Re: Sniper Kit Discussion - Removal?
Posted: 2010-07-09 19:51
I disagree with the above (those who know me well might find it strange to hear me arguing for the sniper), here's why.It is useless, remove it.
For me a sniper is just like any infantry kit in PR, it has certain advantages/disadvantage and has certain attributes that set it apart from the other kits. Similar to how a rifleman specialist is probably the best kit to use in CQB, the sniper rifle is the best weapon to employ when long range precision is required. I have seen the sniper used in a variety of different ways and many times have seen it used very realistically and effectively.
Examples:
Not so long ago I was playing on Kashan Desert flying a transport chopper. One of the squads that I transported was Portable.Cougar's squad and whilst in the bunker area they were heavily engaged by hostile infantry from the northen bunker. What Cougar did impressed me, by employing an MG gunner to suppress the enemy and a sniper (Silly_Savage) to get the kill shots. As the range was extreme the MG could easily suppress, but no so easily kill whilst with cover from the SAW Silly was able to get a decent vantage point and pick off several hostiles. To those who say that a marksman/any scoped kit could have done the same job I challenge you to make headshots at 650/700m with consistency...
Now this is where a sniper can work well as part of an infantry squad, so long as they're all working together. With the precise fire from the sniper and the MG as cover Cougar's squad were able to move up with ease and take the Northern bunkers and whilst supporting Rudd's BMP they took down several enemy AT weapons that might have been used to cause a lot of damage. Afterwards they were able to move into the Northern hills and clear out an enemy FOB, winning most firefights because of the long range and precise fire they could put down.
Similarly from the recon role, playing on Muttrah I was part of an infantry squad at the North City flag. We came under fire from a sniper in the hills who killed our SL, Medic and a couple others before we got revived. Subsequently we poured as much fire as we could, including AT rockets and bags of small arms fire up towards him but couldn't get the kill. The point of all this was that either the sniper had called out our location or the barrage of fire we returned marked us out because within just a few minutes an enemy infantry squad came through and cleaned us out, whilst we were heavily distracted by the sniper.
Both of these were intense, interesting engagements, made possible by the employment of a sniper and it would be a shame to have it removed for the sake of a few lone wolves who would otherwise move onto some other kit/vehicle and waste that too. Everything in PR has it's uses and the sniper is no different so whilst it does occasionally get abused it can still provide a valuable role, so long as the scenario requires it.
The unfortunate thing with the sniper is that because of the precedence that is set in games like CoD it gets requested when it is not needed, for example you would not take an AT kit unless there was a likelihood of meeting hostile armour, but with a sniper people take it just because in CoD they can pwn with it, but that doesn't mean that in PR at that time it is required or useful. It does have it's uses as demonstrated above, but only when applied in the correct way and thus it is the same as any other kit.
It is useful, lets keep it in.