Rainbow Six Siege Update 1.2 Live for PS4 & Xbox One Today, Improves Server Tick Rate

Going live a day ahead of schedule, Rainbow Six Siege update 1.2 is releasing today (about 775MB) on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Ubisoft announced.

Addressing top issues, update 1.2 also brings permanent bans to cheaters, as Ubisoft explained:

Effective immediately, any cheating detected by the system will lead to a permanent ban, with no more three-day suspensions for first-time offenders. The developers are also trying a new method of dealing with defending players who try to wander outside during a match’s preparation stage: they’ll suffer instant death. The method will be tested on Xbox One tomorrow, and will spread to other platforms later that day if effective.

Here’s a list of patch notes for Rainbow Six Siege update 1.2:

Matchmaking Improvements

Refining the quality of PVP matches with more evenly matched opponents

Added a criteria that increases the odds of pre-made parties being matched against a squad with an equal number of pre-made parties within them.

Skill criterion originating from the player’s region is now more precise.

Improved connectivity to PVP and PVE matches

Increased match quality by ensuring players using the same data center get matched together, leading to better ping.

Improved accuracy of the estimated waiting time while in lobby.

Gameplay Fixes

Ranked matches HUD synch with Casual update has been applied.

Did some fixes on an issue in which players would get stuck when walking, running or at the end of a rappel. The player could do other actions and rotate but couldn’t move: Some situations still cause this bug. It is a work in progress.

Level Design Fixes

Kanal: fixed a bug in which the red blocker wall was not present on a window in the holding room for Defenders and allowed them to exit their zone during the preparation phase.

Some lighting issues on maps have been fixed.

Some minor collision issues have been fixed on House, Clubhouse, Kanal and Russian Café.

Online Flow Fixes

Partial fix of the loading screen freeze (smoke background).

UI Fixes

Player skill rank display has been re-activated.

Authentication pop-up title had inconsistent spacing.

Other Fixes

The Season Passes temporary activation for everyone for issue identification purposes has now ended.

Fixed a bug in which the Tier 5 faded skin for the FBI’s 5.7 USG pistol didn’t unlock even after purchasing it.

They also updated the server tick rate on consoles and brought it to 60 times-per-second, as opposed to the previous 30.

Looking ahead to the future of Rainbow Six Siege, update 1.3 is live on PC today and hits PS4/Xbox One on January 20. This is a smaller patch designed to fix the loading screen issue, the failed data synchronization issue, and more.

Then, on February 2, PS4, Xbox One, and PC will receive update 2.0. This will be a “much bigger patch” that launches the start of Season 1.

[Source: Ubisoft (1), (2), (3), Reddit]

Essential Reading:

Best Shooter 2015 (PSLS Awards)

Best Shooter 2015
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Treyarch

"Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is an insanely full featured game. If code was a physical thing, this game disc would be bursting at the seams with how much Treyarch has packed onto one Blu-ray. There’s a little something for everyone here. Players looking for a dark, rich narrative have the campaign. Competitive players have a whole new way to play in multiplayer. Fans of roguelikes and horde modes have Shadows of Evil. Switching between all of these modes is extremely easy too, and it never felt like I was stuck playing one thing or another. Player freedom, customization, and choice are central to every element. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 isn’t just a great Black Ops game. It isn’t just a great Call of Duty game. It’s a damn good game overall."

(Read full review here)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Barcelona

"Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege serves as a breath of fresh air against an overwhelming fog of twitch shooters. The drop of a traditional campaign is not reflected in the price, and yet the new Scenarios are just as tough as any campaign in previous entries, and easily as rewarding. Focusing on specialized operators feels right at home in a Rainbow Sixgame. Combat is solid, and rewards team play over lone wolf tactics.Rainbow Six is back, and ready to challenge today’s gamers."

(Read full review here)
Battlefield Hardline

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Visceral Games

"Thankfully, while Hardline might be a more different than veterans may have hopped for, it does enough of its own to come off as a solid start to a new type of Battlefield. Although, it does need to be said that with it being such a departure, it’s easy to see that it is still trying to figure itself out when put against its more militant and seasoned counterpart. Fans of the series will find many moments that harken back to the heart of franchise if they are willing to try something new and are are able to make a few gameplay adjustments. Anyone trying out a Battlefield title for the first time will find a game that’s much more accessible than any of the other ones in the past, but much like the previous ones, if you’re getting in the helicopter, please practice in an empty lobby before crash landing with your whole team on board."

(Read full review here)
Star Wars Battlefront

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA DICE

"If you ever dreamed of recreating some classic battles or sequences from the Star Wars movies, and are okay with the lack of any sort of campaign, then there is a fair amount of content to keep you occupied. Especially if you are a completionist, expect to sink at least 100 hours to unlock everything in that diorama. You can tell DICE has a bunch of Star Wars fans on staff, and Star Wars Battlefront feels like a loving “welcome back” from a developer who has missed the franchise as much as us gamers have."

(Read full review here)
And the winner is...
Winner - Call of Duty: Black Ops 3