[Ghos7]

Well,in response to zipknob, rate of fire does make a difference, since the usual tactic for a player under attack by a sniper is to run around so that it would be harder for the sniper to hit you. And, yse, they are not useless at close range, but that still doesn't mean they are as effective as an assault rifle. If a sniper rifle has a low rate of fire, then at close range you usually have only one shot to take before the other person retaliates.

In my opinion, the best defense a sniper can have is manueverability, and patience. In planetside, what i used to do is take on or 2 shots to kill a man, then i move, wait 5 minutes, than take another shot. I used the same tactic with my rocket launcher against mechanized convoys. I would shoot one or 2 missiles against a vehicle, move, wait, and i kill another vehicle. Of course, after a while, the convoy would start sending out search and destroy squads, which is when i would go to my reaver, which i would bring, and start launching missiles at the convoy until someone shoots me down.