How Team Snipers Makes You Worse

Alright, I like to think of myself as a fairly decent sniper. Especially way back in the day when I played hardcore. I remember when a sniper would spawn we would actually protect it until I could get there and use it sometimes. Those were the days. Anyway, not too long ago they decide to add a team snipers playlist. At first, I was excited about it. Whenever you were lucky enough to come across the rare team snipers game in the team slayer playlist, it was always a good time. However, now that the playlist has been around awhile, I am noticing a trend among players and I think it is ruining the art of sniping. Here's why:

1. The sniper rifle is the key weapon on most maps. Controlling it (or both if there are two) typically means it's lights out. Especially if you can make most of the shots count. That isn't the case anymore. Now that people play team snipers, everyone thinks they are great with the sniper rifle. People no longer have patience and will waste all the ammo in a minute or less. It's nothing to see somebody fire all four shots of a clip off trying to hit someone that is an extremely difficult kill, and then not even hitting them once. The damn snipers playlist has ammo everywhere, so it's fine and dandy to spam bullets. Howerver, in team slayer games, the sniper rifle is a gift from god. Cherish it god damnit!

2. I already slightly mentioned this above, but now everyone thinks they are the pwnzor with the sniper rifle because they get 8-10 kills in a sniper game on people that are easy shots. 9 times out of 10, the kills you get in a sniper game are on someone standing still or barely moving looking through their scopes. That isn't skill, it's luck coming across targets like that. Skill with a sniper rifle is picking off someone running perpendicular to you on non-flat terrain shooting a friend and headshotting him to conserve ammo/time and saving your friend. Skill is stepping out and popping a guy who is coming at you with a BR and downing him before he knows what the hell just happened. If there is a good sniper in your game, give him the damn gun. Don't be one of those arrogant 10 year old kids and take the damn thing from him. A good sniper can change a game from being close to pure domination.

3. This also ties in with the issue of spamming bullets. I get very tired of watching people try to pull off no scopes in open areas and wasting even more ammo on top of all of their other missed shots. Unless it's a tight walkway or something, don't be a hero and try to no scope anyone. Switching to your SMG or BR is more effective most of the time anyway. Granted, the no scope is one of the most gratifying things in the game, but it's not easy to pull off. Especially in an area where the other guys has plenty of room to dance around. You will be a better player if you just switch to your BR, grab a melee or two (jump melee if you can do it), and pop off some rounds. You stand a much better chance that way. Now don't get me wrong, some situations are perfect for no scoping. Like ascension, if you are in either one of the towers, players are forced to run in a straight line up the ramps at you. If you can't at least shoot/beatdown the guy you need to practice. But more often than not, you can get the kill much better with weapons designed for short/mid range.

Okay, my rant is over. But seriously, haven't you guys noticed this trend as well? The sniper gets tossed around like it's a plasma rifle. Give the damn thing to your baby's daddy, and let him rock some shit.

Well, not only did the Sniper playlist screw things up, but adding BRs as a starting weapon on virtually every game, other than Team Duals, makes the Sniper rifle's value slightly less. Unless you are a fucking God with the Snipe, if you have two or even one person shooting long range BRs at you and strafing, it's damn hard to kill him with the Sniper...

Now, everyone that plays with me knows that I never pick up the Snipe. I always let Gruesome, Glory, Sue, etc. pick it up because they are better than me with it. I like sticking with the Sniper too, and protecting him from oncoming opposing players, especially since a lot of the time is spent in Zoom mode and you can't see approaching players on your radar.

It's definitely good to protect the Sniper and let the good Sniper actually pick it up. Now, if we could get more people to actually PLAY, that would be another thing. I can't wait for summer when everyone is home from college and there is no excuse not to jump on Live!

I understand your fustration Sue. That is why you make clans this day and age, to make a group of people the best that they can be, by using each of their best qualities. You all know that in a team slayer game, i would much rather hold the BR then the snipe, but due to the lack of good snipers playing, i will take the snipe and try to do well with it. If Sue or Glory is playing, i will gladly let them shoot it if they feel up to it. I will then proceed, like titus said, to protect them at all cost. Now, if one of the other guys is having a hot night, then we usually let them grab it. Halo runs in waves for most of us. Some nights we are god and others we are not. Thats why it is important to play with people you know and for people to step up and admit when they are having a bad night and give other players the opportunity to use certain weapons. For example, i would like to say that the most important stradegy on relic is getting both snipes by the downed pelican. If you get both snipes, its pretty much over (as long as the other two are at the teleporter waiting).

Now, i think team snipers playlist is helpful for the people that arent that great with the sniper. I blame alot of what happens in team slayer on that, but it has improved my skill with it. For the sniper during the game, i will waste alot of the ammo if i am getting shot and know that i am going to die. If i have a buddy with me, then ill pull out my br or smg and try and survive, but try and hurt the player that is sooting me so that the buddy can take my snipe. No scopes are for showoffs and most importantly, people that dont know that u are there. Most of the time, out of team slayer, peopel will try the no scope when threatened. In team salyer, more and more peopel will try and sticky u before the no scope.

I have used the sniper in all aspects of the game. But like sue said, give it to the better sniper becuase it is that damn important.

Side note- Sue remember that game we played (the board with the tank and train (i cant remember it right now)) and u and me both got the snipers behind the tank and rocket guy. We powned so hard that game.

That game was like fucking target practice.

Almost like the "I ain't got a team, but I got a tank" game at Terminal. Terminal seems to be a board where hardcore pwnage can occur.

I played with Petey last night for a few hours, and I sucked ass! Just thought I throw that side note in.. Hahaha...

i think you and me had 45 out of the 50 kills because we just kept sniping them before they came into view of the tank. Also, the kids on our team probably thought we were modding haha.

I'm pretty sure you were in the tank homie and this is the game because I remember making fun of the pothead beforehand and he got angry. By the way, I am Pokerkat... and now that I think of it, I am positive you were in the tank.

http://www.bungie.net/Stats/GameStat...layer=Pokerkat