From my idea for scouts thread, i have noticed this much:
-Devs hate snipers, think they are too overpowering
-Half the people on their forums hate snipers, think they are a useless class
-both of the above hate realism
-Both of the above think i am arrogant for giving them facts about why snipers are crucial part of war
-Both of the above think i am a fuck head that needs to learn facts
-Both of the above are british (i assume)
So yea, looks like future versions will not have a sniper rifle for scouts anymore...oops, my bad...a "ranged rifle", since there are no snipers in Empires....