# Qualified grey-menu and penalty-shot beta — 2026-11-04-r2

The public download now uses the exact already-qualified ROM, SHA256 `89734acf17e7412e4b0aef71039cdcd4737231ba2fa801ccaece72f6eb794355`, CRC32 `2C608F83`. Its 472 native/test source hashes have canonical source-set SHA256 `58ff79db84a60e54628e7ac96cbf450f226b3d7984de1af8790f7275da4a772d`. This publication changes no native byte and runs no new native test matrix.

## What changed since the previous public beta

Grey menus use one consistent patterned background behind player names and values, retain original artwork and colours, and centre help inside the native frame. Change Goalie uses 32 visible columns; its complete Start Back help now fits. The 40-column menus retain their placement. All 86 paired menu/input screenshots were compared: 84 whole images are identical to failed testbuild 3; only the 2 H32 footer strips differ. The old clipped ROM is actively rejected by the new viewport test.

The native ordinary-team OVR scale is restored: fresh Edmonton 94, with improving declared trades reaching 99. Transfers apply the actual-roster mean delta to the original club grade, capped 99. Allstar still uses the selected players’ actual mean 82/82. Individual ratings, OVR-squared prices, the $16.042.000 starting budget, squad guards and buying power are unchanged. The automatic/manual replay continuation correction preserves the native 9CDC entry; pause/Line Editor/replay returns advance the real clock.

## Penalty shots and shootouts

Before the shooter first crosses the attacking blue line, movement is unrestricted. After that first crossing, forward and purely sideways movement are allowed. Any actual backward movement toward centre ice ends the attempt as a miss. The shooter’s position activates the rule, not the puck’s position or the direction the player is facing. The rule covers awarded penalty shots, overtime shootouts and standalone Shootout, in both attack directions, including CPU attempts where available. Existing possession, shot and retouch rules remain.

This is a penalty-shot attempt rule, not a change to ordinary two-minute penalties. Crossing strictly beyond the native blue-line coordinate activates it once per attempt. Input is not blocked: a backward move ends the attempt through the existing native miss path. Still images show the scene; native input/position traces verify movement and single-miss accounting.

## Qualification and honest limits

**128/128 required groups plus 13 supplemental groups pass.** The entire fresh 128-group matrix ran on this exact ROM. Its original batch had 127 pass and one test-capture admission failure: the old saved-photo window lacked a valid PP scene. All 15 preceding children passed, including the new 768-footer-context checks. Only 2 host fixture files changed; the complete affected 18-child refinements group then passed under the final 472-source freeze. Original PP/warning pixel, clock, audio, active-negative and native-frame requirements stayed byte-identical. Original failed reports remain preserved; no previous-ROM pass substitutes for a new check.

The shared final validator accepts the exact ROM and source set. 23 independent native builds, 7 fresh matched controls, exact rollback, original-base IPS reconstruction and extracted-source exact rebuild pass. 186 base native pictures plus 35 PP and 9 warning pictures were opened. Physical controllers, subjective feel and live jdc/Bodin multiplayer remain manual beta acceptance. One forced-period audio-test frame caught a partially drawn PP label; native continuation restored it within 30 frames. That transient is documented, not claimed as another fix.

[Current QA](QA_STATUS.json) · [Public identity, initial batch, complete affected group and reproducibility receipts](../../audits/h32-20261104-r2/) · [Current native pictures](../../audits/h32-20261104-r2/#screenshots).

## Website-only delivery

The exact qualified Downloads file, user RetroArch, saves, controller remaps and history are preserved. No local/Bodin installation, reset or frontend start was performed. This explicit website-only instruction overrides the older cross-machine fresh-save steps for this publication.

The centred latest-BIN button is first in the page content. The 101-word player introduction follows immediately above the existing 4:57 sound video. That film was actually recorded from 2026-11-03-r2, SHA 20793fce…; its bytes, chapters, sample-data labels and historical archive remain. It does not demonstrate the new grey menus or blue-line rule.