With Y5S3 we'll make changes to our weapon optics by adding new sights and scopes, modifying existing scopes and redistributing them across all operators and weapons. On top of that we'll also provide you with more accessibility and customization options.

In this blog article we'll look into all the upcoming changes to optics, the motivations behind them and how they might affect the balancing of the game.

GLOSSARY

Throughout this article we'll be using the following terms:

• Optics: The general term used for any aiming devices.
• Sights: Aiming devices that provide no particular zoom level, such as the Red Dot or Holographic.
• Scopes: Aiming devices that provide a zoom level, like the ACOG.
• Reticle: The pattern of lines or markings built into the eyepiece of an aiming device.

CHANGES AND REDISTRIBUTION OF OPTICS

We'll be modifying two existing scopes as well as introducing four new sights and scopes to Siege: a new Red Dot option, a new Holographic option and 2 new scopes with different zoom level, a 1.5x and a 2.0x.
Due to these changes we'll also redistribute optics across the board, meaning with Y5S3 almost all operators and their guns have other options than before. You'll find more details on these changes and the redistribution further down this article.

The main driver of making the changes to Siege's optics was to provide more choices for you, our players. While not every weapon has access to every optic, we wanted to have a wider variety with more options to choose from. These changes will also bring a breath of fresh air to our gameplay – creating new experiences for all our players. With more options and new combinations available per operator and weapon we also hope players will try out weapons they might have discarded before and maybe even find new favorite guns or optics!

The changes will not only bring more variety for our players, they will also provide us with a new balancing tool for operators and weapons. Previously we only had one choice when it came to scopes: either the weapon gets an ACOG or not. But with the modifications to our existing scopes and through adding additional ones we will now have 4 scope options with different magnification to distribute to operators and their weapons: A 1.5x, 2.0x, 2.5x and a 3.0x. With more options overall, we'll also have more levers for some weapons that can be hard to balance, and they can also help us with creating even more unique roles for operators.

The initial redistribution of optics is a first proposition based on balancing and gameplay needs for the operators and their weapons. Certain weapon types will only have access to certain optics as well, the Scope 3.0x for example will be distributed to DMRs while the Scope 2.5x will be given to LMGs and Assault rifles. There are also some technical limitations we have to consider. The goal is to stay agile with the distribution and it can we tweaked depending on data and player's feedback from the Test Servers, so make sure to try it out and tell us what you think!

MODIFIED SCOPES

Scope 2.5x aka ACOG

The Scope 2.5x in Y5S2.3 (left) and Y5S3 (right).

For both versions of the ACOG, the NATO and the Russian one, we will change the zoom level from 3.0x to 2.5x. With Siege being more focused on short range kills and some players mentioning the ACOG feels a bit too zoomed in, we felt like reducing the magnification will be an improvement for this beloved scope. Nothing else will change for the ACOG, except that it will be referred to as the Scope 2.5x in the selection menu and it will also become less available. Check the new distribution further down the blog for more information on this.

Scope 3.0x

The Scope 3.0x in Y5S2.3 (left) and Y5S3 (right).

This scope, previously available on Capitão's and Gridlock's LMG, will keep its zoom level at 3.0x and therefore become the scope with the highest zoom level among the non-unique optics. In the menu it will be referred to as the Scope 3.0x. What we have modified on this scope is the reticle, we gave it a cleaner look which will make aiming at targets easier for players. Its distribution will change as well – it will become more available, mainly to operators with DMRs.

All the other optics not mentioned here won't be changed and therefore remain the same as before.

NEW SIGHTS & SCOPES

Red Dot Sight (M4S)

The M4S, our new Red Dot has a 1.0x zoom level, so it functions as a "no zoom" sight like the other Red Dots as well. It was added to provide our players with more options and we also see it as a quality of life change; the M4S is higher than the NATO Red Dot in-game, so we hope the Picatinny rail of the weapons receiving this new option won't show up on screen as much when ADS. For now, we'll only give it to some operators and weapons, but depending on its reception we might distribute it more broadly in the future.

Holographic Sight (MH1)

The MH1, our new Holographic Sight has a 1.0x zoom level as well, but it offers a fresh, clean look and a different reticle. Given how many of our players love the NATO Holo Sight, we wanted to provide them with another Holographic option that feels comfortable for them. We are quite interested in the performance of the new MH1, and while it will only be distributed to some operators and weapons at the beginning, we will distribute it more or less based on player feedback in the future.

Scope 1.5x

This new scope provides a 1.5x zoom level, therefore it will be referred to as the Scope 1.5x in the menu. It will bring a whole new magnification into Siege – a compromise between longer and shorter angles. We expect the Scope 1.5x to become one of the most favorite optics of our players, allowing them to engage in close quarters while still providing a comfortable zoom level to fight at the 10M range. (This is still the average value for engagement distances in Siege).

Scope 2.0x

This new scope brings a new medium range magnification into the game: A 2.0x zoom level, which will be referred to as the Scope 2.0x in the menu. This new option features a much slimmer frame compared to the overall thicker Scope 2.5x but it is trading this advantage for a blind spot on the top left. It will be distributed on longer range weapons like LMGs and Assault Rifles.

SELECTION MENU

Each weapon will have their own sights and scopes distribution, and not only per weapon but a combo of weapon and operator. You find an overview of the new distribution further down this article.

The Red Dot, Holographic and Reflex Sights will remain under their respective categories in the selection menu. Like before, the name of their tiles will stay the same while the icon will change to indicate which of the multiple options is available and will be equipped on the selected weapon.

Due to the different magnification of our scopes we'll have one dedicated tile for each zoom level in the selection menu. These tiles with their unique icons will be visible or not depending on if this zoom level is available on the selected weapon or not.

Here's an overview of all the tiles in the selection menu and which non-unique optics they will include:

None

Those are iron sights; they don't have an icon in the menu as their look changes depending on the selected weapon.

Red Dot

This tile will be for the 1.0x Red Dot Sight options.

Possible cases:

• NATO
• Russian
• M4S

Holographic

This tile will be for the 1.0x Holographic Sights.

Possible cases:

• NATO
• Russian
• Razor
• MH1

Reflex

This tile will be for the 1.0x Reflex Sights.

Possible cases:

• NATO
• Russian

Scope 1.5x

This tile will be for the 1.5x Scope.

• 

Scope 2.0x

This tile will be for the 2.0x Scope.

• 

Scope 2.5x

This tile will be for the 2.5x Scope.

Possible Cases:

• NATO
• Russian

Scope 3.0x

This tile will be for the 3.0x Scope.

• 

NEW DISTRIBUTION PER OPERATOR AND WEAPON

Attacker

Defender

__Please note: __

• This optics redistribution will only affect the primary weapons and not the secondary ones.
• A few operators are not included in these assets: Kali as she only has her unique scope on the CSRX 300 and Blitz, Montagne & Clash as their only primary option is their shield.

Click here or on the assets above to download high res PDFs of the new optics distribution.

ACCESSIBILITY: CUSTOMIZABLE OPTIC COLOR

Player accessibility is important to us and the continued growth of Siege, as we want it to be a game anyone can enjoy.

We are aware that players who are colorblind or visually impaired might encounter difficulties with focusing and targeting when shooting. Through adding a new feature which allows to change the reticle color and opacity of our optics we want to improve the shooting experience and increase player comfort for all our players. This is a first step in our vision for greater accessibility and we intent to develop and implement more options and features like this in the future.

In the options menu of the game we are going to have a new tab called "ACCESSIBILITY". Under this tab you'll find the new optic color feature.

Choose one of five settings which include several predefined color options adapted to different forms of color blindness, a default option and a custom option to adjust the reticle color of all your optics*:

• Default
  • Optic Color: Default
  • Optic Opacity: 100%
• Deuteranopia
  • Optic Color: Predefined (Blue)
  • Optic Opacity: 100%
• Protanopia
  • Optic Color: Predefined (Yellow)
  • Optic Opacity: 100%
• Tritanopia
  • Optic Color: Predefined (Turquoise)
  • Optic Opacity: 100%
• Custom
  • Optic Color: Choose your preferred color from a selection of 12 colors
  • Optic Opacity: Adjustable in a range from 20% to 100%

*The optics on Kali's CSRX 300 and Capitão's Crossbow will be included in this feature at some later point.

We aim to increase the comfort level for all our players and ensure everyone has the best experience possible. Because of that we also intend to implement an option in the menu which will allow players to preview their chosen color settings to get a better look and feel of the optic variables before making their choice. We currently plan to include this in a future update, so stay tuned!

ADS SENSITIVITY UPDATE

We've heard your feedback about the feeling of inconsistency between different optics when aiming down sight and the wish for more control over your ADS Sensitivity settings. To address this, we're going to make some changes to the Aim Down Sights (ADS) Sensitivity system with Y5S3:

GAMEPLAY

The inconsistent feeling when using different optics was caused by different sources of FOV that affected the player's aim with sights and scopes. We've now made a gameplay change to compensate these FOVs, which will result in a more consistent movement across all FOVs and magnification level of our optics when aiming down sight.

(For the more technical players who are interested in what exactly has been changed: the zoom level are no longer based on a FOV ratio, but on focal length instead.)

MENU: CUSTOMIZABLE ADS SENSITIVITY PER ZOOM LEVEL

To give our players more control over their ADS Sensitivity settings when it comes to the different zoom level of Siege's optics, we've made some changes in the Controls tab of the Options menu.

Depending on the platform, players should now see a button with either "Mouse ADS Sensitivity" or "Controller ADS Sensitivity" through which they can access the game's ADS Sensitivity settings.

In this new panel you'll have the option to choose between Standard or Advanced ADS Sensitivity settings.

Standard ADS Sensitivity

The Standard setting will allow you to apply one ADS Sensitivity in a range from 1 to 100 (or keep the default setting of 50) for all the sights and scopes, no matter their magnification.

Advanced ADS Sensitivity

In the Advanced settings you'll now be able to change the ADS Sensitivity for all the different magnifications independently from each other through different sliders as shown in the asset above.

With these additional customization options, you'll have much more control over your preferred experience when aiming down sight.

Please note: Players with existing profiles will have their ADS Sensitivity settings automatically adjusted to preserve the feeling they were used to have prior to the patch. In order to benefit from the gameplay improvement for more consistency across all zoom levels that was mentioned above, they have to reset their ADS Sensitivity settings to default.

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WRAP-UP

We are aware that these are some big changes for Siege, and we understand they might feel a bit overwhelming at the beginning.
Nevertheless, we believe they will truly improve the game, its gameplay and the experiences of you, our players.

We hope this article helped you to familiarize yourselves with the upcoming changes to weapon sights and scopes; all of them are available on the Y5S3 Test Servers – make sure to try them out and play around with them!

We're looking forward to reading your feedback and thoughts about each of those changes on Twitter, Reddit, Facebook and on our forums.

Contributors

• R6 Siege Core Gameplay Modifications Cell
• R6 Siege Balancing Cell
• R6 Siege PC & Accessibility Cell
• R6 Siege Operators Cell
• R6 Siege Community Team