<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><atom:link href="http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/newsrss.ashx" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><title><![CDATA[ Mystify Soccer - News Articles ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx</link><description>Latest updates regarding Mystify Soccer</description><ttl>15</ttl><item><title><![CDATA[ Weekly update time moved ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=67</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-67</guid><description><![CDATA[ The next league games will be played at 11am UK time this Friday as opposed to 5pm as usual. This is for this week only.

Also, there are changes to salaries for players that I am hoping will occur at some point this week. I will supply an update if and when but don't panic, salaries will stay very similar for the time being. They will just be stored as a value as opposed to being worked out according to a players rating. More later this week hopefully. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:20:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Player retirements ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=66</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-66</guid><description><![CDATA[ I've just read a little of the messageboard about player retirements and the fact they are decided over more than 1 week now.

This did get changed a while ago - I think last season although I can't remember exactly - and it is now the case that retirement decisions can happen over several weeks. I am pretty sure it was put in a news article at the time.

What I don't think I have done though is put the information in the rules and I will endeavour to do this over the weekend so it will be uploaded when I next update.

The rules are slightly invalid at the moment due to the number of changes in the game but I will re-visit them fully once I have the new game engine in place. Incidentally, I am hoping to start on actually implementing this once I have finished the new training system. See the development blog for more about this.

So basically this is an apology for the rules not containing retirement details. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:08:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Youth academy ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=65</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-65</guid><description><![CDATA[ You'll be pleased to now that I have now finished the new youth academy and will now move onto other developments.

I can't launch it yet but it is waiting along with the new scouting system to be implemented once I have changed the game engine over to the new ratings.

I have updated the rules on the site which may be confusing for new managers but if I don't do that now I'll probably forget! Plus I am hoping it will force me to move a bit quicker. If you do read the brief rules then it should give you an idea of how it will work once it comes into play.

My next development is to improve the current system of dishing out national cup prize money. The European cups will have to wait a while but I want to reward each stage of the National cups rather than just the winners and runners-up.

Therefore I shall be lowering the final prize money a little and giving prizes for winning each round. Even though the winners will receive slightly less than the £2,500,000 that they currently do for winning the actual final, overall they will have received a lot more as they have gone along. I hope this makes sense.

I know implementing this during a season isn't ideal but nobody will lose out and the teams still in the cups will only gain. I feel little changes like this are worth putting in as you can actually see them come in, unlike the bigger developments I am doing behind the scenes that nobody can see at the moment.

I'm hoping it won't take me too long to implement this so I can then continue onto my next overhaul which will be the player training system. ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:06:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Site update ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=64</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-64</guid><description><![CDATA[ I've just realised that the site was down for the last 12 hours. I have now got it back up and running (as you can hopefully tell).

I made some changes to the code behind the scenes last night to clear up a few minor bugs and to try and improve the page loading time in some cases. Stupidly, I didn't upload it correctly but all should be sorted now.

If you do find anything not working that worked before then please let me know as soon as possible - it may well be that I have taken my 'clean up' too far!

There are some new features that I have completed but these aren't ready to bring into play yet so I haven't uploaded them. There are some details of these on the development blog. I am current working on the youth academy and hope to do more of it this weekend. I'm currently at the stage of being able to change the position of a player and then I have to do the training part of the youth academy.

Once this is done, I have to create a new player training page to replace the current 'Extra training' thing and then I think I can start bringing the new game engine into play. This is all to be confirmed though - I'll continue with the youth academy for now. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:11:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Merry Christmas! ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=63</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-63</guid><description><![CDATA[ Merry Christmas to you all!

I know updates have been scarce recently but I do hope to start on them again soon. 

Games shall be run tomorrow evening and then on New Years eve but the site will state the dates and times for your benefit.

Hope you all have a great Christmas!

2010 is almost upon us......

Wayne ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:59:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Player ratings ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=62</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-62</guid><description><![CDATA[ Just a quick update to apologise for the lack of upgrade work recently. My private work life got quite busy a few weeks ago and I've been tied up with that. I'm hopeful that I can get some more done once the holiday period begins.

I figured I should also drop a quick update to respond to some of the complaints that seem to have been posted on the notice board recently regarding player ratings.

The player rating system has not changed in years so the rating drops and increases are the same as they ever have been. There is a new rating system due to come in, as you probably know, but I have done nothing with this for a while so the game is still using the tried and tested ratings. 

If you feel you are having extra drops and less increases then I can't give you an explanation. The system is the same and will stay the same until the 1 - 20 rating disappears. The new system will work far better and far more logically than the current system which has been poor for years. Any complaints about it just mean my point about it being a poor system is being proved right, despite the fact some managers want it keeping.

Anyway, here's hoping I can get it properly phased out over the next few months. I appreciate your patience. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:46:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ End of season 18 ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=61</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-61</guid><description><![CDATA[ Another season finishes and, for a change, I can say I have managed to get some changes implemented during it. I'm hopeful the next season will bring some more - hopefully including the big one of the new match engine. I've had a couple of weeks not really doing much on it just as a breather but I hope to continue making changes soon.

One thing that seems to be cropping up with a few queries at the moment is prize money and I do intend to increase the distribution of this for the end of next season for both league and cup. As usual, I will let you know as and when this has been done but the current prize money is on display in the rules as it always has been.

Season 19 will be starting on Monday night. The site may be down for a little on Monday evening because of this. I have a change to the fixtures that I need to make so that I can make team name changes going forward and I may well make the Belgian team name changes that I mentioned a few weeks ago as well. If not, these will be done sometime soon.

Congratulations to all the successful teams again - once I bring the new match engine in, I hope it's more of a challenge for you! ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:39:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ New sponsorship system ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=60</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-60</guid><description><![CDATA[ A new sponsorship system is now in place. 

Unless you currently have no sponsor then you probably won't notice any change but once your current deal expires then you should notice a difference.

More offers should be available and you will have more time to select a deal as each offer lasts for 4 weeks.

Added to this, there are 2 different kinds of deals. One is an up-front payment as previously was the case for all sponsorship. The other is an option to have a weekly payment.

It is up to you which one you choose and for how long. Some may prefer a short deal with a small up-front payments whereas others may prefer a long deal with weekly payments. The rules have been updated as appropriate.

Also, behind the scenes, this is yet another improvement which means I can clean out some 'old' database structure which in turn helps other aspects of the game. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:39:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Discipline fines and comment ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=59</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-59</guid><description><![CDATA[ I have just made a minor update to the site to include disciplinary fines.

Exact details are in the rules (financial) but basically, you will now be fined for picking up too many cards in a game, and over a season. 

I have also added a few extra stats to a player's details in terms of career statistics.

I'm now currently working on improving the sponsorship aspect of the game which I hope to have in play over the next week or so.

I've also just been reading the messageboard posts about it becoming too complex and time consuming followed by one stating results are predictable. Strangely, the main reason for the changes is so that it becomes less predictable.

I know some managers like the simplicity of a single rating - however this means there's not much to work with in terms of result generation and those sad people who cheat only have one factor to work with.

I don't want to over complicate it and the skills you see now are where it will end - I have no intention of adding lots more data for players, not for managers to see anyway. 

Apart from the new skills, there will be more positions but then that is it. You are still selecting 11 players every match with a formation of your choice. In return you will receive a few more stats from your match in terms of possessions, corners and shots.

If you wish to spend 5 minutes a week then I don't see why you couldn't. Also, if you want to spend longer then you still can.

The youth academy and training systems need upgrading but I have no intention of over complicating these. Just making them fit with the new skills and adding some niceties that you only need to check on as and when you feel like it.

I don't feel that it will become too complex and I intend to keep things as simple as possible. I find games more fun to play when they are a bit of a challenge rather than just aiming for a team of 20 rated players where the same teams win all the time. Unfortunately I'm sure some of you will disagree but there's not much I can do about that. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:01:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Further game updates ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=58</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-58</guid><description><![CDATA[ I have just uploaded a few more game changes which I have listed below. I'm working my way through the ideas on the blog as well as adding minor features and functionality that I have had in mind for a while. I'll continue to do this for a bit and upload the changes in batches before I continue the more major development. 

The first minor change is to show each team's recent form on the league table page. Just an at a glance view of their resent results.

The second change is for players to now be removed from the transfer list after they have been on there for 4 weeks and remove a teams' players from it when their manager leaves from the game. This should keep the list fresh and more up-to-date. If one of your players is removed you can always add him again.

I have also come up with a system to improve the transfer pool. Any low rated players who had been given free transfers previously just stayed there forever as they were undesirable but I will now make these players more likely to be bid for by increasing their ratings. I did this last week which confused a few managers because they were taking player values and the new ratings into consideration. That is something I stated shouldn't be done but to make things easier this process will now be done before the player valuation and the new skills are set to match the rating.

On the messageboard you can now hover over a message line to get a glance at the first 200 characters of what the message is about. 

Finally, I have set an option on the manager details page for a manager to tick if they want to receive a message informing you of new news articles or inbox messages. This will run every 24 hours and if there is nothing then no email will be sent. However, any new unread message or article will trigger an email to your primary address to inform you that they exist.

Although the actual mail functionality is not in place yet as I am still building that. Hopefully it will be in place over the next week or so but feel free to tick it and you will receive mails once it is running. ]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:51:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Belgian team name reversal ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=57</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-57</guid><description><![CDATA[ I have just undone all the Belgian team name changes I have made this week.

This is because changing the team names mid season is something I should not do due to it messing up the league fixtures. Thankfully a manager has spotted it and let me know.

Therefore I have put the team names back and I will change them at the end of the season. I may also amend the game so that team name does not affect the fixtures. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:21:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ New ratings ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=56</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-56</guid><description><![CDATA[ Just a quick reminder that the new player ratings are NOT in play yet. I did say this on a previous news article but it must have been missed as there seems to be some confusion (and panic) on the messageboard.

I will let you know when and where they do start to come into play but at the moment just ignore them. They will be updated weekly according to each players rating but they are there to help me test new development.

That includes ratings in the transfer pool. More will be explained when I implement my next update.

Regarding managers panicking over the new ratings, the reasons for implementing them are plentiful. Including giving me the ability to add more details to the match reports. It also means those sad people who try to cheat don't necessarily know what players to 'acquire' to improve their team - at the moment the higher rating the better but in the future, do you need a striker with good heading ability or pace for your next match?

I guess some people just don't like change and panic without considering the benefits...... ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:31:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Belgian team names ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=55</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-55</guid><description><![CDATA[ I have updated the Belgian team names this week. 

Somebody quite correctly pointed out to me that a lot of the team names I had belonged to teams that are now no longer with us due to mergers or bankruptcy or who have slipped into the deepest darkest reaches of the Belgian football league pyramid. 

In the interests of realism and to have team names that people know really exist I felt they should be updated. It is probably something I should have done more regularly and maybe I will going forward.

I suspect similar occurences in other countries so over the next few months I aim to go through all the leagues. Eventually I hope to have shortened versions for certain pages too (i.e. Man Utd rather than Manchester United) but I'm just trying to get them updated first.

The Belgian teams now in place may also be tweaked as I continue researching the facts.

You can, of course, let me know if you find out your team no longer exists and I may update it earlier for you. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:27:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Game update ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=54</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-54</guid><description><![CDATA[ An update to the site has just been made. It includes a few little tweaks as well as an updated messageboard.

The new messageboard now enables replies to each individual message if managers wish to do so. I have noticed previous conversations occurring on the noticeboard where the messages get mixed up so I'm hoping this new format works better.

The site has also been increased in width by 100 pixels. This is to allow future stats to fit on the screen easier. It may well increase again in the future but never to over 1000 wide as I appreciate there are some small screens in use.

The financial screen now displays a weekly total so you can see the overall profit or loss for the selected week.

I have stopped messages arriving to your inbox when you list or de-list a player on the transfer list along with the messages regarding transfer pool bids. I feel these aren't needed as you have just carried out the action in question.

I have moved the scouting link to be around the transfer section. I have written a brand new scout section for the site and this is where it will be placed once launched so I've moved the current link to get you used to it. Head over to the development blog mentioned below to find out more.

Managers signed into the site will also see an added link at the top of the page to a development blog. This blog is for me to give you a better idea of what is going on with the game behind the scenes and for you to have input if you so wish. I could have built something into the site to do this but I like the idea of it being totally separate and you can choose whether to be involved or not without it taking up a large section of the site.

On the blog, I intend to display screen shots and perhaps better descriptions of features that are being developed. I will also post ideas that managers have supplied me on there so I can perhaps get extra feedback before developing them. I will also give reasons why certain things won't be done.

One current change that you may be interested in is team names being updated. Head over to the blog to find out more.

Please continue to mail me any ideas and questions you have privately - if I feel they are worthy of greater debate I shall use the blog. Alternatively I will reply as normal. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:30:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ New player skills ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=53</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-53</guid><description><![CDATA[ You may now notice that values have been added to the player skills of handling, tackling, passing, dribbling, heading and shooting.

At the moment they can be ignored but slowly over time, systems within the game will be changing over to use them instead of the rating.

Until this changeover is fully complete the player rating will be assigned a set of relevant skills. Youth players will be set to zero skills upon signing. The skills will be updated weekly to match the ratings.

I will let you know which systems use the new skills instead of the rating as and when they are changed. the new scouting system will probably be the first to use them and not the rating.

Eventually, the rating value will be no more and the whole game will use the new skills. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:43:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ New scouting system completed ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=52</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-52</guid><description><![CDATA[ Well it has been, only you can't see it in action yet as it only scouts the new ratings.

This is really just an update to let you know that things are continuing behind the scenes.

When it does get launched, I'm sure you will find it a big improvement on the current system as you can hire scouts of differing abilities (and costs)and view their report as many times as you like.

I've also made other little tweaks in the site that improve the navigation around the game and even increased the width so that I can fit more data on the screens going forward. I have also made the new team selection page!

It can't really be launched until the new ratings start to be used - I'm just working out how best to do a cross over. There will probably be some complex period where both are used but I will let you know which are being used where when it gets to that stage.

Next I'm going to improve the notice board to make it more thread based. After that, I intend to add something that clears players out of the transfer list after a set number of weeks. Probably 10 weeks.

I'm hoping to get those both done this week so I can then move onto the next stage of rating changeover. I shall keep you informed. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:33:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Player retiring bug ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=51</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-51</guid><description><![CDATA[ Apologies for my lack of progress recently. Hopefully I can continue things soon.

Just thought I'd drop a quick note to mention that some of you will have had messages about players retiring the week before last that were invalid.

If the player is really retiring it will say in your player details. If nothing is mentioned in there then it was an error and the message shouldn't have been received by you.

It was fixed a few days after it happened though so messages from now on should be valid.

Just so you are aware, I am working on the scouting aspects of the game as and when I get moments to do so. Therefore I expect this to be the next change.

Loads more are planned though. Don't think that will be the end of it. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:28:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Player and Team links ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=50</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-50</guid><description><![CDATA[ I’ve just performed another update/upgrade on the site.

This is to make it more usable in terms of navigation. You can now click on player and team names to get taken to a page that displays information about the relevant team or player.

Your team page can also be accessed by clicking your team name at the top of the page and it will give you a list of your fixtures along with other brief team data. If you are viewing another team then you can view their squad too.

Players skills are hidden unless they are available for transfer or they have been offered as a swap deal, in which case only the ‘other’ team can see them.

I think it should all be self explanatory but contact me if not.

Scouting will be another system that will be improved in the future too but for now it is still in play for you to find out player ratings of other players.

Also altered with this update is the tactics screen but this is not actually ‘in play’ yet, or rather, the new tactics aren’t. Selecting a new tactic now will link back to the old tactics as below:

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Aggression</span>
1-3 = Week
4-5 = Average
6-7 = Above Average
8 = Strong
9 = Very Strong
10 = Rock Hard

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Attacking</span>
Long Ball = Direct Ball
Passing = Short Passing
Wingers = Use Wingers
Mixed = Short Passing

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Defensive</span>
Offside = Offside Trap
Sweeper = Sweeper System
Counter = Offside Trap

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Overall</span>
All Out Defend = Defensive
Defend = Defensive
Balanced = Balanced
Attack = Attacking
All Out attack = Attacking ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:14:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Player ratings ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=49</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-49</guid><description><![CDATA[ You may have noticed extra details added to your players over the last few days. These include extra abilities like heading and tackling as well as a player morale/happiness rating.

You can ignore these for the moment. I am just implementing them into the site for the future. The current player rating will eventually be removed and the new ones will be used instead. 

As you can appreciate it will be a major change to the game and because of this there will be some crossover where both have to be displayed. However, only one will be used at any time. 

When the new ones are ready for use you will suddenly see them populated with their true values and the current rating will go to 0. I'll also update the rules and post a news article about it. The player morale may actually be implemented at an even later date depending on timescales which is why all players are averagely happy for the moment - it means no team can gain.

Once the new ratings are working fine the old rating will be removed for good.

I am implementing the view of these ratings so that you can get used to where they will appear throughout the game. Just for your interest, once implemented they will go up to 100 as opposed to the current 20.

Hopefully all will go well. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:58:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Financial details and TV matches ]]></title><link>http://www.mystify.co.uk/info/news.aspx?ArticleID=48</link><guid isPermaLink="false">MystifySoccer-48</guid><description><![CDATA[ Over the last few days I have implemented changes with regard team finances and in the televised match system. 

I know these changes may seem quite minor but making the changes now means that future game additions will work better.

If you haven't spotted the finance changes then take a look at your team finances page to see the system in action. Now, instead of just a very brief update as to what your finances have done this season you get the data broken down into categories (which could well be added to as the game progresses) and the precise detail broken down by week. 

I'm hoping this will enable managers to get a better idea of what is happening with their team's cash. I have also displayed the bank balance at the top of the page throughout the site which should help managers with regards to transfers and other financial decisions.

There are more changes to come financially involving the actual amounts for current income and expenditure costs as well as additional ways to make and lose money. For now though, the values are the same, just the layout improved.

The next change I have made is regarding televised matches. Now, instead of being random every week there is a plan. Every 5 weeks the TV company will decide on the televised matches for the next 5 weeks. At the beginning of the season these will still be random but as the season progresses there is a system in place to make sure teams have at least 1 home game (2 in the top division) during the season and then towards the season end, big matches should be preferred. This should be more realistic. You may also notice that there are now more games televised each week.

My next job is to automate the cup televised matches (as I manually select them at the moment) so you won't actually see any changes here. Then I will be working on improving the player retirements system. ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:22:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>