[JOE MAC]

More and more scenarios and paintball fields are incorporating urban environments. Especially when it comes the the scenario world where the play goes on for hours, urban battles can be long enough for you to utilize certain techniques. Here is a crash course in urban sniping tactics adapted somewhat for paintball. In reality, in the very close confines of the small 'towns' that make up the paintball urban scene, there is no real ballistic advantage of any paintball gun, so it is more ambush techniques than it is 'sniping'. But nevertheless, the Urban scene offers many opportunities for ambushes, almost better than the woods. Becoming well rounded in all environments will make you a better asset to your team.

CAMO
The book answer is that camo color for urban environments is shades of gray. This works in most urban terrain, but any subdued dull color will work regardless if it is blotched or digitized. In urban terrain, there is usually large areas of all the same or mostly the same color. Building walls, debris, etc. Sometimes camouflage clothing actually stands out more than not because of it's sudden change in colors or pattern like you would find in the woods. Since buildings, cars, cebris, and whatnot are all man made, there is a lot of straight lines, hard corners, unnatural colors, and debris making it both easier and harder to camouflage yourself. Basically, you want to try not to be the darkest thing running around, but at the same time you don't want to be the lightest. You want to be boring, average, and unnoticeable. Remember, the head and shoulders outline is one of the most recognizable outlines to humans.

HIDE SELECTION
If it looks like a great hide, it isn't. The guy in the church tower in the movies always gets taken out. Why? Because people always assume that the high places are where the sniper is going to be. Being up in a tower gives you a better view and may allow your rounds to go a little farther, and is alright if the surrounding area is your team so you have the cover, but it can be a death trap. Escaping from that tower is limited and you are pretty much stuck if you et surrounded. Don't shoot from the roof, try the 2nd story. Not the tower, but the roof of the building next to the tower. Don't be the tallest thing in the environment. This way, when you fire from your concealed location, they will spray the tower and any other tall places that they see. Meanwhile, you are left somewhat alone to pick off people as you please. Don't fire over things, try to fire under or around to obscure your outline.

Don't shoot from windows or doors if you can avoid it. Try to find smaller loopholes that you can shoot from. Never ever stick your barrel out of the loophole. Scoot back and shoot from inside the building. It will muffle your shot and hide the CO2 that comes out of the end of your barrel. A barrel sticking out of a hole is a big giveaway. If you are shooting from a room through a window or door, stay back in the room. Find your intended shooting lane and try to block anything that is not in that lane out of view. If you can, shoot from a back room through a door and then out a window. It may be awkward, but it will really hide your location. Stay in the darker rooms and avoid the light. Pick several shooting locations in one area that you can get to without having to reveal yourself. Shoot a couple from this location and then quickly move to the next. This way, as your targets are reacting to rounds coming from one location and taking cover, you may be able to catch them from a different angle and get them while they are bunkered down and not moving.

Another technique would be to shoot through the buildings without actually being in them. On one side of the building, line multiple windows, doors, or other spaces up and shoot through them giving the other team the illusion it is coming from that building. Meanwhile, since you are outside of the buildings you have the ability to move around freely. If they move in to try and clear the building, swing around front and take out some of the guys that they left out side. You are only limited to your imagination.

ALWAYS HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE
Always have a way out. Know the layout of the building you are in. If the poo hits the fan, sling some paint to keep their head down and move quickly. You don't always have to go alone. Take a buddy or tow to watch your back. In a building with 3 or 4 ways to get in, blind spots, choke points, and limited hearing and vision, you can't always concentrate on security and eliminating your targets. They can also help you by distracting the targets while you move. Or make your targets move into a position more advantageous for your shot. They can watch your back and move with you. Make sure they know the E&E and displacement plan.

INSERTION TECHNIQUES
The skies the limit on this one. You can sneak to an unoccupied or sparsely populated urban environment and set up shop because you know more people are going to come around eventually. Or, if you are in a hotbed of activity, you move forward with your front line. Then, when the front line falls back a little (either due to enemy fire or on purpose), you stick around with maybe a couple of buddies as security and pick off the other team as they move up to occupy the newly vacated positions. Once you have over stayed your welcome, you can rejoin your team and do it again (in a different spot). Eventually, if you are successful, the other team is not going to push forward so aggressively when your team falls back. This is a good time for a concentrated push by your team to gain some ground. Vehicles make good insertion tools as well. Use them as cover or to mask your movements or shots. Even enemy vehicles have blind spots that you can use to your advantage.

When it comes to all aspects of Urban Ops, you are only limited to your imagination and common sense. I am sure that many people on here have some experience in using an urban environment to their advantage and can share their experiences as well.

[Match99]

Nice post man.

CAMO- Urban is my least favorite place to camo in, and sometimes I give up and just wear a grey sweatshirt a pants. Not very attractive or cool, but it gets the job done.

HIDE- Again, nice. Although some of your ideas are... creative, to say the least (I like the shooting through a building one ), you have the right idea. No one wants to be stuckup in a tower with their VSC phantom, only to see ten trigger happy Ion users surround you.

ESCAPE- This is gonna sound stupid, but sometimes I like not having an escape route. Instead I barricade myself in and then keep em away. In urban territory, sometimes that escape route is their window to eliminating you.

INSERTION- Ha, I always do this. My team and I practiced this in the woods, and it works perfectly the same in urban.
1. Push up and keep their heads down.
2. Install ambush sniper in cover.
3. Drop back.
4. Opponent advances.
5. Ambush sniper opens fire, and the team charges.

[I.K.E.]

Well written and logical! Could be an article. Shiny.

[MurderDeathKill]

Very good! I'd like to see a section on movement, though. In paintball, the guys you kill don't stay dead for long, so my guess is it'd be a good idea to change your position significantly every 30-45 minutes, just so you don't get destroyed when the guys you shot re-spawn. If you've got thoughts, please post them -- I like what I'm reading!

[iPwn]

Very well put!, good job.

[Explosive]

URBAN Paintball Sniping is extremely tricky & doesn't have the advantages that real world Urban sniping does (accuracy, range, larger area or operation).

with that being said, good article, good tips.


In an urban environment it is far more difficult to remain hidden once opponents are engaged.
Night time play in an urban environment is a different story!


I've been on the roof of a four story bldg, shooting through a firing hole in the concert, down on top of opposing players.
I took a couple out before being spotted. I didn't care about staying hidden. What I ended up doing though
was hold up a large group of players behind a house and had a couple of them pop around the corners to return the fire.
I eventually took out a couple more players. I stayed on that roof a bit too long (I knew that I did) and knew
the opposing team was in the bldg and coming up the stairs, so I repositioned myself and made them
come get me through the halls and rooms. Taking out a couple more including a ref, because I had a touchy trigger finger...
Point is...expecting to "paintball" snipe in an urban environment and remaining undetected is nearly impossible in my opinion.
BUT to snipe and hold up a dozen players or more and take some with you, is effective...and besides after all that work
you need a water break. When they hit you finally, smile and walk off the field.

I've also shot from a basement with shooting holes at ground level and took out players trying to get into a door of the bldg.
One of the best paintball experiences I've had!

Oh and I think faded ACU works well in Urban settings...especially where there's lots of grays etc.
yeah ACU is a green gray but it doesn't silouette you as much as darker traditional camo's, which is HUGE!

In Urban environments I think the use of an APEX or Flatline is ideal.
range at times is very beneficial.

I have actually curved paintballs into the window of a neighboring bldg at Blanding. I usually shoot in burst.
No idea if I hit anybody, but I do know that there were opponents shooting from that very window.

This post has been edited by Explosive: 04 June 2008 - 01:05 PM