-1 Sniper Rifles are weak enough as is. If anything, they need a reduced reload time, and a rate of fire buff. And a reticule on screen even when not looking through the scope!

-1 Sniper Rifles are weak enough as is. If anything, they need a reduced reload time, and a rate of fire buff. And a reticule on screen even when not looking through the scope!

So you want it to be even more easy mode?

How is that more easy mode? As I said, they're underpowered as it is.

...Lore Logic: Militia and Standard sniper rifles are supposed to be crude. Their materials are heavier, clunkier, their operation and balances are flawed. A headshot at 500m should be pure luck with a crumby gun. Meanwhile, the prototype sniper rifles would be made from lighter, stronger materials. They are more elegant and sophisticated in their operation, and not burdensome on the user. Sniping from anywhere on the map, straight across the map should not be an issue for a gun of this quality.


Thoughts?

Ha. Considering that they have nearly double the CPU requirement, they are nearly impossible to fit onto a Scout dropsuit with anything that would help you survive. The problem isn't with the weapon, it is with the user. Redline snippers are some of the worst scum in the game; I would rather see someone go 1/9 in the open, trying to capture things, then 4/0 redline snipping. Except if they are enemies, in which case they are easy kills (unless the dreaded Blue-flash strikes). Plus, charge snipper riffles are some of the best there are (at least in my opinion), and are perfect as is.

-1 Sniper Rifles are weak enough as is. If anything, they need a reduced reload time, and a rate of fire buff. And a reticule on screen even when not looking through the scope!

Snipers are fine as they are. A sniper should ALWAYS be on top of the kill count, otherwise another class is doing the sole job of snipers - killing enemies - better. The other classes offset this killing perk of the sniper by toppling the objectives. Again snipers can fight at the frontline, but that is not the class defining perk.

What I'd like to change about sniper rifles is the scopes and headshot multipliers. Sniping with a Thale scope (very far zoom) is much more inefficient than sniping with any other scope, because you spot a wider arc for targets on low scopes. Then again the zoom allows excellent headshot fidelity. I'd like tactical snipers to have a headshot speciality - 300% multiplier and thale scope. This would make tacticals ideal for counter sniping and normal rifles for field control with better spotting ability.

+1d

Tacticals have always been the counter-sniping rifle. Not as efficient for suppression and harassment with such low damage and small clip.
A bonus for headshots would be appropriate.

But you really think the operation of the MLT and STD sniper rifles are properly balanced currently?
Why do you feel that way?

I really think the effective range of the lower-end models should take a hit. As it stands, a MLT rifle can hit a target with the same ease as a Kaalakiota, and cause more damage.
I was proposing that with a cheap rifle, once you start doing ultra long range sniping with them, you see the %age of your bullet decrease to see 75%, and it gradually falls away more and more, depending on range. I just don't think a cheap clumsy rifle should perform as well as a good one.

i think there should be more difference between baseline and proto snipers, not sure if your suggestion is the best way about it though.

i do agree that militia sniper should have a range that is by far shorter than a proto even before skills come into effect.

honestly, i think that snipers shouldnt be on the top of the board, not all the time atleast.

sure, snipers have the highest power rifles, but they shouldnt be the ones everyone wants to be, or NOTHING gets done.

i.e. i was on a skirmish team where 8 of the people were sniping, and lost horribly, because all of them were sitting back and expecting to kill the others. yet at game end i was the one on the top of the score board, because i had more actuall kills and hacks.

Snipers should be harder to spot and longer range, but are either over-vilified or over-glorified. a properly set assault WILL survive two shots from even ADV grade and make it to cover.

snipers are not the best, never will be. but they wont be the worst either.

always another way to kill a merc, find it already

+1 for this idea. Specializing into any weapon or class should mean something, and there should be a clear difference in the different Tiers of each. I feel that the more damage the weapon can do to a target, the longer the range should be. That would effectively put TacSR's at the bottom of the list, and Charged SR's at the top.

It never really made sense to me that while other weapons have an "effective range", the Sniper Rifle never has a reduction in damage. You are always at 100% efficiency when firing at Infantry. Having an actual "effective range" on Sniper Rifles would help alliviate some of the hate that playing a sniper brings you, as well as help balance the role in general. A snipers reach should be far, without a doubt, but the only time a player should be able to reach across the map is if he has put SP's into Sharpshooter, and is rocking ADV or PRO rifles.

I've never heard anyone complain about being shot by a Thale, because people know that you have to pretyy much max out you Sniper Rifle skills just to be able to use one. What I see people complain about the most is being killed by MLT, or Tier 1 SR's from all the way across the map. People feel, and I agree with them, that those players haven't earned the right to be able to that yet. You shouldn't be able to use a starter fit SR, and 1 or 2 shot a heavy from a kilometer away. By adding in a percentage drop in damage, the only way you'd be able to kill an opponent with a low level SR from extreme range, is if they stand there and let you do it. In which case they deserve their fate.

Exactly. Sniper's are specialzed infantry. They're used for support, and suppresion. If you want to be really good at killing Mercs and always be at the top of the board, you need to be a part of an Assault Team. Whenever I play a sniper and reach number one on the board for my team, I know something is wrong. My role is not to be best killer, my role is to enable the Assault Teams to take objectives by helping to eliminate the risk around them.

Making sniper rifles bad at what they are made for is blasphemy. Sniper rifles? Inaccurate? Preposterous! Snipers should not have to pay ISK and SP by the barrel-full to have an accurate gun, it's the only thing making them who they are!

Nobody said to make Sniper Rifles inaccurate, or to make them bad at what they do. Only that there should be a clear progession, a clear improvement, in the rifles as you go up in Tiers (beyond just damage). And absoutely nobody said to make them cost more in the way of ISK and SP; the cost for both can remain the same. We just talking about damage mods at long/extreme ranges. The only mention of accuracy was Jathniel's suggestion to reduce scope sway in PRO models.

You are wrong on all counts.

A. There is currently no persistent sway in any Sniper Rifles while standing still. He did not suggest the reduction of scope sway in Prototype weapons, he suggested the addition of scope sway into Militia and Standard, and scope sway is a *****. I think we can all agree that scope sway contributes to inaccuracy greatly, therefore I am correct.

B. Since Advanced and Prototype sniper rifles become more accurate due to less sway, people are forced to pay more to get accuracy that should naturally come with the sniper rifle, therefore I am correct.

Why are these things bad? If I want to increase the range/accuracy/damage in my AR, I have to pay the SP into AR Operation, the Sharpshooter Skill, Weaponry, and AR Proficiency. Then I have to buy the Higher Tier AR's with ISK that have a higher accuracy rating, and a higher base damage. Why should the Sniper Rifle be any different from any other weapon in the game. If you want to shoot farther, have more accuracy, and do more damage to the target, you're going to have to pay the SP costs for the skills, and the ISK cost for the weapon. Just because Sniper Rifles have a higher base in accuracy and damage than other weapons, doesn't mean that there shouldn't be Tiered progression that people would have to earn, just like every other weapon in the game.

And this is all coming from someone who is a dedicated Sniper/Shotty-Scout.

Sniper Rifles are different because Sniper Rifles completely rely on total accuracy. Prototype Sniper Rifles are already effective enough against those with Standard Sniper Rifles, why increase the discrepancy to a level that would make it impossible for those with a Standard Sniper Rifle to effectively fight those with Prototype Sniper Rifles? I'm not saying Standard Sniper Rifles should be just as good, but it shouldn't be so different that it's impossible. Secondly, we don't need sway. Snipers honestly aren't as effective as people think, especially not with Standard Sniper Rifles. We don't need to make it worse.

Sniper Rifles don't rely on total accuracy, as no weapon should ever have that. Sniping is about patience and timing.

It wouldn't be impossible for a STD SR to fight against a PRO SR. Technically you could say that it already is, simply because the PRO does much more in the way of damage. But it's not, because you would have Sniper's jockeying for postion, trying to get that shot. If you're out of range, then you need to move into range. If you don't have clear LOS, then you need to move in order to get that perfect angle. And one should never assume that just because your opponent is out of range of your weapon, that you are out of range of theirs.

I would agree with the sway thing, but that requires CCP to change what the Sniper Rifle Operation Skill does. Becuase all it does is reduce sway. Which is laughable to me because all I have to do is crouch, and sway is eliminated entirely. So it's basically a Non-Skill. If we are to keep that skill, then sway needs to be added to ADS when crouching. Crounching should reduce sway, but not eliminate it entirely.

And Rachoi is right. Since sniping is all about patience and timing, adding in a little bit of sway to ADS will actually help you to hit your target. Try it some time. Pick a sniper fit, the try and shoot someone while standing up. Since there is sway in the weapon you can actually time your shot better, and if the person moves, it actually gives you a slightly better chance to hit them. Because they might be moving in the direction of your sway. Right now, if they move just a little bit, you will miss completely.

A. There is currently no persistent sway in any Sniper Rifles while standing still. He did not suggest the reduction of scope sway in Prototype weapons, he suggested the addition of scope sway into Militia and Standard, and scope sway is a *****. I think we can all agree that scope sway contributes to inaccuracy greatly, therefore I am correct.

B. Since Advanced and Prototype sniper rifles become more accurate due to less sway, people are forced to pay more to get accuracy that should naturally come with the sniper rifle, therefore I am correct.

Sniper Rifles don't rely on total accuracy

Lore Logic: Militia and Standard sniper rifles are supposed to be crude. Their materials are heavier, clunkier, their operation and balances are flawed. A headshot at 500m should be pure luck with a crumby gun. Meanwhile, the prototype sniper rifles would be made from lighter, stronger materials. They are more elegant and sophisticated in their operation, and not burdensome on the user. Sniping from anywhere on the map, straight across the map should not be an issue for a gun of this quality.