INTRODUCTION
I've been playing Action Quake since its initial inception and have noted a
number of similarities in the sniping methods which can be employed in the
game to those of real life. This is a little guide to make those who are
having trouble grasping the finer points of this exceptional method of
dealing with your opponents and is based upon my own knowledge and
implementation of the same with good results.
THE SNIPERS MIND SET
The correct mental approach to your task is the most important aspect of an
effect sniper. Forget playing to have fun. After your head is blown off, if
you say 'oh well, its just a game', you've lost it already. You are playing
to kill every single player on the other team, and at the same time
preserving yourself, and if possible (and only secondary might I add) your
teammates. A good sniper can kill an entire enemy team by himself if he
uses the right tactics.Furthermore, forget this nonsense that sniping is
camping. Were this deathmatch, I might agree. However, teamplay is about
survival. You don't respawn, nor do your teammates. A sniper is a deadly
weapon in teamplay, not someone hiding for cheap kills. Forget any goads
about camping you might hear and concentrate on your task. Remember, the
best snipers have cold hearts and calm minds.
YOUR CONFIGURATION
I've noticed that one of the biggest problems people tend to have is
that they have either:-
1) Have their sensitivity up way too high, or
2) Not set up a custom configuration file for sniping
As a general rule, some people have higher dexterity and lower reaction
times than others. I have seen people with their sensitivity at 25, yet can
aim perfectly, whereas others (like me) only use a setting of 8, simply
because the higher settings are beyond my ability to control. Only by
trial and error can you find a setting which is useful for yourself.
However, it should be noted that in Action Quake, and particularly when
sniping, high sensitivity for quick movements are not necessary and will
only ensure you miss your shots.
Furthermore, those who do not have custom configuration file for their
sniping, will invariably find the rifle uncontrollable as their sensitivity
is multiplied by the magnification they select. With a sniper config file,
you can reduce the sensitivity with each corresponding increase in
magnification. Below are the settings I use.
//sniper rifle
alias sniper "weapon;sensitivity 3;echo 2x;bind SHIFT 4x"
alias 4x "weapon;sensitivity 2;echo 4x;bind SHIFT 6x"
alias 6x "weapon;sensitivity 1;echo 6x;bind SHIFT 1x"
alias 1x "weapon;sensitivity 8;echo 1x;bind SHIFT sniper"
//emergency sensitivity reset key
bind . "sensitivity 8; bind SHIFT sniper"
You will notice the emergency sensitivity reset. This is so that, if
detected by an opponent, you may quickly reset back to your original
sensitivity and go to your point defence (pistol). Unless you depress this
key, you will no doubt find yourself at a lower sensitivity and unable to
respond in time to a quickly moving opponent. I cannot stress enough the
need to insert the sniper configuration into your autoexec.cfg and to
practice until its use becomes second nature.
EQUIPMENT
Apart from the sniper rifle, the choice of a kevlar vest or silencer will
be purely dependent upon the map you are playing on, not personal
preference. On brightly lit maps, the silencer is useless as you will be
clearly visible to an alert opponent. However, the vest will stop the
majority of enemy fire, including reducing any counter sniper fire you may
take. This fire, without the vest, would ordinarily be fatal.
On darker maps, it is certainly better to take the silencer. Maps such as
urban 2 enable a good sniper to kill many opponents without being
discovered. This is primarily because the silencer acts as a flash
suppressor, therefore not revealing your position. Stealth is the key to
sniping on this map, and the silencer certainly delivers. Contrary to
popular belief however, the silencer does not improve the rifles accuracy.
TACTICS
I don't intend to go into fine detail mentioning where you should snipe
from on different maps. With practice, and observation, you will notice
where the opponent will have spawned relative to your own position. On maps
such as urban, this will enable a quick movement to a suitable location,
permitting you to pour death amongst your enemies immediately upon
commencement of the round. Frequently, this is advanced knowledge is
devastating.
Snipers will listen for the enemies footsteps, both to gain an insight into
their location and to detect potential threats. A sniper will also be
patient and look for weaknesses in the opponent teams behaviour and use
them to his advantage.
A good sniper will not charge into any m4/mp5/shotgun melees which
usually take place upon commencement of a round. They will wait until
the initial dust settles and then go about the business of wiping out
the remnants of the enemy team. This leads to the next topic:-
LOCATION AND MOVEMENT
This is one of the most important aspects of sniping. Without cover and
concealment, a sniper will easily be killed by anti-sniper fire, or simple
blanket suppression fire from enemy point defences such m4/mp5.
Furthermore, once detected, the advantage of surprise is lost.
A sniper must get to know each map backwards. Only then will they be able
to move to a variety of pre-determined sniping positions in order that they
might engage the enemy from any angle, at any height, and on any location.
Never expose more of your body than is absolutely necessary to take a shot.
Remember, a good sniper can shoot slightly near a partially concealed enemy
and still record a hit.
After you have fired, move to another location immediately. I have seen
many times snipers get killed because after they have fired, and retreat,
they move forward to precisely the same spot again. Accordingly, they are
shot by the waiting enemy snipers.
However, were the sniper to move immediately after taking their shot, they
can potentially surprise the enemy opponents by firing from a different
location. This is the essence of sniping. Concealment and surprise. Under
optimal conditions, you will kill an entire enemy team and they will not
know where you were.
When looking for targets, never stand still. If you are on the top of a
building, move forward and back quickly, but when you return to look again,
do so from another location. Similarly, if you are fired upon and see a
target, move back but return at a different angle to fire, with the barrel
already in position.
TAKING THE SHOT
Alright, here it is, the part that most people have the toughest time with.
I have noticed that the majority of people become bad snipers or easy
targets because they fail to account for the lag of internet play. It is
necessary, just like an early fighter pilot, to add a certain amount of
deflection to moving targets i.e. to aim ahead based on their distance and
the lag you are experiencing. Many times I have seen people shoot at
running opponents but the rounds fall behind. By aiming in front of the
opponent, based on their distance and the lag, you can get a kill.
For example, I play with a ping of about 300. On map urban, an opponent is
running in a straight line approximately 50 quake metres in front of me to
the left. I am on 2x magnification. I aim approximately 3 quake metres in
front of the target and fire- hit.
You will need to experiment with this method of taking your shot but, with
practice, you will certainly see that it pays dividends and you too will
get shots which were seemingly impossible before.
When taking your shot, be wary of zooming in past 2x magnification,
regardless of the map. Apart from perhaps teamjungle, magnifications past
2x are not only unnecessary, they serve to reduce your field of vision and
do not permit you to gauge distance and speed accurately enough to
undertake deflection shots. The only time I recommend zooming in further is
if an opponent is crouching behind an object and you need to take a near
miss shot as previously described, or is at long range such as on team
jungle. Particularly useful for headshots.
Next, when you shoot, don't forget that you can repeatedly press the fire
button to fire without the scope returning to the screen. Although it fires
at 1x accuracy, it allows you to pour fire quickly at an area, greatly
increasing the mayhem on the receiving end. I only recommend this when it
looks like you are going to be overrun, or if the enemy is in a clump, or
if you take an immediate fatal hit and are bleeding to death.
Try to aim for the chest area. It is an instant kill, and centre of the
mass is far easier to hit than fancy head shots. However, if you wish to
guarantee a head shot (i.e. you have time to stalk, aim and zoom right in
such as on urban2), move the crosshair slightly above the opponents head (I
do mean slightly) and fire.
If you have taken a shot and miss, immediately move back to cover. Never
stand out in the open attempting to shoot a concealed target unless you
know you can do so safely (i.e. from rooftops). To do so is begging an
opponent sniper to deal with you. If you have not killed an opponent within
the first shot, immediately move to another location and fire again.
Remember, by watching your opponents, you will gain an insight into their
behaviour. I have frequently noticed that some people run backwards and
forth in doorways shooting. By timing their exposures, it is easy to get a
kill. Similarly, some people, as previously discussed, move forwards and
back on rooftops in the same area. By firing prior to their exposure
(accounting for the lag by doing so) you will get a kill as they move
forward.
Finally, after you shoot, move immediately away from your previous
position. This will ensure that any return fire from the target has a
chance of missing you, to prevent you joining your opponent in death.
OTHER
The pistol is deadly for point defence, particularly headshooting down on
ladders. Guaranteed, after you have plugged enough opponents, they will
attempt to rush your usual positions by machine gunning. In order to defend
yourself in a crisis, remember the sniper rifle is inaccurate but effective
at 1x magnification (from the hip). I personally find the rate of fire poor
however, and prefer to immediately change to the pistol and aim for
headshots or retreat if overrun. With this in mind, the collection of any
discarded mp4 or mp5 should be undertaken for self defence. But, under the
right conditions, you will never see an opponent so close as to be such
a threat.
Finally, never shoot your gun dry. This is a capital mistake. A good
opponent will hear you reloading and immediately charge your position.
Always leave at least 2 rounds in your rifle to defeat any such attempts.
Well thats it. I hope you are able to read this and gain a few helpful
pointers. The most important thing is to remember that you are playing to
survive, and to kill as many opponents as possible. If you are careful,
think tactically and follow this guide, you will be well on your way to
Sniping for Success!.
Craby.
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