Hi guys, I'm new to these forums, it seems like a good place for mature, constructive discussions on all things BF2.
Now, this post is gonna be pretty long, so you are forewarned...
OK, I've been sniping a lot recently and am slowly getting better with my technique, but one thing that I don't understand is why most of you fellow snipers insist on relocating after a few kills. I rarely relocate unless I'm spotted or if the enemy has been pushed back so far that the combat line is out of sight.
I'm now sometimes able to go whole rounds without dieing just by sniping in the one spot, and I'm getting at least 12 kills + numerous assists most rounds, so it's not like I'm in some secluded spot in the middle of nowhere either.
A sniper is best concealed in a prone, stationary state. Any movement will often give away your position.
Running around the fringes of battlefields looking for a new nest is often dangerous, especially if the enemy already has a rough idea of your location. A lot of my deaths when playing sniper is often getting shot while MOVING to my sniper nest. Usually once I'm settled in a location I get very few deaths.
With the UAV/satellite constantly scanning the battlefield, no sniper is every totally concealed. Plus there are commanders that just love spotting out the lone sniper and will keep tracking you no matter how far you relocate.
The way I prefer to play sniper is to find a 'killer' sniper nest where I can snipe the whole round without dieing while still being near enough to the action to get a decent amount of kills/assists.
Generally, such spots need most of the following attributes:
- Has good cover/concealment
- Has good line of sight towards a few flags/chokepoints/hotspots
- Is near obvious/popular sniper spots (what?!?! I hear you say? I'll explain later...)
- Has an escape route for emergencies
- Preferably protected from artillery, not always possible though...
Such spots are hard to come by, especially those with cover from artillery, but they do exist (especially on Kubra Dam, awesome sniping map). If not, sometimes you will just have to take the risk and hope the enemy commander doesn't arty you. Just create a local server and explore around. Be creative, you'll never know what cool spots you'll end up finding.
Now, you're probably wondering why I'm advising you to to snipe near obvious places. To divert the enemies attentions that's why! Any competent commander would be spotting you out sooner or later, and the enemies you killed will often want revenge, often spawning as a sniper themselves. 9 times out of 10, they will respawn at the flag closest to where they just died, run around a bit to where they think is safe (hehe) , go prone and look at your general direction, towards the obvious sniper spots. In order to properly scan with their scope they have to stay still, right? This is often their downfall, and your best chance to take them out and cause further frustration to an already frustrated soul.
If you are a good shot (as most serious snipers should be) you should be able to pull off headshots on prone/stationary targets easily, especially within 200m. The trick is to not let them look too long before taking them out. If you allow a sniper 10 seconds to slowly scan the obvious spots around you sooner or later he's gonna realise you're not actually there. So in order to minimise the risk of this happening you have to eliminate him pretty much as soon as they stop to scan the area.
I guess in conclusion there are many ways to snipe in BF2, there is certainly no 'proper' or 'correct' way IMO, I just never got into the habit of constant relocation because it just seems dangerous and risky running around in the open when you can stay put and get a few kills instead, provided your current location is good enough for the job.
Discuss.
Now, this post is gonna be pretty long, so you are forewarned...
OK, I've been sniping a lot recently and am slowly getting better with my technique, but one thing that I don't understand is why most of you fellow snipers insist on relocating after a few kills. I rarely relocate unless I'm spotted or if the enemy has been pushed back so far that the combat line is out of sight.
I'm now sometimes able to go whole rounds without dieing just by sniping in the one spot, and I'm getting at least 12 kills + numerous assists most rounds, so it's not like I'm in some secluded spot in the middle of nowhere either.
A sniper is best concealed in a prone, stationary state. Any movement will often give away your position.
Running around the fringes of battlefields looking for a new nest is often dangerous, especially if the enemy already has a rough idea of your location. A lot of my deaths when playing sniper is often getting shot while MOVING to my sniper nest. Usually once I'm settled in a location I get very few deaths.
With the UAV/satellite constantly scanning the battlefield, no sniper is every totally concealed. Plus there are commanders that just love spotting out the lone sniper and will keep tracking you no matter how far you relocate.
The way I prefer to play sniper is to find a 'killer' sniper nest where I can snipe the whole round without dieing while still being near enough to the action to get a decent amount of kills/assists.
Generally, such spots need most of the following attributes:
- Has good cover/concealment
- Has good line of sight towards a few flags/chokepoints/hotspots
- Is near obvious/popular sniper spots (what?!?! I hear you say? I'll explain later...)
- Has an escape route for emergencies
- Preferably protected from artillery, not always possible though...
Such spots are hard to come by, especially those with cover from artillery, but they do exist (especially on Kubra Dam, awesome sniping map). If not, sometimes you will just have to take the risk and hope the enemy commander doesn't arty you. Just create a local server and explore around. Be creative, you'll never know what cool spots you'll end up finding.
Now, you're probably wondering why I'm advising you to to snipe near obvious places. To divert the enemies attentions that's why! Any competent commander would be spotting you out sooner or later, and the enemies you killed will often want revenge, often spawning as a sniper themselves. 9 times out of 10, they will respawn at the flag closest to where they just died, run around a bit to where they think is safe (hehe) , go prone and look at your general direction, towards the obvious sniper spots. In order to properly scan with their scope they have to stay still, right? This is often their downfall, and your best chance to take them out and cause further frustration to an already frustrated soul.
If you are a good shot (as most serious snipers should be) you should be able to pull off headshots on prone/stationary targets easily, especially within 200m. The trick is to not let them look too long before taking them out. If you allow a sniper 10 seconds to slowly scan the obvious spots around you sooner or later he's gonna realise you're not actually there. So in order to minimise the risk of this happening you have to eliminate him pretty much as soon as they stop to scan the area.
I guess in conclusion there are many ways to snipe in BF2, there is certainly no 'proper' or 'correct' way IMO, I just never got into the habit of constant relocation because it just seems dangerous and risky running around in the open when you can stay put and get a few kills instead, provided your current location is good enough for the job.
Discuss.