David Septimus
Commando Perkone
Caldari State
23
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Posted - 2013.01.30 18:24:00 -
[1] - Quote
My ten cents, as someone who spends ~60% of his time as a sniper: The class needs major adjustments.
1. Being a sniper is far too cost effective. In my opinion, the weapon equips for a sniper should be reasonably OP (one shot, one kill) and the drawback to such power should be high cost and high skill (both in the form of SP and as a mechanic). Currently, this is not how the sniper class is set up. It's reasonably powered, low skill-cost, and, as several posters have mentioned, readily available at a deep discount (relative to comprable assault builds).
2. Sniping mechanics require no skills: The crosshairs don't move; the rounds travel at the speed of light; when I snipe across the map during a dust storm, the bullet travels in a perfectly straight line. It's like being in command of a mobile railgun installation. If anything about the sniper class needs to be fixed, it's these issues.
3. The ability to camp under/near an allied MCC with impunity is, frankly, comical. Depending on the layout of the objectives, I can quite literally plop down a nanohive and snipe with unlimited ammunition and zero threat of being killed by either other snipers or someone patient enough to trek out there with an AR. This is the very definition of "broken."
4. There is no counter to snipers other than other snipers on open terrain. Although lots of people like to argue the finer points of this, the heart of the matter is that you are completely exposed when moving from point A to B. There should be an option to carry smoke grenades. In the absence of this fundamental counter-sniper tactic, maps are amateur hour shooting galleries. I don't mind going 29/0 picking off every hotshot who thinks he can just waltz across an open range like nothing's going to happen, but the nakedness inherent of the situation is laughable. I'm a bit surprised that, with all the debate over strategy, no one's asking for smokescreens?
Does the class have legitimate uses? Absolutely. It's a tactical role that's meant to influence momentum during matches either by calling out enemy locations, sniping objectives, picking off exposed players, or some combination of the three. However, the overall execution of this role in-game is significantly lacking. It needs to be a serious class that requires risk and skill, like all of the other classes. Right now, it has neither. |