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!)

[imported_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.

[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.

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.