Sidearms vs SMGs?

[atempleton 123]

Simple question for snipers - is a sidearm as a backup adequate enough, or should you use an SMG? Does the extra firepower justify the space sacrificed for something you're not intending on primarily using?

[jayfkay (DayZ) 185]

Assuming keeping distance is your priority, a sidearm will do just fine.

Do you however want to be more flexible and well rounded? Prepared to push a building or withstand aggressive opponents? An smg it is.

[Mookie (original) 799]

For me, it depends what else I'm carrying and whether it's useable at short ranges. Were that to be an AK or an M4, I'd be happy with an FNX. Were it to be a Winchester or an SVD (currently the case), I'd really prefer something automatic - which is why I lug an MP5 around...

[lrp1984 199]

Simple question for snipers - is a sidearm as a backup adequate enough, or should you use an SMG? Does the extra firepower justify the space sacrificed for something you're not intending on primarily using?

 

Depends on the side-arm. An FNX at close range is as lethal as any SMG or for that matter, assault rifle. If you're sniping you want to keep a relatively low profile and having a RAK, 74U or MP5 with spare clip and ammo requires you to have a backpack, which you want to avoid

[youssefprime 6]

If I am using a ghillie suit when Im sniping, space is a factor some I would like to have something small. I usualy use a makarov or CR75.... but thats just me :)

[Bonappetit 117]

I don't usually use backpacks so I prefer sidearms, also it's got that cool effect for me. Also my favourite combo is with a sawed off shotgun, doesn't take much space and fits easily in a vest.

[Bororm 1156]

I don't bother with any weapon you have to carry in your inventory rather than a holster, because assuming you don't have it out and get shot you just wasted your space and time and now have a ruined piece of junk.

 

I prefer a holster and a pistol.

 

I am in the vast minority on that stance though, and it probably isn't actually an issue 99% of the time =P

Edited July 30, 2015 by Bororm

[Grimey Rick 3417]

Depends on the side-arm. An FNX at close range is as lethal as any SMG or for that matter, assault rifle. If you're sniping you want to keep a relatively low profile and having a RAK, 74U or MP5 with spare clip and ammo requires you to have a backpack, which you want to avoid

 

You sniper without a backpack...? There are a handful of camouflage backpacks for this very purpose...

 

[Bororm 1156]

You sniper without a backpack...? There are a handful of camouflage backpacks for this very purpose...

 

 

Even camo backpacks increase your profile, which is arguably more important than the color scheme.  Pretty much anything, camo or not, sticks out a lot in this game just because of the way things render in at distance.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Bororm

[Grimey Rick 3417]

Even camo backpacks increase your profile, which is arguably more important than the color scheme.  Pretty much anything, camo or not, sticks out a lot in this game just because of the way things render in at distance.

 

All I do is snipe in this game. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've been spotted when I didn't want to be. I still don't understand this profile thing people keep going on about. Can you provide some sort of link displaying this rendering issue that a backpack supposedly makes worse?

[Parazight 1599]

AKS-74U  is pretty overpowered right now.  The fact that you can put a silencer on it, which can be found at the same spawn points right now, makes it the best option for SMGs out there.  Important if you roll in certain groups.  MP5K is a close second.  

 

That said, you can't put a SMG into a cooking pot, protector case, or ammo box.  You can safely store a firearm in these things, though.  Wonderful thing if you get shot during a firefight.

 

My optimal loadout for all around play is:

Winchester/Blaze + AKS-74U + FNX in a cooking pot

[Bororm 1156]

All I do is snipe in this game. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've been spotted when I didn't want to be. I still don't understand this profile thing people keep going on about. Can you provide some sort of link displaying this rendering issue that a backpack supposedly makes worse?

 

My reply was a bit disjointed I guess.  Camo and profile are separate things (though related).

 

The rendering issue in terms of camo is that camo designs don't actually render in past certain distances.  And some colors are actually a bit contradictory to common sense in terms of how visible they are in game.  For instance, some of the lighter colors actually blend a lot better at distance than the greens.  There's a decent amount of factors that go into it, but just because a backpack is green doesn't mean it's good camo.

 

As far as profile goes, it's your character's actual silhouette or bulk.  Having a backpack increases your character's size, so regardless of how well you think it blends in, it's still creating a bigger object for people to spot.  Unless your backpack happens to greatly mimic a rock or log or something, I think it's pretty self explanatory that no backpack is always going to be superior for concealment.

 

I personally haven't paid much attention to whether this is still true in the SA, but in the mod your character sorta sunk into the ground as well when rendered at distance.  Having a backpack increased your profile and I can't count the amount of times I spotted people like that.  There's also the issue of backpacks clipping through walls etc in an urban environment, or protruding from trees.

 

It's a bit hardcore to go no backpack, but it's just common sense that not having one makes you harder to spot.

 

 

There's also ghillies.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Bororm

[Syphonz 64]

No matter how good of a sniper you are, eventually, maybe VERY far down the line, you'll be spotted. It also depends on what the other person is packing, and what you are comfy with.

 

 

Would you rather go against a AK wielding hyped up PVP'er with a Makarov, or a MP5?

 

 

I think my answer speaks for itself what I think. Take a MP5 with a mag in it, and one reload worth of ammo. Problemo solved. Even if you dont carry a backpack, if you sort your shit out right, you would still have enough food and water to survive.

 

And a high cap vest or a smersh would help out immensely. 

Edited July 30, 2015 by Syphonz

[atempleton 123]

I personally find the MP5 kicks everywhere and fires too fast, and prefer to use the AKs-74u instead when using SMGs. Though generally I use the Sawn Off as my backup.

[Exiled_Soul 25]

i like using a side arm if i can find a mag and ammo for it. to me an smg is too bouncy fora back up weapon i fin dthe pistols to be more accurate and versitile.

[Grimey Rick 3417]

i like using a side arm if i can find a mag and ammo for it. to me an smg is too bouncy fora back up weapon i fin dthe pistols to be more accurate and versitile.

Yeah, I'm a revolver fan boy. I've pretty much used the revolver (Magnum) and Mosin since DayZ released. I've recently moved to the Winchester/B95 though.

This game still has too many network problems for me to get into CQC if I can help it. After the first twenty times of unloading an entire magazine into someone's back, then turning around and spraying a magazine into me, and us both dying as a result, I started sniping.

[Exiled_Soul 25]

yeah right now im using spotty hotel internet but i am using the cr75 right now with a mosin. havent found a magnum in a while.

[jayfkay (DayZ) 185]

AKS-74U  is pretty overpowered right now.  The fact that you can put a silencer on it, which can be found at the same spawn points right now, makes it the best option for SMGs out there.  Important if you roll in certain groups.  MP5K is a close second.  

 

That said, you can't put a SMG into a cooking pot, protector case, or ammo box.  You can safely store a firearm in these things, though.  Wonderful thing if you get shot during a firefight.

 

My optimal loadout for all around play is:

Winchester/Blaze + AKS-74U + FNX in a cooking pot

That is a solid allrounder loadout indeed. The FNX is pure luxury tho. IN 58 you might as well get an UMP+Winchester combo. :P

[Funkmaster Rick 373]

Rick, bro, not having a backpack makes it easier to crawl behind low rock walls without being seen. In some places, you can even hide well in the grass that way.

 

Then there's the real killer point: people are used to seeing silhouettes with backpacks. The most important rule in stealth is to not be where people are looking, but the second-most important rule is to not present a familiar profile - camouflauge comes in multiple colours because at least some of them will match the surroundings, and if the brain thinks that part's background, then that breaks up the human-shaped silhouette, thus not triggering a recognition response.

 

==========================================

 

As to the OP's original question, when running a sniper build I've found a simple pistol or revolver to be efficient and perfectly serviceable in unintended CQC situations, though only if I'm expecting more than one opponent in a very short duration; close-range headshots with the sniper in question are usually just fine, it's the reload that fucks me over and makes carrying a sidearm that can fire quickly a necessity.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Funkmaster Rick

[ZomboWTF 527]

As to the OP's original question, when running a sniper build I've found a simple pistol or revolver to be efficient and perfectly serviceable in unintended CQC situations, though only if I'm expecting more than one opponent in a very short duration; close-range headshots with the sniper in question are usually just fine, it's the reload that fucks me over and makes carrying a sidearm that can fire quickly a necessity.

 

I love going improvised or no backpack, especially after finding a high capacity vest or even smersh vest with the backpack

 

The thing about backpacs is: when laying prone in grass at distance, people normally still see your characters backpack and upper body if they are aiming a you, but not the legs, if you are prone in grass and aiming straight down, while still being able to look around with alt, you are literally invisible - at least that was the way it worked in the mod

the exception to this is your backpack, which always showed, no matter how you layed prone in the grass, the backpack was always there

 

this is why i loved the czech backpack, at far distances it looked like a stone, and people often would just ignore you

that said, i love the .45 pistols, so much punch and killing potential in such a neat little package <3

Edited August 7, 2015 by Zombo

[Killawife 599]

I've found the pistols to be much better one-two shot killers than the smg's and have more kills with cr75 than any other weapon. But mostly the situation where you need the sidearm is quite hectical and its easier to just spray bullets than to actually aim. I almost always go for one long range rifle fo some sort or ak with kashtan, mp5 or ak74sy and cr or fnx. I rarely get to use all my guns before dying and have only run out of bullets in firefights twice in 1200 hours of gameplay.

[ryanh 36]

If I am using a ghillie suit when Im sniping, space is a factor some I would like to have something small. I usualy use a makarov or CR75.... but thats just me :)

I use a Gullie suit with a SVD, AUG and Fnx

 

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=496738967

 

like so.

[ryanh 36]

All I do is snipe in this game. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've been spotted when I didn't want to be. I still don't understand this profile thing people keep going on about. Can you provide some sort of link displaying this rendering issue that a backpack supposedly makes worse?

Simple Backpacks arnt Multi coloured for cammo yet. they are rather large. and stick out, of bushes, trees etc. for example I love the Sponson backpack but it does get you spotted at times. not like a mountain backpack of course but test and try it yourself

[Grimey Rick 3417]

Simple Backpacks arnt Multi coloured for cammo yet. they are rather large. and stick out, of bushes, trees etc. for example I love the Sponson backpack but it does get you spotted at times. not like a mountain backpack of course but test and try it yourself

Maybe I need to try DayZ on a terrible computer. Playing at 2160 with all settings maxed makes spotting someone ten feet away from you in the forest extremely difficult.

1600 hours of constant PvP in DayZ, a handful of deaths to other players (not counting glitches/cheaters), and now I'm being told that wearing a backpack "gets you spotted". I love learning new things. (:

[Vasili Zaitsev 0]

my sidearm is a sniper, praise the Longhorn, and 308 winchester is everywhere, but you better fire it from a safe place, its loud as hell and single shot, but i killed a bandit at 100 meters ( in the chest) and he dropped dead, so its great.