Part 2 of Basic training : The target
The next class, whom few consider: The sniper.

This has had to be edited substantially for TF1.5
This is due to the new netcode, so here's a breif description of how it works.

The server is the final arbiter of what goes on. It knows where people are, when they were there, and whether they are dead or not.

You receive packets from the server, which tell you where someone was. It takes 'your lag' for that information to make its way onto your screen.
Then you fire.
INSTANTLY on your screen you get the appropriate blood effect. This is a GUESS. It can be WRONG. cl_lw 0 will turn this off, but then all blood will be delayed till the next stage:

The server gets the message telling it you fired. It sends a message back telling you they died (or didn't)

Now - the lag compensation.
The server takes YOUR LAG into account when working out whether you hit or not.
So, if you fire at 12:58:17.02 and the message doesn't arrive at the server till 14:20:24.04 (serious lag, and in actuality the server would throw such a message away, there is a variable for ho long ago servers take notice, it defaults to 500ms - but it'll do for this example)
Then the server looks to see where your target WAS at 12:58:17.02
NOT where they are NOW (which was why you had to aim ahead with supposedly hitscan weaponry)

*THEN* the message is sent to the target, telling them they took damage and died. The targets screen then does it's best to show what they died of - which is why you get shots curving around walls apparently.
The target ACTUALLY died befor ethey got around the wall, the shooters lag just didn't let them know about it in time.

Now - this means that, in effect, everyone is a LPB when it comes to killing people. (Most of the other weird LPB artefacts are gone too)
When it comes to dying, LPBs get notified a bit earlier (the server discounts shots people made while dead) but can still experience weird deaths.

So - you're an LPB. Good. Join the club (cable arrived last month! Whoohoo!) EVERYONE should be an LPB.
So, all LPBs are snipers, right?

On to the tutorial.

Here is the first rule you must learn. NEVER play the sniper.
EVER. You simply are *not* any good at it.
You will help your team more by being something else.
Sniping is *not* as easy as it looks. Now, once you've learned the first rule, you may learn the second:
Only when you are good enough to totally lock down an area, and you aren't needed elsewhere on your team, and only then:
*STILL* don't play a sniper. Oh, you can be a sniper on hunted. Your best strategy is for three of you
to rush the president. Forget about the sniper rifle. After that, what else to say?
Don't stay in one place, keep moving.
Never show your dot to the enemy.
Don't crow about your kills
Don't get caught up in a fight with your opposing number (no-one gains)
Don't miss anything
If you do miss something, *tell* your team, so they can cover for your balls up. When needed elsewhere, leave the battlements, and guard something else. Do things they don't expect, like going on offence (If they see a sniper in a dark corner, they often dont fire, assuming that it'll be theirs) And finally:
*do*not* play a sniper.
You need to be a godlike shot, and have a very good ping to stand a chance
You are better off as a HWG otherwise.


Oh, all right, lets be sensible. Let us assume that you ARE good enough to be a sniper. Some of you are. I reckon (post patch) about 20 people have the required skills in the UK scene. Maybe 30.

Lesson 1: 3 snipers are not sufficiently better than 1.
OK? I won't claim they are no better. If I see three dots, I know I'm in for trouble, and if one of those dots is good, and the snipers work together to cover all ym options, I'm dead.
But there are always alternate routes, and you've used a LOT of manpower, and you CAN be supressed....
A sniper in an area. Maybe 2, but only if your team really needs it. TOPS.
What are the chances 6 of the top 20 snipers end up on the sae team anyway?

Lesson 2: The autorifle.
Damn good weapon, hitscan, unlimited range, 100% accurate, rapid ROF, but does little damage.
Use it if you want to be sure of doing SOME damage and are about to die, or if you are SURE your charged shot almost killed them.
Don't use it on a fully armoured soldier, you will look exceedingly foolish.

Lesson 3: Hip shooting
Snipers CAN deathmatch. I may regret explaining this, but:
Stop moving by tapping a key in the opposite direction to your direction of travel - tap the fire button.
You may have to hold it slightly - but you don't need to hold it for long.
You can only start charging or stop charging whilst on the ground - but in between you can jump, swim or fly.
You can discharge whilst swimmin - this is a bug :( but a well enough used one I doubt it will go away - the manual needs updating though.
Do NOT forget your grens.
Let me say that again, so that you notice it some more. DO NOT FORGET TO USE YOUR GRENADES.
Guns don't kill people, GRENADES kill people.

Lesson 4: Leg shot.
If you aint gonna headshot them, leg shot them - gives them enough annoyance to make their next shot miss, and enough long term annoyance for you to finish them off. Just doing damage is good, slowing them down is probably better.
Headshots are best, they'll probably kill them - though uncharged they aint so hot. But even an uncharged legshot is a permanent hamper until they get healing...
Oh yeah, that means it doesn't apply so much to medics.

Lesson 5: Work with your team.
If a teammember is DMing something light/medium, it doens't need your help.
If a teammate is DMing a HWG, shoot it.
Do NOT accidentally shot your teammate. Learn the way your teammates dodge.

Lesson 6: Stepping
HL has an interesting movement code - unless someone is in walk mode, then they can only change directions on a step. Ignore the way they face, and watch the feet - if they are rapidly stepping one way then the other (the most common dodge) then you've got two places to aim:
Mid cycle, they MUST be there, but not for very long. Probably the hardest to time.
At the edge. They are stationary relative to our view for a moment. Go for it.

Lesson 7: Minimise their angles.
Obviously, use a choke point. If not available, stand on the same level as them to minimise their up/down options - and make back/forward less useful.
If you can get them going directly toward / away from you, they die.

Lesson 8: Cover is good, but doesn't last
You're the same as a SG - move around, be less predictable. Let them waste their ammo on where you were a few minutes ago, not where you are now.
Staying still so they can't see you is good - until they see you. Then dodge.

Lesson 8.5

Not TOTALLY related to those, but...
(probably) DON'T GUARD THE NO MANS LAND
MOST of the itme, you'll simply end up in sniping war with your opposing number. This means that you are doing almost nothing to help your team. You'd be MUCH better off guarding some choke point - the entry to the flag room, or maybe on offence (offencive sniping will be covered elsewhere in 'unusual attack methods' - suffice to say here that is damn good when done well, but damn hard to do well. Best as anti SG / HWG and for surprise value)
Guarding no mans land (the space between the bases, nml.bsp is named after it, not the other way around) is HARD because there is a lot of area to cover.
It is easier than some chokes because you get longer to target the enemy - but the number of enemies in the area usually offsets this.

As a basic rule - do NOT cover the space between areas if you can find somewhere more useful to be. If you MUST cover the area between the bases, do it from a less expected position, the built in 'sniper nests' on most maps are just put there to fool newbies into walking into a deathtrap.

Lesson 9: Zoom mode
Worse than useless, zooming in makes you vulnerable.
Zoom in only if you really need to, and only when about to take the shot. Use manual zoom instead of the special key. (Manual zoom is 'fov xxx' where xxx is the number of dedgrees you want to show. Small is more zoom, 90 is default. DON'T bind this to your fire key, but it IS more versatile than the default zoom)

Lesson 10: Snap shot
Aiming then firing is only of use to snipers and (lesser) spies.
Swing your mouse across the target, and release at the correct mooment - I find it easier to hit if I'm not conciously aiming, you may too. also more use to other classes, or when you're in a close up firefight.

Lesson 11: Trust me. Don't be a sniper. Really.
There are about 20 or 30 people I would consider excluding from this edict. Maybe 5 or so I can name. They are good enough. You are not.

Lesson 12: Don't be a sniper.
Really. It's worth saying twice. Or about 40 times like I do here.
When I say "don't be a sniper" BTW, I don't mean "don't play TFC" that would be a heresy!
No, I simply mean that unless you are the best of the best of the best, you would probably be more use to your team as another class. Soldiers, HWG and medics probably require less skill to be effective, and can still play roughly the same role.