- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Personally, I can't say anything about snipers. I use cover and concealment pretty good, so most of my deaths are not produced by 14.5-mm APFSDS rounds traveling at terminal velocity into my cranium. I also kind of suck with a sniper rifle: not enough that I don't get kills with it, but enough that I'm not my team's sniper.
However, my team (just a neighborhood group that plays with other people around the city) does have an excellent sniper, and he has proven, time and time again, that a good sniper is invaluable in any kind of match, CtF of Slayer (team). Covering fire (accurate sniper fire and semi-accurate fire from heavy guns [ LAAG guns, rocket launchers]) I devastating to the enemy, both troops on te outside of a base, where they are mowed down like so many sheep, and inside, when the enemy is afraid of coming out for fear of being obliterated.
In Team Slayer, the advantage is obvious, more kills. But both in defense and offense (CtF) good snipers are priceless. Same goes for heavy weapon's specialists. I can't say they suck, for I’ve seen the effects of that kind of fire. I can't say that they are the ultimate, for my sniper would be ill suited to go into a base, capture the flag, then escape. A well rounded Halo player would be multi-tasked, and would probably be well trained for such a scenario, but my team is based on teamwork, and trying to keep our heads out of each other's asses.
As having been on both the losing and winning side of CtF games, I can tell you that a team of all snipers would not win (ammunition and weapon availability notwithstanding). Except by act of God, of course. Poor bastards that think like that will die. In a real game, there would not be enough ammo and weapons to equip a team like that anyway, and I’ve never had a base assaulter come into my base with and S2 AM Sniper Rifle and beat me with my trusty M90 Close Assault Shotgun. Never.
In conclusion... snipers aren't the best, but a good team with no snipers would have a helluva time against a mediocre team with half-way decent snipers.