Our fifth update for FHM2, version 2.5.39, has just been released.

To apply the update if you are playing the eSellerate version of the game, simply download the setup file and install it over your current installation. There is no need to uninstall or unlicense your current copy! However, you should quit the game before installing it, of course. If you are on Steam, the update should occur automatically, either as soon as we make the file available or when you launch the game, depending on your Steam settings.

Your existing savegames will be compatible with the updated game, but any fixes involving the database updates in the update will require a new start to be fully effective, and some of the update's fixes may not retroactively correct certain problems in existing saves.

General notes: We've done some more under-the-hood work in this version, in addition to the usual fixes and additions (but there are plenty of those as well.) Malte has rebuilt our playoff system, which, in the long run, is going to make the handling of things like multileague cups and international play much easier for us to implement. That ate a lot of coding time, but it'll be worth it. There'll be one more major update (i.e., not counting any smaller fixes we need to make) for FHM2 before we move on to full-time work on FHM3. It'll be coming sometime after the NHL trade deadline, so the "Current" version of the rosters will have all the final roster moves. The database in this build is about a week behind the current data - for the NHL, everything including and after the Connauton waiver pickup on the 13th won't be in it yet, but earlier moves (i.e. Jones-Johansen) are there. So John Scott's still a Coyote and if you're running the Oilers, you're not committed to using $4.1 million in cap space for the next three years on Cam Talbot...yet.

Known issue: There seems to be an ongoing, but very intermittent, problem with facegen pictures occasionally not updating the jersey correctly when a player changes teams. We've had it happen to testers, but so far haven't been able to replicate it on our development systems. If you see it happen in your game, we'd very much appreciate a copy of the savegame; the more of those we see the more likely we'll be able to nail down exactly what's causing it.

Changes:

1. Major internal adjustments to the internal handling of playoffs. Most of this won't be immediately apparent in the game, but lays the ground for better handling of playoffs in the future; among other things, this will make multileague playoffs and European Cup-style tournaments much easier to implement in the future.

2. Playoff brackets from past seasons can now be viewed (seasons that occurred in-game only, historical playoffs not shown yet.)

3. Historical playoff stats now totalled separately.

4. The AI should no longer re-sign players it hasn't been playing regularly unless they have significant potential.

5. Later draft updates from the head scout should now update the order of the players based on the most recent scouting information; if that scout has a scouting assignment based on current ability, that will be the sort order used, otherwise it will be based on potential.

6. Scouts assigned to the KHL draft should now target more appropriate countries.

7. When playing as a farm team, players demoted to your team will now be scouted at the highest level when they arrive.

8. Åland Islands should no longer produce so many top-quality players.

9. League names in the league history should now have the correct historical name for the league (e.g. Western Canada Hockey League for the WHL from 1968-1978, SM-Liiga for Liiga prior to 2013, etc.)

New Additions:

10. VHL (Russian second division) added as a playable league.

11. Career stats added for most skaters in the AHL, OHL, ECHL, EPIHL, and Ligue Magnus. Still have a backlog of a few more of these ready to go in.

12. Clicking on the Eliteprospects logo on a player's career stats page will now open his Eliteprospects webpage in your default browser (if the player has his EP ID number in the database - we're still in the process of getting those in, but most current players should have them.)

13. Shortlists can now be cleared with one click.

14. "Impending Free Agents" added as a scouting target.

15. Minimum GP filter added to the Player Stats screen.

16. In multiplayer, commissioners can now remove GM's from the game/GM list.

17. Commissioner can now retire players via a check-box on the player edit screen (click it and save and the player will retire; note that this can't be used to un-retire players as their edit screen will point to a newer player, as the active player ID numbers are re-used when a player retires.)

Bug Fixes:

18. Crash during the all-star game fixed.

19. Team files during multiplayer play should no longer become excessive.

20. When a coach retires, a human GM should now be able to hire a replacement properly.

21. Edits to the player dressed information should no longer fail to save at times.

22. Historical playoff stats no longer mis-labeled with NHL as the league, regardless of league.

23. Players contracts should no longer auto-renew under certain circumstances.

24. Fixed problem where playoffs may not start in a league that has been expanded that year.

25. Stats in award history for the Playoff MVP award will no longer be lost at the end of the season.

26. Waiver claims by the user's team will no longer re-activate if the player is claimed successfully by another team and then waived again at some point in the future.

27. Fixed crash when using the back button to return from the player ratings screen to a game report.

28. MHL (Russian junior) players should now leave the league at the appropriate age.

29. Some PM's will no longer be lost in multiplayer games.

30. Occasional crash during June 30-July 1 transition fixed.

31. Training settings should save reliably in multiplayer.

32. Creating and loading a quickstart should no longer result in one team being renamed with a name from the German league.

33. European teams will no longer hire multiple GM's in some circumstances.

34. Crash while viewing some parts of defunct team histories fixed.

35. Occasional crash just prior to the season start fixed.

36. Some leaders categories will no longer appear unlabeled when using 1920x1080 resolution.

37. Historical players will no longer occasionally start with a coachability rating of 0.

38. F12 button in both the Steam and eSellerate versions should now capture screenshots properly.

39. Unintended declines in player happiness in online leagues fixed.

40. NHL All-Star games should no longer be discontinued at certain expansion levels.

41. Trading ability of user-controlled teams should no longer occasionally fail to re-enable after the playoffs when the schedule is changed due to expansion.

42. Fixed possible crash when WHA becomes active in historical games.