Well, currently, there are a couple types of Snipers:
* Standard Snipers that spend most of their time scoped, wait for their charge to build, and carefully headshot their targets.
* Twitch Snipers who try to scopefire as many shots as they can as quickly as possible, relying on relatively reliable headshots to bag their kills against lower HP classes.
* Duel Snipers who pretty much exist to kill other Snipers.
* Ambush Snipers who craftily pick out secluded and unexpected hiding spots, quickly assassinate targets who aren't expecting it, and move on before anybody notices.
* Crazy-ass instascopeshot Combat Snipers.
* Assault Snipers who like to capture or defend points armed with nothing but their machetes. Some of us are honestly a lot better at this than we'll ever be at actual Sniping (*cough*).
The rifle as it is right now is essentially built for the Standard Sniper, who charges, aims, and headshots. Duel Snipers are the scum of the Earth, and Combat and Assault Snipers are basically the lunatic fringe of the playerbase. So ideally, the alternate Rifle should cater to Twitch and Ambush Snipers.
So looking at it that way, it may not be such a hot idea to remove headshots, but instead remove the charge. This is sort of a scary road to go down because the charge is there for a reason, and it's bloody brilliant, but it may simply be the best way to go. In return, give it a bonus for Snipers who elect to use it in creative or unforeseen ways. One idea that may or may not be completely horrible is moving the critical hit area from the head to the entire back, allowing the Sniper to punish people who try to turn and run, or move too far into your area, or simply not notice you there. It turns the class into a sort of shitty visible Spy, but would certainly break up the dynamic of "stand near spawn, point, and click."
NEW REPLIES
Okay. The other use for Natascha is to make damned sure the person you're shooting dies; if you're firing Sasha you'll do a lot of damage but the fucker might move out of optimal range before you're done with them. If you've got a lock with Natascha, they're fucking fried.