Gallery/Range Competitions

[shaunrnm]

Currently most if not all of the competitions are based on animal weight/score, or the range at which they are taken down (normally the max range, I haven't seen a lowest range one but I haven't been playing long). There are normally other restrictions, but that actual wining metric is still weight/score or distance. This can lead to situations where someone goes out for several hunts and takes down 50 rabbits, and their top rabbit is in the top 5% of possible rabbits weight wise since thats all that spawned for them. Someone else goes out, shoots one rabbit and its in the top 1% and the competitions is theirs due to things out of the control of both players. Range based competitions seem to come down to who can lure an animal to a very particular spot while they quickly get to their perch of a tripod stand on a hill at the limits of animal render. The current leader of Whitetail Marksman (Member Edition) took down all 3 of their deer from the same spot, and it seems like this is the only real method to do well in these competitions.

I would like to see competitions where all players are on a reasonably fair playing field, that removes the randomness of animal generation, and the huge advantage that players who can play more get over those who can't for total weight/distance competitions. I want to see competitions that use the ranges/shooting galleries. Things like longest distance bullseye with a longbow, highest score with 5 shots and not scope at the rifle ranges at a particular distance, fastest for 3 bulls eyes with a handgun. Things that are on the players patience and skill (not to say that the current competitions don't require plenty of this too) rather than so much luck and playtime. I know a lot of these competitions will have tied scores since there is a hard limit to things like max points with a fixed amount of shots and im sure there are many players who can hit those caps, but i still think it would be cool to see. They are also the type of completions that more people can compete in easily, since they require far less time and game skills (tracking/spotting) which makes them more accessible.

[BuiuRei]

Alright, but you'd have to make it 300 shots so there's actually a chance we have a single winner.
And we're back to the point where it takes time...

[shaunrnm]

You dont have to have a single winner (no EM rewards), and you can add restrictions to increase variance (extreme ranges, time limits). I would be very surprised if there would be multiple players getting the same time for 5 bullseyes with handguns at 80m, or even 25m for that matter. I doubt there would be a large way tie of players point score at 100m with the air rifle. You couldn't do normal real life competitions (eg 10m with air rifle, 60 shots) without expecting ties/many max scores, but you can have non normal competitions fine.

[Bosloe]

I do understand your thoughts over the idea of shooting range competitions my personal opinion is that then it detracts from the game which is to hunt the largest, heaviest, highest. lowest, lightest scoring animals etc. etc. If it is only range shooting I do not personally see the attraction in spending time doing it apart from learning how a rifle/bow fall off occurs of which for rifles is minimum over the standard 220m render distance in a straight line. I believe doing the competitions in this format turns it into a gun club rather than a hunting game.

[shaunrnm]

I get what you are saying with its a hunting game, not a shooting game. There would be many like you who do not want to enter the competitions - which is fine, not everyone enters every competition now. I think having 1-2 competitions (there are currently over 40) active that are quick easy and not so luck based is something that would appeal to some of the players and give the ranges a bit of love.

[DHRifleman]

I honestly think it would be a good idea, and if you only had a couple of attempts, it would not detract from the rest of the game at all. Have few new target comps per day, with 2 attempts each. Player enters the comps and spends 20 minutes or less doing them. Then goes about their regular hunting. Could be bow, pistol, rifle, muzzie, shotgun, and skeet ones as well. Have the award for each 100em$ and it gets divided by the winners, or just a special trophy for each of those comps.

Make these comps members only, and you may get the FPS crowd joining just for that fast paced gameplay. Once they are a member, they might as well try out the animals.

I see this as a win all the way around.

[HooCairs]

Competitive target shooting had been brought up a number of times, including a separate "island" with many targets (that could also require a max. allowed time to pass through). Good idea all together, however thinking this would create a plain field is an illusion. You will again have "specialists" getting really good at this. Some just have more time and will always have an advantage, like everywhere else in live.

Let me go find that shooting range island...

[HooCairs]

Here you go: http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.ph ... 64#p455581

Here are some others:
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=16587
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=18494
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=35393
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=47497

[shaunrnm]

You will again have "specialists" getting really good at this. Some just have more time and will always have an advantage, like everywhere else in live.

This is actually kinda the point on some level. It makes it level because it rewards those with more time spent practicing the skill rather than more luck/time spent waiting to get lucky, which is a very large component of most of the current competitions. It is meant to be a competition, there will be people that are better than others at it, but if everyone has the same conditions to play in (which by definition with variable spawning we don't in a reasonable time spent in game), then the playing field is level