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I prefer sniping to close quarters combat and a friend of mine suggested that I might like Bad Company 2. I have been playing MW2 for a few months now and snipers seem to be at a disadvantage. Does anyone have experience with both? What are the differences from a sniping perspective?

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Not really a full answer here, so just leaving a comment - but being a sniper is definitely not a disadvantage in MW2 once you become well-practised at it. After a while, you should be able to snipe enemies within a second of seeing them appear on screen (usually before they have time to even raise their iron sights and aim at you). It helps to use something like akimbo machine pistols for your secondary too, as well as Sleight of Hand / Cold Blooded / Whatever – C.McAtackney Jul 9 '10 at 0:26
@c.mcatackney Yeah, I've been getting better but am only averaging 6-8 kills per round in team deathmatch. Gotta just get quicker I guess! – squillman Jul 9 '10 at 0:50

1 Answer

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Both games implement some combination of or have variations for each of the following features:

  • Scope sway
  • Gravity induced bullet drop
  • Bullet travel time
  • Body posture
  • Clothing (Ghillies)
  • Tools

Battlefield:BC2

Scope sway

None. BC2 does not implement a "breathing" aspect for sniping. Thus your crosshairs are stationary unless you move them.

Gravity induced bullet drop

Yes. As range to target increases the actual point-of-impact of your round with relation to the center-point of your crosshair increases.

With very long range laterally moving targets you have to put their torso in the lower-left/right quadrant of the scope and fire to get a hit.

I feel that it makes stationary target sniping ridiculously easy compared to MW2, but makes it harder to hit moving targets.

Bullet travel time

Yes. You must lead targets that are in motion.

Body posture

You cannot go fully prone in BC2. You can only kneel.

Clothing

Snipers wear ghillie suits. Their utility can be limited since they cannot go fully prone. It is still useful in large bushes and trees though.

Tools

There are no thermal scopes, heartbeat sensors, AC-130's or other anti-sniper elements in this game.

Call of Duty:MW2

Scope Sway

Yes. MW2 implements a "breathing" aspect for sniping. Thus, when completely stationary your crosshair will bob semi-randomly. You can also "hold your breath" for a short amount of time which reduces the movement, though not completely.

Gravity induced bullet drop

None. Whatever is under the center-point of your crosshair when you pull the trigger is what gets hit.

Bullet travel time

Yes. You must lead targets that are in motion.

Body posture

You can go fully prone in MW2. This decreases scope sway and makes you harder to see.

Clothing

Snipers can wear ghillie suits. The suit must be unlocked. Different camouflage colorings can also be unlocked.

Tools

As a sniper you can unlock a thermal scope which makes sniping super easy-mode. However, you are also terribly vulnerable to things like AC-130's, Harriers, etc. unless you are using cold-blooded.

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I think you actually got to the heart of the question better than I did. Edited it to remove the subjectiveness. This is the type of answer I'm looking for. – squillman Jul 7 '10 at 23:59
Both games emulate bullet speed so it is not a matter of simply putting crosshair on a target in MW2, you still need to lead it (unless it is stationary). I prefer BC2 as well but I wish there were best from both words + proper range meter so you can actually calculate bullet trajectory and use correct scope marks. – serg Jul 8 '10 at 6:08
@serg555: I didn't mean to imply that simply putting the crosshair on the target would hit it. I meant to convey that the bullet will travel directly to the point under the crosshair. So, yes if a target is no longer under that point when the bullet gets there, it will miss. I updated my answer. – hobodave Jul 8 '10 at 21:19
+1. I think you covered it almost perfectly. – Morinar Jul 8 '10 at 22:01
Map size is also an issue. The maps in MW2 are generally much smaller than the BFBC2 maps. – Robert Simmons Aug 30 '10 at 5:08
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