Draft Software Feedback

Surrender Dorothy · Post by **Surrender Dorothy** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 12:26 pm

Greg,

Here is some more feedback on the draft software so far:

(1) Indication of Which Owners are "On"

Right now, there is no indication as to who is in the draft room. For these slow drafts, it is really helpful to know who else is logged in.

(2) HTML Emails

The formatting of the emails that are sent after every pick is important. HTML emails allow us to easily see the different pieces of information, whereas the text emails are *much* harder to read.

(3) No "Help" or "Call Commish" button

The ability to click a button and notify greg/geoff/tom is also important for slow drafts - both for technical issues or to notify you of a pick that was texted or called in.

(4) Auto-Draft Functionality

I have really struggled so far with the concept of Auto Draft applied to each player instead of as a general setting. The simple ability to put my draft on Auto, as well as the ability to specify the max number of "Auto" picks to make, is vital.

(5) "Seconds" Indicator Missing From Draft Clock

Without the "seconds" counting down on the draft clock, the draft room seems "stale". I was having technical problems making my pick, and the lack of any type of "movement" in the draft really made me feel like the site was hung up. I realize that counting down seconds in a draft where each participant gets 12 hours to make a pick seems superfluous, but it would help reinforce to the users that the room is actually working.

(6) Indication of Which Owners are on Auto

Just like it is important to know which owners are "on", it would be nice to see which owners are on "auto".

(7) Mobile Notifications of My Turn to Pick

I love the new ability to receive a text after each pick, but IMO this is a bit of overkill. For a slow draft, that means I get 500 texts over a month, or just enough for me to learn to ignore them. But to have the ability to get a text when it is my turn is just the type of nudge that can pick up the pace of a *really* slow slow draft.

(8) Remove the "Live Draft Started" and "Live Draft Stopped" from Picks List

I think this is technical information is not needed in this area, and it makes it hard to read the list of picks that have been made.

(9) Increase the Size of the Draft Queue

I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I don't think there is near enough space dedicated to the draft queue. For these slow drafts, I like to queue up a list of 20-30 players - basically treating it like a "sub-pool" of players to pick from. It is *really* hard to scroll through a list of 20-30 players when you can only see 6 at a time.

(10) No Time Stamp on the Chat

Without a timestamp on the chat items, I really have no idea as to the "freshness" of the chat. Combined with no ability to see who is on, the current draft room really feels like a ghost town. I don't know whether to stay, so I will most likely leave. In a slow draft, this is a recipe for disaster.

Thanks,

Jarobi

EliGrimmett · Post by **EliGrimmett** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 12:54 pm

For what it's worth, I agree 100% with all these suggestions.

Cornhusker · Post by **Cornhusker** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 1:04 pm

The autodraft settings must have an "autodraft 1 pick" setting similar to what RTS and MFL have for their drafts. Otherwise you can't really use autodraft when you are near the turn.

Secondly, a draft room app for Adroid and IPhone is a must, but I understand this may not happen this year.

Nevadaman · Post by **Nevadaman** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 1:27 pm

Great comments by Jarobi. I assumed the new software would improve on Mock Draft central, but it appears we may be headed 3 steps backwards again. Are the fanball techs really this crappy? (Rhetorical question)It should be easy to see what's been done and improve on it, or at least copy it for crissakes! I will keep my fingers crossed, but I suspect this will be a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG Draft!

Red Sox Nation · Post by **Red Sox Nation** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:12 pm

Get the tech crew on an app for the Smartphone. Smartphones are too popular to not be participating. Not having an application is holding me back from slow drafts. Thanks

Walla Walla · Post by **Walla Walla** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:57 pm

It's nice having this year off. No worries be happy!

Dak · Post by **Dak** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 1:30 am

Originally posted by Jarobi:

Greg,

Here is some more feedback on the draft software so far:

(1) Indication of Which Owners are "On"

Right now, there is no indication as to who is in the draft room. For these slow drafts, it is really helpful to know who else is logged in.

(2) HTML Emails

The formatting of the emails that are sent after every pick is important. HTML emails allow us to easily see the different pieces of information, whereas the text emails are *much* harder to read.

(3) No "Help" or "Call Commish" button

The ability to click a button and notify greg/geoff/tom is also important for slow drafts - both for technical issues or to notify you of a pick that was texted or called in.

(4) Auto-Draft Functionality

I have really struggled so far with the concept of Auto Draft applied to each player instead of as a general setting. The simple ability to put my draft on Auto, as well as the ability to specify the max number of "Auto" picks to make, is vital.

(5) "Seconds" Indicator Missing From Draft Clock

Without the "seconds" counting down on the draft clock, the draft room seems "stale". I was having technical problems making my pick, and the lack of any type of "movement" in the draft really made me feel like the site was hung up. I realize that counting down seconds in a draft where each participant gets 12 hours to make a pick seems superfluous, but it would help reinforce to the users that the room is actually working.

(6) Indication of Which Owners are on Auto

Just like it is important to know which owners are "on", it would be nice to see which owners are on "auto".

(7) Mobile Notifications of My Turn to Pick

I love the new ability to receive a text after each pick, but IMO this is a bit of overkill. For a slow draft, that means I get 500 texts over a month, or just enough for me to learn to ignore them. But to have the ability to get a text when it is my turn is just the type of nudge that can pick up the pace of a *really* slow slow draft.

(8) Remove the "Live Draft Started" and "Live Draft Stopped" from Picks List

I think this is technical information is not needed in this area, and it makes it hard to read the list of picks that have been made.

(9) Increase the Size of the Draft Queue

I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I don't think there is near enough space dedicated to the draft queue. For these slow drafts, I like to queue up a list of 20-30 players - basically treating it like a "sub-pool" of players to pick from. It is *really* hard to scroll through a list of 20-30 players when you can only see 6 at a time.

(10) No Time Stamp on the Chat

Without a timestamp on the chat items, I really have no idea as to the "freshness" of the chat. Combined with no ability to see who is on, the current draft room really feels like a ghost town. I don't know whether to stay, so I will most likely leave. In a slow draft, this is a recipe for disaster.

Thanks,

Jarobi Thought all these points would be basic inclusions for a draft room!??!

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:21 am

I don't mean to be critical, but I have to agree. MDC is still far superior. There must be a faster easier way to put together your own list, call commish button, way to see whole screen without scrolling (clock player pool, chat, and draft order), larger queue, Is there a way to see upcoming mock drafts beyond a few hours? Easier way to select which spot your drafting in and see what others have signed up for (nobody seems to be signing up for any thus far as far as I've seen). These are just a few necesary improvements. I was critical last year for last minute changes. Now is the time to make changes while only slow drafts are affected. You can't wait till March. That's too late and asking for the problems of last years season start. All these s/b done by Jan 15 so you can work out the bugs and test test test. Nobody wanted to listen to me last year and it was infired I was just a complainer. There was a price for not listening. I love this game. I really really hope lessons were learned. More non welcome comments from the biggest complainer this side of Walla Walla.

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:53 am

Also of concern I noticed that when I practiced drafted (by myself) it had my name listed not my team name. Can others see who I am or just me. If others can see it's me, my mock drafting is over. some disagree, but I consider mock drafting essencial. It gives great practice on how to put teams together and what are your alternatives if things don't go as planned. Try different strategies etc. If this doesn't get better I have to go back to mdc which I don't want to do. Especially since this is the site and we won't be using mdc for real. I always thought mdc gave me an advantage in sat drafts. So far I feel at a disadvantage here and inclined to do less, not more, focasing more on live drafts than online ones. Simply don't like the site as is. Please consider the suggestions from my previous post.

JamesH · Post by **JamesH** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:12 am

I'm pretty sure the continued Fanball IT hangups will cost the NFBC participants in 2011. I for one was once extremely loyal to the NFBC and have decided to switch allegiances to the other provider. Sorry Greg and Tom,, but after seeing the initial reviews of draft room, the problems with the NFFC scoring, and going through last year's numerous NFBC problems, I've lost faith in the product. This is very basic stuff that Fanball continues to overlook or just get plain wrong. My confidence that the 2011 season will run better than last year is nil.

fbc · Post by **fbc** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 8:01 am

Originally posted by JamesH:

I'm pretty sure the continued Fanball IT hangups will cost the NFBC participants in 2011. I for one was once extremely loyal to the NFBC and have decided to switch allegiances to the other provider. Sorry Greg and Tom,, but after seeing the initial reviews of draft room, the problems with the NFFC scoring, and going through last year's numerous NFBC problems, I've lost faith in the product. This is very basic stuff that Fanball continues to overlook or just get plain wrong. My confidence that the 2011 season will run better than last year is nil. What's the other provider?

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 8:35 am

Originally posted by JamesH:

I'm pretty sure the continued Fanball IT hangups will cost the NFBC participants in 2011. I for one was once extremely loyal to the NFBC and have decided to switch allegiances to the other provider. Sorry Greg and Tom,, but after seeing the initial reviews of draft room, the problems with the NFFC scoring, and going through last year's numerous NFBC problems, I've lost faith in the product. This is very basic stuff that Fanball continues to overlook or just get plain wrong. My confidence that the 2011 season will run better than last year is nil. James, good luck to you in any game you choose this year. What can I say? If you don't have faith then don't play our game. It's as simple as that. As I've often said, you guys hold the keys. If you're not happy with us, there are other options. If we can't convince you that our software is solid going forward then don't play. We didn't have problems in the NFFC this year and we are upgrading NFBC software this off-season. Thanks for posting, but it's an easy choice for you and others who don't like what they see.

Good luck to you. We'll continue to improve everything we do here, continue to pay fast and continue with the best customer service. For some people that's not good enough, but that happens when there's competition. Good luck man. Sorry to lose you.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 8:38 am

Originally posted by Vander:

Also of concern I noticed that when I practiced drafted (by myself) it had my name listed not my team name. Can others see who I am or just me. If others can see it's me, my mock drafting is over. some disagree, but I consider mock drafting essencial. It gives great practice on how to put teams together and what are your alternatives if things don't go as planned. Try different strategies etc. If this doesn't get better I have to go back to mdc which I don't want to do. Especially since this is the site and we won't be using mdc for real. I always thought mdc gave me an advantage in sat drafts. So far I feel at a disadvantage here and inclined to do less, not more, focasing more on live drafts than online ones. Simply don't like the site as is. Please consider the suggestions from my previous post. Dave, right on the front page before you enter the Draft Room you can put any team name you want. Is that what you're asking about? Just make up a name there.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 8:43 am

Thanks for the list and many of those features you mentioned were part of the software last year and will be added shortly. We've had Who's On, Help, Call Commish buttons. I believe they are part of Geoff's Admin tools that are still being added. I'll get some input on that but obviously we need all of those as we prepare for live drafts, too. We'll update you when some of those features are added and they will be.

We appreciate all feedback. You're helping us not hurting anything. Well, I'm not sure Walla Walla is helping anything, but at least we keep him somewhat happy by letting him vent.

Thanks again for the post.

JohnP · Post by **JohnP** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:18 am

I think some of the negativity by James and others is mostly a result of a perceived lack of progress on the software side. This frustration stems from many of us providing most of this very same "list of improvements" almost a year ago. I think most of the NFBC family recognizes the good points about this contest and this format. They acknowledge the fast pay. They acknowledge the great customers service that you guys (Greg and Tom) provide. They love the open forum that these boards provide. They recognize the talented folks that are on board such as Geoff and others. But....I don't think it is unreasonable at all for the customer to expect some of those improvements that were suggested a year ago to have been accomplished by now. For crying out loud, we have a slow draft going right now that wants to go back to email because the experience is so bad? That, in itself, should speak volumes. I am not a programmer so I don't really know what all goes into this stuff but the fixes seem pretty simple and based on how fast your crew is able to change things when they want to or when Ryan tells them to as demonstrated from time to time in the past.....seems to be a matter of direction and resources rather than a technical hurdle. Give us all a Christmas present and knock Jarobi's list down (and KJ's and others) so we can all enjoy some baseball drafting!

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:31 am

No, you are correct John, folks have the right to demand certain things and if they aren't done they have every right to leave for another contest. That's what I said. And if they are basing their decision right now on the Slow Draft software then that is certainly their choice. You are correct, maybe we should have delayed the start of the Slow Drafts until after football was finished so that we could install everything everyone is requesting. Maybe we should do that. But we thought we had a working tool that would easily get us through December Slow Drafts.

The Admin features that have been asked for are things we know we need for this software as well. Geoff needs it and that will all be there. But it's not there now and so it's time to quit? Okay, then we shouldn't have started these at all.

It seems like several of these Slow Drafts are working well and we'll look to build in some of those features as we go. We are knee deep in football playoffs now and making sure all of that is set up properly, but you are right, maybe we jumped the gun. Time to take a look at that and if folks feel email drafts are the way to go for 750 picks, go for it. I'll see what we can add shortly and post when I know more.

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:04 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

quote:Originally posted by Vander:

Also of concern I noticed that when I practiced drafted (by myself) it had my name listed not my team name. Can others see who I am or just me. If others can see it's me, my mock drafting is over. some disagree, but I consider mock drafting essencial. It gives great practice on how to put teams together and what are your alternatives if things don't go as planned. Try different strategies etc. If this doesn't get better I have to go back to mdc which I don't want to do. Especially since this is the site and we won't be using mdc for real. I always thought mdc gave me an advantage in sat drafts. So far I feel at a disadvantage here and inclined to do less, not more, focasing more on live drafts than online ones. Simply don't like the site as is. Please consider the suggestions from my previous post. Dave, right on the front page before you enter the Draft Room you can put any team name you want. Is that what you're asking about? Just make up a name there. [/QUOTE]I was able to enter a team name, but it still showed David V on topas the draft orders scroll as picks are made. That's fine but I was worried that others could see David V and not the team name which didn't show up till looking at the final draft. I do think it should show the team name rather than my name. Makes me worried whether justified or not. Happy things are not the finished product yet. Anxious for the the improvements though. How's Geoff doing?

Surrender Dorothy · Post by **Surrender Dorothy** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 12:29 pm

Greg,

Is there any chance of any of these suggestions getting implemented in the draft software?

The lack of indication as to "who is on" is a serious drag. The draft room is like a ghost town...

Cornhusker · Post by **Cornhusker** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:29 am

Can someone please explain how the autopick feature works? It is very cumbersome.

When you autopick are you choosing to auto the highest rated person on your list or is it only for the specific player that lights up? It is very confusing and I am skeptical to use it until I understand it.

Thanks

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:38 am

Originally posted by Cornhusker:

Can someone please explain how the autopick feature works? It is very cumbersome.

When you autopick are you choosing to auto the highest rated person on your list or is it only for the specific player that lights up? It is very confusing and I am skeptical to use it until I understand it.

Thanks If you are on autopick it should take the top player you have in your que. If you don't have anyone in your que, it should default to the top player in the default list. If you're seeing any different results than that, let me know. Thanks and good luck.

Asumijet · Post by **Asumijet** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:06 pm

Is there a way to download the draft results thus far? I tried to copy and paste the summary to no avail.

Lawrence Liebman · Post by **Lawrence Liebman** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 1:43 pm

I have seen several folks post about not being able to see who is online. If you click the Chat Pop-Up Icon on the bottom right (it may have a different name), it will show you who is online at that moment.

As for the auto-pick feature, it appears to work the same as MDC did last year.

I think part of the transition for some of us is that last year, a bunch of us hung out at the computer and chatted to fill the time. This year, folks are chatting, but most of the features to facilitate discussion are there.

Just some thoughts.

sandckaye · Post by **sandckaye** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:55 pm

Greg

Just a thought...Can you use the the names of the teams across the top of the draft room to see who, is on? You can highlight a player who is on in a bright green or red and keep whoever turn it is the same...I would think it would be easy to do and a lot eaiser for the players to see who is on

Stan

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 1:44 am

Originally posted by sandckaye:

Greg

Just a thought...Can you use the the names of the teams across the top of the draft room to see who, is on? You can highlight a player who is on in a bright green or red and keep whoever turn it is the same...I would think it would be easy to do and a lot eaiser for the players to see who is on

Stan Stan, I think we can do one better there. Last year we had a Who's On button and you could see everyone who is there. I'm not sure why we didn't include that here, but it's certainly been requested and is essential for Geoff and Tom when we run live drafts. We'll get that installed for everyone to use. That should help us all. Continued good luck in the Slow Drafts and let's keep those moving while having fun.

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 2:44 am

Greg I know I've beaten this to death, but another suggestion. Stop setting up drafts for every 10 minutes. Nobody is signed up for any of them. I created one for tomorrow and it can't even be seen. Just set up a few with some for the future not just for a few hours from now. People can then plan, see what's filling (if any), maybe some can get together and set stuff up. Mocking is a big part of my prep, not to mention fun. It's not helpful if nobody else signs up for any of these. Also as in a previous post, do you know when some of these improvements can be expected. Just so we have an idea of what can be expected and when. Best guess is good enough. I understand things in IT don't always happen perfectly according to schedule. Thanks and merry xmas to all.