Advanced sniper tactics

Hetzenauer · 08-04-2004, 02:53 PM

Advanced sniper tactics

Hi folks, let me first introduce myself. I am Hetz and I’ve been reading most of the so-called sniper tips available on the net. I think that I might be able to add some to these tips. Since I started playing first-person-shooters I’ve always been sniping. Most sniping experience I gained playing BF 1942. Of course sniping in JO is a different story, however they have lots of things in common when it comes to advanced sniper tactics.
The main differences in JO are: bigger maps, better hiding opportunities, much more players, sniper adjustments for range and the ‘one-shot-one-kill’ mode (kill a person with a single shot, even if it’s not a headshot).
In the relative short period of playing JO I’ve managed to reach a first place quite often (in games lasting 1 hour with over 100 players). Usually killing 60-90 enemies depending on the map. I am not trying to brag here (really believe me…lol) but I am just trying to tell that my tips might come in handy for other players. Here they are:

1. Optimise ure settings: The game might look better on a 1600x1200 res, with all setting on ‘high’ but u wont hit crap unless u have this super computer. I myself have a 3000 Athlon XP, 512 Mb, Geforce 4 128 mb system. I use 1024x768 res and have most setting on ‘normal’. If the game still lags then keep lowering these settings until things (read enemy soldiers) move really smooth. Only this way u’ll be able to kill them running (in the end).
2. Practise: If u want to become a top sniper things start and end with lots of practise till u get sick and tired.
It’s a cliché but practise makes perfect.
3. Reconnaissance. Before entering an online game, first host that particular map urself and explore it through and through. Find a nice target area (usually a town or the enemy main, a bridge, a clear field etc.) When u found ure perfect hunting grounds u must choose some nice spot to shoot from. This can be done best when u think from the perspective of the enemy. Move to the middle of ure chosen target area and imagine that u have to search for that annoying sniper. Scan the area 360 degrees and look for places that make it hard to spot someone (like bushes, tree lines etc) and pay attention to the distance to that particular place. (The distance with the best kill/cover ratio is 500-600 m). So ideally u find ureself a nice, hard to locate spot at about 550 m from ure targets.
Find ureself 2-3 of these shooting spots not to far away from each other (lets say 40 m between them). Now make sure u have an escape route linking these 2-3 spots so u can change location rapidly and unseen.
Next (and remember all this still happens on ure private game) u start doing some practise shots at the target area and learn the different distances by heart so u don’t need ure bino’s anymore in real battle.
Last but not least: make sure u can find ure shooting spots when driving a car from ure main base. Make sure u get to ure spots fast and undetected. Never use choppers. Use cars (preferably alone) or move by foot if necessary. To know how to reach ure pre-selected sniper-spots is vital. Otherwise u will end up searching and exposing ureself unneeded. When u’ve done all this, start the online game and pop some heads.
4. ‘Half –view’: I didn’t know how to put it but what I am saying is that when u have reached ure shooting spot and ure looking at ure targets, make sure u can only see a limited area of interest (AoI). This way u can focus better (and u don’t get distracted by those 30 targets running across the enemy base) but more important: only the enemy inside this AoI can see u. All the other enemy snipers looking for u outside this AoI wont see u, so u don’t have to bother) U can ‘half ure view’ by lying behind rocks, trees or aside a mountain.
5. Remain until detected: Lots of snipers advice u to switch spots every 2 shots. Well this way u will be running a marathon and shoot maybe 30 people in a 60 minute game. If u have chosen ure spot well (see my third point) u don’t need to switch all the time. I only switch places when someone shoots directly at my spot (like when a bullet impacts 2 m in front of me). Enemy snipers rarely kill u on the first shot. But don’t wait for the second. If u get spotted move out and change to the place 40-50 m away (again read my third point). Don’t (like some advice I read lately) move a 180 degrees to reach that spot at the other side of ure hunting ground. U can’t kill when moving all the time, and besides that, a running sniper can attract lots of attention.
6. Choose ure targets: My target priority list first includes enemy snipers, off course easily spotted by their quillie suits (I never use them btw…). Second soldiers using ‘heavy weapons’, like stingers, AT, mounted machine guns, mortars and stationary weapons. These are easy kills since they practically always stand still when firing. Third on my list are pilots and people getting into choppers. And if nothing else is there, shoot the common rifleman.
7. Team play: When playing in a clan the snipers should be doing far more then just kill people. Information gathering on enemy movements, using the TD for mortars, providing supportive fire when team-mates assault etc. These things are all discussed extensively elsewhere.
8. Weapons: Check http://www.joint-operation.com/sniper.html for some nice details on the different sniper rifles. Everybody should choose his own favourite gun. I always use the L115A cause of the 16x zoom, the relative low gun sound and it’s availability on both JO and rebel side. The .338 Lapua calibres always make for a sure kill. To my opinion all the 7.62 mm guns (SR-25, M24, M21 and SVD) don’t suit the job. More then once these calibres failed to kill when shooting at ranges of 500 m or more. The M82 is way too heavy and sounds more like a mortar. I consider it a noob gun.
9. Other equipment: I only bring a .357 Magnum or something and that’s it. No claymores, no TD (at least not on public servers). No grenades. The less weight u carry, the faster u move (however I am not quite sure of this, but it makes sense to me).
10. Sniper killers: usually these are not enemy snipers, but most of the time they are rifleman. They will try to outflank u by constantly moving from right to left in a random pattern. These guys are sometimes hard to kill but fortunately most sniper hunters don’t do the job right. First of all most people don’t bother chasing u when ure more then 500 m away. That’s why closing in below 500 m is not a smart thing to do. Secondly most sniper killers fail to maintain their random swinging walk and will run straight when greedy for metres. Then u kill. It’s better to wait and let them come for a while. They might think they go unnoticed and get careless. When u fail to kill them u should consider moving fast or just stay low without shooting. Get ure pistol and try to shoot them from a short distance. However usually I die doing this. Claymores might come in handy but I never used them.

That’s all. I hope some of these tips might help u becoming a great virtual sniper. Good luck!

Mot73 · 08-04-2004, 05:08 PM

Welcome and thanks for your tips.

Join us sometime in game if you haven't all ready. Some where the |TG| tag.

We always use TeamSpeak.

=Sarc= · 08-04-2004, 05:45 PM

I saw your post on NovaWorld. Any chance of formatting this post similarly to the one there? It makes it much easier to read. Some good tips there that really could be explained in depth.

Hetzenauer · 08-05-2004, 04:16 AM

My post can be read more clear on https://www.novaworld.com/NWCommunit...rum_ID=1200080
Hope u find it useful. And what specific parts would u have me to explain Sarc?

=Sarc= · 08-05-2004, 10:18 AM

I was just looking for examples really of the tips you posted. Like the AoI tip could use an example. A couple of screenshots to help describe a good spot to scan would really convey the tactic. The team play is a good thing to stress but some examples of how to report enemy movement would help. It sounds minor but giving consistent reports helps players quickly interpret the information.

One point I'm unclear on is your loadout. You only bring the magnum and dump the TD or claymores (on public servers). In terms of team play, you mention to use the TD. I think it would be better to bring the TD, even on public servers, if it keeps you within light encumberance since there are only three speeds/encumberances (light, normal, heavy).

Hetzenauer · 08-05-2004, 10:43 AM

First, lol, how do i make screenshots?
By not including a TD on public servers I mean that when u do bring the TD along its almost never appreciated nor used but any engineers. So far I've never experienced someone using my TD coordinates to mortar an enemy position on a public server. Unfortunately, in my opinion the engineer class is hardly ever used.
When playing in a clan/league, things are quite different and the TD should always be part of the sniper's equipment. But since I don't have time to play in a clan, I focus on the more lonewolf sniping tactics. I have played in a clan on BF 1942 as a sniper, focussing mainly on taking out enemy AA and reporting on enemy movement. Of course sniping in a clan is much more fun, but very time consuming.
And many people complain of snipers lacking a teamplay-spirit. I totally agree that the best snipers work to support the team, but a lot of snipers on public servers are loners that want to operate alone without having to think about team strategy. Sniping after all is a lonely profession.

=Sarc= · 08-05-2004, 11:13 AM

I use Fraps to take screenshots in JO. There's also the F11 key but it doesn't work with my ATI card.

I would recommend taking the TD anyway if it keeps you within light weight. There's no harm taking it because you still run as fast. I agree that people complain of snipers being loners. It happens a lot on public servers. Definitely find a group you can play with regularly... like here.

If you don't show up to play, no big deal. If you do, you can get in on some team play.

GraveD · 08-24-2004, 10:42 AM

just a comment on sniper-hunting....

I find it very easy to get rid of those "amateur" snipers, because they usually expose them self to easy.... (see other threads from sarc =)

but there are others (hopefully like me =) which are very hard to find - and it may cost you one or two spawns - but if I found him, and nailed him - that's the "real" feeling, no matter if it's my only kill for 1 hour =)

coldbore · 09-02-2004, 02:59 PM

I liked your post. I agree with your views. I say this because I used to be a sniper in BF1942 as well as Delta Force 1-4. I have done it for years. This game is very challenging for snipers sometimes. Although it is good with some practice. As for your AOI thing, I think I can shead some light on this as we use this same term in the military. It is also known as arcs of fire. Picture a slice of pie. You are positioned at the point. When you look up at the fat end, the pie itself is the fire area. Anything in it will die from your rifle. Anything outside the pie area, is not engageable. Another way of putting it is this:
When we, in the field doing defensive excercise, and are dug in or in a shallow scrape (Trench that is man sized and only about 5-12 inches deep.), we place 2 stakes in front of our firing position. These stakes are positioned about 2-3 feet apart. Your rifle barrel fits between them. When you move your rifle from the left stake to the right stake, it creates an arc. Now Extend that arc out about 200-600 meters. That is your AOI. Anything ouside this arc is for someone else. A good sniper team will have overlapping arcs.
I have always said and believe it is not the quantity of kills, but the Quality of a kill. I have spent hours in game play with only a margin of kills that others have. But where you notice the difference is when you look at how many times they have died and compare it to yourself. Nothing as gratifying to me than having a game where you have not died once, though scoring kills. To me, that is a skillful sniper.
I hope this sheads some light on your questions.
Some of you might know I am ex sniper by my Handle and signature. The question is, do you know what the name means.

VET72 · 10-13-2004, 01:27 AM

Wow, thanks for all the sniper tips! I came, I studied, I went to open JO game and kicked...ummm...sniped some butt. Only more head shots than butt shots <G>. Even one medic reviving someone I just shot -- got a two-fer.

Off of a computer, when the Earth was younger and so was I, I scored expert with quite a few weapons, but never trained as a sniper or anything like that.

I haven't found the PERFECT sniping position yet (was only playing for about an hour on a single map), but was getting 10+ kills from a single position before someone would spot me. Played overwatch for one of our (rebel) bases that was constantly under attack, had great fun picking off attackers with the L115. Went back to the same spot three times before someone on the other team realized that it's a great sniper position and had a "counter sniper" in place. Lack of coordinated squad/team play in most open games works in a sniper's favor, huh?

To me, in online play, it's about making sure your kill/death ratio is highly in your favor. But also it's about finding newer, better ways to score, and your tips definitely helped me do that. Thanks again.

(formerly SGT E-5) Jonathan B., somewhere in Los Angeles County

duckilama · 10-13-2004, 12:37 PM

I always have a hard time reading stuff with u instead of you, so here it is with the extra two letters each time.

Quote:

Advanced sniper tactics

Hi folks, let me first introduce myself. I am Hetz and I’ve been reading most of the so-called sniper tips available on the net. I think that I might be able to add some to these tips. Since I started playing first-person-shooters I’ve always been sniping. Most sniping experience I gained playing BF 1942. Of course sniping in JO is a different story, however they have lots of things in common when it comes to advanced sniper tactics.
The main differences in JO are: bigger maps, better hiding opportunities, much more players, sniper adjustments for range and the ‘one-shot-one-kill’ mode (kill a person with a single shot, even if it’s not a headshot).
In the relative short period of playing JO I’ve managed to reach a first place quite often (in games lasting 1 hour with over 100 players). Usually killing 60-90 enemies depending on the map. I am not trying to brag here (really believe me…lol) but I am just trying to tell that my tips might come in handy for other players. Here they are:

1. Optimise your settings: The game might look better on a 1600x1200 res, with all settings on ‘high’ but you wont hit much unless you have a super computer. I have a 3000 Athlon XP, 512 Mb, Geforce 4 128 mb system. I use 1024x768 res and have most setting on ‘normal’. If the game still lags then keep lowering these settings until things (read enemy soldiers) move really smooth. Only this way will you be able to kill them running (in the end).
2. Practise: If you want to become a top sniper, things start and end with lots of practise until you get sick and tired.
It’s a cliché but practise makes perfect.
3. Reconnaissance. Before entering an online game, first host that particular map yourself and explore it through and through. Find a nice target area (usually a town or the enemy main, a bridge, a clear field etc.) When you find your perfect hunting grounds you must choose some nice spot to shoot from. This can be done best when you think from the perspective of the enemy. Move to the middle of your chosen target area and imagine that you have to search for that annoying sniper. Scan the area 360 degrees and look for places that make it hard to spot someone (like bushes, tree lines etc) and pay attention to the distance to that particular place. (The distance with the best kill/cover ratio is 500-600 m). So ideally you find a nice, hard to locate spot at about 550m from your targets.
Find 2-3 of these shooting spots not to far away from each other (let's say 40 m between them). Now make sure you have an escape route linking these 2-3 spots so you can change location rapidly and unseen.
Next (and remember all this still happens on your private game) you start doing some practise shots at the target area and learn the different distances by heart so you don’t need your binoculars in real battle.
Last but not least: make sure you can find your shooting spots when driving a car from your main base. Make sure you get to your spots fast and undetected. Never use choppers. Use cars (preferably alone) or move by foot if necessary. To know how to reach your pre-selected sniper-spots is vital. Otherwise you will end up searching and exposing yourself. When you’ve done all this, start the online game and pop some heads.
4. ‘Half –view’: I didn’t know how to put it but what I am saying is that when you have reached your shooting spot and you're looking at your targets, make sure you can only see a limited area of interest (AoI). This way you can focus better (and you don’t get distracted by those 30 targets running across the enemy base) but more important: only the enemy inside this AoI can see you. All the other enemy snipers looking for you outside this AoI wont see you) You can ‘half your view’ by lying behind rocks, trees or aside a mountain.
5. Remain until detected: Lots of snipers advise you to switch spots every 2 shots. Well this way you will be running a marathon and shoot maybe 30 people in a 60 minute game. If you have chosen your spot well (see my third point) you don’t need to switch all the time. I only switch places when someone shoots directly at my spot (like when a bullet impacts 2 m in front of me). Enemy snipers rarely kill you on the first shot. But don’t wait for the second. If you get spotted move out and change to the place 40-50 m away (again read my third point). Don’t (like some advice I read lately) move a 180 degrees to reach that spot at the other side of your hunting ground. You can’t kill when moving all the time, and besides that, a running sniper can attract lots of attention.
6. Choose your targets: My target priority list first includes enemy snipers, off course easily spotted by their ghillie suits (I never use them btw…). Second soldiers using ‘heavy weapons’, like stingers, AT, mounted machine guns, mortars and stationary weapons. These are easy kills since they practically always stand still when firing. Third on my list are pilots and people getting into choppers. And if nothing else is there, shoot the common rifleman.
7. Team play: When playing in a clan the snipers should be doing far more then just kill people. Information gathering on enemy movements, using the TD for mortars, providing supportive fire when team-mates assault etc. These things are all discussed extensively elsewhere.
8. Weapons: Check http://www.joint-operation.com/sniper.html for some nice details on the different sniper rifles. Everybody should choose his own favourite gun. I always use the L115A cause of the 16x zoom, the relative low gun sound and it’s availability on both JO and rebel side. The .338 Lapua calibres always make for a sure kill. To my opinion all the 7.62 mm guns (SR-25, M24, M21 and SVD) don’t suit the job. More then once these calibres failed to kill when shooting at ranges of 500 m or more. The M82 is way too heavy and sounds more like a mortar. I consider it a noob gun.
9. Other equipment: I only bring a .357 Magnum or something and that’s it. No claymores, no TD (at least not on public servers). No grenades. The less weight you carry, the faster you move (however I am not quite sure of this, but it makes sense to me).
10. Sniper killers: usually these are not enemy snipers, but most of the time they are rifleman. They will try to outflank you by constantly moving from right to left in a random pattern. These guys are sometimes hard to kill but fortunately most sniper hunters don’t do the job right. First of all most people don’t bother chasing you when you're more then 500 m away. That’s why closing in below 500 m is not a smart thing to do. Secondly most sniper killers fail to maintain their random swinging walk and will run straight when greedy for metres. Then you kill. It’s better to wait and let them come for a while. They might think they go unnoticed and get careless. When you fail to kill them you should consider moving fast or just stay low without shooting. Get your pistol and try to shoot them from a short distance. However usually I die doing this. Claymores might come in handy but I never used them.

That’s all. I hope some of these tips might help you becoming a great virtual sniper. Good luck!

**CingularDuality** · 10-13-2004, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duckilama

I always have a hard time reading stuff with u instead of you, so here it is with the extra two letters each time.

Ah, I'll actually read it now! Thanks.

jex · 10-14-2004, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VET72

Wow, thanks for all the sniper tips! I came, I studied, I went to open JO game and kicked...ummm...sniped some butt. Only more head shots than butt shots <G>. Even one medic reviving someone I just shot -- got a two-fer.

Off of a computer, when the Earth was younger and so was I, I scored expert with quite a few weapons, but never trained as a sniper or anything like that.

I haven't found the PERFECT sniping position yet (was only playing for about an hour on a single map), but was getting 10+ kills from a single position before someone would spot me. Played overwatch for one of our (rebel) bases that was constantly under attack, had great fun picking off attackers with the L115. Went back to the same spot three times before someone on the other team realized that it's a great sniper position and had a "counter sniper" in place. Lack of coordinated squad/team play in most open games works in a sniper's favor, huh?

To me, in online play, it's about making sure your kill/death ratio is highly in your favor. But also it's about finding newer, better ways to score, and your tips definitely helped me do that. Thanks again.

(formerly SGT E-5) Jonathan B., somewhere in Los Angeles County

In AAS kill/death ratio isn't so important. I have come top banana in many games and had a death count higher than my kill count. AAS games seem to be zone orientated and defending a zone certainly gives you points. If you defend all the game you'll come top of the list even though you killed few people.

VET72 · 10-14-2004, 11:24 AM

(hitting self in head a la V-8 commercial) Sheesh. I hadn't figured that out before. I thought zone was only critical in TKOTH or TDM games, particularly the former where the game tells you when you're in the zone. I'm obviously missing something, but how do you tell if you're in the zone on an AAS game?

jex · 10-14-2004, 11:47 AM

LOL

In the AAS game you'll see in the top right corner a set of flags. These are either Blue (JO), Red (Rebels) or Green (Uncaptured). Next to these flags there may be a number, that number represents the amount of players in the zone, attacking or defending that particular flag. If you look on your mini-map you should see a circle around the objective letter (or flag).

Inside the circle and you're in the zone. The point of being in the zone depends on whether you're attacking or defending.

Attacking
Here every man in the zone helps you take over the base a lot quicker if you outnumber the defenders (and outnumbering means they cannot respawn there). If you are equal to the defenders you cannot take the zone (but I think the enemy cannot respawn). If you are outnumbered then your affect is to increase the respawn time for the enemy at that objective. You get more points for a kill in the zone.

Defending
Having lots of defenders in the zone can be a deterrent to the attacking force. You'll gain experience points for time in the zone. You'll get more points for killing people in the zone as a defender.

AAS games are all about taking bases. People who just go for kills usually end up lower down the rankings. The action is definitely held around the AAS points. This is why you should always try and get as many people with you when you attack/defend. Of course, using teamspeak means the gameplay is even better as you can coordinate.

Hope that helps