How to play
- Goal
- Score as many points as you can with six arrows, one at each target the range raises.
- How it ends
- A range ends after the sixth arrow; an arrow not loosed within twenty seconds scores nothing, and a range cannot be lost.
- Record
- The best score on each range, the count of inner tens (X) breaking a tie; every finished range counts.
- Each range raises six targets, one at a time, and you shoot one arrow at each. Press and hold on the range (or hold Space) to draw the bow; the ring around the sight fills as the string comes back, and an arrow loosed before it is full is slow and drops more. Aim while you hold, by moving the mouse or your finger, or with the arrow keys (a tap nudges, a held key speeds up), and let go to shoot. You have twenty seconds for each arrow, shown by the bar at the top; an arrow not shot in time scores nothing.
- An arrow drops on its way, so the farther the target, the higher you must hold the sight above the gold. The marks under the sight are ten milliradians apart, and after every arrow you are told how many marks you held, so you can learn each distance. The wind pushes the arrow sideways: the pennants along the lane, the drifting leaves and the vane at the top all show it, and you hold into it with the marks either side of the sight, more for a far target. Gusts rise and fall over a few seconds, so you can wait for a lull or allow for the gust.
- At full draw the sight sways in a slow figure, calm at first and wider after a few seconds as the arm tires. The arrow leaves exactly where the sight is when you let go, so catch it as it passes the spot you want, or let down (the right mouse button, X or the Let down button) and draw again. Swinging lanterns, rope ferries and wisps move while the arrow flies: aim where they will be when it arrives. The rings score 10 in the middle down to 1 at the edge; an inner ten counts as an X and breaks ties.
Controls
| Hold on the range · Space | Draw the bow; let go to shoot |
|---|---|
| Move the mouse or finger while held · ← → ↑ ↓ · W A S D | Aim (Shift aims finely) |
| Right button · X · Let down | Lower the bow without shooting |
| ? | How to play, with the arrow's clock still running |
| R | Restart the range |
| Escape | Pause (the range then no longer counts for the Top 10) |
The archer is a warehouse 3D model drawn with three.js; her draw, aim and release are the warehouse's longbow motion-capture clips, carried over onto her own skeleton by the game's builder, and the bow, string and arrow are drawn by the game around her hands. Every arrow is flown by the game's own physics (gravity, drag and the wind, four steps every sixtieth of a second), and each range's wind, gusts and moving targets were placed and checked by the builder, which also measured the medal scores with simulated archers. The trees, lanterns, sounds and fonts come from the Morass warehouse. A range is sent as when you drew, how long you held and where you aimed each arrow, and the records worker shoots the six arrows again with the same code before it ranks the score. Your progress stays in this browser under morass.elven-archery.v1. No ads or analytics run inside the game.
Watch how to play
About Elven Archery
Target archery in full 3D, shot over the shoulder of an elven archer at the Sorvenn's summer gathering. Each range raises six targets, one at a time, and you have six arrows: hold to draw the bow, aim while you hold, and let go. The view closes in as the string comes back, and after the release the camera rides the arrow down the lane to the face.
Twelve fixed ranges in four places each add something to read: still straw bosses near and far in a sunny glade, where you learn how far an arrow drops; a long meadow where the wind streams the pennants and gusts come and go; Lantern Wood at dusk, with lantern faces swinging on chains and targets sliding across a stream on rope ferries; and Wisp Hollow by night, where glowing wisps wander and everything comes together in gusting wind.
At full draw the sight sways: calm for a few seconds, then wider as the arm tires, and the arrow leaves wherever the sight is the moment you let go. After every arrow the game tells you how many marks you held and, on a miss, where the arrow went by, so each distance can be learned. Each range keeps a Top 10 of the best scores, inner tens breaking a tie, and the site shoots your six arrows again with the game's own physics before it keeps a place.
