Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Siege X News

In the past, the Ranked System was a pure skill system in which there was only one value, the MMR, used for Skill and Rank. Any change that we needed to make on the Ranked system was affecting the skill and thus the matchmaking.



We are splitting what was previously known as MMR into Skill and Rank.

[h2]SKILL[/h2]

Your skill (what was previously known as MMR) will be a hidden value that will be used for matchmaking.

Your skill represents your ability to win a game. Comparing two teams' skill gives you the probability that one team will win against the other. The higher the difference, the more likely a given team is going to win. When two teams with the same skill levels are matched up with each other, they both have an equal shot at winning. The algorithm used in Rainbow Six Siege assigns two values to each player: an estimation of their skill (μ) and the uncertainty of this estimation (σ).

[h3]UNCERTAINTY[/h3]

The estimation of your skill is probabilistic. In general, the more games you play, the more information we have about you, and the more confident we are about this estimation. This confidence is represented by the uncertainty value sigma (σ). The lower the uncertainty, the higher the confidence.

[h3]SKILL UPDATE[/h3]

The update of your Skill as a player has not changed with this new system, meaning that the Skill is updated solely on the outcome of your match. If this outcome is unexpected (for example, you lost against players with a lower skill than your team), the skill updates will be more substantial, and vice-versa. In addition to that, the more confident we are about your skill (i.e., if your σ is low), the smaller the updates will be.

Let’s take a simple example with only two players: Hibana vs Pulse. The values in this example do not reflect the actual updates that would happen with our system, but it should give you an understanding of the situation. Hibana is a Gold player (μ ≈ 29), and has been playing at that level for quite some time. Hibana’s rank has a low uncertainty value attached to it, so σ ≈ 3. Hibana faces Pulse (a Copper ranked player, but he has a lot of heart), and loses. Due to the low uncertainty value, it is likely that Hibana just had a bad game, so her skill level would decrease, resulting in μ ≈ 28. This is due to the system taking into account the rank of the enemy you have lost to. If Hibana lost to someone that was Gold, the adjustment would be closer to μ ≈ 28.5. Losing to a Diamond would have resulted in a change to μ ≈ 28.9.

That being said, Pulse is still relatively new to the game, and our system is attempting to determine where he should be placed (μ ≈ 17 and σ ≈ 6). By Tachanka’s grace, Pulse won the match, so we would increase his skill level to 20. His victory against Hibana has helped us to determine that he may be a better player, so his uncertainly has dropped a small amount (σ ≈ 5.5). The large increase in skill level rating is a result of Pulse being a fairly unknown player, and our confidence in Hibana’s placement.

[h2]RANK[/h2]

Rank, on the other hand, will be used for the progression through the competitive ladder. Rank will update after every match through RANK POINTS. The way it works is that the amount of RP that you win or lose after each match will be proportional to the difference between your Skill and your Rank.
Additionally, we are introducing a new Rank between Platinum and Diamond called “Emerald” to soften the steep progression between the upper part of the ladder.

Let’s see a couple of examples:

Player A is a Champion player (+5000 Skill) that just started playing this season ( Copper 5 Rank ). This player, since we don’t reset Skill anymore, will be matched from the start of the season against players of the same Skill but since their Rank is very far away from their Skill, each time this player wins a match, they will be rewarded with a lot of Rank Points (during Y7S4 this will be around 80 RP which is the maximum) in order to progress quickly towards their real Rank, similarly, each time this player loses a match, the Rank Points they lose will be minimal ( during Y7S4 this will be around -9 RP which is the minimum) as they are very far away from their real Rank. For this player, this gain/loss difference will continue like this for the large majority of their climb towards their real Rank and should see a decrease in their gains and an augment in their losses at around the Diamond Rank.

Player B is a Silver player ( 2200 Skill ) that has been playing this season for some time already and they managed to achieve their Rank at Silver II. This player now has a Rank that matches their Skill and thus, each time they win a match, they will be awarded a standard amount of RP ( around 40 RP) and each time they lose, they will lose a standard amount of RP ( around 30 RP). We introduced a difference between the standard win and the standard loss in order to allow players to always try to aim for a higher Rank and improve throughout the season. This does not mean that this player will be granted free Ranks since we assume that a player who has reached their real Rank will probably sit at a win rate of around 50%, but if this player keeps playing and trying to win, they will probably end the season at a higher Rank of their previous season and thus earning more rewards!

[h2]RANKING UP[/h2]

When you win enough RP at the end of the match, you will go up to the next division. Each division consists of 100RP.

[h2]RANKING DOWN AND THE DEMOTION SHIELD[/h2]

When losing a match and the resulting RP is below 0, you should normally get ranked down to the previous division or Rank, but we have introduced a new system called Demotion Shield that will prevent that from happening and instead leave you with 0 RP. This will only happen if you have more than 0 RP by the start of the match. If you lose a match when you already have 0 RP, you will rank down normally.

[h2]REMOVAL OF PLACEMENT MATCHES AND SKILL RESET[/h2]

With this new system in place, we are removing the placement matches as we will no longer reset your skill every season, and thus we no longer need them to know your skill at the start of the season.
Placement matches were not working as intended in the previous versions of Ranked, resetting the skill forced us to have a system in place to try to guess your real skill before starting your Ranked journey but they were too inaccurate for that purpose as the system didn’t have time to have a correct guess.
For example, a player who just started playing Ranked in Rainbow Six: Siege could have very good placement matches (whether by their own skill, by luck or by getting “carried”) and the system would have placed that player far above their real skill, making Ranked a very frustrating experience having to play against much more experienced players, or, on the other hand, a very skilled player who was very unlucky or had very bad matches during the placements could be placed too far below their real skill, destroying the competition until they got to their real skill bracket.

Removing the skill reset will ensure that the Matchmaking quality of your games will not deteriorate at the start of the season as we will already know your skill level and you will be matched against similar opponents.

What we will be resetting is your Rank every season, and at the start, everybody will be placed in Copper 5 and climb up from there.

[h2]PLAYING WITH FRIENDS[/h2]

From now on, we are removing the Squad MMR Restriction that was preventing you from playing with your friends.

Squad MMR Restriction was a necessary evil that we had to put in place to prevent some exploits in the system, but we know the importance of being able to play Rainbow Six: Siege with your friends. The separation between Skill and Rank now allows us to have different measures running on the backend to prevent those exploits without compromising your ability to play with your friends.

We do believe that this new system will make everyone’s experience much better, but we will be monitoring this very closely as we now have the tools to act if we see any abuse taking place.



Overall, your Ranked experience will now be a much steadier progression towards your goal, but you will notice that the closer your Rank gets to your real Skill, the updates that you get after each match will be smaller.

With how the seasons in Rainbow Six: Siege are structured, we believe that this new system will allow players to reach their goal more reliably without the feeling that they are bouncing from one Rank to the other without progressing.

[h2]WHAT IS TO COME?[/h2]

With this first batch of changes coming to Ranked we have laid out the foundations to build a much more resilient Competitive structure that will help us improve without compromising the existing ecosystem. We will be monitoring the new Ranked during S4 since systems as massive as these ones are always tricky to land on the first shot without the real experience of exposing this to players, we did our simulations, but reality will always be different, and we are happy to listen to your feedback.

With how the system is built we can easily tweak the numbers behind Ranked without having to rebuild the system, so expect some tuning and changes in the coming seasons!

You can find here the updates and fixes made over the course of the Y7S4 Season Test Server. For the full Operation Solar Raid Patch Notes, follow the link below:
https://rainbow6.com/SolarRaid

[h2]Y7S4 PATCH SIZE[/h2]

Find the download sizes for each platform below.

• Ubisoft Connect: 5.44 GB
  
• Steam: 5.1 GB
  
• Xbox One: 4.01 GB
  
• Xbox Series X: 4.44 GB
  
• PlayStation 4: 4.59 GB
  
• PlayStation 5: 4.31 GB
  

[h2]PLAYER COMFORT[/h2]

[h3]TEAM DEATHMATCH[/h3]

• Added voiceover lines in the Team Deathmatch playlist.
  

[h2]BUG FIXES[/h2]

[h3]GAMEPLAY[/h3]
FIXED - Electricity VFX is not visible on Deployable Shields or reinforced walls and hatches.

FIXED - Operator remains stuck inside the garbage bin when exiting rappel above it at EXT Front Yard on Chalet map.

FIXED - Operators' legs twitch when shown in the MVP screen.

FIXED - Exit Rappel option appears in some locations where it can't normally be used.

FIXED - Leaning back and forth while aiming down sight is faster while rappeling.

FIXED - An extra bullet is fired and not subtracted from the ammo pool when shooting before the reload animation is finished.

[h3]LEVEL DESIGN[/h3]

FIXED - Defenders are undetected in a specific area outside on Clubhouse map.

FIXED - Attackers can reach the top of the skylight after vaulting on Osa's Talon-8 on Villa map.

FIXED - Operators can fall through the map at EXT Zodiac on Yacht map.

FIXED - Multiple LOD issues on various maps.

[h3]OPERATORS[/h3]

FIXED - Animation doesn't correctly flip Grim's Kawan Hive Launcher.

FIXED - Solis counter-defusing with Spec-IO equipped results in a delayed animation.

FIXED - The LFP586 Revolver has 7 bullets instead of 6 after reloading.

FIXED - "MAX" indicator is not displayed in Solis' Spec-IO Electro-Sensor when 5 or more devices are detected at the same time.

FIXED - Solis' primary weapon is equipped while holding a gadget when Spec-IO's cooldown runs out.

FIXED - Several Operators are not revealed when pinging or scanning their in-use devices with Solis' Spec-IO Electro-Sensor.

FIXED - Jackal's Eyenox can be pinged by Solis' Spec-IO even when the device isn't in the identification area.

FIXED - Solis cannot equip weapons if the scan progress bar completes right before the Spec-IO Electro-Sensor battery runs out. 

FIXED - Incorrect animation when Solis is affected by an EMP while Spec-IO Electro Sensor is activate.

FIXED - Buck's Skeleton Key deals more damage with Extended Barrel equipped on C8-SFW.

FIXED - Grim's Kawan Launcher fires through reinforcements while deployed on Thermite's Exothermic Charge.

FIXED - The second charge of Ace's S.E.L.M.A. can destroy part of a wall that is jammed by Mute's Signal Disruptor.

FIXED - Assist score is unavailable for IQ's Electronics Detector after scanning Pulse or Vigil's abilities before they're eliminated.

FIXED - Both bombs are not revealed at the same time with IQ'S Electronics Detector.

FIXED - IQ's Electronics Detector is closed if IQ throws a drone while it's active using advanced drone deployment and reopens automatically after IQ exits drone view.

FIXED - Jackal's Eyenox doesn't reactivate on the first try after a concussion state with the device activated.

FIXED - Doc's voice lines are missing when using the Stim Pistol on himself or other players.

FIXED - Bandit's Shock Wire is destroyed if the object supporting the device is destroyed.

FIXED - Default Sight for 552 Commando is incorrect.

FIXED - Animation is canceled when trying to go through a hatch as Oryx while Dokkaebi's Logic Bomb is active.

FIXED - Azami's hitbox is slightly too big.

FIXED - Poured liquid is misplaced in Elite Warden's victory dance.

FIXED - Various Operator VFX issues.

[h3]USER EXPERIENCE[/h3]

FIXED - In-game keyboard functionality is lost after opening and closing the Ubisoft Connect overlay when Raw input is on.

FIXED - When using the Hide Other Players Privacy option, reporting other players reveals their real username, but the notification message still uses the NATO phonetic alphabet.

FIXED - Weapon skins accessed via News are sometimes showcased on secondary weapons instead of primary.

FIXED - Hip fire recoil on Shooting Range does not match the recoil in PVP games.

FIXED - Scramble VFX is missing when switching to or between Observation Tools.

FIXED - "Lefty" Controller layout doesn't apply to Maestro's Evil Eye.

FIXED - Various UI issues.

FIXED - Various Localization issues.

FIXED - Various Privacy settings issues.

FIXED - Various Audio and SFX issues.

FIXED - Various Match Replay issues.

FIXED - Various Spectator mode issues.

FIXED - Various Custom Game issues.

FIXED - Various Customization issues.

FIXED - Various UI issues.

FIXED - Various Audio and SFX issues.

This season the Reputation System will see its Beta release, after previously running in a shadow mode. With the Reputation System Beta, we’ll be taking the next step by giving and showing players their Reputation Standing, while also allowing players to improve their behavior, playstyle, and interactions with others, without receiving any positive or negative effects based on that Standing. Today, we are going to outline its evolution with the addition of the Reputation Standing feature and provide information on the Ubisoft Fair Play Program Beta.

[h2]WHAT, WHY, AND HOW[/h2]
[h3]FIRSTLY, WHAT IS TOXICITY?[/h3]
At its core, toxicity is any behavior that is harmful to the people around you. In Rainbow Six Siege, this can mean behaviors and actions that are deliberately or passively harmful to players, in either a direct or indirect way.
The following non-exhaustive list of behaviors are considered to be disruptive and could result in a negative Standing:

• Unwanted Communication (Cases of misconduct on either the written or voice chat level, such as insults, threats, harassment, or offensive language through our game systems)
• Threatening And Aggressive Behavior (Impersonation, hateful conduct, etc.)
• Negative Attitude (Griefing, game rage, sabotaging the team, friendly fire, blocking/disrupting teammates, giving away positions)
• Leaving the game (Disconnecting, abandoning, AFK, rage quitting)
• Communication Abuse (Offensive language, sexual harassment, flaming, harassment, online voice chat abuse, taunting, disruptive audio, chat spam, etc.)
• Hate speech (Discrimination, racism, sexism, homophobia, emotional abuse, bullying)
• Exploits, Botting • Any other actions that go against the Rainbow Six Siege Code of Conduct or Terms of Use.

[h3]WHY ARE WE ADDRESSING TOXICITY?[/h3]
The importance of tactics and the high lethality of the game can lead some people to display harmful behaviors when mistakes or problems occur. The vast majority of players only demonstrate harmful behaviors occasionally, while there is a solid core of people who do so consistently and intentionally.
Siege is a competitive, team-based game where every action is centered on cooperation, which creates an incredible playground for our community, but can also trigger negative engagement from some people, disrupting the experience for all. That’s why we’re continually working on toxicity detection and prevention and making changes to certain models to ensure our community has the best possible gaming experience.

[h3]HOW ARE WE TACKLING IT?[/h3]
The Reputation System is helping us to move away from actions that were centered solely on sanctioning and banning players, though these will remain to be viable tools in some cases. The goal of this feature is to guide and give players the opportunity to change the way that they interact with others and with the game. It also aims to discourage poor behavior through feedback and consequences, and to highlight and support those who positively contribute to the game environment, making the game a better place for others.

[h2]NEW – REPUTATION STANDING[/h2]
[h3]WHAT WILL YOUR STANDING BE?[/h3]
Each player will now be given a Reputation Standing which reflects their in-game behavior. There are 5 Standings ranging from Dishonorable at the lowest, and Exemplary at the highest point.


[h3]HOW YOUR STANDING IS ATTRIBUTED[/h3]
The reputation system tracks a variety of in-game actions that can be positive or negative, assigns a score to them, and applies effects to players’ accounts. This generates the Reputation Standing, a rating given to each person that shows how their in-game actions are perceived. The system must be understandable and trustworthy so that everyone can understand how their actions affect their Standing, and how to change it. The goal is to provide feedback to our players and to promote healthy interactions while discouraging toxicity. With this system, we seek to encourage positivity, inclusion, and engagement in the game.

[h3]EFFECTS OF YOUR STANDING[/h3]
To begin with, there will be no negative or positive effects from having a particular Standing. Our goal is for players to learn the new system, and to have a chance to adapt their behaviors before such effects go live.
During Year 8, we will enable penalties and bonuses which will be given based on a player’s Standing.

Negative Standing:
• Reduced in-game gains
• Limited game modes & other restrictions
• Potential escalation of penalties
• Opportunity for learning and reform
Neutral Standing:
• No effects
Positive Standing:
• Increased in-game gains
• Benefits persist as long as a player maintains their standing
• Special exclusive items

[h3]FINDING YOUR REPUTATION STANDING[/h3]
Your Reputation Standing can be found on the Reputation tile on the main menu, the profile page, and in the Reputation hub. Your Standing will be private however, so this information will not be available to others.
The main place for all things Reputation will be the Reputation hub, which can be accessed via the Reputation tile on the main menu. Here you can see your Standing and any active penalties. You will also be able to find more in-depth information on how the system works.
The Reputation tile has also been updated so that you can now check your Standing at a glance. This will give you a quick snapshot, showing which standing you currently have, while the Player Profile will show your Standing as well as any current penalties.


[h3]REPUTATION SYSTEM BETA RELEASE[/h3]
We will be deploying many of the first player-facing aspects of the Reputation System as part of a gradual rollout strategy. This allows us to continue to stress test our designs and systems, have meaningful effects of disruptive player behavior, all while also doing a form of pre-onboarding for players.
With this Reputation System Beta onboarding, we will start by showing players their Reputation Standing along with various messages that inform them how they are currently being perceived by the system. During this time, many aspects of the system such as the bonuses and penalties will be turned off. This gives players a low-risk time to take appropriate actions on their Standing and allows for large scale testing and conversation around the overall reputation calculation system.
The Player Behavior and Rainbow Six Siege team is working hard to implement changes to the game while keeping in mind to increase cooperation and address toxicity.

[h2]PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION [/h2]
As part of the Reputation System Beta Release, Ubisoft is processing your personal data to provide you with the program. To learn more about the way your personal data is being processed, please read the privacy policy.

[h2]FAIR PLAY PROGRAM BETA[/h2]
The Ubisoft Fair Play Program (Beta) is a new program designed to help players understand the roots of toxicity and how to address disruptive situations online.
Find out how to best handle online frustrations and create a positive environment for everyone through videos, quizzes and tips from pro players here*.
*Note that the Fair Play Program Beta content is currently only available in English.

[h2]CONCLUSION[/h2]
All individuals should be treated with respect, and we strongly believe that both good and bad behaviour must be addressed. For a long time, we have focused our efforts on negative behaviors and bans, but now we want to broaden our field of expertise and actions. We want players to be able to play the game as it was designed, and our anti-toxicity measures must reflect that. The ultimate goal is to guide players towards behaviors we want to encourage in the game, rather than purely focusing on sanctions.
The Player Behavior and Rainbow Six Siege team is working hard to implement changes to the game while keeping in mind to increase cooperation and address toxicity.