Sniper has always been a support role; you either eliminate a single hard threat to your team (usually enemy support), soften targets to reduce friendly casualties, or harass them into hard cover.
The various races should prefer one or another of these based on their philosophy.
For example:
AmarrScrambler GÇô Harassment: - Shortest effective range.
- Highest proportional optimal range.
- Fastest bullet travel time.
- No drop.
- Shots lose damage beyond optimal range and dissipate entirely at effective range.
- Excellent Shield damage, medium Armour damage.
- Lowest recoil.
- Lowest damage.
- Fastest rate of fire.
An Amarrian scrambler sniper rifle would fit very well when it comes to harassing enemies into cover. A combination of extreme projectile speed, low recoil, and the ability to put many shots down range in short time - despite low damage and reach - would enable the user to fill much the same role as the Laser Rifle at sniper ranges but without the same level of sustained fire or crowd control.
MinmatarArtillery GÇô Anti Materiel: - Medium effective range.
- Shortest proportional optimal range.
- Slowest bullet travel time.
- Extreme drop beyond optimal range, bullet falls straight down at effective range.
- Damage does not decrease at any range.
- Excellent Armour damage, medium Shield damage.
- Highest recoil.
- Highest damage.
- Lowest rate of fire.
A Minmatar artillery sniper rifle would be unmatched at the GÇ£one shot one killGÇ¥ mantra, but sacrifices almost everything else to do so. The extremely low rate of fire means that priority targets are prefered (indeed, users would need to endure slow reloads between shots); the high recoil makes even the models with 2 shots unwieldy; the extreme bullet drop requires significant skill to use on moving targets; finally the mediocre range requires the user to get somewhat close to the target. The upshot is that these rifles can even pose a threat to lightly armoured vehicles.
Caldari/GallenteRailgun GÇô Target softening.- Farthest effective range.
- Medium proportional optimal range.
- Medium bullet travel time.
- Medium drop beyond optimal range.
- Damage decreases beyond optimal range, 25% at effective range.
- Medium Shield and Armour damage.
- Medium recoil.
- Medium damage.
- Medium rate of fire.
Both the Caldari and Gallente employ Railgun technology with regards to sniper rifles. Both racial variants focus on softening targets but are generally flexible. The Caldari version trades some rate of fire and damage in exchange for range and faster projectiles with less drop; making it more suited to finish off wounded or weak targets. The Gallente version leans the other way: sacrificing range and projectile speed for increased damage and rate of fire with increased drop; for applying initial hits on general infantry, or additional support against hardened targets.
This leaves us with a bunch of sniper rifles of varying calibres for various uses and with different types of tactics incentivised. This also prompts a change to sniper rifle stats, as right now snipers are constantly in their optimal range.
Thoughts? Are these acceptable compromises? Would it reduce the amount of sniper spam?
