Snipers: Amazing or Awful?

[Derpislav]

Snipers need really more damage.

No, snipers need damage scaling with the target and debuffs from successful hits.
Because one-shotting a runner is not fun (one-shot critting, though, I'm fine with - if the runner managed to not dodge that, he earned it.), but with a static damage output, it's either gibbing runners outright or barely plinking away at T3s. Damage has to scale with the target's caste and evolution progress.

[Abbysynth]

Rather than damage, I suggest that snipers should get more utility, particularly in the case of ammunition variants.

Why not give them stuff that can add debuffs or useful utility to their shots? Incendiary rounds are one good example, why not paralyzing rounds? Bright tracer rounds that light up the path the same way predator plasma caster shots glow? How about magnesium flare rounds that can blind even xenos that it hits? Or tracking darts that let you see for a limited time the target even if they're behind walls or cover? There's a lot of fun and interesting utility the sniper can have rather than just something boring like "more damage".

[Surrealistik]

It needs an aim mode and NV while zoomed in.

You enter it by targeting a mob (while zoomed in or otherwise); while that Xeno is targeted the sniper rifle bullets have perfect accuracy, ignore all other mobs and have bonus damage (as a % of the target's health so it scales with the caste tier) and penetration that scales up over time while in that mode up to a maximum.

[Derpislav]

It needs an aim mode and NV while zoomed in.

You enter it by targeting a mob (while zoomed in or otherwise); while that Xeno is targeted the sniper rifle bullets have perfect accuracy, ignore all other mobs and have bonus damage (as a % of the target's health so it scales with the caste tier) and penetration that scales up over time while in that mode up to a maximum.

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[Surrealistik]

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Eh, I like the aim mode more; makes it feel much more like a sniper weapon and obviates the obvious FF issues the damn thing always has.

[Redikalzip]

Snipers need a auto-sniper mode or speedly reload.

[Enceri]

I'll be honest, there are a lot of times I wish we had a Sniper specialist because we were pinned down by boilers or spitters.

[RedsPro]

After all the time and random chance of getting Spec ive only ever wasted it on a Sniper once. Not worth in my opinion when M56 and Sadar are much more robust

[Redikalzip]

I like to choose sniper. Very convenient and practical. My favorite class as M56, SADAR and B18.

[Caryl]

I don't know... When I play sniper, I rarely hit aliens, unless they are dragging a marine away.

[nerocavalier]

I usually hit as a Sniper and make them back away. Killing aliens on the other hand, not so much.

[danmax67]

Snipers are the weapons of hipsters, hipsters that no one like.
Snipers are those kids in the playground who spend their playtime eating lunch because no one would let them sit at the table.
Snipers are those kids who make their pants sag in class, and pretend to be cool.

[Crab_Spider]

Snipers are the weapons of hipsters, hipsters that no one like.
Snipers are those kids in the playground who spend their playtime eating lunch because no one would let them sit at the table.
Snipers are those kids who make their pants sag in class, and pretend to be cool.

...Wut?

[Redikalzip]

A gyro with a sniper rifle better than the bipod

[EXOTICISME]

I use sniper mostly to chase away aliens that are dragging marines or stopping boiler from aciding everyone. For killing... i guess you can try to kill critted aliens? I rarely got a kill with sniper

[Dapper Stache]

OVER-RULED.

The Court recognizes Apophis' extremely amazing sniper abilities in which there are never any friendly causalities.

Justice has been corrupted! Riot!

[Karmac]

O B J E C T I O N !

[TheMaskedMan2]

Sniper is decent, it really messes with boilers and a competent sniper is good support for the overrall team to pepper Xenos with bullets. It also makes Xenos panic, usually if a Xeno takes damage out of nowhere they freak out and scurry off.

[Crab_Spider]

Sniper is decent, it really messes with boilers and a competent sniper is good support for the overrall team to pepper Xenos with bullets. It also makes Xenos panic, usually if a Xeno takes damage out of nowhere they freak out and scurry off.

She's right. When you're hit by a stray bullet, you would never want to stay in the same position, you immediately duck for cover and try to get out of the possible marksman's view. In CM this same logic applies, because of how certain aspects of the game make you determined and immersed (for some reason, I always assume I'm in the USCM and don't have to go to school whenever I wake up... thanks Apophis) with your character, your instincts take over and you're put into a fight or flight response. If a xeno is running towards a sniper, the instance they are shot the player retreats, why? Because sniper bullets wreck havoc on xenos, taking 2 bullets to crit a T2 at minimum, they know the deal.

[danmax67]

...Wut?

I'm saying snipers are baaaaaad. Mainly because atleast with the grenade launcher you're up front actually fighting, with a sniper you're sitting in the backround praying you don't hit anyone.

[Katsukai]

I just wish snipers had a 100% miss rate on marines when you have an ally blocking your shots 1-4 tiles away. Only thing that prevents me using Sniper spec more often than Smartgunner is that you have marines always blocking your shots then rages at you when you hit them accidentally, just cause they went on line of sight on last second. Like seriously you have an spec class that usually is behind friendly marines to give supporting fire and you have to deal the fear accidentally hitting your own pals you are trying to support, it is kinda counterproductive. Best results I got with this class usually being the person on front instead the one that is behind the marines.

[Casany]

I once as a smartgunner got my hand on two snipers and 8 magazines of ammo with a VP. With those snipers I got 7 kills, with my smartgun I got 4. Sniper is great if you know how, when and where to use it. Incendiary can kill crit aliens on weeds, so using this tactic I was able to shoot and kill 3 crushers, 2 hunters and 1 runner with just one bullet of incen each. Ravager a don't have great protection, so when you see one shoot it with a flak round. Crushers are strong from the front, so try to angle you shot to hit diagonally. And boilers, just shoot them with anything really.

[Swagile]

The anti tank sniper rifle is still the only useful sniper.

You can't see in the dark with a sniper rifle so your only targets of opportunity are boilers, while every other spec class can do so much more.

B18's can tank Crusher / Rav charges and hold their attention while dealing heavy damage so that their buddies can keep opening fire without a care for the Crusher / Rav coming back.

Smartgun can keep the pressure on xeno's because even if you try to force the marines to FF, the smartgun cannot FF, so you ALWAYS get damaged until a baldie gets courages and starts meleeing you alongside smartgun damage which kills xenos real fast.

The SADAR (SALTAR) is self explanatory; one HE round and your stunned for a sizeable amount of time while four marines shoot at your downed body. One lucky AT and your instantly killed. One phospherous and your Crusher is cooked at medium rare temperature and never coming back to life.

The Grenade Launcher, while underused, is DEVASTATING in the caves due to the Close Quarters conditions there. If your playing Ice Colony, the Underground Caverns and Tunnels make the GL one of the worst things to face as a xeno due to tight corridors making it hard to dodge and with xeno sisters behind you pushing you around, well... one GL can take out an entire hive as long as they don't have a good crusher or any crusher at all.

Compared to all these specialist options, a sniper has so much less to offer. The sniper specialist is just as universally hated due to its waste of a specialist slot as a Praetorian for its waste of a T3 slot. Because by themselves they are good, but when you have the choice of any other T3, then you are essentially wasting that slot because you can never be as good as all the other T3's.

The same principle applies to the sniper specialist and until devs give it more useability such as IFF or Night Vision, it will continue being useless compared to other specialist options.

[Katsukai]

I once as a smartgunner got my hand on two snipers and 8 magazines of ammo with a VP. With those snipers I got 7 kills, with my smartgun I got 4. Sniper is great if you know how, when and where to use it. Incendiary can kill crit aliens on weeds, so using this tactic I was able to shoot and kill 3 crushers, 2 hunters and 1 runner with just one bullet of incen each. Ravager a don't have great protection, so when you see one shoot it with a flak round. Crushers are strong from the front, so try to angle you shot to hit diagonally. And boilers, just shoot them with anything really.

I get those rounds too, mostly when squads are pushing the river north of hydro and has great light coverage, but anyone does well on a great push, if you end up in a scenario where you are defending the nexus, people tend get into your way and you cannot finish downed xenos cause marines try to push forward to secure the kill, while the xeno is being dragged to safery. Honestly night vision isn't needed for the sniper, I just want to shoot without worrying to hit other marines all the time.

[Casany]

I get those rounds too, mostly when squads are pushing the river north of hydro and has great light coverage, but anyone does well on a great push, if you end up in a scenario where you are defending the nexus, people tend get into your way and you cannot finish downed xenos cause marines try to push forward to secure the kill, while the xeno is being dragged to safery. Honestly night vision isn't needed for the sniper, I just want to shoot without worrying to hit other marines all the time.

Most, if not all of those kills were gained during the retreat and FOB defense. Hell, my two incendiary kills were gained during a running retreat from medical