Headshot Snapshot Poll

[Talek Krell]

As we gain more information about just how in depth the game physics and weather systems are intended to be, I'm becoming more open to the idea of being instagibbed by some guy in a bush a half mile away (). I'm curious whether the opinions of the community at large are also shifting.

Specifically, it's now known that in addition to gravity snipers will also have to account for wind. The weather and time of day will also be involved in terms of visibility, and possibly in terms of how they affect the bullet trajectory as well (falling rain for example). It should also be noted that the damage multiplier for a headshot can be different for each weapon, so that while a bolt driver might be able to kill someone with a single well placed shot, the mini chain-gun would receive no benefit from hitting the head.

[Bags]

Do I want? No.
Am I willing to accept? Non-OSOK.

[Huma]

I'd have to agree with bags. Though with ballistics and wind affecting rounds I don't think we have to worry about snipers to much.

[CutterJohn]

osok for sniping is fine and dandy.

[Bags]

And before someone goes:

BUT BAGS, YOU'RE FINE WITH VEHICLES BEING OSOK!

Yes, because vehicles are large, bulky and visible, and aren't reliable at longer ranges.

[legendary]

I voted yes, due to I like the thought of FPS aiming skill being rewarded. I do fear the possibility of exploitation of the mechanic.

[Sirisian]

I'm fine with two-shots or doing a little bit more damage if you shoot a player in the head. Not a fan of a long range one-hitting weapon. I'm personally not a bad aim so I'm not saying this because I suck at sniping. It's more that I don't want a sniper to just rack up ranged kills one after another. People sit and heal behind trees and they take cover. If you catch some people off guard getting a head-shot on them will just promote the idea of kill-streaks over teamwork. However, if you're forced to shoot then re-target a moving player that shows skill. It also gives the other player a fighting chance. Meaning a sniper can be used for both suppressive fire and getting kills.

I'm still a strong believer in long TTKs though so don't expect me to change my mind.

[Robert089]

I prefer no one shot one kill, because being instagibbed by anything isn't fun on the receiving end.

I'm interested in how wind will play a part, how are they going to indicate wind direction? Also with bullet drop I hope they make use of a proper scope with actual range markings on it and allow us to tell the distance to our target, if it's just aim above your target and guess then I will probably not roll a sniper character.

[exLupo]

I'm fine with sniper OHKs. Comparing PS1 sniping to BF sniping and, in the scheme of things, both are fairly pointless professions. You get kills but you don't cap points.

PS1 sniping is not about getting kills. If you hit someone, they bob and weave, juke and bunnyhop to cover and heal up. It's a suppression weapon. And with both the spotty net code and environmental hit-box occlusion, not a good one at that. Using PS1 as a model of "good sniping" has to take into account the systemic flaws that go beyond the actual sniping mechanic itself.

BF sniping, on the other hand, is not just suppression but also attrition and surgical targeting. Once a sniper is identified, the same juke dance starts and kills are limited but that first hit on a medic actually gives the recon tactical significance that the PS1 sniper does not and can not have. Why? Because you can't actually kill that key member in PS1.

I'm a-ok with sniping being OHK as long as there are substantial trade-offs. No MA/HA/AV. No medic tools. Must scope and wait before head crits are enabled. I am perfectly fine with a tank one-shotting me and I'm perfectly fine with a sniper who actually lands his long range hits doing the same. Most snipers in OHK games couldn't land that shot if you paid them $10 every time. However, even looking at the role from a pure efficacy point, it only goes so far.

Reading above and, frankly, every "snipers ruin games" thread on BF forums, all I see is "this is unfair" but not "this is unbalanced". People don't like it but the only thing having a lot of snipers on your team accomplishes is a quick loss. If the question was one of being overpowered then sniper packs would regularly top kill/point charts. This is not the case. The actual utility of OHK is capped by many factors. Do you have good terrain? How obstructed is the field? Are you doing anything for your team? Is anyone actively hunting you?

Always bring it back to the three important questions.
1) Does it fill a role?
2) How important is that role?
3) How well is that role filled?

With PS1 you have suppression. Suppression is extremely important. Look at tanks spamming tower doors. Sure they get kills but, moreover, they keep troops bottled into the basement. The Bolt Driver is only marginally successful at it's chosen role. If you can ever see a player, no matter how good they are, doing something and know your team would be better served by them doing pretty much anything else, there is a problem. Sometimes that problem is that there are too many people doing it (5 snipers in TF2? Please, please... diaf.) but, more importantly, if there aren't many and it's still ineffectual.

tl;dr: PS1 sniping is for suppression. Its role is extremely narrow and it isn't too good at it either. Why? Non-OHK. The most damning support? Think about the best snipers? They're the ones with 2 BD on their back, quick swapping and dropping faster second shots. The PS1 model, which I loved specifically due to the 2 hit nature, is pointless when facing an experienced opponent. Having played in games with properly balanced OHK sniper mechanics and the PS1 model comes across as nothing but inadequate.

---

An anecdote: I ragequite EVE at one point because I jumped 125,000,000 isk worth of cows into low-sec space and straight into a gate camp. A while later I sucked it up and came back. I've never really been the same since. Sometimes there will be situations designed specifically to kill you in a way that you cannot respond to. Tanks? Snipers? Gatecamps? Being killed instantly, when not a regular occurrence, is not a bad mechanic. It's just not for everyone.

[Bruttal]

I voted yes but it will have to be watched closely because people learn to abuse game mechanics and if you cant fix the mechanic then take it away.

[Death2All]

More damage is acceptable.

One shot kill is just retarded.


I think Higby said that there will be OSKs for certain weapons but I may be remembering wrong. So long as MCGs aren't in that criteria I would be relatively fine with it.

[EASyEightyEight]

I've changed my mind and decided with wind, bullet drop, and maybe other factors to consider, a head-shot should be a OHK. Why? Because going for the head and still requiring 2 shots when the body would equal possibly the same number of shots anyway will simply discourage the necessity of aiming for the head at all, even if the body can take 1 more shot over the head. Center mass is just simply easier to hit, and if one won't be rewarded for nailing a melon at 300m, why bother trying to? Then they have to worry about some guy with a shotgun or a VTOL showing up and ruining their day, where in PS2, they probably couldn't pack the back-up weaponry to counter either effectively.

It's just one of those things where we'll have to accept that really good snipers can OHK us, while the crap ones will miss by a mile. Otherwise, we're back to square one where they're mostly a nuisance forcing us to retreat every time we sit down for more than 2 seconds to shoot something.

[exLupo]

Originally Posted by DeeTwoEh

I think Higby said that there will be OSKs for certain weapons but I may be remembering wrong. So long as MCGs aren't in that criteria I would be relatively fine with it.

He did during an interview and noted McGs specifically when talking about weapons that get reduce or no headshot bonus.

[Logit]

Originally Posted by DeeTwoEh

More damage is acceptable.

One shot kill is just retarded.


I think Higby said that there will be OSKs for certain weapons but I may be remembering wrong. So long as MCGs aren't in that criteria I would be relatively fine with it.

This.

With 1000's of people playing the game it's ridiculous to think OSOK won't be stupid and get out of hand.

I refer you to Counterstrike. If you have the choice between a OSOK gun or something else. It's a no brainer.

People WILL exploit easy mode.

[MasterChief096]

I think that a headshot from a sniper rifle should do something like 90 health damage for rexos, 95 for agile suits, meaning only full health individuals would survive a hit to the head from a sniper. If you have a meager amount of damage to your health a headshot would be able to take you out instantly. This would still promote headshots and make enhanced targeting something that snipers would use a lot. They'd use more strategy in picking their shots as well.