Sniping in DayZ

[MCubed]

Before I start I would like to say I understand the realism behind sniping, and why it makes sense as a playstyle, but surley anybody will admit that it is a little frustrating to put hours of work into a charicter to have someone to point-and-click your charicter's health to zero and be rewarded with all those hours of your work. I understand it as a playstyle, and it does make the most sense, because you can kill many people without ever putting yourself at risk other than perhaps another sniper.

A good solution i think would be that maybe sniper rifles should be two shot kills, so that players have at least a microscopic hope in hell of running away. Losing most of your health randomly would be the game's way of saying that there is a sniper aiming at you and if you dont do somthing in the next three or so seconds then you will soon be enjoying a one way trip to a scenic veiw of the ocean. Instakills should be reserved to headshots on unprotected heads. No weapon in dayz at all should be an instakill to your chest. (well, maybe when they add rocket launchers then maybe).

Sniper weapons should also be really hard to use in close to medium ranges. Or maybe sniper rifle ammo is really, really, really hard to find. Like, M4A1 hard. That way the number of free kills a good sniper will have are really limited, to encourage people to use a different playstyle, and sniping will be reserved for the really really commited.

Oh and before you go down in the comments, no i am not just mad or anything, but I was concerned when I spawned, looted for five (eight max) minutes before hearing the thump of a bullet planting itself into my chest and the screen going black. Please do not defend sniping just because you are a sniper, and consider what effect on gameplay such changes would actualy have.

I know the answer that one could just stay hidden or somthing but thats not really fair is it? It would only be fair if the sniper ALSO had to be boucning around at all times. And I know that my suggestions aren't completley realistic, but the game has sacrificed realism for gameplay many times.

[ArigatoShinigami]

1. It depends where you get shot and what gear you have.
2. If it were to be a 2 hit kill unless it's a headshot that would just be a way of compromising for people who can't stay hidden, or zig zag.
3. Majority of the population in real life own hunting rifles and the ammo to go with.. That is the logic behind finding "sniper ammo" easier than M4A1 ammo.

And no, I'm not a "sniper"

[cabbage]

I play quite often as a sniper and I've learned sitting on elevated points, hills or buildings gets you seen, and another sniper shoots you or someone heads your way. For this reason, I stay on the ground as when you're elevated, most of the time, you cant get down and you get stuck up there. And just today, after shooting a couple of guys, I was killed by a guy with an AUG. There are always threats to snipers and when I notice there is another sniper, I make it my business to deal with him. Also, at close range, you are no match for an AK or something so other people get the better of you once they get within 200m and zig zag like a ♥♥♥♥♥.

[MCubed]

True that you are more vunerable at close ranges, but being the sniper, the ambusher, you have full controll over the situation, like the range that you will be engaging at. I have seen snipers up on the hills, and if you do see the tiny speck in the distance then povided the sniper doesnt change positions you absolutley have him nailed. Snipers also often have smg's that they can tote around with them to gain dominace in close quarters.

[ArigatoShinigami]

I also think you should understand the effects of being shot in the chest in the real world.
If you were to be shot in the chest in a world where there is no hospitals or doctors anymore would mean certain death, even if you escaped the initial encounter.

You can also almost guaruntee that if you were shot in the chest out of the blue, you would fall to the ground from shock, disbelief and the impact of a round slamming into you. So, again, you're dead

[[7] Professor Sweetjumps]

Originally posted by Gregthegamer:

I know the answer that one could just stay hidden or somthing but thats not really fair is it? It would only be fair if the sniper ALSO had to be boucning around at all times. And I know that my suggestions aren't completley realistic, but the game has sacrificed realism for gameplay many times.

:sniperscope:

The sniper did have to bounce around to get all his gear. And, he'll have to bounce more, and pretty quick to loot your corpse.

I do a fair bit of sniping, and frankly, even that is not real world sniping. I'm usually between 400-500m. I see "snipers" all the time who are merely 100m from their target zone (and I love picking them off - I love to lie in the hills above the industrial area of Novo and find "snipers" on the roofs watching the routes to/ the gatehouse), so many of those times you got sniped, it could have been a guy who wasn't far away at all. That's just plain old CQC/PvP in my mind.

[MCubed]

I agree with what you guys are saying, but i maintain that instakills shouldnt be in dayz standalone. Everyone should have a chance to fight back, even if sniping gives you the inital advantage.

[chon]

Originally posted by Gregthegamer:

I agree with what you guys are saying, but i maintain that instakills shouldnt be in dayz standalone. Everyone should have a chance to fight back, even if sniping gives you the inital advantage.

Dayz is not aiming to be fair, it is aiming to be brutal, it is a part of it's charm. The only thing you should do is to anticipate where a sniper would probably set up shop and follow the least exposed route.

[Felony Ferret]

You have to be /seen/ to be killed on sight.... Most snipers watch Specific points in towns or along roads. If you want to reduce having your avatars fondest childhood memories being forcefully removed with a high calibre round, you could try doing what I do

Stick to the trees as much as possible, it's harder to hit a moving target with plenty of cover to duck behind. When you're about to enter towns, use your trusty binoculars to scan rooftops and high windows. Take time and plan a route through the town allowing or the best cover and giving yourself options for escape if need be.

I know no playstyle is perfect, You can still be sniped playing this way, but it does reduce sniper deaths. I think I'd only gotten sniped one time since I started playing this way, and it was because I ignored my better judgement and stayed at a military camp longer than I should. Didn't help I had a truck and that drew attention.

[[7] Professor Sweetjumps]

Originally posted by Sapper:

Originally posted by Gregthegamer:

I agree with what you guys are saying, but i maintain that instakills shouldnt be in dayz standalone. Everyone should have a chance to fight back, even if sniping gives you the inital advantage.

Dayz is not aiming to be fair, it is aiming to be brutal, it is a part of it's charm. The only thing you should do is to anticipate where a sniper would probably set up shop and follow the least exposed route.

Truly. I recommend everyone give sniping a good long try. Even if you don't enjoy it, it sure teaches how to make/or not make yourself an east target. Before I started sniping, I got sniped dozens or scores of times. Since I started sniping (90% of my time in DayZ), I've been sniped 2-3 times. Even when I'm not sniping, as I run into a location, I'm thnking about where the snipers are likely to be.

[[7] Professor Sweetjumps]

Originally posted by Assassin Dash:

You have to be /seen/ to be killed on sight.... Most snipers watch Specific points in towns or along roads. If you want to reduce having your avatars fondest childhood memories being forcefully removed with a high calibre round, you could try doing what I do

Stick to the trees as much as possible, it's harder to hit a moving target with plenty of cover to duck behind. When you're about to enter towns, use your trusty binoculars to scan rooftops and high windows. Take time and plan a route through the town allowing or the best cover and giving yourself options for escape if need be.

I know no playstyle is perfect, You can still be sniped playing this way, but it does reduce sniper deaths. I think I'd only gotten sniped one time since I started playing this way, and it was because I ignored my better judgement and stayed at a military camp longer than I should. Didn't help I had a truck and that drew attention.

I'd probably never land a shot on this guy. Not that I'd gun down a solo except in the rarest of circumstances. But, a little planning and observation before hand can easily save your life. The Devs have done a good job with the trees and builings of not making many places paradise for snipers. Most of the time, we have a very limited field of view - use that to your advantage.

In fact, the next time you're on a guardhouse porch or leaving the door of a prison or police station, stop*, and look at where you'd be if you were a sniper.

*No responsibility if this gets you the "You are dead" screen. :D

[MCubed]

After considering all of this I will try some of these sniper avoidance tecneques, but i still maintain that you should not be able to one-hit kill anybody.

[MCubed]

I will give sniping a go on a seperate charicter, but its way too boring for me.

[[7] Professor Sweetjumps]

Originally posted by Gregthegamer:

I will give sniping a go on a seperate charicter, but its way too boring for me.

It doesn't have to be one or the other after your first bit of learning, the curve is steep. For example, the industrical area of Novo has several tool sheds ( http://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/dayz.gamepedia.com/thumb/8/8a/ToolShed_2a.jpg/800px-ToolShed_2a.jpg?version=1047a0f99520024609857b2e99fd8433 ), V3S wrecks and 3 guard houses. So, a great place to loot up. And a super easy place to get sniped.

Climb the hill to the South. Run the area looking for spots to snipe each guard house. See what you can and can't see from those spots. In the process, look at the industrial structures; see if another sniper is anywhere up there.

Then, if the coast is clear loot away. After a while, you can run in and loot at will after only a cursory exam as your brain already knows which way to take you once the shots start ringing. Not foolproof, but will help a lot.

[MCubed]

Originally posted by Thurman Merman:

Originally posted by Gregthegamer:

I will give sniping a go on a seperate charicter, but its way too boring for me.

It doesn't have to be one or the other after your first bit of learning, the curve is steep. For example, the industrical area of Novo has several tool sheds ( http://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/dayz.gamepedia.com/thumb/8/8a/ToolShed_2a.jpg/800px-ToolShed_2a.jpg?version=1047a0f99520024609857b2e99fd8433 ), V3S wrecks and 3 guard houses. So, a great place to loot up. And a super easy place to get sniped.

Climb the hill to the South. Run the area looking for spots to snipe each guard house. See what you can and can't see from those spots. In the process, look at the industrial structures; see if another sniper is anywhere up there.

Then, if the coast is clear loot away. After a while, you can run in and loot at will after only a cursory exam as your brain already knows which way to take you once the shots start ringing. Not foolproof, but will help a lot.

And i would totaly agree with you, but often there is no second chance when the shots start ringing. Thats why i want a two shot sniping system. I it would only give players a two or three second reaction time, so its not incredibly unbalanced against the sniper's favor. And even if the sniper fails he can always retreat, and lose nothing other than two or three bullets, whereas the other person now has criplingly low health. The sniper almost always comes out ontop regarldess of what happens, which is why I really think the two-shot sniper system would work great. I just dont like getting lolstopmed (wow steam sees lolstopmed as a correctly spelt word?) by someone who just pointed and clicked for an easy kill.

[mailjunk66669]

Originally posted by Gregthegamer:

I will give sniping a go on a seperate charicter, but its way too boring for me.

what if the argument was turned around and a sniper made this initial post? would there be any empathy?

exmaple - seems like it is not that easy to "gear up" to be a sniper - hunter scope, netting / bags for ghillie suit, winchester or cz, cz mag, etc etc etc. it may also take time to pick out the "right spot".... the point being - it may take hours of running around, searching and effort

what if the sniper then said ---""after all that time spent gearing up and getting into position - its so frustrating to be shot dead by a counter sniper or axed to death by a guy sneaking up on me!!! its not right!!!""

i think most ppl would laugh and tell that disgruntled sniper to stop crying and stop complaining. why wouldnt the same attitude apply to everyone else or playstyle in the game?