of place.
"Aren't guns... well, modern? Minecraft has knights, horses, and swords. That seems to clash."
You'd be surprised- the first guns (that weren't just tiny cannons on sticks) appeared in the 1400s, right alongside the full plate armor that the famous knights wore. If you want to know why knights fell, it's really because of conscript pikemen- but that's a different story. Arquebuses and knightly deeds can coexist, and they did so easily.
"Why add something like this if it clashes at first glance? I mean, Minecraft doesn't NEED it necessarily."
Well, Minecraft doesn't really need villagers, strongholds, and the End either- it's a block based building game. What makes Minecraft great is the continued input of content into the game, expanding the world. Not only will this idea- a unique ranged weapon with different properties and tactics to the Bow- make PvPers and single-player warriors happy, it'll also satisfy the people who always wanted to put more GUN into Gunpowder, without clashing with the people who just want to build or fight with swords and magic.
Anyways, that's about it for this idea. Please feel free to leave your two cents, constructive criticism, and extra ideas; but please take care to consider what's on this post and don't just drop a "no" because you read only the title. If you support this idea, please head over on r/MinecraftSuggestions (if it isn't against the rules to say that) to upvote it there and perhaps even get the attention of the developers if it grows enough. Thanks!
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youngerhampster
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Most people have no idea what an Arquebus is, so i'd rename it a musket. But otherwise, this seems like a balanced alternative to the bow that doesn't completely outshine it, and you made multiple points of why it wouldn't be out of place. Support.
(Split from my larger "More Villager Variety" suggestion so it can be judged on its own merits.)
Many people have suggested old-style muskets or arquebuses before, but there's always been problems- they're too strong, too weak, have no purpose, or are thematically strange and/or unfitting. Well, here's my attempt at making an idea for an old longarm that'd be right at home with Minecraft.
Crafting Recipes
Arquebus: One flint and steel, three iron ingots, and three wooden planks.
Cartridge: One iron ingot, one gunpowder, three paper. Gets you four cartridges.
Basic Information
The arquebus is a ranged weapon complementing the Bow, designed after the matchlock guns used by soldiers in the late Medieval Period and the Renaissance- in fact, the very same weapons that spurred real-life armor makers to create the bullet-resistant full plate armor knights are famous for. It looks pretty old, with a curved stock, flint-and-steel lock mechanism, and a long iron barrel with a wooden grip lining it. The arquebus has around 70 shots worth of durability, and can be repaired with another arquebus in the crafting table like any other tool.
The weapon starts unloaded; to load it, you must hold right-click. A bar will fill up in the arquebus's hotbar slot; this takes three seconds, in which the player is slowed to sneaking speed and the gun tilts upwards in their hands. Letting go of the right mouse button during this will cancel the reload. Once reloading is complete, the gun will emit a clicking sound and one cartridge will be consumed from your inventory. If you mouse over the arquebus in your inventory it will show whether it is loaded or not with a tag.
Holding right-click when the arquebus is loaded slows the player and causes the gun to aim forward, zooming slightly (just like with a Bow). The gun starts out with horrific inaccuracy if you simply right-click to shoot, but aiming for longer lets you get better accuracy, allowing you to snipe with the arquebus. Letting go of the right mouse button fires; a puff of smoke and a loud boom results, and the arquebus lets loose its shot. It cannot fire underwater, but is unaffected by rain for balance purposes.
The bullet of the arquebus travels quickly and is only barely affected by gravity. It travels roughly 50 blocks before it comes to a rest when fired horizontally, leaving a tiny trail of smoke behind it. Arquebus bullets deal 6.5-7 hearts of damage (13-14 damage) per hit, compared to 4.5-5 (9-10 damage) for a bow. The bullets of an arquebus are armor-piercing within 30 blocks. This means that they ignore 1/2 of the armor's damage resistance when they hit it.
Arquebus bullets pass through shields, but are then subject to the full damage resistance of the armor behind it. Beyond 30 blocks the bullets do not penetrate shields or deal armor-piercing damage. If the shield is pierced, there will be the sound of splintering wood, while pierced armor shows a visual effect and a loud "clang". These sounds serve to tip off both the shooter and the target that their armor has been pierced.
So what's the point?
What purpose does the Arquebus hold? Well, for starters, it's got a unique ballistic trajectory compared to the Bow- that is, how the shot travels. Instead of flying on a curve, limiting range but allowing you to shoot over walls, the Arquebus's shot simply flies straight, dropping very little from gravity until it hits the ground at 50 blocks. Since its shot travels quickly, it can be a very useful sniper weapon. But because the shot leaves a loud boom, a puff of smoke, and a tiny smoke trail following the bullet, it can also reveal your position more than a bow.
At close range, it has a different role. The Arquebus must take three full seconds to reload, during which you're slowed to sneaking speed; so you'd better hit your shot, because it'll be your only one before your enemy closes to melee range. To reward skillful players, and to give this expensive gun a role here, it can pierce (that is, take only 50% armor resistance for the shot damage against armor, or just pass through shields) either armor or raised shields, though not both.
All of that is counterbalanced by the lack of enchanted ammo for the Arquebus. Sure, it can get Power and Infinite and all the nice toys, but the only thing it will ever shoot is standard cartridges. That carves out a continued niche for the cheaper bow- that of a close-range rapid-fire tool with reusable ammo and a wide variety of specialist arrows. Combine that with the higher cost of the arquebus and its ammo, and you have a reason to keep the bow in your inventory late in the game.
To sum it up:
Meta Explanations
Here are just some common anti-musket arguments I've observed. This section will try to explain my rationale behind any apparent issues with the "meta" of this suggestion.
"But wait- Minecraft's an E-rated game. Wouldn't this make it violent and raise the rating?"
Well, no- Minecraft's an E-10+ game, in which fantasy violence is noted. That can include killing zombies with swords, setting animals on fire, or blowing up villages with TNT. An old musket with a puff of smoke and a "bang" to its attack sequence is really nothing special or even out of place.
"Aren't guns... well, modern? Minecraft has knights, horses, and swords. That seems to clash."
You'd be surprised- the first guns (that weren't just tiny cannons on sticks) appeared in the 1400s, right alongside the full plate armor that the famous knights wore. If you want to know why knights fell, it's really because of conscript pikemen- but that's a different story. Arquebuses and knightly deeds can coexist, and they did so easily.
"Why add something like this if it clashes at first glance? I mean, Minecraft doesn't NEED it necessarily."
Well, Minecraft doesn't really need villagers, strongholds, and the End either- it's a block based building game. What makes Minecraft great is the continued input of content into the game, expanding the world. Not only will this idea- a unique ranged weapon with different properties and tactics to the Bow- make PvPers and single-player warriors happy, it'll also satisfy the people who always wanted to put more GUN into Gunpowder, without clashing with the people who just want to build or fight with swords and magic.
Anyways, that's about it for this idea. Please feel free to leave your two cents, constructive criticism, and extra ideas; but please take care to consider what's on this post and don't just drop a "no" because you read only the title. If you support this idea, please head over on r/MinecraftSuggestions (if it isn't against the rules to say that) to upvote it there and perhaps even get the attention of the developers if it grows enough. Thanks!
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Most people have no idea what an Arquebus is, so i'd rename it a musket. But otherwise, this seems like a balanced alternative to the bow that doesn't completely outshine it, and you made multiple points of why it wouldn't be out of place. Support.