Etiquette

There are some basic rules to follow in Snipers games, to make the game more enjoyable for everyone.

• 1. Don't sit
• 2. Don't camp
• 3. Don't hack
• 4. Don't be an ass

1. Don't sit

Sitting is loosely defined as when a player doesn’t make a reasonable attempt to advance towards the enemy flag.

Sitting comes in 3 types:

• 1. Base sit
• 2. Fallback sit
• 3. Other sits

Base sit

This is when you wait around in your base vision. Generally it’s okay to wait for a teammate to respawn if there are enemies surrounding your base, but you should still be aiming to leave your base vision as soon as possible after that, whether that’s to the left, middle, or right of your base.

It is also a base sit if you go back into your base after leaving it. It’s not fair to your opponents, since you have a massive vision advantage in your base.

Exception to the above is when there is an enemy in your base vision actively going for flag. You are allowed to go back into your base to intercept them.

Fallback sit

A fallback sit is a particular type of sit where you cross the halfway point of the map on the way to the opponent’s base, but then decide to cross the line and go back towards your base.

If you cross the halfway point, you should not go back (and especially do not switch lanes) since that slows down the game massively. Exception to this is if there is a player in your base vision actively going for flag. You are allowed to go back to intercept.

Other sits

You should not remain in the same area for an extended period of time. If you’re in the same general area for 10 seconds, you should really be thinking about advancing towards the enemy flag. If you’re in the same general area for 15 seconds, you’re probably sitting. If you kill someone near your base and you’re still nearby when they respawn and come all the way back to you again, you’re almost definitely sitting.

2. Don't camp

A camp is where you stay in your opponent’s base and kill respawners unnecessarily.

Unnecessarily means that it wasn’t required to kill the respawner in order to grab the enemy flag and safely escort it out.

There is some leeway with this if there is an enemy waiting for you to leave the base so that they can ambush you.

The map has an anti-camp system in place. If the flag has been taken and the flagger has safely left the base then the anti camp is enabled. When anti-camp is enabled the enemy will be invincible for 3 in-game seconds after respawning, unless they decide to leave the immediate area around their spawn. Anti-camp is disabled again when the flag is returned (either it gets captured or the flagger dies).

Anti-camp will prevent most camp attempts, but it can’t catch everything. You must be especially careful in these situations:

• Running towards the flag to grab it. Don’t take longer than needed to go into the base. If you dance around waiting (even outside the base) so that you can kill respawn as you come in, that is a camp. However if you know there is already one alive in the base, it’s fine to go in a bit slower.
• Immediately after grabbing the flag. Don’t take longer than needed to leave the base.

Essentially, aim to get in and get out as fast as possible. This also goes for teammates that are escorting the flagger.

3. Don't hack

A hack is any external program that gives you an unfair advantage over others in game.

From the early years of snipers the community has had problems with hackers. Prominent members of the community were caught cheating and that gradually led to a loss of trust between players. Hacks were prevalent and many, many people quit snipers altogether because they were tired of getting blatantly hacked day in, day out.

The good news is that the recent patches came with an updated antihack that made the vast majority of hacks obsolete. Snipers games have been hack-free for a while now, but it’s up to all of us to keep it that way.

Anyone caught using, sharing, or especially creating hacks will be permanently banned from any community events. If you’re not aware of the history of hackers getting caught, have a look at the number of pages on our old forums. Trust me, if you’re hacking, you will eventually be caught.

I won’t list the different types of hacks here. Just don’t look them up. Report anyone who tries to share hacks with you (with proof). Note that using mouse or keyboard macros also counts as a hack in this situation.

4. Don't be an ass

In the past, the snipers community was known for being extremely toxic and unwelcoming. New players were immediately banned from games. Players only played with people they knew. Most games were just full of shit-talking and bad manners.

This limited our growth. New players don’t stick around if they’re just shouted and laughed at for being inexperienced. We need to foster an environment that is competitive, but that also encourages learning.

So, to improve everyone’s experience I suggest this:

• Don’t get angry if someone plays badly. It happens to everyone.
• Don’t exclude newer players. If they’re too new for the ranked matches, just play some unranked games with them. Link them to this website if they want to learn more.
• If someone is sitting or being annoying, sure, call them out on it. But don’t spread toxicity outside the game or on Discord.

Personal note

We currently have a great opportunity to grow snipers, free of the toxicity and hacks that plagued our community in the past and gave us a terrible reputation among the rest of Battle.net. Please don’t be a part of the problem.