DUST Search - No Love for Snipers

Jaron Pollard wrote:

The role of the sniper is not to take objectives, it is infantry area denial and observation. While the sniper role may appeal to some because it seems like an easy way to get kills from a distance without being spotted, a sniper is actually a static role that is meant to cover a particular area and keep it clear of the enemy. This might be a large open area on approach to an objective, or a particular point of the battlespace that represents a threat to your own troops. Your role, as a sniper, is not to go looking for kills, but to wait patiently for them to come into that area that you have covered. It is also as a spotter, for observation, so you can report enemy movements to your team.

The goal of a sniper is to remain unseen, hence why you use sig dampers and the like, and a light suit, so you can relocate quickly if you need to. Once your position is known, you need to be prepared with a secondary position to relocate to, quickly. Range bonus mods are handy, particularly the range precision one (I think that's what it is) because it allows you to spot enemy snipers at longer ranges for you to take out if they are also sig tanking. However, if you are relocating to where the kills are, then you are giving up ground (your area of infantry denial) to the enemy just to move to one they are already in, which is what your infantry assault units are most likely already doing.

At the end of the day, the least likely anti-infantry role to get kills should be the sniper, but he should also be the least likely to die, and if he is well hidden, and well placed, then you have a valuable infantry area denial and observation tool. A 16-man team should need no more than 3-4 snipers at a time. Which is why I quit matches in which there are just too many people who want the 'glory' of being a master sniper. It's not meant to be a 'glorious' role, and while it takes a certain degree of skill to score deflection headshots on rapidly moving infantry, that's just another reason why the sniper role should be limited to only a few individuals on the team who can set up positions that cover particular strategic 'coldspots' on the map where you want to deny an enemy presence.


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Makyre Vahliha Edimmu Warfighters Gallente Federation 26	Posted - 2013.05.15 08:23:00 - [1] - Quote Deadeye Dic wrote: 1. Objectives now have "walls" around them making it harder for snipers to defend NULL Cannons. That may be, but as a sniper I watch for the targets that come and go out of the objectives nearby. The point for snipers is to provide support to keep them off the squad's back. I don't think anything that's valuable should be exposed out in the open, so it would make sense for it to have "walls." Deadeye Dic wrote: 2. None of the suits benefit snipers. On top of that, none of the racial suits have anything snipers can really use. You should really study the suits and the racial bonuses they provide for the dropsuits...take the Gallente for instance. The Gallente has a great bonus of +10% to scanning and +5% reduction to scanning profile per level. With these bonuses for the dropsuits, it gives snipers hawkeyes to watch the targets better. It helps a lot. Deadeye Dic wrote: 3. With rare exception, most objectives are behind or inside areas that snipers can't even get a clear shot on. See answer on #1. Deadeye Dic wrote: 4. Larger maps, decreased ranges. Need I say more? (Although I know CCP has addressed ranges.) I'm not sure about this, but I seem to shoot far enough just fine. I know for a fact that the bullets drop in real life after a certain range even for sniper rifles, so this would make sense. I wouldn't want snipers shooting at each other without moving to the center of the map since everyone would be at the end of the maps. I don't think snipers are decreasing that much. It may be that Dust 514 is still going through changes and many more people are trying out the game, so after it's stable the snipers will gradually increase. I believe there will be even much more snipers in the future. Snipers are hated and loved, but they won't be going away. I know I won't since I'm very adaptable with a sniper rifle. I'm no elite, but I try my best.
Makyre Vahliha Edimmu Warfighters Gallente Federation 26	Posted - 2013.05.15 08:30:00 - [2] - Quote Lag Killed You wrote: Ahh snipers, the cowards of DUST 514. You must be getting hit a lot by snipers to whine about it, hmm? People cry about it on COD when they get hit, but the same people who become snipers feel invincible. Likewise for this game. I believe the snipers are fairly balanced here, so it's not a coward position. They are powerful if trained and practiced correctly.
Makyre Vahliha Edimmu Warfighters Gallente Federation 26	Posted - 2013.05.15 08:43:00 - [3] - Quote Jaron Pollard wrote: The role of the sniper is not to take objectives, it is infantry area denial and observation. While the sniper role may appeal to some because it seems like an easy way to get kills from a distance without being spotted, a sniper is actually a static role that is meant to cover a particular area and keep it clear of the enemy. This might be a large open area on approach to an objective, or a particular point of the battlespace that represents a threat to your own troops. Your role, as a sniper, is not to go looking for kills, but to wait patiently for them to come into that area that you have covered. It is also as a spotter, for observation, so you can report enemy movements to your team. The goal of a sniper is to remain unseen, hence why you use sig dampers and the like, and a light suit, so you can relocate quickly if you need to. Once your position is known, you need to be prepared with a secondary position to relocate to, quickly. Range bonus mods are handy, particularly the range precision one (I think that's what it is) because it allows you to spot enemy snipers at longer ranges for you to take out if they are also sig tanking. However, if you are relocating to where the kills are, then you are giving up ground (your area of infantry denial) to the enemy just to move to one they are already in, which is what your infantry assault units are most likely already doing. At the end of the day, the least likely anti-infantry role to get kills should be the sniper, but he should also be the least likely to die, and if he is well hidden, and well placed, then you have a valuable infantry area denial and observation tool. A 16-man team should need no more than 3-4 snipers at a time. Which is why I quit matches in which there are just too many people who want the 'glory' of being a master sniper. It's not meant to be a 'glorious' role, and while it takes a certain degree of skill to score deflection headshots on rapidly moving infantry, that's just another reason why the sniper role should be limited to only a few individuals on the team who can set up positions that cover particular strategic 'coldspots' on the map where you want to deny an enemy presence. Brilliantly written! This is something I am going to keep in mind for future matches. I've been a COD player for so long it has numbed my mind, but this has opened my eyes. I have learned something new. You should write more tactics for snipers. Also, I think the other sniper wannabes should read this too. I agree that it's not about trying to rake in kills, but to watch the area and give support to the squad to keep enemies off their backs. +1!