Another in the many anachronistic weapons used in MFT. The bow is based on a modern compound bow that utilizes a pulley system and parallel limbs to maximize effective firing power and ease of use.

Follow up:

In the process of conceptualizing weapons for MFT the subject of long distance sniping is one of the most difficult to deal with. Sniping is generally a very methodical and patient activity that culminates in a split-second moment of either brilliant success or utter failure. Since MFT strives to create a fast-paced tactical scenario, the general pace of a sniper is at odds with the overall aim of the gameplay.

Also, from a social gameplay perspective, players who are snipers tend to be interested in showing off their skills as snipers and demand a high skill curve for their weapons. This is supported from a core gameplay perspective, since the inherent range advantage for sniping weapons makes it impossible for non-sniping players to fight snipers on an even footing until they manage to close the distance. This "safety zone" often draws players who are too shy to engage in close-range combat, but in games where sniping weapons are too easy to use this causes virtually every player to seek out the sniping weapons and utterly loses the intimacy of close-range combat as players "camp" in desirable sniping locations and take pot-shots at each other.

To that end, the sniping weapons in MFT all feature gameplay elements that make sniping more difficult, but rewarding for players who master their intricacies.

In this example, the bow's primary fire requires a charge-up time to draw the arrow back and requires players to compensate for both enemy movement and the arrow's vertical drop over distance. It also rewards players who strike vital areas more than players who simply strike the extremities. This is actually fairly close to what real snipers have to account for (though in reality a great many more factors are involved, including wind-speed and air density) so I feel it should satisfy the 'hardcore' sniper player who wants to focus on showing off tricky shots.

The bow's secondary fire is inspired by the medieval warfare tactic of gathering a large number of bowmen and having them launch their arrows simultaneously, resulting in a rain of arrows that was virtually impossible for grouped infantry to avoid. In this instance the player gets to be a one-man volley squad. While not nearly as dangerous as the primary fire, the volley shot allows players to deal damage to multiple enemies at one time. This can be used to suppress enemies from advancing through choke points or attack a group of enemies moving in formation. It also allows less skilled players to still use the bow to contribute to their team by weakening enemy groups from a distance. Simultaneously these players will also be developing their skills with the weapon, getting a "feel" for how the arrow flies and improving their ability to properly utilize the primary fire of the weapon.