Say, did anyone else notice that the AV MANA turrets seem to use the same hit detection model as the AI ones? Even though there's no shield covering the target's chest/head, it acts as if there is only a small portion of their body you can hit from the front. On sniping, perhaps I shouldn't comment, given my KDR is a mere 0.93 right now (I was *terrible* at this game in the beginning) but lots and lots of people stand still even these days. If you can get behind them then they're all toast. Well...mostly, more people have nano-weave armor now, and that can prevent headshots from killing the target. - Braddigan
Sniping with physics is an art, You need to compensate for movement and bullet drop at great distance. You can get a dial in with the notches on your scope. The best way is to practice a lot. I normally hide out extremely far but at that distance, you need to make sure its 1 hit 1 kill as you don't want to give away your position. DIAL IN IS EVERYTHING. I would practice hitting a target (rock or something) where i know the enemy's will be at the same distance so i know how far above their heads i have to aim etc.
Depends on what type of Sniping you want to do: Bolt Action w/ 12x Scope? (very far shooting) Bolt Action w/ 6x Scope? (medium to far shooting and don't care if you see me) Bolt Action w/ 6x Scope and Suppressor? (close to far shooting and I don't want you to see me) (seriously, tell me so I can explain how I do it for that particular style) Lattice has definitely created a lot more opportunities for me to Snip. More targets, clustered tighter together, and keeping to a narrow path rather than spreading out and stumbling over me. Two answers: 1) lots of people stop moving in certain area/engagements 2) you don't always need for targets to stop moving #1 - people do stop moving The worst moving targets are (1) people rushing to get to a battlefront (or at the tip of a moving zerg) that are not exposed for a long time, and (2) people who are doing the anti-Sniper shuffle (properly) and can keep doing it while doing whatever it is they're doing (Medics, Engineer, guys shooting normal guns, etc.) I typically stay away from these. But that leaves lots of choice targets: 1) Engineers in turrets 2) HA's firing rockets 3) Snipers NOT using cloak-shoot-cloak (or not using it well): they will stop moving to line up their shot, de-cloak and ice them then 4) People using Terminals 5) People checking their map 6) People looking around 7) People trying to hide 8) People trying to get behind cover and stay down 9) Lazy Engineers/Medics 10) AFK people or people waiting or people not expecting it 11) Greedy people who are trying to get kills and don't care if they die cause they can respawn fast You tend to find these types at certain times and places in the game. Not when they've just capped a base and are racing to another, but when they're tied up and stalled in a battle or when they're waiting for a base to cap. Someone posted some really great advice a long while back that has worked for me over and over: if you are aiming at someone who stops and then right when you are about to shoot they move, don't shoot. Often these kinds of players will do the exact same thing over and over (move, stop, move, stop), so just take your time and wait for them to stop again and get your shot. #2 - shooting moving targets Lotta people run in big, open areas. Leading them and getting 2x Body Shots is often very doable, especially if they are stubborn and keep trying to go in one direction. Also, sometimes you are in a VERY heavy firefight where you don't care if you Headshot them or not since even wounding them (kill or assist) is enough with all the other damage flying around. Shoot the targets in order. Guy behind the others, guy facing your direction, closest guy to you, etc. If you kill guys in order, then you limit who can see what happened. When I am extreme range sniping, I often don't care if they know where I am as long as I am in an area they can't run to. In fact, I often prefer it (unless it's a vehicle, especially Air) because it will lead to bad Snipers trying to hit me and making themselves easy targets. Just find an area with a good view of them, find some form or cover near your spot, then use the cloak-airm-decloak-shoot-cloak method of Sniping. Cloak-airm-decloak-shoot-cloak method of Sniping = 1) start from behind cover 2) cloak up 3) exit cover and move to nearby (a few steps max) area with good view of targets 4) site target 5) de-cloak and fire 6) anti-sniper shuffle (press movement direction keys at random, but mostly left, right, and back) + re-cloak 7) return to cover 8) de-cloak and recharge cloak to full 9) repeat Note 1: if you are unable to site target before cloak runs out, just return to cover to re-cloak Note 2: if you de-cloak and fire fast enough, you should have enough cloak left to re-cloak and set-up a 2nd shot before having to return to cover to recharge Note 3: change up where you de-cloak at (even if just by a small bit) or enemy snipers will get wise to an exact spot you are appearing and train their sites on that spot and wait for you to appear Note 4: if there is no cover or I don't feel targeted, I will just skip the cloak method and anti-Sniper shuffler between shots Note 5: don't get greedy. If the target moves and you hold still longer trying to catch him when he stops, you are asking to get shot by a enemy Sniper or at least detected Note 6: if you press <Shift> for Hold Breath and they move immediately, and you let go right away, it allows you to use <Shift> again right away, but the Aim Sway will only stop for a VERY short time the second time. But it's enough to get the type of quick on target shot you want. Don't Snipe from within the Jaws of the Zerg unless you are behind a 1-way spawn room shield, there are enough ally bodies between you and the zerg to soak up the enemy advance, or the battlefront is stalled and so you are not in immediate danger of being overrun (but even then watch out for when they break the stall). Snipe from the side or behind the zerg. Or go even further back and Snipe the guys spawning at their bases feeding the zerg (especially Terminal farming on some bases). Lattice Zergers want to go forward along the Lattice path, they don't want to go hiking sideways to hunt down some annoying Sniper. Chances are if you hit them, they won't respawn to come after you, but will just take the opportunity to respawn closer to the main battle. Also, don't spawn from your base in the path of the Zerg. Spawn at a side base and you won't run into the Zerg as you're trying to get set-up. For OHK Headshots you just want 1 shot. You just want one vulnerable target moment. You only want yourself to be vulnerable standing still for a very short moment. The windows for Hold Breath, Reload, Cloak Charge, etc. all work fine for this goal. If you start using more Hold Breath Scope time, then you are making yourself an easy target to get seen and get counter Sniped. I use the Parallax and I don't typically care about the slower reload times, in part because it helps keep me from trying to rush the process and get sloppy and get shot. There are a lot of other specific details I didn't cover. So if you let me know the type of Sniping you want to do I can cover that. Like right now one of my favorite Sniping methods is to find a good bush (no trunk, tall enough to cover me when crouched, etc.) and just camp behind it and knock down opponents. Especially effective at night or in very heavy combat areas. People look for Snipers peeking behind rocks, etc. But people often just don't look much at those bushes.
Wow. That was a very complete answer, I give you my like. As far as answering your question I usually stick with the 12x as it gives me the most option at range and lets me line up headshots easier, as well as accommodating for bullet drop (because of it's high magnification you can usually use the crosshair ticks how they're supposed to be used). I use the parallax and I have a silencer unlocked, but I don't really use it since it does more harm than good at long ranges. The problem I find that I'm having the most is finding a good location. No matter what continent I'm on it seems that the land wasn't really designed for snipers. Especially at the long ranges I snipe at. I'm pretty good at everything else when it comes to sniping, but some explanation on what areas are the best to snipe from would be very useful. Also if you would be willing to explain to me how all three of the sniper play styles works for you then that would be helpful too. Thanks again for your very thorough answer
Thanks Perfect. Parallax w/ 12x Scope is my preferred Extreme Long Range Sniper Rifle as well. Do you have problems finding good Sniping targets? Finding the right spot to line-up the perfect shot? Or staying alive from opponents overrunning your position or hunting your down? My three Infil loadouts are: Loadout #1: Parallax w/ 6x Scope + Suppressor, Flak Armor 3, 2x Proximity Mine Loadout #2: Sirius SMG w/ 2x Scope + Suppressor + Soft Point + Advanced Laser Sight, Flak Armor 3, 2x Proximity Mine Loadout #3: Parallax w/ 12x Scope, Nanoweave 5, 3x MedKit Loadout #1B: And sometims I'll remove the Suppressor from Loadout #1 and run just Parallax w/ 6x Scope, Flak Armor 3, 2x Proximity Mine That gives me three Sniper Rifles: 1) Parallax w/ 6x Scope + Suppressor 2) Parallax w/ 6x Scope 3) Parallax w/ 12x Scope For the most part I use #1 and #3. I only use #2 in these instances: * stalled front and neither side is moving, there are tons of infantry on both sides, and I am engaging targets at close range AND with my allys all around me. I don't care if they see my blip in the sea of other blips, it's nice to have the extra zip, and it lets me switch to farther targets without wrestling with bullet drop. * I am behind a 1-way shield being spawn camped. Just fire Recon Dart in each direction and at whatever range the enemy is clustered, and then play Duck Hunt. Hopefully you can kill enough that they back off and your teammates can use your Recon Dart signature to read a break in their formation and counterattack out of the Spawn Room. #1 is my "go to" gun. It's the most flexible gun I have and I can use it in so many types of ranges and so many types of engagements. This makes it especially useful when running solo across multiple types of battles, when you don't have the luxury to swap out Loadouts on the fly. I love #1 because I can use it effectively anywhere from 1m to about 180m. It's the gun I run when I Instant Action into the unknown, when I want to assault a Tower from range and work my way inside and then do close range inside Tower Assault or Tower Sniping, when I want to sit in a Bush 20m away and pick off targets, etc. #3 is my "extreme range" gun. It's where I set-up and go to work knocking down hordes of opponents who are stuck in at a fixed range. Phoenix nests clustering around a rock south of Crossroads Watchtower, Sniper nests crowding the heights of Vanu Archive, Engineers rushing to Terminals at Broken Arch Road to join the assault on Crossroads Watchtower, Sitting in the dunes west of Indar Excavation Site and clearing off mixed defenders from the Tower face, etc. I focus on a big mass of enemy Infantry that is stuck in and not moving, I focus on finding a firing spot where I can get a clear view of them, I try to make sure that spot has some cover or a nice bush (but I'm ok just standing and anti-sniper shuffling in an open field if I have to), I try to get a position where most the enemy's attention is in a different direction from where I am, and I make sure that the enemy isn't moving over to my position so they don't overrun me or stumble over me. When I am extreme range sniping, my biggest threat is running into a close range Infantry... though ESFs can be dangerous too if you are out in the open and exposed (or on Esamir).
My problem as a sniper is that I can't find enough infantry, never mind finding stationary infantry. Even with the lattice I have trouble finding enough soldiers to shoot. I play on miller (NC) and cobalt (TR). Seems everywhere I go there's a tank zerg spawn camping, either for or against me (both of which make sniping pointless). On the very rare occasion I find huge foot zergs, it's glorious, because there's always a ton of enemy infs to shoot.
Please stop it with this thing that lattice caused the zerg because this is just a lie. Zerg also exist on the hex map and small fights also exist on the lattice map. It's all about pressing M and checking battles dimension. If you can't find small fights then you must be blind because the only difference between lattice and hex is that on hex map you could avoid the zerg without fighting, capping almost-empty and underdefended bases. That was just exploting the fact the people can't redeploy all the time to resecure multiple targets: players tend to focus on structures they're sure to conquer because they want XP. Now on lattice map when a wave of enemies comes you must defend or retreat, there's no redeploy, surround and re-attack a territory you lost 2 minutes ago, this time from another direction. And if you miss numbers then you have a big tactical disadvantage. Then regarding sniping, I think it just works in a limited number of situations: very long distance (cqc sniper rifles are imho overperformed by SMG and Scout Rifle), only if you keep moving, only if you keep cloaking between shots, only with a good silencer. And still you can make a difference in battle just sometimes.
As Oldmster80 points out, the new troop number indicator on the map (just hover mouse over each border zone) for each side in each battle is huge for finding good fights. Look for the 48+ enemy battles. Then look to see the state of the base and the number of allied troops, along with Cap status of the base, and base type. You really want to be looking for 48+ on both sides. If the base is being Capped by 48+ enemy troops and the ally Troop count is low, then expect to find that base spawn camped. If there is plenty of time left on the Cap timer, you can spawn there, shoot unlimited Darts to light up where troops are, and play Duck Hunt and try to help your team break out (by giving them radar and clearing a path through the attackers by Sniping them and killing or pushing them back). If the base has 48+ ally troops and the enemy count is low, expect a steamroll zerg. You'll take the base at the speed of the Cap timer, but you'll mostly wait around or fire Darts that only occasionally get a kill, and you won't find many good Sniping targets. But if you tackle the battles with 48+ on both sides, then you are talking about a full on zerg-on-zerg war with lots of targets. You should be able to find some good Sniper targets in that kind of battle. Also... If it is a huge vehicle Zerg, start spotting targets. This will help your side get the intel and send out appropriate troops to knock out those targets. Also, of course, look for support Engineers or drivers hoping out of their vehicles for repairs to knock out. Bio Domes often don't allow good Sniper targets even when they have 48+ troops on each side. Once the fighting goes indoors, hiding in a bush w/ a Suppressor BA or shooting through a 1-way shield are some of the only Sniping opportunities you'll have. I also have really soured on Stations and Plants for Sniping (though I like them for other types of play), because once the battle gets inside it's harder to find targets and too easy to get overrun by random enemy troops or spotted by Recon Dart or Scout Radar. Sometimes the best spots aren't in the zones with 48+ on both sides, but actually in the zones that are next to them (if your side is the defender in that big battle). It all depends where the support is coming from or where the battlefront is stalled. Finding where the support is spawning at or trying to get vehicles from or where the enemy is entrenched can yield great nests full of targets. Also, hitting the enemy's support base puts you in a good position to move up and set-up position on them from behind or from the side, where you won't be overrun by enemy troops rushing into the jaws of the zerg. Sometimes it's just not gonna happen. I was on Mattherson during an Alert on Friday late, and it was just dead. Not a single battle with 48+ on any side, and most of the battles that were happening were lopsided 12-24 troops vs. a handful of defenders. Terrible for Sniping (unless you want to try a Tower Assault), terrible for Recon Dart Support, and just not really fun overall. This is one reason why I have characters on Mattherson and Connery: so if one is dead I can switch to the other. Connery was healthy and full of fun battles.
The biggest problem I'm having is finding a good spot where I can snipe good targets while staying alive from opponents overrunning my position, although the release of the commissioner helped a lot with the last point (the beamer was useless). No matter where I go there is never a great spot. There is always a small rock, hill, mountain, etc. cutting off your field of view, not to mention that buildings often hide the infantry behind them, and once you're as far away as you need to be to really effectively snipe it takes too long and too much effort to move to another spot if the spot your in turns out to be a bad one. There doesn't seem to be many spots that overlook where massive amounts of infantry stand still. Also, at closer ranges you've mentioned hiding in bushes, how well does that work and are there other small pieces of cover that are good to hide in?
Btw I think the biggest snipers enemies is the minimap: scout radards and recon darts make snipers spottable easily. Those who do not move at every shot are easy targets. Personally I hope they will include in the Infiltrators revamp a tool that was in the beta certification panel and that is completely missing: the minimap jammer. That should be a tool that causes the minimap to "lost the signal" when an enemy is in the affected area. I suggested devs to consider this device for GU11 here: https://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/index.php?threads/gu11-minimap-jammer.130909/#post-1805209
hide creativly with a clear lane of where you KNOW enemies will be. e.g. in the foothils around indar excavation, and near coramed, nobody ever looks over there on the legs of a techplant on the ledge under the top of a techplant in the tree at TI ect. also learn to pop body shots, with a XM98 2 or 3 will take down a enemy. and striker/pheionex users are easy kills
The devs felt that the vanu's only advantage would be too game breaking on the only guns it would be useful for I hope they give us something else to compensate for it later on, because it is kind of useless as is. Although at the same time, all the factions unique traits have been kind of diminished over time so they could all use a revamp.
I try to look for pockets of rocket launcher and turrets that are holding up progress and go to town on those. Those guided missles the NC have now are my favourite. That means there's an NC standing still somewhere. I want them to know if they even think about getting on that ridge or platform there's a good chance they're losing their head. One sniper can keep a prime area clean - or long enough for infantry/armour to take hold. Also on the clock-aim-decloak-fire-cloak thing. I love that. Keep doing it. Saves me on darts when I'm counter-hunting snipers with my smg. Oh, and if you could throw in plenty of spotting too. Point is - don't over do it. Sometimes not cloaking is just as valuable as cloaking. Sniping isn't what it used to be. I don't think you can 'make a living' at it anymore but it's a very valuable tool. People who think snipers are useless generally have no clue that what they did is made possible by what we did.
Sorry for the delay in replying to this. Bushes work REALLY well. Though I've mostly being playing and doing it with my main lately (VS), so it may work better for VS (I use default appearance) than other factions due to color scheme. Last night I was at Vanu Archives and it was totally overrun by the enemy who were just waiting out the Cap. I had Instant Actioned right into the lower area NE of the Archives by the Vehicle Terminals and I quickly found it swarming with Vehicles and Infantry. My cloak was running out and I figured I was done for when I spotted some hope in 2 bushes just to the NW of the Vehicle Resupply Tower (if you go there you can check them out). I ran into the more NE of the 2, crouched, and proceeded to set-up shop. I had difficulty picking out targets through the leaves that obstructed my view, but because of the density of the enemy I really didn't want to inch forward cloaked until I had a clear view to get shots off (usually I do if the enemy is farther away or more sparse). I managed to sit safely there for a good long while, even having an enemy Infantry literally run right through my bush at one point, and having a tank run into my bush (he pushed me and I cloaked up and moved, then he moved and I moved back). I only took very sure shots on stopped targets, and I made sure to delay between shots to avoid drawing attention. I managed to take out about 8-10 Infantry before a tank finally noticed me and ran me over. Find a nice wide bush that doesn't have a stem/trunk. You can sit in the middle of the bush, cloak up and inch out to find targets and shoot, then recloak and inch back into your bush. If your enemy is only in one direction, you can use a smaller bush and just use it to protect the side they can see (with your butt sticking out the back). Try to pick a bush that the enemy is not running toward or otherwise in their path of movement or where they are looking. (off to their side is best) Night works better than day, and rather away works better than closer. It doesn't work nearly as well with other types of cover, but some cover does work nicely: * Hiding up in trees can work well, but invariably someone ends up looking up and seeing you. * Hiding on the support structure under an Air platform at a Tower (right at the top of the little beam that rises up) can be amazing. Though I've had much better success using it vs. Defenders (before battlefront is inside Tower) than Attackers (once the battlefront is inside the Tower). Seems a Tank always eventually spots me and Snipes me when I do it vs. Attackers. * Hiding out in the open in a giant open area with multiple locations your shots could be coming from (like a giant valley). People will look at rocks or cliffs, but if you're not there they kinda get overwhelmed with trying to find you. Just make sure not to fire too many shots in a row when they're looking, or they'll be able to see the bullet streaks and follow that back. * Hiding behind a rock/edge AND moved back along a flat area so that only your head shows and it's farther back than the rock. Especially good cause you can edge around to make each target visible around the edge while keeping yourself out of view of any other targets. I am curious about trying a taller bush with a stem/trunk (small tree) with me standing inside it and using the trunk to mask my legs. Though I haven't tried it yet.
At long distances all you really need is a good view of the enemy some small cover near you that you can hide behind, just make sure that whatever is behind you doesn't make you stand out. You don't need to be perfectly concealed and hard to find, there aren't that many perfect spots. You just have to make sure to stay alert and not get sucked into your scope. This includes being aware of your surroundings, I find a lot snipers that let me walk up behind them because they have lost all their awareness, and also making sure to regularly re-scan the area to see how the overall battle is progressing, to see if there are any important targets to take out (Engies on turrets or repairing MAXs or Vehicles, Medics, etc) and also see if typical sniper spots have any snipers in them, as not only are they easy kills and annoying for your friendly troops, but they can be a big threat to you if they find your position. Also if you see another sniper aiming at you for the love of god don't stand still. If enemies are getting too close or you've attracted a lot of attention then it's time to relocate. At closer ranges you don't need to hide at all really. I usually (Mostly when there are a lot of enemy snipers around) just stand out in the open (With some cover nearby), behind the front line and in most cases away from where most people's attention is, and continuously move in an unpredictable way, that way if any snipers try to hit me and miss, they give away their position and you can usually find them and kill them quickly, especially when they just stare at you while you are pointing your rifle at them. When you aren't dealing with other snipers you just shoot at infantry, making sure to go for any key targets first. Sometimes it doesn't really matter where you are if there are some really important target that you can take out. As for hitting moving targets that just takes time to learn how to much to lead. The horizontal mil-dots will help you there.
