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Half-Life: Counter-Strike Version 1.6
Sniper's Handbook
Version 1.3 by Nightdagger "Dagger}SG{" (nightdagger*hotmail.com)
Composed 5/12/03
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Revisions: 1.0- Initial release, 5/12/03
1.1- Added a couple of sections, discussion on AWP, 7/3/03
1.11- Minor update, circa 10/20/03
1.2- Updated for version 1.6 through Steam, 1/3/04
1.3- Updated with corrections and new information for latest
patch, 4/30/04

Table of Contents
1. Legal Notice.
2. Introduction: What is a Sniper?
3. Tools of the Trade.
4. The Art of Camping.
5. Tactics.
6. Being an Effective Team Member.
7. Alternate sniper styles
8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
9. Contact Information
10. Big Flaming Idiots (the cream of the Internet crap)
11. Credits


Well, my first FAQ, and what better game to submit it for than
Counter-Strike, one of the best FPS (first person shooter) games of
all time. Many people use the Sniper weapons in this game, but very
few people understand what it truely is to be one of the elite...a
Sniper. You cannot simply expect to pick up a sniper's weapon and
be hailed as one of the greats. Such respect must be earned, and
it is my hope that this guide will give you the tools you need to
earn that respect.

Note that some of this information is drawn from real life tactics,
and not simply from CS gameplay. This is to be expected, as
Counter-Strike makes efforts to simulate real life warfare and
tactics. Learn these tactics, and your gameplay will improve.

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1. Legal Notice.
This document is copyrighted by Ken Martyn, aka Nightdagger, and may
not be used, in whole or in part, without prior consent. Permission
is given for this document to be displayed on www.gamefaqs.com,
http//dlh.net, http://www.neoseeker.com, and GameNotOver.com, and is
not to be used elsewhere without written permission. No portion of
this document may be used elsewhere with intent to gain profit from
it's use. Such use will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law.
=====

2. Introduction: What is a Sniper?
Any idiot can pick up a sniper rifle and use it, but this does not
make them a Sniper. Snipers are killing machines, men who can take
someone down from any distance without being detected. This is
key: Snipers are ghosts, invisible killers. If you are attacking
from a point where you will be detected after your shot, you are not
a sniper, you are someone using a sniper's weapon. A true sniper
lives for the kill, the thrill of taking aim, putting your
crosshairs on someone's head, and knowing that in an instant, they
will cease to be anything but a memory, and you will live to kill
again.

This cannot be stressed enough...if you pick up a sniper rifle and
then use it as an assault weapon, you cannot call yourself a Sniper.
A true sniper is unseen when he aims, unseen when he fires, and most
probably unseen after the kill.

This however poses the question: If a dead man sees a sniper, is
the sniper revealed? This is much like the proverbial tree in the
woods, but this one has a definite answer, and it is no. If you
kill the enemy who spotted you, you are still hidden. Thus, hiding
can take many forms, even to the point of standing in what would
otherwise be plain sight. As long as you kill anyone who spots you,
your cover will never be blown.

Most importantly, the Sniper lives by the creed, "One shot, one
kill". If you intend to become a Sniper, better brush up on those
headshots, especially if you're using the Scout. And it's highly
likely you will be.

3. Tools of the Trade.
A Counter-Strike sniper has a veritable arsenal of weaponry available
for his use, outreaching the usual selection of sniper rifles that
everyone attributes to their use. Any weapon capable of killing
someone at range will make a passable sniper's weapon, but there are
some that outshine the others. These are the weapons I shall discuss
here.

3a. The Scout
Probably the best sniper weapon available. I know that there's
dozens of people screaming "AWP!" right about now, but I do not
consider the AWP the most viable sniper's weapon. I'll explain that in
a bit. For right now, let's concentrate on the Scout. It's quiet,
it has a scope, and it is capable of a one-shot kill. It's light and
maneuverable, forgiving on movement while aiming, and holds plenty of
bullets to kill the entire team several times over. It is an
excellent choice in weapon. It's not the sort of weapon you'll want to be
holding if you get ambushed, although it can be put to use as a sort of
slow-firing shotgun (although you will have to practice to know where
to aim, as you don't have crosshairs. Still, if you look at it, that's what
sidearms are for. Don't be afraid of the Scout. Use it, learn
it, become efficient with it, and you'll strike terror into the
entire enemy team when their members begin falling one by one, and
they note the name of the sniper who killed them.

On top of this, in 1.6, the hitboxes have been changed, and the head
hitbox has been expanded. This directly translates to more headshots.
This only works to the advantage of the Scout, making it all the more
lethal in a good sniper's hands. In 1.6, more than ever perhaps, the
Scout has taken a step forward to being a true rival to it's bigger,
green tinted brother.

The one downside to the Scout (other than the fact that you can't go
elephant hunting with it, like the AWP) is that it's accuracy is not
perfect. Take a Scout and fire it at a wall while standing, and zoomed
in. Your bullets will not all hit the same spot. It's usually accurate
enough to score a reliable headshot if you know how to aim with it, but
it is not perfectly accurate. It will take training to get the accuracy
to score consistant headshots with this weapon. Crouching solves this
problem, making the Scout perfectly accurate, but it's not always feasable
to crouch. Crouch if you can, if not, hope you've spent some time at the
firing range!

3b. The Arctic Warfare Magnum/Police (AWP)
I'll say it right out...this is usually a lousy choice in a sniper rifle.
Why? Because it makes more noise than an elephant charging down main
street in NYC during rush hour. You will almost certainly kill
whatever it is you were aiming for, whether it be man, cow, or
dinosaur, but you will also almost certainly be spotted by players
who hear the shot...and everyone will hear the shot. Add that it's
heavy, hard to maneuver with, very picky about movement during the
shot, expensive, and near useless in close combat, and the cons far
outweigh the killing power. In general, pass up the AWP, unless the
situation calls for the oomph the gun provides.

It is, however, unlike the Scout, in that so long as you're not moving,
it is completely accurate. Take an AWP, aim at a wall, scoped in, and
your bullets will consistantly hit the same spot every shot. If you
can't consistantly score headshots with a Scout (because of the variance
in the firing pattern while standing), then use the AWP to correct that.

In the latest patch as of this writing, Valve has implemented a very
significant change to the AWP, in that it takes time to scope in. Reports
have this time at as high as 2 seconds (?!?), meaning that, unless you
arrive at your sniping spot with plenty of time to spare, and are prepared
to wait a painful amount of time between shots in a crisis, you'd better
come with some backup. The re-scope time after a pistol/rifle quickswitch
has been lengthened as well, seemingly with all sniper rifles. However,
as of this writing, it would appear that this change is buggy. NOT ALL
USERS ARE AFFECTED! So, do not count on this information if you
find yourself in a counter-sniping situation against an AWPer. He might
not have the delay you're expecting him to have.

3c. The M4A1 Colt Carbine
What? An assault rifle listed as a choice for a Sniper? Yes sir!
The reason is the suppressor. With a suppressor equipped, the Colt
is a deadly weapon at long ranges when used by a sniper. You won't
be living the "One shot, one kill" creed, most likely, but you will
kill people and go undiscovered. In addition, you have the fallback
of close-combat firepower should you be ambushed. The Colt is an
all-around excellent weapon, and really shines in the hands of a
sniper. Still, the crosshairs and excellent extreme range accuracy
of the Scout makes it a better choice overall. Use the Colt if you
intend to be a part-time sniper, or if you fear that you could be
ambushed. Other than that, use the Scout or the AWP.

As of the latest update, the Colt's usefulness as a sniper's weapon has
been reduced a bit, as the crosshairs are larger than they have been in
the past. This means reduced accuracy at longer ranges. Still, it will
suffice in a pinch, so if you're planning on sniping part-time and want
a hefty, solid weapon with which to fight in an assault or fend off an
ambush, take a look at the Colt.

3d. Autosnipers
In 1.5, I used to say that nobody should ever use these, because
quite frankly, they sucked. 1.6 changed this, big time. These puppies
ROCK now, maybe a little too much. They're still noisy as hell, but
they do a good amount of damage and the accuracy has been boosted a lot.
These things are the new sniper rifle that everyone's complaining about,
and you'll commonly hear more people complaining about these than with
the AWP. If you've ever heard a rant on AWPs, you know that's bad.
But these things still don't quite cut it for use as a true sniper's
weapon. They're great if you can score a headshot with your first bullet,
but if you don't, everyone in the county will know there's an autosniper
being used, and quite frankly, a sniper doesn't need that kind of
attention, because you'll quickly become public enemy #1. Stick to the
Scout or the AWP, they'll serve you better.

3e. Sig/Aug
These are dual-purpose weapons. They have two firing modes, normal
and zoomed. There is a hefty advantage to the zoom modes of these
weapons, however, as they don't block out your peripheral vision as
much as a sniper rifle does while scoped in. They are also both highly
effective weapons for close combat. Overall, at longer ranges, you'll
still find the Scout or AWP more effective, but these weapons do deserve
a look, especially if you find yourself being drawn into assault
situations. Both very good weapons for a Sniper.

Thanks to tim sainsbury for pointing out that I'd neglected these weapons
in the first version of this guide.

3f. The USP pistol
A pistol as a sniper's weapon? He has to be crazy, you say! I say
no, and it's for a few simple reasons. It's cheap, it's easily
available, it holds a lot of bullets, it's silenced, and it's
extremely accurate at even long range if crouching, considering you
take the time to aim. As a sniper, you should ALWAYS be aiming
before a shot, so that's a given. It will take more than one bullet
to kill your target, but in a pinch, this weapon will suffice. If
you don't have enough money for a decent sniper weapon, buy a SMG
and use the USP for sniping. Just remember the suppressor, and be
aware that you must kill your target quickly, or he'll pick up on
your location through the damage indicators. Do not take the shots
unless you're confident you will kill him before he can point out
your location to his teammates. Also, be aware that you should only
be using the USP as a sniper's weapon in two situations: if you're
planning on sniping VERY part-time and don't want to commit your
primary weapon to a more suitable weapon, or if you're flat broke and
can't afford one, yet for some reason still feel obliged to snipe.

3g. Sidearms for the well equipped Sniper
Chances are, you're using a Scout or AWP for your primary sniper's
weapon. You will need a good sidearm, just in case you happen to get
ambushed. My recommendations here are the USP, the Desert Eagle, and
the P228. All solid guns, the USP can double as a sniper weapon in a
pinch, the Desert Eagle packs killing power (even if it is noisy),
and the P228 is a very underrated pistol, almost as good as a Desert
Eagle for power versus firing speed and accuracy. Any of these
pistols will serve you well in a pinch. I would not recommend the Glock,
the FiveseveN, or the Dual Elites. The Glock, while it can be deadly in
the right hands, commonly requires too many shots to kill, which can
take time you don't have. The FiveseveN isn't that bad, and packs one
of the largest single clips available for a pistol, but the power of the
pistol doesn't make up for the firing rate, not to mention that against
kevlar, it really starts to suck. The Elites, while improved recently,
still suffer from that inaccuracy problem, in that one shot will veer
slightly left, the other slightly right, meaning it's anyone's guess where
the bullets are going.

3h. AWP versus Scout; The pros and cons
Ok, so most snipers will be using one of two rifles, the Scout or the
AWP. Each has it's strong and weak points (albeit, in my mind, the
Scout is much better rounded than the AWP) and the key to victory is
to know when to use which rifle.

On maps with large, open expanses, or where absolute stealth is the
most important factor there is, go for the Scout. You'll have time