sniper help

[hooahguy]

ok, im having a bit of trouble with the sniper. you see, im pretty good with it as long as they are standing still and in plain view. but if they are running, im hopeless, and it usually ends up with me killed. (thats why i dont play as recon too often- just if am PAC and on the Fall of Berlin map, where i got 12 kills as recon there, in this one sweet sniping spot which i found)
so, what are your sniping tactics. i already know to put APM mines on the path to you, to stop knifers. (i once put one right in front of a ladder- i saw a guy was coming up, so i pulled back and watched him come up and promtly get blasted- pure joy!)

[SpLiTz]

Aim for the head.

[DesmondLocke]

I lot depends on where you are as a sniper. Are you going head to head with your opponent? If so you're better off using your pistol. A sniper is best when he finds an out-of-the way spot to nest. Close enough to see the action, with your zoom, but far enough he's not easily spotted and tracked.
If your target's running around alot, you're going to have a tough time no matter what. But if you're at a safe distance, you can go for the body shots without much fear of him killing you. If he's running in a straight line, try and shoot in front of him a bit. If he's moving back and forth, cause maybe you got one body shot in already and he knows you're somewhere, try and hold on one place and let him walk into your shot.

[hooahguy]

the "aiming in front of him" part..... well, i have a problem with that... i do that, but i never know when to fire so i do hit him... a lot of the times i miss by a few inches or so.

[Lunien]

You'll have a hard time hitting any enemy that's moving horizontally to you, so just don't waste shots. If he's running at an angle towards or away from you, wait for him to walk into your shots, then shoot.

Most players stand still when they're shooting anything..but for only a short period of time. If you can headshot them right then, you're fine. Read my guide for some short to mid-range sniping tips.

[BandoIruka]

if they are moving too much, just aim for the chest. Sniping in 2142 is much easier than in bf2 where there is unrealistic bullet travel time + bullet drop

depending on how good you are at keeping a steady crosshair on a moving target, you may want to aim dead on their head if they aren't too far away and you'll have a good chance of dropping them, or lead just a tiny bit, like the width of the vertical crosshair.

Use the rangefinder to work out the leading you may require. Bullet drop probably won't become a significant issue until you are sniping from ranges greater than 300 metres but keep in mind that it exist.

This is the way DICE had coded sniping since bf 1942 where all attacks are basically projectiles with attributes of damage, projectile speed, trajectory, and time to live. Even your knife attack is simply an invisible bullet that travels at a speed of 5 metres a second with a time to live of only a fifth of a second, therefore only having a range of a metre.

[shel10]

It doesn't look like you've been playing sniper for very long, so be patient. Killing a moving target is a learned 'response' I guess you could say. It's something you have to just learn to 'feel'. Just like shooting the 'scope drift' and instant zooming/shooting. I've gotten decent at it. But, I have days where I can't hit anyone on the run, and then there are days where I can't miss and surprise myself with some the shots I pull off. Lots of factors play into it, particularly the connection you have, and luck - that the target stays on the path you've selected for it. The scope upgrade made a big difference for me in this area, make sure you get it.

As one person suggested, aim for the body. This is the best way to start learning the distance needed to make a moving hit. If you can't hit the body right now, use buggies speeding by to practice. The big thing I have found is that I don't 'follow' the target per say, I pick a path, line up a shot, and wait for the target to fall into my 'plan' for him :evil:. I can follow and make the shot, but I have better luck letting them run into it. Also remember that the lead distance of the target is going to be slightly different depending on the axis that the target is moving on, and how fast they are moving, I actually find sprinters easier to hit. Thats kinda why I said it's a feeling thing, it's not that complicated once you figure it out. You'll get it, just play with it.

[FURRY BIRD]

Shooting a moving target with the sniper rifle is a lot of trial and error as you need to judge how far to lead you're target, not an easy task as you need to kill him in no more than 2 shots as you risk compromising you're position. Snipers don't have a lot of defense against an automatic weapon

[Unzen]

Sticking with hooah's thread then - is it a definite no-brainer that as a sniper you should always pick the Zeller? I am hopeless online as a sniper - I just can't get the rhythm.

Against the bots - that's a completely different story. I do think that the connection speed you have (and your target has) as shel10 said, is a major factor. With literally zero lag in single player mode - even sprinting bots are easy pickings with a Zeller.

[sempf]

zeller is better to take out dammaged/easie targets the stock rifles are better for people standing still(the easiest) and if you shoot contstand headshots.

[BandoIruka]

its a nice bonus to make the killing blow as a sniper, but you contribute to your team by making it even easier for your teammates to kill.

One thing i don't recommend you do as a sniper is to go lonewolf at it. You may be able to get one or two but unless you have teammates helping you, your efforts won't make too much of a difference in terms of defending or attacking a flag/silo


Having a good aim is just one part of being an sucessful sniper. Being able to stay hidden is another big thing that keeps you alive and shooting.

[DesmondLocke]

I used to be big on the Zellar, but found there's no real advantage against infantry per se. All sniper rifles kill in 1 head shot or 2 body shots. I'd rather use the stocks now simply for the additional ammo they have.
The real advantage to the Zellar is that it can take out Motion Mines, APMs, and RDX. The fun I had with that was shooting an MM an engi had just laid down, and having him die by his own mine. :D

[Gouwd]

hate the zeller, stupid red scope

[Unzen]

I used to be big on the Zellar, but found there's no real advantage against infantry per se. All sniper rifles kill in 1 head shot or 2 body shots. I'd rather use the stocks now simply for the additional ammo they have.
The real advantage to the Zellar is that it can take out Motion Mines, APMs, and RDX. The fun I had with that was shooting an MM an engi had just laid down, and having him die by his own mine. :D

That was one of my major concerns about the Zellar. If anything, I seem to have more success against the bots with the stock rifle than the Zellar.

[shel10]

hate the zeller, stupid red scope


I used to think the same thing! For me, running on the highest graphics settings on a powerful rig (just recently have been able to do that) makes the redish scope actually useful. On lower settings, it's very much a disadvantage. I've really been liking it lately though. But as others have said, there's really no advantage to the Zellar over the standard issue, except for the mine clearing. Another big disadvantage is the sound report. I can always tell where a shot came from (and others with me) with that thing.

[Gio]

Imo, don't use the Zeller unless you like waiting about 5 seconds more between each shot, use the Park Sniper since I read that you like being on the PAC on Berlin it's almost the same not as much damage but still the zeller takes 2 shots to kill someone unless its a headshot so you might as well use the Park Sniper or Moretti they both have a better Rate of Fire I guess you can say than the Zeller.
And just practice and get into the habit of following the person around with your Sniper scope until they stop then take your shot, or if theyre running and you're far away move your crosshair a bit farther ahead and fire and they would most likely run into the bullet.

[RichardDawkins]

use stock rifle and gruber, make sure you are hidden. learn how far to lead running targets, with ping<20 you need no lead. try to flank the bigger battles, cos if you can spot an enemy aiming at someone else, he should be dead within a second. hide in random places that people don't check every time they walk along... so avoid cranes and building tops that you know to be hot. don't get shot

[StoneCold313]

I guess that i'll have to join in to the conversation. :)

There is some really good tips in this thread already. So there isn't much for me to do.

- You just have to "feel" when to shoot at the runner.

- Use the stabilizer. It's gives you an advantage in Sniper vs Sniper duels, and it let's you zero in on the runner faster.

- Stock or Zeller? Matter of personal preference, both have their pros and cons. Test them both, and use what fit's better for u.

- Practice with torso shots to runners. Once you have figured that out, it's really easy to take those headshots.

If someone can post pic of the sniper scope, i can show what i used to measure the lead to runners.

That's the few pointers i can come up with. I have played the game like 5 min after COD4 came out, so im "bit" rusty. I bet that i can't hit even static enemies anymore... :D

[GunHappyBob]

You have the concept down you just need to practice timing. Play singleplayer so you can practice or find a few friends to practice with on an empty server. Just learn to anticipate where they will be and in how much time it will take them to make it to that spot. Just aim at a spot ahead of time and wait until they are almost there and pop off a round. They only obsticle is the timing, everything else is pretty straight forward.

[MohicanGR]

Sticking with hooah's thread then - is it a definite no-brainer that as a sniper you should always pick the Zeller? I am hopeless online as a sniper - I just can't get the rhythm.

Against the bots - that's a completely different story. I do think that the connection speed you have (and your target has) as shel10 said, is a major factor. With literally zero lag in single player mode - even sprinting bots are easy pickings with a Zeller.



Very true, the ping issue is a MAJOR one if it is much greater than 50ms: a running enemy runs about 20 km/h or 5.55m/sec. A 50ms lag means at least 100ms delay for your "bullet" between where you think it hits and where it actually is. On the other hand, a mid-range shot at 300m distance takes 250-300ms in BF, maybe less in 2142 because of non-realistic ballistics. Still, the network lag ads about 30-35% more delay than you aim for and you will probably miss your target by 1-1.5m even with perfect aim. Sadly, this is why I don't play much with recon, I like long-range snipping but my network connection sucks :mad:

If you want to practice from zero, better start with single-player (sorry, no points there) to master your shooting skills, then move to on-line with Lambert in single-shot mode in close and mid-range sniping, then stock sniping rifle, then zeller. The last one is good only for very "noisy" spots where they cannot detect you from sound and for long-range squad support (especially for MM, anti-sniper support, etc). Also, learn to use the advanced scope and the stabilizer, they are a major advantage against real players.

[messfeeder]

Just keep moving. After a while the enemy will get smart to your location and your really cool secret sniper spot won't be so secret anymore. Don't go prone unless you are hiding. It takes too long to stand up and run if something goes wrong. I like to punish prone snipers if I can by Pilum sniping them.:p Crouching is almost as effective as proning , but you won't be as much of a sitting duck. If I am hiding behind something, I crouch, then stand to see over it to take the shot. You could also prone to hide, then crouch, fire your shot, then prone again. Get in the habit of proning or crouching right after your shots to stay hidden.

Search for videos on youtube. Every chump who figured out how to download fraps has made a video. Some of them are pretty good. You can learn a lot from watching other people.

You will also get better just with experience. For a while I was getting pretty good at sniping on BF2 before I quit playing. I could hit targets from really far away allowing for bullet drop. After a while you get good at judging how much space to allow for travel and bullet drop. Just keep at it. I still have this screenshot of a guy I shot out of a moving buggy from really far away.
http://www.totalgamingnetwork.com/main/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=23

[DesmondLocke]

Nice shot there Mess. :cool: I don't think I would have even considered taking that shot in BF2. I'm so used to having a zoom in 2142, that would have been a difficult shot for me. Though, not having the rifle drift in BF2 might help a bit. ;)

[Twizzz]

All good help here. Thanks !

[messfeeder]

Nice shot there Mess. :cool: I don't think I would have even considered taking that shot in BF2. I'm so used to having a zoom in 2142, that would have been a difficult shot for me. Though, not having the rifle drift in BF2 might help a bit. ;)

Yeah, and BF2 had crazy bullet drop. Up to a certain distance you didn't need to account for it, but some shots I would be giving like 1/2" on screen for bullet drop. Those were some long shots! Enemy probably didn't even know what hit him! But if I went back to BF2 there is no way I could make those shots again.:cool:

[BandoIruka]

another style of play for recons is joining and infantry squad and being a designated marksman. You rely on squadmembers to keep you safe from close ranged attackers but your purpose is to provide mid to long range fire support for your teammates. You hang back abit where forward squadmates draw fire from enemies, giving you easy headshot opportunites on those proned or crouching enemies

[messfeeder]

It's so hard to find squads like that. But when you do you never want to quit playing!

[BandoIruka]

I just stopped playing from one of the best rounds of sniping ever. Got me a gold recon badge in the process, which would had been even better if i was not a Brigadier general already.

-First off, I admit i was terribly impatient at sniping down my targets and ended up body shooting most of my targets. But i still managed to get 2 infiltrator pins.
-I used the zeller and active camo during the long sniping streak of at least 10 kills. Active camo really helps disappearing from the counter snipers and moving from cover to cover. Zeller is good for damage potential, but thinking back, i was lone wolfing that round and should had used the stock sniper rifles.
-Constant relocation. This is what keeps them from finding you and allow you to strike from unexpected angles. Make the most out of your active camo to travel as far as you could while unseen. The NS unlock that allows your camo to run for longer periods really help.
-Its ok to snipe from obvious sniping spots as long as you don't stay there for too long. Find the enemy, get in position, take your shot and relocate.
-Despite the blurring, you can still make out enemy soldiers from a reasonable distance while under active camo.
-Don't get too close to the enemy or let them get too close to you. It increases the chances of them finding you and ruining your mischief
-Move around through areas where there is very little traffic. Helps to keep out of sight, from bumping into enemies and decreases the chances of coming under UAV
-Don't cap silos or flags, especially if there are enemies around. Doing so is asking to get yourself killed. Thats the job for your teammates with other kits.
-Keep your eyes open. Its the enemies that you don't see that are dangerous to you. They are dangerous because they can shoot you or because they can netbat your location to other enemies.
-If possible, don't let your enemies know that you have Active Camo. Become fully cloaked and then move. That way, enemies that think that they have found you will be very surprised when they rush up to your last known location only to catch no one but your bullet to their head.
-If you do have the misfortune of being rather close to an enemy, and you've put yourself under AC, don't go sprinting away because sudden movements of your blurr will still catch their eye. Crouch or crawl yourself away. Surprisingly enough, its harder to see a recon under AC if they are behind a bright background rather than a darker one.

With abit of skill, luck and favourable circumstances, gold recon is quite possible for snipers. I was lucky cos i had a few knife, a few pistol, a few explosive and a few vehicle kills to push my kill count over 30 and then the round ended.

[Lunien]

Eh, I'll add one more piece of advice for the sniper - get good with your pistol, VERY good, you'll need it, and later you'll be quite comfortable going in with it if you ever need to in CQ. Learn to really rapid fire the pistol - this, coupled with a surprise advantage (Which you should try an obtain everytime), makes it easier for you to take down a clarker or a vosser; without the surprise, its doable, just not as easy.

[Chris--My--azz]

if it's sniping then i shall direct you to a god in human form ..the legend of soane
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j49fWB4hiWo
he is truely awesome ... a kd of 5.38 for a sniper whore thats not bad by any standard !
watch them all they are excellent videos

[Dtneter]

The big advantage with eu pistol is you can really shoot 10 bullets in less than a second (atleast I can) I had people complaining I used a mouse hack because of my fast shooting.

[messfeeder]

if it's sniping then i shall direct you to a god in human form ..the legend of soane
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j49fWB4hiWo
he is truely awesome ... a kd of 5.38 for a sniper whore thats not bad by any standard !
watch them all they are excellent videos

Nice video. Those were a lot of the same tips I gave.:) The editing was good and the end cracked me up.

[Vegas]

Nice video. That Jump out of nowhere is a damn nice tip. Gotta use this more often.. Good video for Noobs that want to learn sniping. :)

[messfeeder]

I tried jump diving in 2142, but it doesn't seem to work as well as in BF2. My accuracy seems like it goes to **** for a whole second when I do it. Probably latency issue like every other problem I have. Okay, I'm just making excuses. I suck at this game.:p:laugh:

[Chris--My--azz]

hahah naah it does work just takes alot of practise it's all about timing ...shoot to soon and ur shot will go flying off somewhere and if u wat too long ur probably dea (assuming ur close range 1v1 with a voss spraying n00b :P)
u should try jumping crouch shots theyre much easier to pull off :D:D

[messfeeder]

I'll have to give it a try, thanks!

[BandoIruka]

thats quite some sharpshooting there that vid.

I also saw some of his other vids on long range sniping where it shows some big bullet drop from ranges 250m onwards as well as leading to compensate for the time of bullet travel

[SoaNe]

if it's sniping then i shall direct you to a god in human form ..the legend of soane
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j49fWB4hiWo
he is truely awesome ... a kd of 5.38 for a sniper whore thats not bad by any standard !
watch them all they are excellent videos

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PS. 1st Post WOOT!! :D

[Chris--My--azz]

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yeh i agree soane is rubbish at sniping lol