Sniping 408 - Advanced techniques - Enemy Territory

[fred&cova]

regardless of who is the better sniper, this is a good thread, fun to read and unlawful gives good replies. suicidal maniac, personally i think his style sucks at sniping. "best sniper in ET" LOL. more like best quick shot spammer, poor acc and poor finesse, and poor ratios. nothing personal, but hey he put his neck out there by slamming these posts. ^^

 

anyway, keep up the good work in this thread.

 

gotta love the newbies

[SuicidalManiac]

regardless of who is the better sniper, this is a good thread, fun to read and unlawful gives good replies. suicidal maniac, personally i think his style sucks at sniping. "best sniper in ET" LOL. more like best quick shot spammer, poor acc and poor finesse, and poor ratios. nothing personal, but hey he put his neck out there by slamming these posts. ^^

 

anyway, keep up the good work in this thread.

 

gotta love the newbies

 

 

Actually he's right. My acc blows chunks, I used to avg 85-90 on etpro, now its closer to 50 but there are reasons for that (ie spam, don't practice anymore and play alot less). I am a quick shot spammer from hell on most maps lol (like oasis,goldrush,etc) like he says, but going after meds in a firefight while scoped from a few feet is a tactic few snipers try except for my crazy suicidal ass. As far as poor ratios hes spot on (except for maps like fuel) but the reason for that is I snipe on maps and scope in situations that only a completely insane person would. I just enjoy the challenge of getting the kill in a situation a sniper has no business trying. The only reason I still play this game is because I am having so much fun being a "rambo" sniper and why my "pub" handle is "suicidalmaniac". I do die alot hehe cause I dont care about any death stat and will scope when no sane person should. I just try to make my opponents fear me regardless of the situation and generally i'm pretty good at that I think. While I will get high frag on occasion on maps a sniper has no business getting, I will also of usually get high deaths along with it and thats funny as hell. On fueldump where I trained for competition and actually really snipe, its a different story, my acc is much higher with little spam, my "ratio" is alot better and my speed makes a big difference. I tend to piss people off on fuel.

 

I will say again, I wasn't slamming these posts. I think they will help improve many snipers games. Unlawful is a good sniper, and I've never said otherwise. He doesn't play like me, few do, but that is no slight on his style. Actually there are several styles of sniping, from the run/gun, binoc sniping, the crouch strafe, the duck/bob, the noob prone, the run/gun prone, etc. I'm just a bit nuts and toss the conventional wisdom of "sniping" out the window of a very tall building. My style can basically be called "suicidal" as Its actually quite nuts and quite suicidal in most situations.

 

While unlawfulsniper is a good sniper using a few of the techniques mentioned he actually should change his name to unlawfulmortar, cause he is a kick ass mortar and an expert with that weapon, one of the best i've come across, but good snipers are generally good mortars due to the command map knowledge.

 

On a side note, I play mobile mg as crazy as I snipe. Ask some longstanding BEL members what happens when I play mobile mg. Its funny as hell.

[unlawfulsniper]

[

 

 

Actually he's right. My acc blows chunks, I used to avg 85-90 on etpro, now its closer to 50 but there are reasons for that (ie spam, don't practice anymore and play alot less). I am a quick shot spammer from hell on most maps lol (like oasis,goldrush,etc) like he says, but going after meds in a firefight while scoped from a few feet is a tactic few snipers try except for my crazy suicidal ass. As far as poor ratios hes spot on (except for maps like fuel) but the reason for that is I snipe on maps and scope in situations that only a completely insane person would. I just enjoy the challenge of getting the kill in a situation a sniper has no business trying. The only reason I still play this game is because I am having so much fun being a "rambo" sniper and why my "pub" handle is "suicidalmaniac". I do die alot hehe cause I dont care about any death stat and will scope when no sane person should. I just try to make my opponents fear me regardless of the situation and generally i'm pretty good at that I think. While I will get high frag on occasion on maps a sniper has no business getting, I will also of usually get high deaths along with it and thats funny as hell. On fueldump where I trained for competition and actually really snipe, its a different story, my acc is much higher with little spam, my "ratio" is alot better and my speed makes a big difference. I tend to piss people off on fuel.

 

I will say again, I wasn't slamming these posts. I think they will help improve many snipers games. Unlawful is a good sniper, and I've never said otherwise. He doesn't play like me, few do, but that is no slight on his style. Actually there are several styles of sniping, from the run/gun, binoc sniping, the crouch strafe, the duck/bob, the noob prone, the run/gun prone, etc. I'm just a bit nuts and toss the conventional wisdom of "sniping" out the window of a very tall building. My style can basically be called "suicidal" as Its actually quite nuts and quite suicidal in most situations.

 

While unlawfulsniper is a good sniper using a few of the techniques mentioned he actually should change his name to unlawfulmortar, cause he is a kick ass mortar and an expert with that weapon, one of the best i've come across, but good snipers are generally good mortars due to the command map knowledge.

 

On a side note, I play mobile mg as crazy as I snipe. Ask some longstanding BEL members what happens when I play mobile mg. Its funny as hell.

 

 

Good post sui, I totally get your style now, its only suicidal because you go for the craziest shots imaginable. You don't try to stay alive, its all about freaky deaky longshots without the care of retaliation. I guess what you do is the next level of sniping after mastering the conventional shooting style.

 

Yup, thanks for the mortar comments, its only mildly fun most times to mortar, but when teams are unbalanced I do it to equalize the odds. Its one hell of a force multiplier.

 

mg42 snipin is awesome too, most peeps use it on fully auto where its hella inacc. But on burst mode 2-3 shots, or even semi auto, it very accurate as you well know and headshots do mucho damage.

[unlawfulsniper]

Part III -Countersniping and Relocation..... the art of survival

 

The tutorial continues after this short story.

 

A real sniping story from Viet Nam's top sniper Carlos Hathcock

 

There is an old saying in real estate that goes, 'location, location, location...' well in sniping its, ' relocation, relocation, relocation.' During Viet Nam there was a famed American sniper named Carlos Hathcock with over 200 confirmed kills. He was a master of survival, of pain management and of course, marksmanship. He would spend periods of several days to a week hacking through the dense malaria infested brush, on untravelled paths, to find a single high priority target. There is one story he tells where his target is a NVA two star general that is visiting a NVA forward operating base near the front lines. The base is a typical NVA compound, with bamboo fencing draped with barbed wire and 4 tower watchposts dotting each corner of the base. The layout is as following, just beyond the front gate is the first of 3 barracks, behind it is the officer's quarters/radio room, flanking both sides of the quarters are the other two barracks and behind the quarters towards the back of the base is a makeshift POW jail. Carlos does initial recon (rekki) from a treeline 2km up a gentle grassy hill overlooking the base head on. He looks down on the base from his vantage point and scouts for the best possible stalking route and the best location to shoot from. Carlos knows the general is most likely to be hovering around outside the officer's quarters, or just inside it, but he had been watching the base for over a day now and he still has not seen the general. He also knows that the barracks' physically block the officer's quarters on 3 sides, meaning that his best avenue of attack will be to flank the compound from either the left or right side so that his line of sight will run the length of the road in front of the quarters; the road that the general is either due to arrive on, or depart from.

 

Carlos, already having hiked 3 days to get to the NVA compound and having done 2 days of initial rekki without sighting his target, knows that his supplies are running low and he'll have to make a final decision on where to set up shop for his shot, should the general appear, or go home to resupply and recoup. So Carlos makes the gruesomely slow belly crawl 1km down the grassy hill, descending literally only 5 feet a minute. Progress is slow for a sniper stalking his prey and Carlos is being attacked by stinging red ants by the hundred, I shit you not, by the hundred as he descends the hillside at his sloth's pace. Finally Carlos stops 700 meters from the compound in an area of low grass flanking the compound. His rifle is trained along the line of the road in front of the officer's quarters. He goes through some of the scenarios he expects to find when the general either drives in or out of the compound, a couple go like this:

 

a) general is driven in a jeep up to the quarters, if the jeep's approach is away from Carlos, he can take a shot without the likelihood of being seen, since he'll be shooting the general in the back. If the jeep's approach is towards Carlos, he'll have to wait until the general gets out and does his salute to the base commander, which is usually a second or two of 'frozen' time.

the reverse scenario of a) except that the general exits the officer's quarters, salutes the commander, and drives off.

Because Carlos is situated along the LOS of the road, he's not likely to have to deal with strafing movement, just vertical movement which is easier to adjust for.

 

Carlos' patience pays off. The general was in the quarters the whole time. As the general exits and prepares to salute and say goodbye to the base commander, Hathcock considers the fact that there is no jeep parked outside. If there were a jeep Hathcock could determine the likely direction it would travel simply based on the direction it would be pointing, but there was none. So Carlos, opens his site, clears his mind, takes a deep breath and starts the slow squeeze. Boom! ECHO, ECho, Echo Drop. The general falls as he's pierced heartside and square. The base is on full alert and the barracks empties within seconds, of soldiers readying to go on patrol to find that damned bastard sniper. Carlos begins his arduous 1km belly crawl back up the hill to the treeline. He knows enemy patrols are everywhere. He makes it to the treeline and takes to the ground, relying on his concealment and training to dodge initial patrols. Initial patrols that he sees walk by him mulitple times, literally a just a few feet away, scary.

 

Night falls and Carlos slops it out of the bush double time, returning to base with a hero's welcome. Well, not a hero's welcome, but a pat on the back from his Colonel who is only one of a half dozen men cleared to know about the mission. Ah well. So goes the life of the sniper. Five days preparation, 1 second of sheer terror and a lifetime of thankless memories. This is certainly not a job to envy, but it is certainly a job to respect.

 

 

Ok, okay, enough stories, after all that wasn't really about relocation was it? But this is.. Back to ET sniping. Its usefull to break relocation down into two groups, mini moves and gross relocations.

 

 

 

RELOCATION

 

 

Mini moves:

 

I) A Sniper In the Mist: These can be thought of as tiny movements, usually 3-4 steps or so, to throw off an enemy sniper or shooter that is trained on your muzzle flash. This technique comes handy in many situations, one of which is when smoke or heavy artillery creates a fog in between you and your enemy's position, but whenever he fires a bullet you can see his muzzle flash through the fog. Aim and shoot your first round where you remember seeing his muzzle flash. Sometime you will hit, sometimes you will miss. In either case, shuffle 3 or 4 prone body widths over to one side, or if crouched, 3 or 4 steps over to one side, and then either take a second 'memory' shot right away or wait for his return fire muzzle flash. Now that you're sniper site is trained nearly right on where you expect to see his next flash, when he fires you will easily adjust your site a small distance onto his flash and 'pop' him one through the foggy abyss. If needed an instant followup shot seals the deal and you then exfil your hotspot to a new location (depending of course if you were seen by other enemies or not).

 

II) Pop Shoot 'n Shuffle: Another use of the 'mini move' is when engaged in a 'pop up n shoot' battle, usually with an enemy sniper. The scenario is such that both you are your enemy are behind 4ft. high walls and you are both taking turns popping up n shooting, then ducking down. Your enemy isn't the greatest, so he simply stands up to shoot, then crouches down to hide; you notice he is laterally static. Imagine a boxer who only ducked and bobbed but never moved side to side. He will be looking down at a red canvass in no time flat, not dissimilar from your enemy sniper, if you know what I'm saying'. And I know you do Of course any experienced sniper will use the 'popup n shoot' along with a 'mini move' technique in this 4ft. wall scenario and you need to somehow outwit and out shoot them if you are to win. But how?

 

III) Keeping A Level Head: First we want to control our rifle site's vertical tolerance, or fancy talk for trying to lock in our site's aim so that its always trained on our enemy's head level (if he should be so kind as to stand up and expose his purty little head for us). So if we both stand up at the same time, we know our site will be trained at the same vertical level as his head. But when we crouch and do a mini move, we notice that when we stand up, our site's level is a bit off his head's level. This 'unleveling' effect happens for the most part because our mini move was not perfectly uniform with respect to our enemy, meaning that over the course of our 3 or 4 steps minimove sideways, we also moved forwards or back a foot or two by mistake. This means when we stand back up and aim our sites we noticed our level was tiny bit above the enemy's head or a tiny bit below. This effect is magnified especially when you and your enemy are in the same 4ft. wall scenario, but one of your walls is 100ft. higher thus creating an angle that increases the 'unleveling'. The greater the angle, the greater the unleveling. So keep your mini moves 'tight' along the horizontal axis to achieve better 'level fixing' and 'pop up n shoot' results. And go Git sum!

 

IV) Pattern Recognition Of Enemy Snipers: When engaged in sniper strafe battle, most people go back to the patterns they are most comfortable with. Some people like to move 3 steps left, some 8 right, some more, and some less. You get the picture. There is one particular pattern that I think is worth mentioning because it appears to be a very common pattern we humans like to use. So it goes like this... Again we consider the simple 4ft. wall scenario with two opposing snipers. It starts when you both see eachother and he shoots first, hitting you, you shoot, hitting him, and you both decide to crouch down with barely any health left. Ok, contact is made and he wants to play. Questions pop off in your head... What's his next move? Where will he pop up? We are both 1 shot 1 kill now, healthwise right? I would like to suggest now the most likely pop up for your enemy now is roughly 4 steps to 'his' left, then 6 steps to his right, then 3 steps to his left. Ok, okay this sounds kind of stupid I admit it, after all how can you predict anyone's pattern the first time seeing it? You can't, I'm merely suggesting this is a very common pattern to see and I'm curious if anyone has seen this pattern and agrees. Btw, which washroom stall do you choose in a 5 stall washroom?

 

V) Hand Kinematics and aiming: One final 'mini move' suggestion that has to do with aiming and it goes like this... It is easier to adjust your site to aim left, than it is to aim right. This has to do with our hands and their physiology. I'm speaking about righty's only, not those lefty ginger bastards lol. Just think about when you move your site to the left, it feels much looser than if you move it to the right. To the right you feel resistance from your tendon running above your pinky finger side of your hand. To the left your movement is much smoother.

Okay, so that is not super convincing but check this out. Put the cursor in the middle of this page and hold the mouse in your most comfortable and natural position. Now try to swipe the controller left across a single line of text, whilst keeping the mouse perfectly level. You will find that the cursor naturally bends downwards as you move left and that you have to continually compensate to keep it level. Now try the same thing but swipe to the right this time. Now you find the cursor actually moves upwards as you move right, but that its more difficult to compensate for the movement and its tougher to keep it level. So we can see that making aiming adjustments is easier when adjusting to the left, and maybe then our first 'mini move' should be to the right, thus naturally allowing for this leftwards adjustment. Its just a small trick I know, but they can add up quick to become a big advantage out on the battlefield. Its like the card game poker. People ask, 'Is there a system? You know something I can memorize in a day?' But the truth is that there are thousands of little facts, tricks, strategies that may add up to a 15% edge over your opponents, but you won't memorize them in a day, a month, or even a year.

 

The only system that works 100% of the time is experience. So I am happy to bring you a tiny piece of my tiny experience, to you big ET players reading this tiny post. Peace.

Next: Gross Relocation ...

[pepe.]

you are really dedicated you type all that, its impressive. but tbh, im not going to read all that, i get 10-15 fps most maps, i have enough trouble with smg let alone sniping. but i bet your tips are really useful

[SuicidalManiac]

you are really dedicated you type all that, its impressive. but tbh, im not going to read all that, i get 10-15 fps most maps, i have enough trouble with smg let alone sniping. but i bet your tips are really useful

 

Actually for my first year of ET I played on a really terrible comp. All I got on avg was 15fps. So what I did was cap the fps where it was steady (15) by doing /com_maxfps 15 in console. Then would just snipe. In a firefight with an mp40 the bad fps lag would mean certain death, but from longer distances sniping I was able to kill people. With the fps capped it makes sniping far easier and lets you compete cause you wont have that fps lag. I got good enough with that pos comp to actually get invited to join a competition team. I was a pretty damn good sniper even on that crappy machine.

[pepe.]

thats a good idea, i didnt think of that. but my fps can drop to 5 or lower on some maps like battery, some part of oasis, cean, some parts of MLB, and fuel. but ill give that a try to see what it does thx

[daredevil]

thats a good idea, i didnt think of that. but my fps can drop to 5 or lower on some maps like battery, some part of oasis, cean, some parts of MLB, and fuel. but ill give that a try to see what it does thx

 

Don't. Our min fps allowable limit is 42. Lower then that you will be kicked.

 

What you can do is type:

set com_maxfps 44

 

The reason i am saying is 44 because most server uses Punkbuster recommended configs. And all have either 43 or 44 as minimum.

 

You can easily check if any server is PB streaming or not.

http://www.pbbans.com/msi.php

 

 

You can easily see cvarlimits on each server by doing

 

pb_cvarlist

 

@sniper u are on roll.

[SuicidalManiac]

wow pb capped a min fps now? How fked up is that?

[unlawfulsniper]

you are really dedicated you type all that, its impressive. but tbh, im not going to read all that, i get 10-15 fps most maps, i have enough trouble with smg let alone sniping. but i bet your tips are really useful

What does tbh mean, to be honest?

Ya its a long post, longer than I wanted, but I try to include interesting stories and a bit of humor, so it isn't black and white sniping tips without an element of playfullness and fun. Sorry for the long post.

[daredevil]

wow pb capped a min fps now? How fked up is that?

 

It's been like that since long time. If i remember correctly since 2 years+.

[SuicidalManiac]

wow pb capped a min fps now? How fked up is that?

 

It's been like that since long time. If i remember correctly since 2 years+.

 

 

well if it was like that 5yrs ago I wouldnt have played this game long. TBH means to be honest fyi unlawful.

[PHANTASM]

Unlawful - Keep up the good work. Nice stories. I'm sure more people are reading them than you think.

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

[unlawfulsniper]

Unlawful - Keep up the good work. Nice stories. I'm sure more people are reading them than you think.

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

Thanks bro, these nice comments really make me happy and wanting so write some more. Sometimes when the comments are slow I think, 'does anyone care that I'm writing this crap?' lol. So its nice to have affirmation that its worth the effort, even though its fun to write, but takes some time.

 

cheers

[unlawfulsniper]

Daredevil pointed out to me that 'Fred & Cova' copy and pasted my sniping tuturial stuff and posted it on the ETc clan forums, with no credits or mention of my name. lol. I found that funny and I wasn't pissed, but I think I deserved at least a little credit like, you know, 'written by unlawful sniper', or some thing like that. Thanks to Dare for catching it and telling me. I spoke to Fred while playing yesterday and we made amends and he has full permission to repost my stuff whereever he wants, with my name on it.

 

I'm gonna try and do 1 or 2 more sections and then compactify and do a final edit and formatting on the whole tutorial, then repost it in a new thread. Thanks for the love guys.

 

Peace