40d:Archery target

An archery target is a building used to improve the marksdwarf skill. An archery range is the room defined from an archery target.

Creating an Archery range

1. To create a target, open the build menu and select Archery target. It uses one stone, log, bar or block and requires the architecture skill to finish.
2. Then an archery range must be defined from the archery target. Open the buildings menu (q) and select the target. Select "Make archery range" and define its size using + / -.
3. After choosing the size of the archery range you must decide on the shooting direction using w, a, s, or d.

• Only one marksdwarf seems to practice at an archery range at a time, regardless of how many targets it contains. You can enable multiple dwarves to practice in the same room by defining an archery range on each target.

• An archery range requires a minimum length of 3 squares - the one the archery target is on, one empty square, and one for the marksdwarf to stand on. Otherwise the marksdwarf will complain that there is no floor space and refuse to train.

• • The effects of having longer ranges - marksdwarf seems to miss more often. It give opportunity to save bolts (as they fall at least one level down) and reuse them (0.27.176.38c).
  • One method to readily create long ranges without requiring a large square space is to build long walls before designating the archery target "room", thereby constraining the space. The walls can be removed after room designation if so desired.

Using an Archery range

Only off-duty dwarves equipped with crossbows will use archery ranges. You can switch a squad to off-duty by accessing the military menu, viewing the appropriate squad, and setting it to off-duty.

Shooting requires a crossbow and wooden or bone bolts. (Metal bolts are considered too valuable for practice and will not be used.) Bolts which hit a target are destroyed and cannot be reclaimed, and will form a small rubble pile that will be cleaned up by a dwarf with the cleaning labor enabled (whether or not the range is in use at the time!).

Bolts that miss can be recovered if they hit a wall and then fall at least one Z-level, or if the practice range is on top of a tower so that the bolts fall at least one Z-level before hitting the ground. Designating a pile for these misses and setting your main ammo stockpile to take from the recovery pile will save ammunition, but it will result in lots of single-bolt piles and hauling tasks. Trying to recycle single bolts in this manner will also result in your marksdwarves gaining skill much more slowly: they will only get 8 points of experience each time they go to the range carrying a single bolt, versus about 200 points of experience from a stack of 25 bolts.

For further information on training martial skills, see sparring.