[Phobeus]

^^ Well, how is that any different from any other part of paintball?
want to shoot well, buy a new barrel, or better yet a kit. costs up to 200 bucks
want a mask that doesn't fog? buy a fan or better yet a google system that vents better. costs up to 100 bucks
want to shoot faster, buy a better board. costs up to 100 bucks
want to shoot consistantly, get hpa. costs up about 100 bucks
want to look agg buy a sandana or some sick looking gloves or even a nice pod pack.

if your arguement against them is that it is only a way sell products, then the paintball sniper is as imaginary as the typical speedball player or any other paintball player for that matter.

[jtpaintball70]

Phobeus, on Apr 26 2010, 02:59 PM, said:

^^ Well, how is that any different from any other part of paintball?
want to shoot well, buy a new barrel, or better yet a kit. costs up to 200 bucks
want a mask that doesn't fog? buy a fan or better yet a google system that vents better. costs up to 100 bucks
want to shoot faster, buy a better board. costs up to 100 bucks
want to shoot consistantly, get hpa. costs up about 100 bucks
want to look agg buy a sandana or some sick looking gloves or even a nice pod pack.

if your arguement against them is that it is only a way sell products, then the paintball sniper is as imaginary as the typical speedball player or any other paintball player for that matter.

Barrel kit you get a performance bonus out of. Not gonna say anything about HPA cause I've not really used it, nor do I plan to. Mask is something that everyone upgrades. I have an Grille that I love. Faster, can't speak to that since I shoot s-l-o-w, and am always looking for very slow guns to use.

As for agg, that for little nooblets who think they look cool.

I meant things like stocks, or telescopic sights, ghillie, shrouds. That kind of thing. Stuff that entices players to just sit in one place.


EDIT: I think part of the reason I hate the term sniper is because I play pump people invariably lump me into the sniper category and then get surprised when I'm one of the first players to the objective.

This post has been edited by jtpaintball70: 26 April 2010 - 02:14 PM

[TheGhillieMan]

jtpaintball70, on Apr 26 2010, 01:42 PM, said:

I'm one of those that says there's no such thing as Snipers. They're a way to sell people tons of useless, heavy crap

Yes and no. That all depends on how gullible you are. There is certainly a market in "sniping" and companies take advantage of a new player's lack of knowledge. You are right in that there is a lot of useless crap out there, and if the companies can feed it to you, of course they are going to. Welcome to capitalism.

For example, when I started getting into sniping, I really, really wanted the Special Ops Longbow. I bought into all the antispeedball hype, the A-5 variations, whatever. I was completely into it. I was also broke, so I didn't buy any of it. Thank God. When I look back on it, it's kind of embarrasing. You need to actually think about the stuff you read.

I played with a ghillie suit that was given to me as a gift for a while, and last year I made one for myself. I've just finished making another one. I've been playing with a basic A-5 with a JJ Ceramics barrel on it. I can snipe just fine with that.

That said...sniping is more than putting on a ghillie, lying down in the open with whatever it is that you are using for a marker, and doing nothing. Lots of newer players that know nothing might pull a stunt like that. Common sense will tell you that that is not sniping in any way, shape, or form. That's a newbie in a ghillie suit lying on the ground.

The problem could be the term itself I suppose. We don't have a range advantage over anyone else, and when you hear the word sniper, you think of that guy that picks people off from a long ways away. The First Strike round changes the game a little, maybe. The videos seem impressive. I'm picking up a T9.1 this summer, and I'll see for myself.

It's the stealth, the psychological effect of being very difficult (if not impossible to detect, if you're any good anyway), the ability to pick a few people off before they have a clue. Those are neat sort of effects that I work toward when I go out and play with the locals. I know that I can make myself invisible if I want to. That's a big advantage. I use that to ambush or flank as the situation demands. Anyhow, those are my two cents. Call it what you want. I use the term "sniper". It's easier than saying "designated marksman" or "the sneaky guy" or whatever else you want to call it.

This post has been edited by TheGhillieMan: 26 April 2010 - 02:14 PM

[Pauvis]

Ok, here I go. Call people what you want. Personaly, I call us snipers. A sniper is a long range recon/demo (as in personell demolition or marker for other demo) unit that uses concealment to their advantage. Do note, I do not say cover, but concealment. In the middle of a field there is no "cover", but I can hide. In the wood i see guys in cover who aren't concealed. In paintball, I will admit, there is no " long range." A skilled player can catch good shots at longer ranges than others. And at any long range you can do recon, weither it be 50 yards or 500. So how bout this, if we want to be called snipers, just let us be, and if you dont want to beleive in us, try to figgure out where I am when I get ya.

[Thalion]

I think my problems with "paintball snipers" has less to do with the debate of the usefulness of techniques and more to do with sheer volume of idiots who try to claim this role.

Want to sell a poorly made product? Label it "sniper <product>" or "tactical <product>." It'll sell by name alone. While I get that's capitalism, and I say "good for the company," it does demonstrate that there is perhaps some correlation between those who want to be a sniper and their potential experience in paintball.

The vast majority of paintball "snipers" are players who simply lack the skills to get into a paintball gunfight, and would rather pick a spot and hang out, hoping someone comes their way.

Yeah, I get the purists who love this stuff will argue "that's not sniping!" I don't care. I judge a "group" by what they practice, and I've yet to meet a "paintball sniper" that wasn't more or less either a new player camping or a low crawling gear nut with every possible cosmetic bolt-on to his internally stock Tippmann and a ghillie.

Now, I've met some real sneaky people out on the field. They wear jerseys. They don't wear ghillie. Some use semis, some use pumps.

And they get around the field for their shots just fine. But they don't consider themselves "snipers" and they do jump into gunfights as needed, rather than insisting they have to sneak in and one-ball from longball range.

[cdrinkh20]

Thalion, on 15 November 2010 - 08:42 AM, said:

I think my problems with "paintball snipers" has less to do with the debate of the usefulness of techniques and more to do with sheer volume of idiots who try to claim this role.

Want to sell a poorly made product? Label it "sniper <product>" or "tactical <product>." It'll sell by name alone. While I get that's capitalism, and I say "good for the company," it does demonstrate that there is perhaps some correlation between those who want to be a sniper and their potential experience in paintball.

The vast majority of paintball "snipers" are players who simply lack the skills to get into a paintball gunfight, and would rather pick a spot and hang out, hoping someone comes their way.

Yeah, I get the purists who love this stuff will argue "that's not sniping!" I don't care. I judge a "group" by what they practice, and I've yet to meet a "paintball sniper" that wasn't more or less either a new player camping or a low crawling gear nut with every possible cosmetic bolt-on to his internally stock Tippmann and a ghillie.

Now, I've met some real sneaky people out on the field. They wear jerseys. They don't wear ghillie. Some use semis, some use pumps.

And they get around the field for their shots just fine. But they don't consider themselves "snipers" and they do jump into gunfights as needed, rather than insisting they have to sneak in and one-ball from longball range.

This. I started playing pump this summer and I've learned so much about picking my shots, sneaking, and taking advantage of opportunities without hesitation to move up or flank.

[kaosukoden]

I know this is simi-old, but I want to put in my two cents. I would consider myself a paintball sniper. But if you read many of my other posts, i prefer to refer to it as an "ambush/sniper" why? because the term sniper seems to materialize as an expert marksman who takes out his target from miles away. THANKS HOLLYWOOD! I'm not going to go into what a sniper "is" as much as what an ambush/sniper is when refering to paintball. This is all my personal opinion, so argue if you like...

A paintball ambush/sniper has to be a person who is patient, calm, cool, collected, and can handle a few paintballs flying over his head without throwing paint back into an improbable situation. You don't take long shots, but you take few shots, you conserve your ammo. And most importantly, you ambush. I saw someone refer to the position as "paintball ninja" and I would have to agree. An ambush/sniper learns to use proper concealment, he knows his/her surroundings and how to utilize them to dissapear into them. While a ghilli is the best way to achieve this, I've seen it done with little more than a gray hoodie and jeans.

Ghilli, while this topic is up, I want to add that a sniper, while relies heavily on his skill, does require some key equipment. A serious ambush/sniper will have a Ghilli. Not just any Ghilli, but one that has been specifically designed for the situation that they are playing. A Ghilli, under some instances, will make you look like you're wearing an orange vest. So a proper Ghilli is essential. Also, a sniper takes pride in thier marker. Some will tell you that you should get a pump, you have to have compressed air, and don't bother to play without a stock. Other's will tell you to go out and get you a Tiberius T4 or a longbow, you will need a crazy zoomed scope, and if you get a stock, be sure it folds... But bottom line is this:

Quote

This is my rifle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy, who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my rifle and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of our enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.

YOU build your gun, YOU take what you like and dislike, and YOU make it YOUR gun. I play with my gun, and it makes my game mine. But when I'm in the staging area, and I'm pulling out my sniper rifle, EVEN THOUGH IT WILL SHOOT NO FURTHER THAN ANYONE ELSE'S THERE, it is an intimidating gun. It makes people worry, and it's all part of the game. I also practice with my gun. I know that at x feet i have to fire y inces higher with z amount of balls to most likely hit my target. This being stated, I do not rely on the "accuracy by volume" idea. This makes me a sharper marksman than the heavy gunner who has a case of paint on them in several pods strapped to thier personage at all times. This makes me closer to the military marksman (aka sniper) than the heavy gunner.

There are many ways to play as an ambush/sniper, but I stress to you this. It's YOUR game, play it how you want to. If you want to go out there and fire off tons of paint, you're not a sniper. If you seem to be a more natural leader and people listen to you, and you don't tend to get into a position to take out the opfor from an unknown location, you're most likely not a sniper. But if you feel that what you do can be described by no other position than a sniper, you my friend, should consider yourself a practicing ambush/sniper in paintball. And most importantly out of all of this. Call me what you will, but when you are taken out and have no idea from where and there was only two or three shots which couldn't give away the position, you've been taken out by a sniper.

[JaguarShark]

Paintball sniper...



Sensei Jim is a prime example of why the term, "Paintball sniper" will never have any chance of getting any credibility.

As others have stated here already, the problem is less with the tactics and more with the bull mysticism and pretentiousness that goes along with a lot of the people who go out and buy a ghillie suit and call themselves a sniper.

There's nothing wrong with the idea of staying concealed and picking off a target or two and thinking and saying that you're good at doing so. However, when the distances in paintball are so short, it seems limiting to me to solely play the role of a "sniper".

Thats just me.

[Supergyro]

Sensei Jim will strike you down for blasphemy!

[kaosukoden]

So what you're saying is a real sniper is only as good as his weapon and it's increase of distance? If that's the case, the only true paintball sniper out there owns a T9.1 or a T4 and uses only First strike rounds. This means that a true paintball sniper does indeed exist. he/she chooses the art of concealment over the art of speed or sheer firepower, he/she has invested in the longer reach, and he/she has practiced the art of one shot, one kill. A paintball sniper exists, but is surrounded by a cloud of ignorance, almost creating a more powerful position if played properly.