TrueArchon wrote:
Some interesting comments on the "guide" but too strict in feel for my tastes on a few issues. I'm gonna comment on some stuff, but keep in mind I'm an avid sniper player. However, I've also put a decent amount of time in the other "kit" roles to see the other side of things, as well.
Nyte wrote:
RULE 2: Find a good hiding spot
This is BS.
Todd_Angelo wrote:
Not entirely but still a worthwhile point.
Gotta agree with Todd. It's not BS if it's still practical to be in a good sniping position that happens to:
A. Provide cover on at least two sides for you.
B. Provide concealment from passive enemy searches.
C. Is a spot that an enemy is not going to immediately assumed as a "usual" sniping environment (i.e. building tops, mountain tops, etc.).
Nyte wrote:
RULE 5: Snipers don't capture flags
Fuck you yes they do. ....
Good point, but a sniper shouldn't be stupid about it, either. Honestly, most of my deaths as a sniper can be attributed to lone flag capture attempts, and not for the lack of trying or decent tactics. Plain and simple in this game...
Unless you're facing complete rookie players, three machine gun toting enemies are very likely gonna gun you down AND keep their flag... like it or not.
Nyte wrote:
.... Snipers are the 2nd most powerful unit for capturing flags losing only to Armor users. ....
Gotta disagree with you on both accounts.
Snipers and armor should be covering from a distance, and supporting a fire team to take the flag. Sorry, but snipers, up close, without body armor, without a decent close range weapon, are looking to get killed (if not by enemy fire, but friendly fire as well). A good sniper covers from a moderate distance, waits for the flag to neutralize, THEN moves in to finish the capture. Not to mention he can spot out hidden enemies that he can see from his vantage point to the squad making the capture.
Likewise, the turrets of armor turn too slowly to avoid becoming a C4 sandwich to a sneaky spec-ops guy (let alone a mine-totting engineer) who just happened to spawn in behind you limited view. Wasting valuable pieces of team equipment in such a manner doesn't help the team.
Nyte wrote:
.... You have 2 claymores which are basically going to push out any opposition advancing to kill you. Just set it and forget it, while you are there holding your sniper rifle taking down farther targets advancing in. A rule of thumb though, NEVER place claymores facing the same way near each other, else both will get set off.
Good points on the claymores... if you got them. Same with taking out distant enemies looking to RETAKE a flag. However, what about the enemies that just happened to spawn before you neutralize the flag? Claymores are good, but not the end-all, be-all in reliability. That's the problem with "fire and forget" munitions over a reactive squads, with heavy firepower, that are covering separate directions.
Nyte wrote:
RULE 6: Snipers should always stay in the back
While this may be true in some games, it isn't in here. Doing this will not only make you useless for the team, but it make you bored real damn fast. Why useless? Because in the end, you don't accomplish alot for the team; no flag capping, no flag holding (maybe a little), most likely less kills than half of the team, and not enough fear being put in the enemy.
I must reiterate my above comments to this. A good flag-capturing sniper is one who supports a squad from a moderate distance... until flag neutralization. A bad flag-capturing sniper is the lone Rambo that contributes to the team's ticket losses because he got outgunned. From the other, above mentioned, extreme: if you're not making kills at a distance, at least you're not contributing to deaths either. There has to be some middle ground and thought put into flag-capturing tactics.
Todd_Angelo wrote:
Course they should, unless all you're playing for is kills and you don't care about the team's goals.
Kills are just as important in the game as flag captures, because both take away from the ticket totals. However, as you pointed out, overall team goal of winning is still important. So, a sniper who ISN'T making kills isn't contributing to the overall team goal of winning.
Trust me, there are plenty of times that I've sat somewhere terrorizing a spawn point with kills that often resulted in a sniper-manhunt that ended in at least three enemy troops (and commander artillery strikes against lil' ole' me) gunning for me instead of capturing flags. That's just as important a role as taking the flags, AND is often not even noticed by the rest of the team.
Nyte wrote:
To be effective, you want to lower the morale of the enemy by being CRAZY AGGRESSIVE...
Interesting, but very likely gonna get you killed against any good player who happens to get a quick three or four accurate rapid fire rounds against you. Snipers aren't the only ones with "skills" out there, and meeting your nemesis who happens to be good with a G3 or SCAR can end you day just as easily.
Nyte wrote:
see a 6 man squad? Run in their with your claymore!
Todd_Angelo wrote:
Well, maybe at short range but at anything longer, against players of even average skill, you might be facing two M4s, an MG36 and a SAW, an M16 and an L85A1 - and you're toast.
Couldn't have said it much better, Todd. Oh yeah, there's also that claymore "arming time" thing too. Don't know how many claymores I've ran past, gunning down the sniper, without any reprisal. Even if there happens to be a reprisal, what's the best you got in the end? He got you, and you got him?
Nyte wrote:
RULE 6: Be the predator, not the idiot ...
HELL YEAH!!! Following you so far...
Nyte wrote:
... Hit someone with an M95 but they ran away? Hunt their ass down with your pistol junior! ...
Huh? You're starting lose me as reality rears it's ugly head in my peripheral. You want me to give up the fact that I have position AND first strike initiative to get in closer to his machine-gun that lays down at least 600 rpm? No thanks, I'll take the likely kill assist from safety, or a patient second shot kill, over the chance of rambo-like battle charge that ends in a possible death. Heck, it's not even rambo-like... at least Rambo had dual M60s!
Nyte wrote:
.... It's a psychological effect for people to run and hide when they have 2 bars of HP left. They are SCARED of you, they are most likely shaking their hands while holding the mouse. ....
Honestly, it's not the rookie/newbies I'm worried about in your above "rule." It's the G3 assault veteran who happens to realize that all he has to do is dodge around a bit until he deploys his smoke grenade in the general direction that he was hit from. You're overall conclusive opinion that someone who is running around, dodging, and hiding as "scared" isn't taking into the simple account that a moving target is a harder target to hit. ESPECIALLY when the sniper you're dodging against has position and first strike against you!
As amusing as it sounds, the person you may be assuming as "shaking their hand while holding the mouse" may just as likely be buying himself time to formulate a plan to take himself out of a dangerous disadvantage, and possible reverse the roles against you. That's at least what I'd be doing. :shrug:
Nyte wrote:
.... See 5 snipers in the distance aiming at you? That's why M95 has 5 bullets! ....
... And the 1.8 second bolt reload action vs. the needed two bullets (out of five shots) to kill you isn't a factor in your arithmetic?
Nyte wrote:
... I've seen many a player spraying for no apparent reason in the distance when I hit them in the body with my M95, I call that PHEAR. ...
... And I've seen many a player (myself included) switch his G3/SCAR/AK-47 to semi-auto, drop to a crouch, fire one shot, take a side step, crouch, fire a second shot, and rinse-repeat until a kill was achieved. Besides, if spraying happens to be your only option, would you rather foregoe that in favor of rolling up and exposing your soft underbelly in defeat? Not I. I'd rather at least go for a half-way lucky head shot instead.
Honestly, Nyte, for anyone to take you seriously on a "sniper guide," you need to make it seem less of a public gloat session. No one's dismissing your talent with the sniper kit, especially if they look at your scores. However, it's also not like you're going out there and smiting the infidels with your mighty sniper rifle without reprisal, either. You make good points, but cheapin' them with comments like the last two I rebuttled too.