The M95 is my friend. I defend it whenever I can.
When I first unlocked it, I was a bit disapointed. I found that it was as accurate as a potato gun.
Truthfully, it was just my skill with it.
The more I snipe, the better I become, and the more I like the M95.
If you are plannig to 'just have a bit of a go as a Sniper, maybe climb a ladder and see what you can see," you may not want the M95. The M24 or those crappy semi-autos will do you fine.
If you are serious about Sniping, willing to trek long distances to find that perfect spot, remain unseen, increase your accuracy to around 50%, (my eventual mid-term goal with the rife. I'm at 41%) and do some serious phsycological and physical damage to your opponent, the M95 will be your friend too.
Being a good Sniper is the hardest thing to do in the game. This is why people shy away from being Snipers, and thus have a negative viewpoint about the M95. Their skill lacks, and yes, the M95 is only good for skillful one-shot infantry kills where you have to aim, adjust for bullet drop and target movement and fire. It is not a good gun for close combat, or mid combat, (unless you are unseen,) which is what a lot of people, (myself included,) love playing Battlefield 2 for.
If you are going to snipe and have fun with the M24, you can forget about getting those really long hand-of-god type shots that kill enemies from a mile away, because the power of the rifle is not enough, and bullet drop effects the accuracy too much. The M95, as a much more powerful rifle, (in the projectile department, not nessisarily the damage department,) will allow you to get more of these kills. That is the main, less obvious difference between the two rifles, (the more obvious reason being the ability to shoot through armoured glass,) and may not sound like to much to get excited about, but the bullet drop that effects the M24 is quite substantial.
In mid-range Sniping, you will have to adjust a M24 for bullet drop. With the M95, it is not an issue, and you can line up your crosshairs to the target's head and score a nice headshot.
The M95 does not do any more damage than the M24, which is why many people believe there is no reason to use the M95 rifle, but in Sniping, your aim is to score a headshot anyway, so damage dosn't become an issue really.
Anyway, looking towards the proposed new patch, the M95 will have some improvements added to it as well. it will be made more accurate, and the crosshairs, which have been an issue, will be made thinner.
I endorse the M95, but keeping these issues in mind, you should be able to decide what would be best for how you play and enjoy the game.
Question: What is your other choice?
Last edited by Tyferra (2005-12-16 19:33:00)