Semi-Auto Sniper Rifles and you

Discussion in 'Infiltrator' started by Mustarde, Jul 11, 2013.

  1. Sworaven


    I auraxiumed the HSR-1 this week and it's hard to go from that to the KSR-35. I use the same load-out as you mentioned, 2x scope, silencer and forward grip. That's probably because there aren't any other attachments, hehe.
  2. Snotgurg

    Interesting discussion!

    My favorite infiltrator gameplay revolves around the semi-auto scout rifle. Not a sniper rifle technically, it's more like a battle rifle. What it gives me is accurate fire on the move (while ADS only equalled by the battle rifles and some ARs, and surpassed by AR burst variants). It is the most powerful rifle that also allows the NV/HS sight. Combined with a 6x scope, foregrip and compensator it is possible to put down fire quickly and accurately. It is great for when there just is not enough time to aim for the head, like in many fluid open field battles, or outpost defenses or assaults. You put down 3 - 4 shots, then pop back into cover/cloak. Not always enough to get a kill, but many times it is.

    Obviously, another class can do the above better using an AR, some LMGs or carbines. However when you combine the above with recon darts, EMPs, grenade bandolier, you can really be useful to the team. Did I mention that this loadout is not meant for stealth operations? ;-)
  3. RockPlanetSide2

    Meh, Ive gotten pretty good at dropping 3 non heavies with one clip. I really think the best option is to just not even shoot at a heavy unless there is no way he could survive, the semi autos are best for soft targets.

    I just can't use the Nyx, I get way more kills with the spectre. Maybe just me, but it seems like Nanoweave has made the Nyx just bonkers bad.
  4. Mustarde

    In pointing out the limitations of SASRs, you can tailor your playstyle to minimize those downsides and perform well. That's kind of the point of this post. I can take a bolt action almost anywhere and do well, with few exceptions. I find that the SASR's limit my scenarios and engagement patterns, but if I use them carefully, and against the right type of targets, I go on great killstreaks and surprise a lot of enemies. They aren't BAD weapons, they are limited. Part of being a better infiltrator is knowing your weaknesses so you can avoid and minimize their impact on your performance.
  5. OldMaster80

    For my play style it's just the best Infiltrator weapon for TR. My loadout:
    - Silencer
    - Laser Pointer
    - x2 Scope

    I use it at close / mid distance because I feel it's a poor weapon for long range sniping. According to PS2 wiki damage drops to 250 after 65 mts, making other rifles much more viable.
    It's instead very good at short distance: within 20 mts you still have max damage (334) and at close quarter you can fire from the hip, without aiming. 2x scope is pretty enough, it has limited sway and you can still fire very fast.

    Just make sure to flank your enemies, in 1vs1 face to face fights HSR-1 can't compete with more efficient weapons.
  6. Astraka


    I often find myself in 1v1 engagements & like you have found this typically to be where the weapon fails me. It's a shame because I really want to like it simply because it is the beefiest sounding weapon in the TR Infiltrator arsenal.
  7. Cloudslinger

    Thanks for posting this Mustarde. I've found myself getting better at hitting moving targets, so I'll give a SASR a shot. Now if I just had more time to use my Ghost...
  8. RockPlanetSide2

    I find that the Spectre only fails me versus heavies CQC 1v1, anybody else I can still out shoot if we see each other at the same time, because it is just scope or sometimes just hip fire pop-pop dead. So it's not really about skill it's just that heavies are just a crutch class.
  9. Steveru


    I've been using almost exclusively BASRs playing this game. Read this post, went and started trying the 99SV and oh man! It's so much fun! Slapped a foregrip on and away I went! I'm just goin' hog wild out there! I find that I rarely even really try for the headshot unless targets are standing still or very close to cover now because using the BASRs gave me enough practice leading targets, that it doesn't really matter if they try to run.

    Some cool quirks with the 99SV (and SASRs in general)
    • It shoots FAST! Almost as fast as you can click!
    • Don't be afraid to shoot BASR snipers! Just shoot them anywhere (legs, foot, elbow), they will get panicked after getting shot, they WILL mess up their shot! You are a hard counter!
    • Don't really worry about the headshot so much! Just keep landing hits!
    • HIPFIRE! It's A-MAZING! You've got 10 rounds! and because its rate of fire is so fast, you can literally eliminate a target in 0.5s! P-P-Pow! Not bad. Not bad at all.
    Some gripes
    • You kinda stink in mid-range fights against regular targets (especially HA) that know your location. This sort of annoys me, but I guess that's why you've got the cloak. I just wish that there were some sort of equalizer in this kind of fight, because it seems unfair that I can land 2-4 hits in a row, which is difficult because of the stupid sway (which is waaaay to much for a SASR like Mustarde said) and they have almost no sway and perfect accurracy.
    • The ADS penalty (just like the sway) seems less appropriate for the SASR and more so for the BASR. In other words: the SASR shouldn't have as much sway as the BASR.
    • I really wish I could just put a reflex sight on the 99SV, or maybe a 4x or a 3x or a 3.4x or a 5.2x.
    And hey, Mustarde. I like the 99SV, is it worth dropping 700 certs on the next SASR variant?
  10. Mustarde


    Glad you had some fun with the 99SV! I'm glad you saw through the negatives I was pointing out and used the knowledge of them to fight effectively.

    The KSR-35 is the short range variant, and last I checked it was 500 certs... might be 250. The HSR-1 is a scout rifle, and while it is also semi-auto with close range scopes, it has several other differences, both good and bad, compared to the KSR-35 (the HSR-1 does less damage, shorter falloff distance, no scope sway, magazine size of 12, better hip fire).

    I would say that you may enjoy those short range variants, but I found the KSR in particular very painful to use. The no-sway HSR-1 is more usable in closer ranges with the 1-6x scopes. Just my own opinions, you may have an entirely different experience. I've yet to meet a fellow infil who actually liked the KSR.
  11. Snotgurg

    The scout rifles (both auto and semi) do have scope sway, at least on the HS/NV 1x and the BDS 6x.
  12. zaspacer

    One of the biggest negatives for me about the SASR out in the field is specifically that the need to fire multiple shots provides enemies the ability to notice (the first shot) and then track (additional) shots.

    This problem gets much worse when you are firing on groupings of multiple enemies. And this gets much, much worse when you are firing past closer enemies to hit a more distant target OR when you are firing at a target when other enemies are looking in your direction.

    Other notes on the SASR (Sniper)...

    SASR can be an effective VERY close range (0-4 meter) hipfire weapon. This used to be good for shooting enemies hacked from Turrets, but with the current bug it's not reliable so this ability is moot. The BA has similar accuracy, but its reload time makes it poor for hipfire unless you only need 1 shot (opponent is wounded) or you can get a knife attack in.

    Hip Fire
    Spectre (3x Bodydshot)
    3m 20/20 = 100%
    4m 18/20 = 90%
    5m: 13/20 = 65%
    10m: 7/20 = 35%
    15m: 3/20 = 15%

    Hip Fire
    Parallax (2x Bodydshot)
    2m 19/20 = 95%
    3m 17/20 = 85%
    4m: 18/20 = 90%
    5m: 14/20 = 70%
    10m: 4/20 = 20%

    The SASR (Sniper) is much more effective (better aim, faster subsequent shots, more ammo) at being used as a disrupter/harrassar (where goal is to desrupt them from what they are doing and killing is not required)

    BASR better at far and extreme range Infil duals, where players do not close distance but try to Sniper each other. SASR better at closer range Infil duels, where players can close distance; no need to unscope, faster shots, bigger magazine.

    All that said, I currently use the BASR over the SASR. I do not choose SASR as any of my 3 loadouts. The role SASR is close to filling but does not beat out the BASR + 6x Scope + Suppressor for is "closer range Sniping". It loses out out to the BASR because:
    * more than 1 shot makes it far too easy for enemies to track where I am shooting from.
    * the Turret hack bug nullifies the shotgun hipfire SASR when cracking enemies out of Turrets.

    Sounds (Suppressed or otherwise) vary by faction and by weapon. The Spectre (VS SASR) w/ Suppressor has a fairly quiet sound that functions well for Stealth.

    I agree that Weapon noise can hurt Stealth, but it's important to note which Weapons make what noise. And not to lump all weapons of a class together just when they have different noises.

    I agree with you that the Medium Range being too far (on guns that are good at close range too) is a problem for the game.

    However, your statement about the limited range of SASR (Sniper) does not apply the VS "no-bullet-drop" Spectre. The Spectre's no-bullet-drop means that is has no range limit and that it's also much easier to put a bullet on target without worrying about adjusting for bullet drop or unscoping with each round.

    I just IA'd into an area crawling with enemies and was able to 2x Headshot enemies sitting idle at very long ranges. I was using a 6x Scope so it was harder, but the no bullet drop and no unscoping made it work.

    I don't think it's that simple.

    I do agree that the Stealth is better with a BA. Fewer shots means:
    * less grouped tracer shots to notice
    * less time uncloaked to be seen
    * less chance of opponent surviving by moving and detecting you

    However, with regards to "better", "from longer range", and "more reliably" I think it depends when you consider the VS.

    VS SASRs are more reliable at hitting extreme distant targets (no-bullet-drop) than VS BASR if not sure of range mildot adjustment (for first shot if not expert aimer), or when using a Suppressor at even just long ranges. VS SASR are also much easier to switch quickly between targets at extreme but different ranges and hit with precision.

    It's not really fair to expect Infil Weapons to hold up when compared with non-Infil Weapons for other Classes.

    I DO praise the ASR, but I also recognize that it's a joke compared to the Weapons other classes have access to. For an Infil (and the limited options they have), I feel an ASR (especially the VS ASR) is the best tool for certain types of engagements.

    Right now one of my 3 loadouts is Artemis (VS ASR) + 2x Scope + Laser Sight. It took the spot of my Sirius SMG.
  13. RockPlanetSide2

    Been grinding on my NC SASR with the Gauss SPR... been using a lot of 7x / 8x scope. Starting to hit a really nice groove at that range. You can still zoom in and hit closer targets with the 7x/8x and they give you a pretty good step-up from the 6x zoom.

    Getting the 3 shots in a row without missing is really the key. People are just not ready for it, ever. They think they can out shoot you, but its just pop-pop-pop and they are left just stunned and dead.

    I've been getting away from the 4x versions (phantom/ksr/impetus). I just don't think they serve much of a purpose. the 6x scope range and greater is the best effective range for SASRs - and I don't like giving up the bullet velocity that you lose on the 4x versions, and on top of that the Semi-Auto Scouts just shine more at the 4x and lower range.

    The OVERALL key tho is keeping yourself at that sweet-spot max/medium range zone, where the full auto weapons start to bloom too much and you are only getting hit with half of the incoming bullets, thats where you really just smoke people that think they can shoot back and kill you. Some of the "longer range" guns like the URSA or TMG50 will still tear your head off, but they are at least rare options.

    ****

    As far as the bullet drop goes, I think that if you are using the SASRs at the range where bullet drop is starting to really be an issue, you are using them incorrectly, at that range you should just be using a BASR... again, I think these weapons are not the same at all and simply classifying them both as "long range sniper rifles" is confusing.