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Hi friends,

can you hear it? It is season 7 knocking on the door. As we promised earlier, we have prepared an upgraded version of the game engine and new tactical options for you. It wasn't easy by any means. It took a long time to create theoretical background, to change the codes and then to test it in the simulator. We had to make sure the balance of the game remained intact while increasing your influence on the outcome of the game. Any change made to the engine has influence on other things within it and it can disturb the balance. We have announced the changes previously and I won't be going too much into details. You can read all about it in the guide. Especially in the Tactics section.

Apart from the announced changes, we have made some other adjustments, fixes and improvements that will contribute to a more realistic and enjoyable game. Here is a list of the major changes that we have made:

• 5 importance levels instead of 3
• the option to change importance in between periods based on the score
• the option to set special tactics for power plays and penalty kills
• the option to set ice time for each line
• change of faceoff calculations to reflect the faceoff relevant attributes more realistically
• increase of the influence of faceoffs on shot count
• improvement of the calculation of penalties
• new special influences of each of the 6 styles of play (more info in the guide)
• adjusted decrease of energy based on importance and ice time (more info in the guide)
• chemistry and experience gain for backup goalies (more info in the guide)
• decrease of fluctuation of team strength within the game
• cancelation of the so-called "goalie day" and implementation of goalie confidence (more info in the guide)
• changed the mechanism behind the calculation of goaltending strength (this has no influence on the engine, only on the way the goalie strength is presented to you. Your goaltending number will drop, so don't be shocked when you notice that.)

All of these changes will come into effect on Monday. We would like to make a few more minor adjustments during the season. We will keep you posted about that.

We believe that this new engine is not only more complex, but also more realistic and it is a new challenge for the experienced managers who have already mastered the current engine. Most importantly, it gives the managers more control over the results of their teams.

Another important change is that there will be no more ties in league games. The point system does not change at all. The only difference is, that if the score is tied at the end of overtime, the shootout follows to decide the game. Make sure you set your shootout players.

I would also like to remind you that come Monday, the first restricted free agents will hit the market. Make sure you have read the guide on free agents and that you have paid out all season bonuses.

Our objective for the next season is to find a way to motivate managers to move to higher leagues. Currently there are many teams who will lose on purpose just to stay in the lower division. We would like to put a stop to that.

Hint for today: If you are using one of our designs as your ice surface painting, you can buy this design so that you can change it and then apply it again for free. This way you will be able to use it the same way as if it was your own custom design.

Have a nice day!