(I went to a bunch of trouble making this, so please at least read it and tell me what you think.)

Well folks, I've decided to let you all in on a few trade secrets on my personal craft, sniping.

The first thing you must remember about sniping is: It's hard.

Not just hard, it's downright damnable to try and get a GOOD score with a sniper rifle. Especially if you're used to using an auto, or even a non-scoped boltie. This thread will help all of you use the sniper rifle better. Maybe eventually one of you will be a match for me in a sniper fight.


Section 1: The Scythe of the Boogie Man; The Rifle

If you're in game, and you have a choice between a scoped kar and a normal kar, most of you will pick the normal kar just because iron sights are easier to use.

When you come up on an enemy at close range with a normal kar, you can strafe left and right, pull up your sights very quickly, and pop a shot off. This is easy for most people to do. You can keep moving while aiming down the sights without too much trouble adjusting your aim, and take them down in two shots. With a sniper rifle, you don't have this luxury. If you run up on an enemy while you have a scoped kar, you don't have the option of scoping in quickly and popping off a few accurate shots. It takes too long to scope in and out, it's easy to lose them while scoped in, and you simply can't move while scoped in if you want to shoot accurately. This means you will have to rely on the crosshairs.

This is step one. Learn to use crosshairs. Start off using an MP44, not firing on auto, and try to pick people off with 5-6 shots from a window or a tower. Practice centering them in your crosshair and keeping them there while they move. Once you can do this reliably, move on to using a semi-auto rifle. For this, you will need to move in close to the enemy. Don't worry, they'll kill you. A lot. A whole lot, in fact. It will be aggravating. It will be very difficult. And you WILL want to bash in some skulls.

Don't. Trust me, if you can become skilled with a sniper rifle, everything else becomes easy.

Just keep at it. Learn to anticipate how people move when confronted up close. You will need to keep moving. Don't stand still for a SECOND. Practice keeping them within your crosshairs. Make sure that you are aiming at their neck area. You CAN aim for the chest, but if you aim for the neck, there's a greater possibility of getting a headshot and ending it quickly.

Once you've gotten better (Better being not getting a negative score) at using a semi-auto with ONLY using the crosshairs, NOT the sights, then move on to a bolt.

This will be much harder to get used to. Most bolt action rifles have five rounds, and it takes roughly six seconds to fire off all five. Generally, if you HAVE to fire off all five, you're in trouble. This is what we're trying to avoid by practicing like this. If you're not GOOD at taking enemies down with your crosshairs, you WILL die. Because you will miss, and they will kill you.

(Continued..)

Same thing as last time, except THIS time, here's what you do. The semi-auto had ten rounds that you could fire quickly, so even if you miss with half, they'll still probably go down. The bolt action has five slow-firing rounds. This means that you have to hit with the first few. So, in stead of ALWAYS moving, move a BUNCH. Side-to-side, down, up, lean, prone....But suddenly stop. Stop, crouch, center the target, and fire. The crosshairs on a bolt shrink significantly in the crouched position. But once you've fired, get moving again. Confuse them. Get them to waste their ammo. If you can survive until a reload, you have about two-three seconds in which you can calmly aim and fire at them. This is what I call "Fire time". That few seconds between clips is your best friend in the world, and once you've played enough with a sniper rifle, you will learn to treasure that "Click" of a clip being removed.

If you're facing a heavy auto(PPSH, MP44) that has already started firing at you from close range, then don't do the stop-crouch-fire...Do the RUN-RUN-RUN. With practice, you will eventually gain the skill to take on full autos in a situation like that, but for now, try to take them by surprise if you can. But facing them head-on is generally suicide.

Once you've gained enough skill with this, move on to the sniper. When moving, the crosshairs on the normal kar spread apart about an inch. However, with the scoped kar, the crosshairs will spread apart about an inch and a half. This means that if you have to make a moving shot, you'd better be praying. That's why I had you practice stopping and firing quick shots before. Because while moving-crosshair shots are possible(and actually pretty reliable) on an unscoped rifle, the scoped rifle isn't nearly as easy to use.

When using a sniper rifle, the idea is to try and stay far away. But sometimes it can't be avoided, and close range combat will find you. Sniping far range is simply a thing of practice. It's the close-range combat that shows who's a good sniper, and who's a GREAT sniper. If you can take down a PPSH with a sniper rifle when the PPSH is coming at you and firing full auto, THAT'S when you know you're good. If you can sit in a tunnel with a sniper rifle and take down three PPSHers before they even knew what hit them, that's when you know you're great.Unfortunately, I can only take on two PPSHers in a tunnel, generally. Oh well.

Moving on...Just practice. When sniping far range, learn how to lead. You usually need to lead one body (Imagine there's another person RIGHT in front of them, and aim for THAT person.) when they're running. When they're sprinting, it's about one and a half. Remember to adjust for the scope movement, and to listen. Sound is your greatest friend. With sound, you can hear people sneaking up on you, of a shift in the location of the main battle, of enemy snipers or riflers trying to take you down...It's a very useful tool. So use it.

(Continued...)

Section 2: When all else fails...

There will come times in close-range sniping that you will run out of ammo. This is why god made the pistol. The pistol is a last resort type of thing. You should try to use your rifle when you can, but when that fails, and you can't retreat to reload, pull out the ol' handgun. Don't fire it FAST. Take a bit of time and try to AIM your shots. If you use up all your pistol ammo, you ARE screwed. So try and make every shot count. This is another one of those "It's all about practice" things that your mom told you about. Though I doubt she was referring to using pistols in video games.

Grenades are your friends. Thrown a grenade at an approaching enemy and he will go into shellshock(Or die). This allows you to move in and finish him off(Or get his health, gun, and leave) while he's dazed (or dead.).

They also allow you to retreat. Toss a grenade at the ground while running through a door, and the guy(s) chasing you will either A) Die from it, B) Stop and wait for it to explode before going in after you, or C) It will hurt them and make them easier to take out later, and putting them into shellshock will slow them down.

Or D), they'll pass over it and make it far enough away and not be harmed. But if that happens you're dead anyway.

Smoke is generally your enemy. But it has it's uses sometimes. Smoke a street so you can cross to a good sniping position...Smoke an enemy-occupied room and then fill it with grenades and a satchel. Smoke yourself so that you have time to hide and reload. But usually, smoke is bad and only blocks your line of sight.

Section 3: Location, location, location...

When you have a sniper rifle, the front line is not where you belong. You should try to find an elevated location where you can see a broad area, away from the main part of the conflict. Pick out some spots that give you good views of a machine gun, so that if that MG is giving your team trouble, you can save the day by picking off the guner, and covering your team's approach. You have to remember: You are not a combat role. You are a support role. Your job isn't to get as many kills as you can, it's to keep the ENEMY from killing YOUR guys. If you focus on picking off enemy snipers, you won't get as many kills as if you run around with an MP44, but your team will have an easier time of winning because they have one less thing shooting at them. Remember; Your place is away from the battle. Find a nice spot, set up, snipe for a minute, and move. Don't stay in the same spot too long. Eventually, the enemy will figure out where you are and they WILL kill you. Keep moving, and don't set up any patterns. You are the most flexible soldier on the battlefield. You can sit back and relax, watching an MG nest and keeping it clear. Or you can trudge into some tunnels and keep the enemy from using them to their advantage. It's all up to you.

Section 4: The voice from beyond!

As a sniper, you will have a better viewpoint as to the big scheme of things. The guys up there fighting know only that there's enemies in front of them, and they must die. YOU, however, can keep an eye out for enemies that are trying to flank your team. If the enemy's spawn has moved, etc... Remember to WARN your team. It takes only a few seconds to type in team chat "They're flanking around through the graveyard!", and you will save a lot of trouble for yourself. Because if they flank your team, they will kill them all. And you will suddenly find yourself cut off from friendlies. Your job is to keep your TEAM winning. Remember that.

That's all I have for now. Tell me what you think. I'll probably add more later, but it was getting really long. o.o

Section 5A: Bumps in the road...(Common problems...)

When you're moving to a new sniping location, there's a decent chance that you will run into enemy soldiers. This means that any sniping position that is in the direction of where you were heading is now a hot zone, even if you win. If you win, you need to head back the way you came and find another area. The enemy you killed will be looking for you in the area you were heading towards. If you die, just don't go back to that place. If the enemy knows your general location before you're even set up and sniping, then it's useless.

Artillery is a great tool. Just don't try to snipe near it. The shells shake your screen and make it near impossible to get accurate shots off...you'll just alert the enemy as to your location.

Section 5B: It takes a sniper...

To kill an enemy sniper, you have to think on your toes. He's set up somewhere, and is more than likely aware that you're out there. He's waiting for you. So, don't go looking for him. Wait a while. Don't shoot unless you have to. See if you can draw him out. Good snipers seek out enemy snipers, as they are the BIGGEST threat. Sure, a PPSH running up is a threat, but one that can be dealt with. An enemy sniper will blow your head off from a distance while you're trying to pick off some machine gunner. And no matter how good you are, once he has you in his scope, things will get dicey fast. Even if you survive the first shot.

So, make sure you listen for other sniper rifles going off. Watch the kills list to see if anyone is using one that you can't hear. Be aware of the real threat that you might be sitting right in the scope of an enemy sniper. Keep your eyes and ears open.

Section 6: Lead, Lead, Lead!

I covered using the spawn weapons for a sniper, but now I'm going to cover secondary weapons that you may find on the ground.

When you are sniping, you can't be selective. If you find an MP40 on the ground, pick it up. I don't care that you hate the mp40. I don't care that you suck with it. The fact of the matter is, some situations are just impossible to get through using only a sniper rifle, no matter your skill level. Hell, even another sniper rifle or a non-scoped rifle are much better than nothing. They give you more rounds to fire without having to reload. So; You see that PPSH on the ground there? Oh, it's surrounded by enemies? Toss a frag, run in and grab it, and use it to mow them down while they're in shellshock.

If there's a weapon on the ground, but you are spotted while going to pick it up, don't stop to fight. Get the gun. You have a better chance of making it all the way there and picking it up and then WINNING than you do of simply fighting with the rifle.

When gathering weapons, avoid being spotted if at all possible. Also make sure you time it right. You don't want to miss a shot because you had to jump down and pick up that '44. You should wait until you're changing locations before going shopping for guns.

That's all for now...more later.

2354 words so far.

No problem guys. Thanks for the positive feedback. I will be expanding this guide as I think up more things to add.

The next section (Section 7: Rolling thunder...) will cover tanks, and what to do if you're facing one.

After that I will probably cover coordination with teammates.

But right now, here's a quick tip...

When you're making a bunch of sniper kills, make sure to brag about it. Even in a video game, morale is a big player in battles. If the enemy thinks that your team has a master sniper gunning for them, they will be more weary and cautious of moving in the open. This gives your team more space to move without dealing with direct combat.

You'd BETTER be putting more open maps on that server! D:

Oh, and you should check out Monopoly. It's a really fun map.

Section 7: Rolling thunder...

When you are sniping, odds are you don't have a panzerfaust. If you have a secondary weapon, it's probably going to be an anti-personel weapon such as a machine gun or flamethrower. But I'll cover both cases.

If you have a panzerfaust, then great. You're set to go.

Being a sniper means that, if you're doing a good job of sniping, you're concealed. The driver of that tank coming down the street doesn't know where you are. So stay hidden in that window. Move as little as possible, and wait for him to go past. Once he's past you, pop out and fire at the tail. Generally, he'll go down. The problem is, where there's a tank, there's supporting ground troops. Be ready to have a fight on your hands.

If the tank has already found you, do what you'd do any other time....run. Get inside a building, try and flank around behind the tank. You'll probably die, but you might get lucky. Even if you take down the tank, the ground troops will more than likely kill you. But again, you're a support roll. If you can take out a TANK at the cost of one death, you've just saved your team from being massacred. It's well worth it.

If you don't have a panzerfaust, this is what you do...

I call it the "Steel Balls" maneuver.

Run at the tank. Pull out your pistol and run, firing at it. Get right up next to it, and start dancing. Circle around it as it turns to try and shoot you, keeping the turret facing the opposite direction. He'll try and run over you, so keep an eye out on the terrain so you can dodge without getting stuck. Keep at this, and eventually one of two things will happen...

Either he will jump into the machine gunners position where he's a stationary target and you sudden;y have about a second to take him out..Or he'll jump clear out of the tank. If he jumps into the gunner position, don't freak out. You have one shot at this. I usually use the pistol and fire as many shots at him as I can as fast as I can. About 80% of the time, he goes down. If you have an MG, use that. If he jumps out of the tank, you have two options...If you think you can win a fight like that, try and take him out. This is not advisable if you don't have an MG, as your health WILL be low from trying to get him out of the tank. If you don't think you could win, there's a perfectly good tank sitting there with nobody in it, just WAITING to be used...

Now, you've not only taken out a BIG threat, you've just gained a huge advantage! Either jump into the tank and roll on towards the enemy, or bring it back and hand it off to someone with better tank skills than yourself. Personally, I suck with tanks, so I try to give them to my team when I can.

Next time, Section 8: Synchronize Your Watches...

Section 8: Synchronize Your Watches...

When playing, you often find yourself separated from your team. This does not mean that you are not PART of the team, still. If you see some team mates flanking around somewhere, change positions and give them sniper support. Try to work out a plan with your team. If you have people in the server that you play with often, they're probably willing to try and take out the enemy tactically. Propose a flanking maneuver through the graveyard, or through the east trenches, or whatever. Offer sniper support and try to make sure you all know what's going to happen. This can be done in a few short messages.
(On Dawnville, through the graveyard to the MG church...)
"You guys flank through the graveyard, I'll snipe the MG. Don't smoke or I can't see it."

They will then know that they won't have to worry about the MG42 in the church, and can pay more attention to fighting off any enemy troops they encounter. That MG could take out your entire fireteam, but your one bullet can take out that MG. That's the idea behind sniping. Pick off select targets that are threats, and you can literally save the game.

If someone says that the enemy is flanking around somewhere, set up so you can hold them off until help arrives. Usually, the person who reported it just died and is now on his way back to help. His warning will bring others, but they won't arrive in time to keep the enemy from gaining a foothold. That's where you come in...Pop the first one you see, and the rest will falter for a moment. They won't move up while you're there, and that gives your team time to get there and help you.

Eventually, you will learn to know where the enemy is going to be coming from on instinct alone. You'll learn to be able to set up to cover your team's flanking maneuver before they even get the idea to flank. It's all about team dynamics, and you play the largest role of anyone in this way.

But don't get cocky. If your team wasn't there, you'd eventually be overwhelmed. Your team can flank without your help, but at the cost of more deaths than it should take. YOU, however, can not hold off the enemy all by yourself. You need your team.

If the fight is not going well, and the sniping is slow, change weapons. If you're not able to really help your team by sniping, DON'T TRY. In stead, pick up a 44 and throw yourself into the fray like a madman. Give it all you've got. If that's how you can best serve the team's needs, then do it. If there's a tank giving your guys trouble and you have the opportunity, jump in a tank and take the bugger out. Teamwork is KEY to this game, and you need to be conscious that sniping is not the only way to help. In fact, sometimes sniping isn't needed at all.

If there's another sniper on your team, coordinate with them. Make sure you're not both sniping the same area when you could cover MUCH more ground and snipe two different areas. If you're having trouble picking off enemies fast enough, ask them to come over and help you. If there's an enemy sniper, report the location so the other sniper(s) on your team can help you take him out. Two snipers working together can bring down an entire team. Get three or four, and you can win on your own.

I cite a round that I played back when I was in -(F^S)- (about three or four years ago). It was 5 (Us) on 14 on Kharkov. My team all went sniper and coordinated our positions so that our fields of fire overlapped slightly. We would set up with all of use watching one street, or all of us in one building. We kept talking and reporting in EVERY enemy we saw, and we won the game 59-21. Coordination with your team is KEY. Because you can't support your team if you aren't talking to them.

PS. If someone could tack this to the forums as a sticky, that'd be great.

Next time! Section 9: The Hardware of War!

Jesus...3717 words long so far.

Don't forget that with the Scoped Kar98k and Springfield sniper rifles, bullets reload one at a time, thus making the overall process of reloading much longer than the reload time for that of a normal bolt-action rifle. The Scoped Mosin-Nagant is the exception. A good habit in closer ranged fights against opponents is not to reload to the full 5 count, and instead stop at 1 or 2 bullets in your weapon. Just click the fire button and the reloading process will stop at the current ammunition count. This gives you a greater chance of killing people in closer ranges, since you reloading gives your opponent more time to kill you. Of course if you are sniping from long ranges or are in a safe position, fully reload to ensure you are ready for any sudden encounters.

Close range fighting against full-auto weapon wielders is hard, but you can easily win. However, I find it easier to just, as Helium stated, run around and jump, but then where I differ is that I go prone whilst also running around, and then I take a shot or two and get up again. Most full-auto weapon users do not use their weapon's iron sights at closer ranges, and thus you going prone makes it far less easier for you to be hit, unless the opponent is right on top of you and literally has a 100% guarantee chance of hitting you with every shot. A PPSH wielder who was the MVP on the opposing team in another server I was in wasn't able to kill me when I had a bolt-action rifle in a close range fight.

In sniping, I believe it's a good idea to also go prone, as the accuracy will be higher, you will be less easily spotted, and while your mobility is hampered, you can always get up and run should you need to. Then again crouching and taking quick shots works as well.

Oh, and nice guide.