There has been a fair amount of talk about "Bows vs Crossbows" and which is better. I think this is an interesting debate, but it's underlying cause is that the bow and the crossbow are ultimately very similar. If we look at the Axe and the Sword, it might be easy to say the the sword is better because it deals damage at a higher rate. This view, however, fails to understand some key distinctions. The Axe actually deals more damage per hit than the sword, however it is slower to swing. This difference promotes radically different styles of combat. The sword is more adept at a stand up fight while the axe is more situated to a single hit before backing off.
So what does any of this have to do with bows and crossbows? The Crossbow should be changed in the same way that the axe was, not a buff, but a change.
In real life, the crossbow is more powerful and easier to use than the bow. So why would you ever use a bow? Because of the crossbow's power, you cannot actually use an arrow in a crossbow, as the arrow would likely shatter upon firing. Instead, the crossbow uses shorter, heavier bolts. The weight of these bolts means that the overall range of the crossbow is shorter than that of the bow, while still having more punch to it. What I suggest, is that Minecraft is changed to reflect these differences. The crossbows range would be noticeably shorter than the bows, and the damage would be increased.
Another possible (although less necessary) change that could take place alongside the changes to the crossbow itself would be the addition of a crossbow bolt item. This would be quite similar to the arrow, but with the crafting recipe changed, perhaps replacing the flint with an iron nugget. The bolt would replace the arrow for the crossbow.
I believe these changes would create an interesting dynamic that would improve the game by a fair bit, and the changes themselves do not require much effort.
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This could go in either gameplay or blocks, so I moved it to Gameplay based on the nature of the discussion. (It was a tough call. :)
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