A creed with origins in Ancient Egypt; a game that looks at many firsts. The First Civilisation,

一個擁有許多教條起源 、以古埃及為背景的遊戲，這代包含了許多第一，第一文明

the first Hidden Blade, the first Assassins.

第一把袖刃，以及第一群刺客

While Bayek is not the first protagonist in the series to make use of a bow, he is by

巴耶克並不是系列中第一位使用弓箭的主角

far the most adept bowman in the series yet, with the greatest arsenal of deadly ranged

但他是目前系列中最擅長使用弓箭的一位，擁有大量的致命武器

weaponry.

─弓箭

Whether with one arrow, or many; against man, beast, and even gods.

無論用一支箭，或多支箭，來對抗人類、猛獸，甚至是神

We look at how Assassin's Creed Origins brings archery into the Assassin's Creed universe.

觀眾將了解《刺客教條：起源》如何將箭術帶入《刺客教條》宇宙中

The Egypt we see in Origins is modern compared to the early Dynastic eras. Egypt was ruled

《刺客教條：起源》中的場景相較於前王朝時期更為現代。這時的埃及

by the Ptolemies, descendants of Ptolemy, general of Alexander the Great of Macedon.

為馬其頓王國將軍亞歷山大大帝死後，由托勒密後代家族統治的時代

The world we explore is a melting pot of Egyptian and Greek culture, soon to be joined by the

玩家在遊戲中探索的世界為埃及以及希臘文化的大熔爐，隨後

Romans.

加入羅馬文化

In the early Dynastic period of Egyptian history, the most dominant style of bow was the wooden

埃及歷史中的前王朝時代，最常見的弓就是用整塊木頭製成的弓 (self-bow)

self-bow, a single-curvature design made from a piece of wood 1 to 2 metres in length, narrowed at the ends.

一種使用 1 到 2 公尺長的木頭、末端狹窄的單一曲線的弓箭

While Egypt was a thriving kingdom, it was their warring neighbours that brought technological

埃及是興盛的王國，敵對的鄰國將科技

advancement to Egypt's armies. The Hyksos used composite bows, layering wood, bone and

帶入了埃及軍隊中。希克撒斯王朝使用的是由層壓木、動物骨頭

sinew to create a bow that was stronger than the wooden self-bows used by the Egyptians.

以及腱纖維製作的合成弓，這種弓比埃及人使用的整塊木頭製成的弓威力更強

Composite bows were often imported to Egypt, and found their way into the ranks of chariot

合成弓經常輸入到埃及，合成弓應用至

riders, who needed the power of the composite bow to penetrate armour.

需要其強大威力來穿透敵人盔甲的二輪戰車騎兵

In contrast, the wooden bows were still used by the rank and file soldiers, being much

相反地，平民階級士兵仍然使用較好製作

easier to manufacture, but more difficult to use.

但較不易使用的木弓

This smorgasbord of innovation and progress is seen in Bayek's wide variety of options

武器種類的創新與進步，可以從巴耶克大量的武器選擇中看見

for his weaponry, not only in his swords and pole arms, but also his bows.

不只有長劍和長柄武器，另外還有弓

A hugely popular gameplay element, archery in Origins is easy to adapt to any combat

箭術是非常受歡迎的遊戲要素，《刺客教條：起源》的箭術適用於

situation, and it would not be unusual for a player to specialise only in archery.

任何戰鬥場面，在本遊戲中看到玩家只專精箭術並不罕見

Rather unusual for a game, Origins doesn't limit the bow to a simple single-shot ranged

和其他遊戲不同的是，《刺客教條：起源》並沒有限制玩家只能使用單發遠距武器

weapon. Instead, it offers the player a selection of four different kinds of bows, each with

相反的是，玩家可以選擇四種弓使用，每種弓

their own unique play style.

都有獨特的遊玩風格

Bayek starts with the Hunter Bow, a mid-range weapon that can be held for more power by

巴耶克一開始使用的是獵人弓，一種可以拉弦蓄力以增加殺傷力的

drawing the string further back.

中距離武器

The Warrior Bow loads multiple arrows, which disperse much like a modern shotgun, being

戰士弓可以一次發射多支箭矢，箭矢像是現代的霰彈槍一樣擴散

effective at bringing down enemies at close range.

適合近距離解決敵人

The Light Bow serves as the assault weapon, being a weak short-range rapid-fire option,

輕型弓為突擊武器，一種極短距離、快速射擊的選擇

fed by multiple arrows held in the string hand with "reloads" every few shots.

拉弓手持好幾支箭，並在射擊幾發後「重新填充」拉弓手上的箭

Eschewing stealth for aggression, the player can easily clear out a garrison with this

選擇強勢進攻而非潛行時，玩家可以輕鬆單用這把弓清場

bow alone.

任何堡壘

Perhaps the most well-known and popular bow is the Predator Bow.

或許，最著名且最受歡迎的是掠食者弓

Intended as the long-range one-shot sniper weapon, the Predator certainly functions as such.

掠食者弓就是這種，當作長距離單發射擊的狙擊武器

However, with a small skill investment, the player is able to control the flight of the

然而，稍微解鎖一些技能後，玩家可以控制箭矢的飛行方向

arrow, turning it into an anachronistic remote-control guided missile.

將箭矢變成年代不符的遠距遙控導彈

Effective, perhaps too much. A good position overlooking an enemy camp allows the player

好用，但也許太好用了。取得俯瞰敵人營區的好位置，讓玩家可以

to eliminate all enemies without getting their hands dirty, and considering the number of

不用雙手染血就可解決所有敵人，遊戲中又有這麼多

fortified positions the player has to clear, this is probably the easiest way of doing things.

待玩家清除的營地，這也許是做簡單的玩法了

Admittedly, it doesn't get old.

確實，這招永遠用不膩

Of course, the game takes many liberties in portraying archery in this way. In real life,

當然，遊戲中用弓箭種類描繪了箭術。但在現實生活中

bows were less intricate in design and weren't classified into predators and warriors. A

弓箭沒有那麼複雜的設計，弓也沒有分類為掠食者弓或是戰士弓

bow was a bow. One didn't need a special kind of bow to be accurate or fast.

弓就是弓，不需要使用特定弓才能射得快或準

The observant player will notice a few anomalies that casual players may overlook.

細心的玩家也許相較於輕鬆派玩家，會注意到遊戲有一些不尋常的地方

Bayek's skill as a speed-shooter is achieved by removing frames from the shooting animation,

巴耶克快速射擊的技能，省略了一些射擊動畫

achieving speeds far beyond human capability.

這遠超出了人類所及的速度

The Warrior Bow's arrows converge into a single point on the string, a physical impossibility.

戰士弓的箭矢聚集在弓弦的單一點上，這違背物理

And of course, arrows can't be steered the way the Predator bow does. While it is possible

而且理所當然的是，現實中不能像掠食者弓一樣控制箭矢方向。讓箭矢

to bend an arrow to a small extent, Bayek bends reality.

稍微改變方向有可能，但是巴耶克的技能超越了現實

None of this detracts from the gameplay. Smooth transitions between melee and ranged fighting,

這些都不會影響遊戲體驗，近戰以及遠距攻擊間的順暢切換

unique play styles punctuated with enough plausibility to not distract the player from the fun.

獨特的遊戲方式足夠合理了那些在遊戲中才可以辦到的事，玩家能隨時處於娛樂中

This fluidity is also seen in mounted combat.

戰鬥順暢度也可以在騎術戰鬥中看見

Easy to overlook, all mounted archers, including Bayek, overcome a physical limitation of horseback

顯而易見，所有弓箭手騎兵，包括巴耶克，都克服了馬術箭術的身理障礙

archery: being able to shoot in a 360 degree full circle.

能夠 360 度射擊

In real life, horse archers could cover just over 180 degrees. A right-handed archer could

在現實生活中，弓箭手只能 180 度射擊。右手為慣用手的弓箭手

not cover their right side unless they changed direction or switched hands.

不能射擊右方位置，除非將馬轉向或是換手持弓

The soldiers in Origins actually change their sitting position, riding side-saddle or even

《刺客教條：起源》中的士兵會變換坐姿，靠在單邊馬鞍上

sitting backwards in order to go through the full 360 arc.

或是反坐馬鞍來達到 360 度全方位射擊

This would obviously require great skill, and likely was not done in real life given

這顯然需要非常棒的技巧，而且在現實生活中的不太可能做到

the high risk, but a nice subtle way to make the game more immersive while maintaining

因為這樣做危險程度較高，但這個巧技，讓遊戲能保有遊玩流暢度

gameplay fluidity.

且更身歷其境

Those who look into the minutiae of the game may want to learn more about Bayek's shooting technique.

那些觀察遊戲細節的玩家也許想了解更多巴耶克的射擊技巧

Ancient depictions of Egyptian archers offer a very stylised illustration, with what appears

埃及壁畫中的弓箭手有一種制式樣貌，他們

to be a pinch-draw using the thumb and index finger.

使用拇指與食指當作拉弓指

In Origins, Bayek predominantly uses a two-finger draw, which was used at some points in history

在《刺客教條：起源》中，巴耶克主要用兩隻手指拉弓，這種拉弓法出現在

in various regions in Europe.

歷史中的一些歐洲區域

He also places the arrow on the left side of the bow, a preference that is seen in target

巴耶克也把箭矢架在弓的左側，這是一種專注瞄準目標物的方式

accuracy-focused styles, and likely included to give players a familiar feel of where the arrow will go.

能帶給玩家箭矢目標點在哪的一種熟悉感

The exception is the Light Bow. Bayek carries several arrows in his drawing hand – a method

輕型弓例外，巴耶克將箭矢放在右側。巴耶克的拉弓手持好幾支箭，這是一種

that is illustrated in primary sources and can be replicated in real life – with a lot of practice.

在一些主要來源上有紀載的技巧，經過大量練習後，可以在現實生活中使用

The arrow is placed over the thumb, as it would have to be to necessitate faster loading

箭矢架在左手拇指上方，這必要地讓主角能夠用右手快速補給箭矢

and shooting.

以及射擊

This is not consistent, however, as some scripted scenes use the other side, making it more impractical.

但有時並不連貫，然而，在一些劇情戰鬥中，巴耶克將箭矢架在左側，這樣做比較不實用

The main fault of the game is its guilty use of a common trope: armour is paper.

遊戲中最大的錯誤就是使用普遍的錯誤設定：盔甲像紙一樣薄

Apart from shields, armour is purely cosmetic. A tunic is the same as scale armour. A helmet

除了盾牌之外，盔甲完全像是裝飾品一樣、魚鱗甲的防護力就像長袍一樣弱，戴了頭盔

is the same as a bald head.

卻跟光著頭沒兩樣

A simple gameplay choice, one that clearly rewards the more skilful headshot.

這種簡單的遊玩機制，讓玩家可能達成更多技術性爆頭

With all that said, Assassin's Creed Origins presents an engaging portrayal of archery.

以上所述，《刺客教條：起源》呈現了箭術吸引人的一面

It embeds archery as a strong part of the game, making it not just useful, but viable

讓箭術成為遊戲中的一大部分，箭術在遊戲中不只好用

in the general open world.

也能與開放世界共存

While most games make the bow a situational weapon, in Origins, it is the norm. Most soldiers,

在大多遊戲中，弓是視情況使用的武器，但在《刺客教條：起源》中，是一種基本武器，大多士兵

friend and foe, can swap to a bow for ranged combat at any time.

友軍或敵人，可以隨時遠距戰鬥中改用弓箭

And while some of the bow's capabilities are exaggerated or fabricated, it's done

一些弓的能力誇大了，甚至是虛構的，這些都是為了

to make the gameplay smoother, and to make Bayek look like a badass.

讓遊玩更加順暢，並讓巴耶克更多凶狠

Overall, Assassin's Creed Origins is a great instalment to the long series. A vibrant playground

整體來說，《刺客教條：起源》是系列遊戲中的佳作，有著生動的背景故事

with a likeable character.

以及討喜的人物

And for us toxophiles, a game that makes archery look fun and fascinating.

而對我們這些箭術愛好者來說，《刺客教條：起源》中的箭術有趣且迷人

Perhaps the smoothest use of the bow in an action game.

這也許是動作遊戲中，箭術系統最順暢的一款

Until next time, shoot straight and aim for your best.

下部影片見囉，行事果斷，全力以赴