In case you had not noticed an update was released for Rainbow Six: Vegas this week. In it there were about a dozen bug fixes and a few major gameplay changes (full list below). It is nice that Xbox Live allows for games with bugs to get fixed, but really I’d prefer that companies test their games better so updates are not needed. I can understand the need for some updates to combat rampant cheating – like Halo 2 had before the first update. What I don’t understand is why they thought it would be a good idea to change the gameplay mechanics. Specifically, why they would change the accuracy of the weapons after the game has been out for months. It is not like they just changed one or two guns either. They changed pretty much all of them. Yes, the shotguns were to accurate at longer ranges, but are easily to combat with grenades. Or, even easier, turn them off in the game setup. Besides the shotguns, the other guns were pretty well balanced. I played a few matches right after the update was released and the Assault Rifles seem a lot more powerful than before and the SMGs are now pretty much worthless. With all of these changes, I’ll have to go back and try them all again to find what works best.

Ubisoft, get it right the first time or accept your mistakes. Don’t make major gameplay changes months after release. Bug fixes are fine. Additional maps and game types are great. But not changes to something that is part of the core gameplay like weapon accuracy.

RSV X360 Title Update
Here’s a list of what’s been changed in this version:

Bug Fixes:
> Optimized the network replication of custom faces. You should see everyone’s custom face much faster in an online match.
> Fixed a bug where you can get stuck on a ladder in Border Town.
> Grenades no longer go through walls.
> Fixed the sound loop on weapons.
> Observers no longer cause a Team Unbalance penalty on experience points.
> Fixed a crash related to throwing an incendiary grenade and then quickly using your snake cam before it exploded.
> Leaderboards are now correctly updating results from ranked matches.
> Fixed a bug where you could lose your weapon.
> Killing terrorists with incendiary grenades now works correctly in Terrorist Hunt.
> C4 explosives are now properly seen by clients when placed on moveable objects.
> Players are now vulnerable to grenades when using mounted weapons.
> Fixed bugs related to the Survivor and Special Operations achievements.
> Host can no longer kick players once the match has started. Players can only be kicked in the lobby, or automatically kicked by excessive team-killing.

Gameplay Tweaks:
The weapons have been rebalanced based on the feedback you’ve given us. Thank you for your patience and continued support in making Rainbow Six Vegas the great multiplayer game that it is. Without further delay, here are the changes we’ve brought to the weapons:

Sub Machine Guns
SMGs are now less lethal at long ranges. The damage they do at long range has been reduced in order to bring them more in line with how this type of gun should behave. SMGs remain very lethal at short to medium range.

Assault Rifles
Assault Rifles are now where we wanted them to be. They’re more maneuverable than before and you can more accurately take aim at your target. The Assault Rifles excel at medium to long range when fired in short controlled bursts.

Light Machine Guns
The amount of recoil when firing light machine guns has been significantly reduced, therefore making them much more accurate than before. This weapon excels when fired from a stationary position. It’s not meant to be a very manuverable weapon.

Shotguns
Damage at long range has been reduced for shotguns. However, they’re still extremely lethal at short range.

Sniper Rifles
Sniper Rifles have gotten the attention they deserve. Sniper Rifles are more accurate and benefit from an increase in damage. The key to being successful with a sniper rifle is to remain stationary when aiming at your target.

Gadgets
Frag Grenade: The explosive radius of the fragmentation grenade has been slightly reduced.
GPS Device: The scanning radius of the GPS has been slightly reduced, along with the number of uses it has.