Do you mge a lot? I used to mge sniper more than playing it in games so I wouldn't be used to sniping other classes as much. I'd say practice more to learn people's movements and how each classes heads are presented in the hitbox and stuff. Also, I don't like sniping very much outside of mge and 6s mainly because my frames drop to less than my refresh rate sometimes and it feels gross trying to snipe. When i get my new build it'll prob be better though.

Just keep sniping it pubs.
1)If u want to pract like quick scoping just zoom in and flick where you think the head will be and eventually develop the muscle memory
2)another way is to just be patient with your shots if theres no snipers around. Use your movement while zoomed in rather than the mouse if u want to take it slow.

After pract both eventually you will know how to use both techniques.

Play sniper in DM if it's allowed. Don't sit as far back as you can, practice midrange flick shots on scouts/soldiers. You'll get about one hit for every ten deaths at first, but it's really gratifying.

I do the Sniping Servers a bit to warm up. MGEing for me is rather boring... I can do 1 or 2 and I just want to quite TF2 for the rest of the night :(

me and jake the 2 best snipers in hl just play a lot of pubs since they're the closest thing to actual highlander play. he mostly played payload but i prefer koth and cp aswell

The reason you do well against other snipers is because they barely move if they are scoped in. Just snipe in pubs, that'll get you used to tracking different models and movements

What I did to have fun was just snipe on pubs (plr_hightower because it's super relaxed and there's people all around usually) and I found that it made my sniping way better than just by mgeing sniper or dming sniper.

DM, MGE, and snipe in pubs. Like some of the people above said, practice sniping sort of/semi up close during games is a good way to get better. You can also practice flickshots on tr_walkway by spawning whatever class and make the bots strafe,jump, shoot, etc.

Fixed this for you.

But he is correct that just pubbing as sniper will get you accustomed to the hitboxes. And that's all you really need to do to get better at sniper.

Walkway isn't the *greatest* for learning to snipe because the bots actually aren't strafing or walking forward they're being moved (join blu team and you'll see what I mean). This causes the hitbox to be a little different than it will be anywhere else since the characters are technically considered to be standing still. That's really the only problem with it though.

Yeah, you're right. There are other training maps that are better though.

Very true, the best for practicing airborne headshots/flick shots in general (that I've used) would probably be tr_airshot, unless it has the same problem as walkway (not sure never use it anymore.)

Yea how used to learn Sniping when I only had internet for weekends only and not 24/7 with both those maps. But after you do it for 30 minutes you just start learning the pattern of them moving and starts to not help at all. I done a few other training maps as well but they are all the same in style.

i legitimately learned how to snipe from cp_orange_x3... hahha

Just like learning anything else. You gotta put the time in. I personally think that pubs are really good for just grinding out aim (just dont sit a million miles away, keep yourself pressured). If you are a 6's player then go sniper when your team needs one and practice a bit there, just remember to switch off when appropriate.

Also i really like the muscle memory room in this map, http://tf2.gamebanana.com/maps/104304 When I snipe I typically aim for center mass of my enemy then flick to where their head will be (helps me with movement prediction).

There's a few things that can help you in being a better sniper. For me, it was years of practice and lots of messing around with sensitivities,configs,crosshairs,etc. Pretty much figuring out what works and feels comfortable to you. As far as in game practice goes, pubs work pretty good for aim. Try out some HL lobbies for general gamesense of how people would act in a semi-serious environment (Lobbies are like organized pubs usually though.) For more serious stuff though you should try out hl pugs on Atf2.org And try out Training maps like walkway. MGE can help you with prediction, but never think youre too great just cause you can outsnipe someone in MGE. After a while you'll get the hang of it and be a great sniper :)

pub a lot, i would recommend badwater or harvest, lobbies or pugs. the nwa sniper server also sharpened my aim a bunch

ps: soldiers heads shake so dont worry if u have trouble hitting them in the air, you will get used to it

Dunno how useful this is, but you have to shoot the neck to get a headshot on demo facing away from you. Kind of silly, but yeah.

One thing that helped me was to not be hesitant/tentative with my shots. Be confident with your aim and remember: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" ~Wayne Gretzky

best advice in the thread

- Play pubs

- Snipe in scrims to give you more exposure to/experience in those "clutch" situations where you have to make shots or lose the game (alternatively never play sniper so you don't end up in those situations in the first place (thanks YouMustMike))

- Watch vids/demos to see how other snipers aim and position themselves

- Swing for scouts, flick for soldiers/demos, aim for medics

You also make 100% of the shots you don't miss.

This. One of my favorite things about Sniper is that clicking heads is more or less the same wherever you go. Pubs are just fine for practice but only if you treat them right (aka don't only snipe snipers and spun-up heavies, don't stand around in 'sniper spots,' don't bait the fuck out of your team for easy kills on other snipers). DM is really useful for learning to deal with competent players, like finding intervals for a clean shot between spam, identifying strafing patterns, and hitting jumpers who can actually airstrafe.

My preferred point of reference is anywhere to the lower right of the head. Flicking up and to the right is much more reliable for me. If you see good snipers rescoping, it's because they're trying to find a good point of reference before taking their shot. If you start noticing yourself use one, then you're making good progress.

Also that map looks neat I'm going to try it.

To add to the whole "pub to get better at sniper" thing.

Instead of sitting way back (unless your team is stalled at a choke or something...lol)

Just play out front, but don't play stupid. One other thing you can try practice during pubs is attempting to keep track of people you lost sight of (DR spies for one...). I say try because...well. Pubs. :x

I found that long ago, those few moments during which I was good at sniping, was in large part due to my obsession with insta-gib in QL. My first fps was ut2k3 and all I did was insta-gib. When QL came out, all I did was insta-gib, it isn't the same thing at all as sniping heads in TF2, but it certainly hones your aim.

To make a point, you can't use another game to warm up for a different game. I'm not advocating that. Don't think playing some insta-gib for a few hours before scrimming or a match will make you better. But the skills you learn in other games, specifically what QL can teach you in regards to aiming, will increase your value as a player in all FPS games in the long run.

To your specific case, I have found that often players who are excellent at sniping other snipers and not much else, tend to have a really really low sensitivity/are not used to aiming at things mid to close range. So that may be a problem you wish to address. If this is your problem, try putting yourself in situations that force you into sniping in those scenarios (pubs or whatever can actually help to that regard) or consider changing your sensitivity as a last resort.

get good at sniper quickly guide by capnfapn

-only go for headshots. i dont care if you quickscoped the soldier and want to finish him off with a bodyshot. headshot him again. you don't really need to practice bodyshots but you do need to practice your headshots.
-practice sniping from every range.
-when you're waiting for setup time to finish try tracking one of your teammates heads while scoped.
-get good at surfing rockets away so you can spend less time dead and more time shooting.

What vhalin told me what jake told him:

Play in 32 player custom map servers. Lots of people to shoot and lots of people trying to shoot you. Forces you to play dynamically and quickly.

Also, custom maps make you think about where you are and what you are doing. You can't just autopilot into the spots you always go to.

sniper v sniper is retarded.

You will get very good at being gay-er than the other guy, and very good at shooting things that are standing still.

Try to center the head with the crosshair before zooming in, yadda yadda,
Learn positioning to get the angles on the key classes that you are wanting to pick which means learning the map and learning where players like to hold.