The way of the SR-8
Every day I play with very good SR-8 players. However most of them play it as though it were an automatic. They jump and run around like crazy solely relying on aim (and too much on luck sometimes). Here are some tips to play the SR-8 the zen way and to getting more kills also.
Positioning
While carrying an automatic you usually run around searching for enemies. While carrying the SR-8 you should instead wait for enemies and ambush them, at least in the round opening.
Knowledge of the map is essential. Circle jump to the closest sniping spot (or the one that you should cover) and wait there for enemies.
While zooming
Stand still and don’t move. I see players moving like they had their butt on fire. I usually prefer to not crouch, but it depends on the situation. If you run while zooming, the penalty movement will lend the shot to rely too much on luck which isn’t good. You can walk while zooming which has a very low penalty movement, but you should do that only if enemies are somewhere nearby and you can’t stop to aim. Aim right next to the corner where you think that enemies will show up. This will help you against sniper that might pop up. If somebody jumps in the way, just quickly move your crosshair and shoot out of instinct. This is very important and with time you will gain enough muscle memory to get 90% of the shots.
Shooting through cracks
A good sniper is the one that can shoot without exposing himself too much. To expose yourself less you have to shoot trough cracks and if there are no cracks just stand right next to a corner. Never stand in open wide areas. As you progress and gain reflexes you can narrow the cracks and become almost invisible.
After shooting
Either if you hit or miss, you are now standing in a dangerous spot and you should leave to another sniping spot. If you miss, run away and aim right where you were standing because probably your opponent will look for you there. If your enemy is smart though he will move to flank so keep an eye on your six.
Quickzoom
Quickzoom shots are crucial. From long distances to point blank you must kniw how to zoom and shoot in a blink of an eye. This is very important if you don’t carry a secondary weapon (like I do).
Be like a fluid
The key is moving smoothly like a fluid. Circle jump then walk for a bit. Never run if not needed. Our previous article will help you a lot about moving.
Watch this video
If you haven’t watched it yet I suggest you to watch this video by Tarquin.
I hope you will understand what I mean by “Zen” way. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you play the SR-8 like an auto? If yes, why?
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Nice article…
I play sr8 like an auto just because I play for fun. It is more fun to me to rush with an sr8 even if that means half my team survivor rounds ends up after 5 sec of rush. But when I got a lucky shot or a nice instinct aiming day this is lot of fun.
Note that this doesn’t mean i’m dancing around the fontain on Case. I rush from snipe spots to one other but sitting there just the time to breath a bit.
I hope that readers of your article will not confuse “wait there for enemies” with “camp there in case an enemie shows up”
Camping does not exist.
It does….if you are using an Negev. SR8ers wait. Noobs camp.
Camping isn’t against the rules.
So true! Camping during team survivor is just another tactic…
most people forget that and whine about it
if you get shot by a so called camper during TS it’s your own fault for not looking that way :p
and on a public server camping can help to kill the back rush!
Ah well you have dirty campers, dirty rushers…. So the best thing to do is walk all the time!
If you miss, and you are fairly sure you are facing only one opponent, it’s time to start hunting. If you are sniping, you are probably not wearing a kevlar, which gives you a huge stamina advantage. Silently circle jump and power slide your way to the other end of the map and try to retrace the other player’s steps. You should eventually spot them moving carefully, trying to figure out where you went, a perfect shot for an SR8.
I always wear kevlar when sniping.
You always wear kevlar -_-
What to do after you miss is very situation dependent I think. Many times it’s best to stay right where you are. If you’re holding a key position, or covering your team, or you have a protected flank and know there are more than one enemy at the target location, you might want to stay put. The chances of being spotted while firing an SR8 are much greater than with a silenced psg1 obviously, so it should be taken into account… but immediately running can sometimes open you to more fire.
I think a good SR8 user is also a good pistol user. Learning to use the pistol as your secondary without taking an smg or spas allows you to carry more gear such as nades and armor. Since you’re hopefully only using the subweapon when you are making your way to a position or more likely when leaving one / surprised in one… you’ll be relying on your long distance range and stopping power of your sniper rifle.
All in all, decent article.
There are many times, as Durandal mentioned, that it is better to stay rather than move. I’m thinking of the times when the opponent is all the way across the map and has little to know idea of where you are. Though, after about three rounds of getting killed by you in the same spot, they’ll *probably* wise up, and figure out where you are.
Your gear can make a big difference between sniping gameplay. My gear: SR-8, UMP, DE, Nades, and Medkit. The medkit stays on me 99.99% of my games. Nades, smoke or frags depending on map. DE, because I’ve developed a fairly decent aim with it. Typically close range only. UMP because while being a decent mid-range weapon, it is devastating in close firefights. (I have nothing against the MP5 though) Typically on a map, I get 90% of my shots with the SR-8. However, I do run out of ammo fairly quickly with all of those kills (especially on a map like Riyadh), so the UMP is a good backup. Oh, and for those close encounters, I like to whip out the knife if my opponent’s health is low.
Of course, keep in mind that I play predominantly on the -LG- servers, which have a gravity setting of 180. This means that on many maps, there are a lot of targets hanging in the air.
-PM
You should try playing on 800 gravity servers with sr8; it’s much harder.
I play regular grav servers a lot and find it easier to kill then on low gravity. The movement penalty is almost always longer because of the lower gravity making getting a clean shot harder. Also this means while scoped its a lot easier for someone sneak up on you from above
My setup is always SR8, DE, Kevlar, Helmet and Medkit. I’m a medic so I like the Medkit, and I have good aim so I stick with the DE instead of using UMP or MP5k. I like using the Kevlar, because against an enemy with an auto I get more time to aim instead of having to retreat quickly because of low health.
Regarding quickzoom, I think from a point-blank distance, it should never occur that a sniper has to do that, because a sniper has to have decent if not good aim with a pistol.
Engine, your advice on shooting through cracks is good, but sometimes going out into the open is also a good thing, because you can catch someone running around in an open space without any thing blocking your SR8 shot.
The one thing that I agree the most about is that a sniper has to be stealthy. It is crucial that a sniper can shoot AND remain undetected.
My response to this?
I’m a medic so I like the Medkit, and I have good aim so I stick with the DE instead of using UMP or MP5k.
- You carry the Medkit but you never med people.
Shat, pressed the submit comment button by accident
Let me continue.
I like using the Kevlar, because against an enemy with an auto I get more time to aim instead of having to retreat quickly because of low health.
- Sorta a lie, when you snipe (yes, specifically you) you stay behind a wall, and come out to snipe. After sniping, you immediately go back. Contradict much?
Regarding quickzoom, I think from a point-blank distance, it should never occur that a sniper has to do that, because a sniper has to have decent if not good aim with a pistol.
- I rarely see you kill anyone with a pistol.
Engine, your advice on shooting through cracks is good, but sometimes going out into the open is also a good thing, because you can catch someone running around in an open space without any thing blocking your SR8 shot.
- Normally Autos > SR8 in open space. But SPAS > All
The one thing that I agree the most about is that a sniper has to be stealthy. It is crucial that a sniper can shoot AND remain undetected.
- Contradict much again? You just said “sometimes going out into the open is also a good thing”. How can you be stealthy, undetected and go out into the open space at the same time?
No offense (maybe
), but I cannot bear reading such lies.
@Engine: Wow, pretty nice guide up there. Kudos to you :p
Without any obstacles blocking a space, it’s easier to snipe the enemy and if you do it quick and accurately it will be fine.
And yes I do kill with pistol.
If you’re carrying an SR8 and you bump into an enemy (not just literally bump, mid range too) quickscope is FTW. People go “WTF?” because they’ve shot you once with their LR for 38% damage and you’ve one-shot-killed their chest.
Unless you know he’s charging and you can’t retreat fast enough..then your pistol is less risky. But if it’s sudden you can try for the quickscope.
DE* not LR lol.
Lols. everyone seems to be against Concealed.
and yeah, coox – Autos > SR8 but SPAS > ALL
therefore SPAS is ftw.
I repeat this:
), but I cannot bear reading such lies.
No offense (maybe
Alright, you asked for this
Regarding quickzoom, I think from a point-blank distance, it should never occur that a sniper has to do that, because a sniper has to have decent if not good aim with a pistol.
- Why not? I get more kills with quickscope than you using both sr8 and DE.
I like using the Kevlar, because against an enemy with an auto I get more time to aim instead of having to retreat quickly because of low health.
- No kevlar = you can move around more. OSHI— RIGHT, you can’t circle jump. How silly of me.
Without any obstacles blocking a space, it’s easier to snipe the enemy and if you do it quick and accurately it will be fine.
- Pretty sure they can kill you quickly too. Also, they have the advantage of jumping, because you can auto when you jump fast – but not snipe.
And yes I do kill with pistol.
- I said rarely, not never. L2read
With offense this time.
hmm, this article is a nice beginning, but three pages could not be enough to define the best way for sniping.
In my opinions a good sniper doesn’t camp: he quickly moves from a sniping point to another one so, if detected, he seems to camp.
An other important technique is the “pull-out sniping”: when you miss a shoot on the medium distance, you MUST move away from your position to the nearest safe one, and wait for your opponent at the new position.
It happens a lot of time then, that people using auto try to kill you before you finish to reload the SR8. If you move away you have more time for reloading, and probably when your opponent reach your old position, you are ready to shoot him again
That’s what the “After Shooting” part is about =.=
This gave me the little push in motivation I needed to start training my SR8. I’ve been waiting forever for a dailynade article so I could go in..prepared
My loadout is SR8, DE, Nades, Kevlar and Helmet. No secondary because most of the time I end up using it instead of the SR8..especially if it’s a UMP.
DE because I have heeded the useful advice in another article – don’t spam. I won’t say I have pretty good aim, I’ll just say I know how to aim.
Nades for multipurpose use. Ideally it’s to push rushers back to then snipe, but normally I’m not fast enough so I just keep it around for..any situation that I might need it.
Kevlar because even though I’m sniping, high caliber weapons (PSG1, DE, AK) can you take you out way too fast. And when I have to use the DE, I need the protection (since most enemies are rifles and take you out in 3 shots or less)
Helmet because lucky headshots are way too risky.
I’ve considered the medkit instead of nades, but since I’m already wearing kev the damage isn’t so bad. Plus I won’t be using it to its full capabilities since the only purpose of it is to bandage faster. As a sniper you shouldn’t be medding people.
The only problem with this loadout is it runs out of ammo in a firefight very quickly. You shoot your SR8, they charge, you pull out your DE- but you only get 7 shots and then you’re defenseless (for the most part). By the time you pull out your SR8 to try for a quickshot you’re probably dead.
I like the article I guess but it depends on what type of sniper you are. Kraken from area 51 can basically charge and snipe, his shots arent luck. lol. If you are as good as kraken and not many ppl are, you can sorta choose what u do when u are weilding the sr8. I think this is a opinionated article thats presented towards the noobier snipers. Idk, thats just my opinion
I always load up with SR8, UMP, DE, silencer, and laser sight. Most of the time I use the UMP, and I pull out the SR8 for a mid to long range kill. More often than not I run with the UMP and pull out the SR8 to make two or three kills then move. The mode of gameplay is paramount. In CTF snipers are rarely useful, but in TDM they are almost a requirement for the winning team.
I don’t entirely agree with this article. But I guess to each their own, personally I believe everyone should develop their own style of sniping.
I have a couple problems that stop me from being Good sr8 player.
1.Lack of knowledge of maps.
2.I miss alot of shots, slow reaction time, and die and get frustrated often.
3.Cant move as fast as other players, I have yet to see a guide to circle jumping that allows me to not lose control of where im going, and i cant do incredible wall jumps nor do i get lucky like Tarquin with all of those quick shots and zooms.
With automatics. Im left way to damaged after a gunfight to continue and im always getting sniped man. No one wants to help me learn i really would appriciate an email or something to help me be a better player.
As for the jumps i have two good advices for you:
1st go to jump maps and practice there until you can go at least halfway of the map (and it’s fun btw…)
2nd try the zombie server (no stamina and no wall jump limit)
As for the rest record a demo when you’re playing normally, and then write down the cause of each death. After the end of the demo, you’ll know why are you dying so much. Then you should have to figure out ways for them not to happen.
For instance, i noticed a lot of times i died i was being hit by someone else other than the person i was aiming, that is, when i died, i was being shoot by other ppl + the guy i was shooting. So to fix that i had to 1) not expose myself so much, 2)normally expose only so that only the guy i’m shooting sees me, 3) chose other ways to travel around the map where i’m not faced with so many enemies on different sides of the screen, so i can concentrade on the least locations possible.
Another thing was to avoid confrontations where i was more exposed than the enemy. So if i only see his head, but he sees my body, i’ll go some place else, or try to take him from the flanks / behind, where he doesn’t have that advantage over me (or i have advantage over him).
So watch the demo, note the reasons, fix them as possible, and with time you’ll increase a lot your KDR.
Every time I play im always target practice for the other team. I am forced to snipe because if I win a fire 1v1 I’m too badly wounded I either bleed to death or Since my health is so low bye bye stamina and any shot is a one shot kill. If that isn’t bad enough. I’m a sitting duck when I snipe. How seamlessly other players can strafe from side to side and fire a shot accurately whilst I have to take about five seconds to aim on the guy. WHY DOESNT THE MOVEMENT PENALTY APPLY TO THEM?! If that isn’t enough, why is when I check my flank then scope another area I still get Flanked. WHY WASNT HE THERE WHEN I CHECKED! If that isn’t enough to make someone quit. If I use an auto I get killed in 3 shots but when Im using a 3 round burst on a guy my spread is hitting them in the arms WTF? I’m sick of seeing the times “Hit in the torso for 44% damage.”No I do not use a kevlar because if I get shot I need SOME chance to do a pathetic Circle jump out of the way, and MAYBE JUST MAYBE i’ll get luck for a change and actually hit the shot if they decide pop out. That brings up another point. Circle jumping! How do you guys do those ridiculous Jumps in uptown C’mon its bad enough you can do crazy wall jumps to the other side o the map in seconds BUT YOU DONT HAVE TO FREAKEN EMBARRASS ME BY KNIFING ME WHEN I’M SCOPED! I don’t know man for us low skilled players, there’s nothing we could do. YEs I check dailynade.com yes I read stickies yes I search forums, yeas I burst no I don’t rush. Which brings me to another point, if I rush out I die in seconds on TS if I stay back I get rushed and die in seconds, if I miss a shot the enemy knows where I’m at and then I’m dead. The only way for me to stay alive is if I hide in a crappy spot and hope an enemy isn’t circle jumping by and fires 3 quick shots into my back……
Fun over realism is becoming FRustration+hugely disadvantaged over realism Why do i always face players like this?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsq0ywLsVkg&feature=player_embedded
How can I get as good as Tarquin? Tell me so i can please GEt my KDR from 2-20 to 25-3.
You watch and learn. Practice a lot. Some of theses players have been playing for years, if not months, and it’s a ridiculous idea to compare yourself with these kind. Experience counts for a lot when playing. Experienced players can usually predict when and where the enemy will show up. Knowing a map helps a lot.
Regarding your settings, check other posts on dailynade.com to optimize your mouse sensitivity, graphics, fps, etc. In the end, it comes down to getting the setting right for your own comfort.
“I don’t know man for us low skilled players, there’s nothing we could do.” Yes you can. Non of these so-called skilled players started off as they are. In any case, the moment you start getting embarrassed the moment you get knifed is when it’s all over.
I know how to jump now but I still get killed instatly when ever someone has an Lr. How do I kill them first without me being 10% less health if I do.
I know how you feel chukz15.
I had the same feeling when began to play 0.5 year ago.
It is really all about practice.
Look only on your Kill number. Never mind the K:D ratio at first.
After the first 1000 kills you will see yourself much better than at beginning. (even if you’ll have 15000 deaths at this moment). And don’t get into TS yet, it is too slow for newbie players like us. Go into TDM on a nice server.
Im getting a 1:1 ratio in TS but theres alot i still need to practice, so i got a sheet of paper out and wrote down some things i need to practice. i mark something im going to practice like walking when shooting and just focus on that as i play. i got at least 20% more killz just by doing that. i have pritty good aim its just my startergy that im finding hard to work on. this article helped me alot to focus on what i was doing wrong and then to corect it.