June's Top Issues: Flash Bangs & DBNO Kills Being Looked At

As promised during last weekend's Ubisoft Forward panel, Ubisoft released an updated Dev Blog about June's "Top Issues and Community Concerns" today. Here's our quick summary of the changes outlined.

Resolved Issues

Firstly, we have a list of prior concerns which have been dealt with or fixed as of the newest patch.

Gas Propagation

Smoke's Toxic Babes now no longer clip through walls or ceilings as intended. This had been a very long-standing issue that was resolved with the launch of Y6S2.

Bullet Holes

Peeks through small bullet holes are no longer possible as a melee hole is now needed:

Single bullet holes are often used to gain an advantage, and we recognize that the difficulty in spotting such holes from a distance can cause frustration for some players. With the changes we’re implementing to tackle this, single bullets will no longer create an isolated hole through a wall or barricade.

Please note, bullet holes in thin materials like window glass and the inner cores of props are not affected by this change.

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Upcoming Fixes in Season 3

Next up, there's a list of issues that will have a resolution during Y6S3:

Improved Flash Bangs

At the moment flash bangs are extremely inconsistent, making it hard to know when they've successfully blinded an enemy. 

Basically, when you throw a flash, we want you to know how this will affect your opponents and the environment ...the results we're seeing are encouraging.

We’re currently evaluating the strength of flashes and are excited for players to get a chance to test this change soon!

MMR Rollback

Players losing MMR after beating a team of cheaters is unintended and unfair, so solutions are being looked at.

Skins Blend Into Backgrounds

Also coming next season is the addition of rim lighting around players in order to ensure they stand out no matter what uniform they are wearing.

We are in the process of aligning on the colour of the rim lighting, and ensuring the effect is consistent across the game's many unique cosmetics.

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New Concerns

These are new issues that have been identified and added to the list of upcoming fixes

• Loadout Reset -- Players sometimes launch the game only to find their skins/attachments/gadget selections have been reset to the default option.
• Flinch Animations -- The player model flinching when hit is a common complaint and can be improved.
• DBNO Kills -- "We feel that the player who downed the enemy should be awarded the kill point if the enemy is taken out". This rewards the initial player and helps reduce toxicity.
• Friendly Fire -- Hitting a teammate with a gadget (such as a Gu Mine) will not incur damage or points lost.

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Performance & Player Behaviour

Here's a number of changes made or planted aimed at helping fix core game issues such as cheating and lag:

• Automatic Data Bans -- As announced at E3, bans will now be issued automatically for players with unnaturally high statistics.
• Abandon Penalties -- The penalty for quitting an ongoing match has been increased.
• Preventative Sanctions -- As part of the new reputation system, patterns of griefing and harassment will be detected, leading to quicker bans.

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Keep an eye out here for future Dev Blogs and check out our rundown on the recently revealed cross-play and cross-progression announcements.