Someone already said why they do the animation and it's because it would look REALLY silly if he just shot a bow like it was a gun.
As for the cape, I think it had something to do with the dodge mechanic or the Char when running on all fours..I forget. Trying to find the source.
There's no loading animation for any of the guns, thus the ammo is an easy detail to ignore. But for bows, the animations often involve reaching back where a quiver should be to pull an arrow out. The animation could have been having the arrow appear when the bow is brought into position, making the materialization of the arrows harder to notice and easier to ignore. It's silly either way, but sillier when you involve the invisible quiver.
Actually, after looking over the animations of a bunch of bow skills up close, it appears that a majority of skills have the character reach behind their ears, pull the bow string back, release, and -then- the spell effect for the skill (which is sometimes an arrow) appears. So, never mind. I'll just turn a blind eye and not have the camera zoomed in when using bows in general, I suppose...
"Questions are for those seeking answers. Those who have answers are those who have asked questions." -Mike R. (Malthurius)
Glad there won't be capes, quite frankly. I must be the only one who thinks capes are pretty stupid when it comes to a fantasy world, considering capes were invented to keep warm. You don't need a god damn cape - As the animated movie 'The Incredibles' pointed out, quite rightly despite the fact it's comedy, a cape is impractical and would get you killed.
Wait a second, capes looked pretty sexy in GW1, since when is everyone an anti-clipping protestant? I'm sure they'll work on fixing it in time anyway, but capes are badass to have. Thinking of LOTRO capes and their smooth, sexy swishing action.
I personally hate capes/cloaks. I always turned them off in MMO's that allowed it.
But if Anet has something new up their sleeves I'm pretty excited to see what it is. For instance, if everyone get's some kind of backpack/carrying sack thing instead of a cape, which offers stats just like a cloak would then I would be down for that. As long as they're not overly retarded looking.
I have to agree that I'm sick of seeing capes and I'd prefer a little more innovation. Capes are just silly if you think about it. Superheroes wear them to look impressive, medieval people wore them to look majestic, northern people wore them to keep warm. Warriors don't wear capes because it's a stupid idea. They slow you down, get in the way and someone could grab your cape and slit your throat.
There's a human cultural medium armor that has a quiver on the back.
I actually agree, there should be quivers. It would help with immersion. I mean they did worry about grass going down and stuff like that yet no quivers? Though added in a later patch would still be ok. Along with curled hair options
I see where you're coming from but this has nothing to do with aesthetics, which is the main (if not only) reason people like capes / cloaks. I like them, and while I wouldn't wear one if I were a medieval warrior, I sure would want to have one on my fantasy video game character because they look cool.
Frankly I don't see why capes and quivers are even something worth discussing, since if they were in the game and someone wanted to disable them, that is a reasonable solution. Not having them in at all seems like an inferior choice than having them with an option to hide.
The pen is mightier than the sword, especially if properly sharpened and in the hands of a well trained ninja.
Psh. In all sorts of fantasy stories, heroes and villains of all sorts wear capes. Regardless of the realism behind the capes, they have plenty of aesthetic value behind them, so long as they are done well.
I hope you haven't forgotten my role in this little story. I'm the leading man. You know what they say about the leading man? He never dies.
If you give in to your impulses in this world, the price is that it changes your personality in the real world. The player and character are one and the same.