Sniper weaponry, and Project Reality.
Posted: 2005-06-15 19:32
Sniper weaponry.
As of now, in Battlefield 2, they are horribly implemented. This is not a whine, but simply a matter-of-fact! I am quite capable with both of them, as from the crane, I can kill anyone on the battlefield given they are in my line of sight. This includes having killed targets printing horizontally across my perspective from the crane to the western USMC outpost (by the river). Sure, it's hard.. but I have done it. I am easily the sniper with the best kill/death ratio I've seen yet in the Demo, averaging about 10-1 kills per death. This is an average, and yes it does vary. My personal best as of yet, no exaggeration, is 33-2, having died once to a really pissed off commander using artillery.
I am not bragging, rather I am trying to make a point that I am not unskilled, and merely whining and begging for change where it is not needed. I am hoping that in Project Reality, sniper weaponry is handled correctly.
As of now, the coding for weaponry is very 'random'. I can make the same exact shot twice, and have one kill, and one complete miss. I can be aiming at a stationary target roughly 200m away, dead on - and miss the shot. I have wasted two clips before from the crane (yes, I use the crane a lot in my examples, as it is a great point of reference) to the hotel flag, on a guy sitting in the Stinger emplacement before. Obviously, he is nearly immobile, but seeing as I am a rather impressive shot as of yet in Battlefield 2, missing ten shots with the m95 on the target is unnacceptable.
We are talking about guns with 1 MOA or less, here. Take into account that we are talking about 200-400m distances at most, and you can see how these guns are performing horribly.
My suggestions are as follows.
Disadvantages:
1) In long range firing, things that most people take for granted, have a dramatic impact on aim. Breathing, and heartbeat. Both of these can affect the aim of the sniper a great deal, and only through training can one overcome these obstacles. There is no scope sway in Battlefield 2, and that is something that frankly, is a necessity. We need some rather tough scope sway, with about a one second pause on the lower and upper limits.
2) These effects should be greatly increased after the sniper runs, and sprints. A sniper should not be able to sprint, go prone, then subsequently fire off accurate shots. Snipers need to learn to utilize good cover, avoid obvious vantage points, and avoid moving a lot. After running, the scope-sway effects need to be amplified 30% for 15 seconds. After sprinting, the scope-sway effects need to be amplified 50% for 15 seconds. This keeps snipers from being able to run and gun, and it forces them into a solid supporting role, as well as forcing them to be intelligent with placement.
3) These guns should have far more scope-kick when they fire. The SVD is the example I will use, as currently it is the only weapon which you can fire off repeatedly while in scope view. It has very little kick when firing off many rounds. Coupled with the lack of scope-sway, it is basically a long range single shot assault rifle. I have massacred people below me trying to capture flags with this weapon, using it as an assault weapon. The kick should be noticeable.
Improvements:
1) We need these weapons to be accurate. They should have very little deviation in shot placement, some less so than others. He M24 should be the single most accurate rifle available at these ranges, with the SVD falling a bit behind, but retaining it's quick firing capability.
2) The M24 currently forces you out of the scope view when you chamber a new round. This is not realistic. The scope-kick, coupled with scope-sway, should prove challenging enough without forcing the sniper to unrealistically lose his scoped view while chambering a round. Reloading the gun would of course force you to lose the scoped view.
3) More killing power. If you get hit with a sniper rifle in real life, you're out of the battle. Almost assuredly, you are dead - but you are most defenitely out of the fight. Now, take into account a weapon such as the M95. You are dead, regardless of where you got hit. You can take a round in the thigh, and it will most likely obliterate you. If you've ever seen the victim of a .50 caliber round before, you'll need no further clarification as to why. These weapons currently do the same amount of damage - The M24, SVD, M95.. all the same.
I have an interesting method of having them all remain one shot kill, yet maintain a bit of uniqueness between them. Smaller caliber rifles (SVD, m24, currently) should cause incapacitation, but should allow the Medic to revive as per normal. Larger caliber rifles (m95, currently) should cause instant death, as if you got hit with an artillery strike, or a tank round.. and so forth, with no chance of medic revival. (( Read below for a small note on Medic revival ability ))
4) The anti-material rifles such as the M95 need to have a good deal of material penetration. I have noticed that it can shoot through some materials, but not others. An M95 round can penetrate an standard concrete wall clean through and continue penetration through other materials such as cars, trucks, houses, and so forth. It should be able to disable all personnel carriers, with varying degrees of effectiveness. 1 shot for LDVs, 2 shots for Hummers, and so on.
Now, as for the Medics, and their revive ability. I feel that Medics will be hard pressed to do their job well in Project Reality if they are kept as is. Having to dash out to revive a friend in a matter of seconds will lead to most medics getting cut down by heavier firepower, more realistic damage, more accurate weaponry, and so forth. To balance this, and to make things more realistic, I feel that when players are incapacitated, that they do not die in such a short amount of time. Perhaps it should be 30 seconds long? That would their squads time to suppress incoming fire, so that the medic can do their job - just like in real life.
I feel that these various changes, when combined.. would provide for a realistic sniper role in the game, which is more challenging due to a need for skill, rather than due to frustrating randomness and downright lack of effectiveness. Players would be unable to run and gun as a sniper, and would have to utilize experience to become lethal on the field.
This allows for those whom have spent the time honing their skills as a sniper to present a large thread on the field to the enemy and their resources, rather than being seen as either overpowered and annoying, or entirely useless and a detriment to their team.
As of now, in Battlefield 2, they are horribly implemented. This is not a whine, but simply a matter-of-fact! I am quite capable with both of them, as from the crane, I can kill anyone on the battlefield given they are in my line of sight. This includes having killed targets printing horizontally across my perspective from the crane to the western USMC outpost (by the river). Sure, it's hard.. but I have done it. I am easily the sniper with the best kill/death ratio I've seen yet in the Demo, averaging about 10-1 kills per death. This is an average, and yes it does vary. My personal best as of yet, no exaggeration, is 33-2, having died once to a really pissed off commander using artillery.
I am not bragging, rather I am trying to make a point that I am not unskilled, and merely whining and begging for change where it is not needed. I am hoping that in Project Reality, sniper weaponry is handled correctly.
As of now, the coding for weaponry is very 'random'. I can make the same exact shot twice, and have one kill, and one complete miss. I can be aiming at a stationary target roughly 200m away, dead on - and miss the shot. I have wasted two clips before from the crane (yes, I use the crane a lot in my examples, as it is a great point of reference) to the hotel flag, on a guy sitting in the Stinger emplacement before. Obviously, he is nearly immobile, but seeing as I am a rather impressive shot as of yet in Battlefield 2, missing ten shots with the m95 on the target is unnacceptable.
We are talking about guns with 1 MOA or less, here. Take into account that we are talking about 200-400m distances at most, and you can see how these guns are performing horribly.
My suggestions are as follows.
Disadvantages:
1) In long range firing, things that most people take for granted, have a dramatic impact on aim. Breathing, and heartbeat. Both of these can affect the aim of the sniper a great deal, and only through training can one overcome these obstacles. There is no scope sway in Battlefield 2, and that is something that frankly, is a necessity. We need some rather tough scope sway, with about a one second pause on the lower and upper limits.
2) These effects should be greatly increased after the sniper runs, and sprints. A sniper should not be able to sprint, go prone, then subsequently fire off accurate shots. Snipers need to learn to utilize good cover, avoid obvious vantage points, and avoid moving a lot. After running, the scope-sway effects need to be amplified 30% for 15 seconds. After sprinting, the scope-sway effects need to be amplified 50% for 15 seconds. This keeps snipers from being able to run and gun, and it forces them into a solid supporting role, as well as forcing them to be intelligent with placement.
3) These guns should have far more scope-kick when they fire. The SVD is the example I will use, as currently it is the only weapon which you can fire off repeatedly while in scope view. It has very little kick when firing off many rounds. Coupled with the lack of scope-sway, it is basically a long range single shot assault rifle. I have massacred people below me trying to capture flags with this weapon, using it as an assault weapon. The kick should be noticeable.
Improvements:
1) We need these weapons to be accurate. They should have very little deviation in shot placement, some less so than others. He M24 should be the single most accurate rifle available at these ranges, with the SVD falling a bit behind, but retaining it's quick firing capability.
2) The M24 currently forces you out of the scope view when you chamber a new round. This is not realistic. The scope-kick, coupled with scope-sway, should prove challenging enough without forcing the sniper to unrealistically lose his scoped view while chambering a round. Reloading the gun would of course force you to lose the scoped view.
3) More killing power. If you get hit with a sniper rifle in real life, you're out of the battle. Almost assuredly, you are dead - but you are most defenitely out of the fight. Now, take into account a weapon such as the M95. You are dead, regardless of where you got hit. You can take a round in the thigh, and it will most likely obliterate you. If you've ever seen the victim of a .50 caliber round before, you'll need no further clarification as to why. These weapons currently do the same amount of damage - The M24, SVD, M95.. all the same.
I have an interesting method of having them all remain one shot kill, yet maintain a bit of uniqueness between them. Smaller caliber rifles (SVD, m24, currently) should cause incapacitation, but should allow the Medic to revive as per normal. Larger caliber rifles (m95, currently) should cause instant death, as if you got hit with an artillery strike, or a tank round.. and so forth, with no chance of medic revival. (( Read below for a small note on Medic revival ability ))
4) The anti-material rifles such as the M95 need to have a good deal of material penetration. I have noticed that it can shoot through some materials, but not others. An M95 round can penetrate an standard concrete wall clean through and continue penetration through other materials such as cars, trucks, houses, and so forth. It should be able to disable all personnel carriers, with varying degrees of effectiveness. 1 shot for LDVs, 2 shots for Hummers, and so on.
Now, as for the Medics, and their revive ability. I feel that Medics will be hard pressed to do their job well in Project Reality if they are kept as is. Having to dash out to revive a friend in a matter of seconds will lead to most medics getting cut down by heavier firepower, more realistic damage, more accurate weaponry, and so forth. To balance this, and to make things more realistic, I feel that when players are incapacitated, that they do not die in such a short amount of time. Perhaps it should be 30 seconds long? That would their squads time to suppress incoming fire, so that the medic can do their job - just like in real life.
I feel that these various changes, when combined.. would provide for a realistic sniper role in the game, which is more challenging due to a need for skill, rather than due to frustrating randomness and downright lack of effectiveness. Players would be unable to run and gun as a sniper, and would have to utilize experience to become lethal on the field.
This allows for those whom have spent the time honing their skills as a sniper to present a large thread on the field to the enemy and their resources, rather than being seen as either overpowered and annoying, or entirely useless and a detriment to their team.
