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It's Christmas in July - Draft Dominator software available for your desktop (1 Viewer)

David Dodds

Administrator
This was hard to do, but I couldn't be prouder of what our tech team has accomplished.  

They have rewritten our popular phone/tablet app in EXTJS (a javascript language) that has allowed us to port this award winning app to ALL platforms.

Yes, you read that right.  Subscribers can now use this software on their Macs, Windows and Linux machines.  

http://www.footballguys.com/footballguys-dominator-mobile.php

 
Don't I already have draft dominator on my desktop? :confused:

If it's different, which would I download for my windows desktop, 32 or 64 bit? or linux?  I'm clueless.  Thanks.

 
IIRC, the updated algorithms in the mobile app never made it to the desktop version of the DD.  This is something I've (and a few other people) have requested the last couple years.  This is awesome!  It's much more fun to draft with a monitor/laptop or multiple monitors than on a 5" phone screen; especially if it's an online draft.  One monitor has the DD, one monitor has the Yahoo/etc draft app.

 
Awesome! But the desktop app does not display any players on one computer but it does on another. Windows 7 seems ok but my windows 10 shows a blank screen in the players section.

 
Awesome! But the desktop app does not display any players on one computer but it does on another. Windows 7 seems ok but my windows 10 shows a blank screen in the players section.




 
interesting as I am running on Windows 10 here.  

 
To clarify on what exactly this is...

What has been the mobile Draft Dominator is now the Draft Dominator for all platforms. You'll get the same results on all devices now.

The DD Classic is still available but our recommended software is this new Draft Dominator.

The two programs have been inconsistent for some years now; while we've always said the mobile version was our latest algorithms, we always knew we needed to get this same app running on desktop.

And plus, for mac users, this is the exact same app - fully featured. Linux users too for those that use that platform instead of Windows or Mac, can also run the app.

 
Got it to run. Looks great.

I put my league settings in there (start 2 qb) and the rankings are completely different than the DD classic. It did seem like DD classic rankings were off this year. It had Newton listed 8th when clearly he'll go first.  Guys like Wilson were listed outside of top 20.  On this new (to me) DD app the rankings look "correct" with Newton/Rodgers listed 1-2 and wilson 5. All the set up, line up requirements, scoring, etc have been set to the same in each.  Wonder why the ranks are so different?

Thanks FBG's.  Love the new toy.

 
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Definitely going to take some getting used to.  The thing I loved about the Classic DD was that I could have a lot of different information visible on the screen at the same time.  That doesn't seem possible with the new app, instead I'll have to keep clicking back and forth which seems like a giant pain in the ###, to be honest.  But I don't like change in general so I'll give it some time to get used to it.

Edit: On the plus side, it looks great, it was actually able to accomodate some of the quirky scoring rules of my local league that the classic version couldn't, and it was much easier to put in all the keepers this morning.  :thumbsup:

 
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So I like the cloud settings, but I don't like them.  Much like last year all that is available on the cloud settings is the leagues in general.  I can't start a draft on my Ipad and then finish it on my laptop. Is there any possibility that with the new MyFBG coming out we will be able to import our settings and our rosters into the new dominator?  Other than that I love it and there are a lot of things that we have been wanting in the draft dominator for years available to us now on desktop.

 
Ignoratio Elenchi said:
Definitely going to take some getting used to.  The thing I loved about the Classic DD was that I could have a lot of different information visible on the screen at the same time.  That doesn't seem possible with the new app, instead I'll have to keep clicking back and forth which seems like a giant pain in the ###, to be honest.  But I don't like change in general so I'll give it some time to get used to it.

Edit: On the plus side, it looks great, it was actually able to accomodate some of the quirky scoring rules of my local league that the classic version couldn't, and it was much easier to put in all the keepers this morning.  :thumbsup:
I'm strongly in Ignoratio's camp.  You have provided me a mobile look on my large desktop monitor.  No options to show a multitude of views of my choosing to see all at a glance simultaneously.  And there is information on the screen, taking up real estate, I could care less about.  For example, do I really need to know Shane Vereen's weight during my draft?  There so much more valuable information I could place on my screen with the Classic.

Also, colors will be a big problem for me.  I cannot tell apart the background colors for the RB and WR icons or draft board slots.  The Classic let me pick colors which contrasted for my flavor of color blindness.   It makes a huge difference for some of us.  Huge!

 
I'm strongly in Ignoratio's camp.  You have provided me a mobile look on my large desktop monitor.  No options to show a multitude of views of my choosing to see all at a glance simultaneously.  And there is information on the screen, taking up real estate, I could care less about.  For example, do I really need to know Shane Vereen's weight during my draft?  There so much more valuable information I could place on my screen with the Classic.

Also, colors will be a big problem for me.  I cannot tell apart the background colors for the RB and WR icons or draft board slots.  The Classic let me pick colors which contrasted for my flavor of color blindness.   It makes a huge difference for some of us.  Huge!
Is classic still going to be available? 

 
Im sure they'll get the bugs worked out. I have the classic see no need to change at this point.

Tex

 
Haven't tried this but if this means multiple views/windows cannot simultaneously be viewed as has always been the case on desktop/laptop, that is a huge negative IMO. :thumbdown:

 
Hey guys. On the multiple windows thing, can you try to be more specific/constructive on what you're missing there? Ie, what kind of a setup would you use with DD Classic that is not available with this new app?

They may not have separate windows, but the players list, roster, shortlist, draft board, settings of all kinds, and player list pick entry can all be on the screen simultaneously.

 
Have not had time to mess around with this but the mobile app version worked well for me during my standard league draft.  If it takes more clicks to display notes and other information as others have been mentioning that would be a negative to me but I need to mess with it more.  Very cool though Simon and David.  :thumbup:

 
Hey guys. On the multiple windows thing, can you try to be more specific/constructive on what you're missing there? Ie, what kind of a setup would you use with DD Classic that is not available with this new app?

They may not have separate windows, but the players list, roster, shortlist, draft board, settings of all kinds, and player list pick entry can all be on the screen simultaneously.
What the best way to send you a screen shot, Simon?  If I could do that, it would show you what I'd typically have on my screen during an online draft, along with displaying the better contrasting colors I use with the desktop version.

 
Hey guys. On the multiple windows thing, can you try to be more specific/constructive on what you're missing there? Ie, what kind of a setup would you use with DD Classic that is not available with this new app?

They may not have separate windows, but the players list, roster, shortlist, draft board, settings of all kinds, and player list pick entry can all be on the screen simultaneously.
I don't have the old DD handy to compare, but off the top of my head, I always wanted the following displayed (don't remember the exact titles of the windows):

  1. Draft tracker
  2. Players available in VBD ranked order
  3. My team
  4. Best value window
  5. Table with the number of players drafted at each position for all teams
  6. Table with projected points for all teams
I downloaded the new app to my laptop this morning but have not had a chance to experiment with it yet. The interface is completely different from the classic, so it will take some experimenting to see everything that is displayable at once. At first glance, it didn't look like it was possible to display everything I listed above at once.

I agree with the comment above about displaying useless info like a player's weight on the main player list. Who needs/wants that? Not sure if there are other similar examples. But the point is to be able to maximize the display of useful information in a decluttered, easily readable format. Including something like weight just adds clutter.

Also, I'd be interested to understand more about the difference in algorithms between the app and the classic. I was unaware that I was getting what sounds like substandard algorithms by using the classic version last year. Without giving away the proprietary details, can you summarize how the algorithms in the app are improved?

 
Haven't tried this but if this means multiple views/windows cannot simultaneously be viewed as has always been the case on desktop/laptop, that is a huge negative IMO. :thumbdown:
we're going to ask that people try this thing out before passing judgement ;-) lots can be viewed simultaneously. Right now on the list in your last post, you will always have 1 & 2 on the screen. The best value window system is now integrated into the rankings system. If you wanted to alter its importance in the rankings, there's a settings area for that.

As it is right now, you choose between viewing your team or 5/6.

On the height/weight: this'll only show if you have the screen wide enough. If not, it's the very first thing that's hidden.

 
Just Win Baby said:
Also, I'd be interested to understand more about the difference in algorithms between the app and the classic. I was unaware that I was getting what sounds like substandard algorithms by using the classic version last year. Without giving away the proprietary details, can you summarize how the algorithms in the app are improved?
On the algorithm, I've copied some notes just below here. I think it's really important that we're clear that we believe both DD Classic and the new Draft Dominator are better than any other rankings system available. By no means is DD Classic substandard; it's as good as it's always been. But the new app has updated algorithms as detailed below.

The algorithm differs in its entirety (the two programs are coded in different languages), although it is still based on the same VBD principles.

The simplest three differences I can give are:

1) The new Draft Dominator handles flex positions better and handles split out IDP positions

2) The new Draft Dominator's algorithm accomodates and adjusts for the issue where by raw VBD, kickers and defense would be listed immediately after the last starting skill position player

3) The new Draft Dominator, out of the box, is more dynamic. It can rank via VBD, positional need or positional dropoff (having forecast the picks between your current and next picks). It can also adjust between most likely projections and upside projections. In auction drafts, it can adjust between studs and duds vs balanced roster strategies. Out of the box, the application will automatically adjust all of these strategies/sliders according to the stage of the draft, although you can disable this automation so they only change when you do so manually.
 
 
Crash and Walk Away said:
What the best way to send you a screen shot, Simon?  If I could do that, it would show you what I'd typically have on my screen during an online draft, along with displaying the better contrasting colors I use with the desktop version.
Here's a link to a screen shot of my typical Classic Draft Dominator setup:

Classic Draft Dominator Screen Shot

When first pulled up, it will ask you if you want to save it to  Dropbox.  At the bottom of the pop-up you have the option of "No thanks, continue to view ->" if you just want to view it.

First, I'll point out the color contrast.  For my eyes this is night and day more distinguishable than the new DD, esp. for the RB/WR positions, positions you most likely want to distinguish at a glance.  Note: It's not just color, but the contrast between colors.  I've shown both views to colleagues who work with web designs, and are fully color proficient.  They all mention the lack of contrast between the colors you use even though they can tell the colors apart.

As for screen real estate:

  • I can show the Player Pool and the Draft Board on the screen at the same time, whilst at the same time, seeing the current roster of the team on the clock.
  • In addition to the above, I can tell at a glance how many at each position have been taken by my draft mates.  This is helpful, especially when drafting with people you know, to predict which positions are likely to be taken between your current and next turn.
  • I also like the Best Value Pick module, using several of the columns to formulate my next/current pick.

 
Here's a link to a screen shot of my typical Classic Draft Dominator setup:

Classic Draft Dominator Screen Shot

When first pulled up, it will ask you if you want to save it to  Dropbox.  At the bottom of the pop-up you have the option of "No thanks, continue to view ->" if you just want to view it.

First, I'll point out the color contrast.  For my eyes this is night and day more distinguishable than the new DD, esp. for the RB/WR positions, positions you most likely want to distinguish at a glance.  Note: It's not just color, but the contrast between colors.  I've shown both views to colleagues who work with web designs, and are fully color proficient.  They all mention the lack of contrast between the colors you use even though they can tell the colors apart.

As for screen real estate:

  • I can show the Player Pool and the Draft Board on the screen at the same time, whilst at the same time, seeing the current roster of the team on the clock.
  • In addition to the above, I can tell at a glance how many at each position have been taken by my draft mates.  This is helpful, especially when drafting with people you know, to predict which positions are likely to be taken between your current and next turn.
  • I also like the Best Value Pick module, using several of the columns to formulate my next/current pick.
BINGO! Same screen view I use C&W Away  :hifive:

 
Here's a link to a screen shot of my typical Classic Draft Dominator setup:

Classic Draft Dominator Screen Shot

When first pulled up, it will ask you if you want to save it to  Dropbox.  At the bottom of the pop-up you have the option of "No thanks, continue to view ->" if you just want to view it.

First, I'll point out the color contrast.  For my eyes this is night and day more distinguishable than the new DD, esp. for the RB/WR positions, positions you most likely want to distinguish at a glance.  Note: It's not just color, but the contrast between colors.  I've shown both views to colleagues who work with web designs, and are fully color proficient.  They all mention the lack of contrast between the colors you use even though they can tell the colors apart.

As for screen real estate:

  • I can show the Player Pool and the Draft Board on the screen at the same time, whilst at the same time, seeing the current roster of the team on the clock.
  • In addition to the above, I can tell at a glance how many at each position have been taken by my draft mates.  This is helpful, especially when drafting with people you know, to predict which positions are likely to be taken between your current and next turn.
  • I also like the Best Value Pick module, using several of the columns to formulate my next/current pick.
This is very similar to my setup as well.  In particular, I want to be able to view the Team Stats and Team Data simultaneously, which I can't in the new version.  

Also +1 on the colors - for me the issue isn't necessarily the contrast between positions, but I find it very distracting to have the team colors directly next to the position colors.  It's very useful to have the positions identified by color; on the other hand, I know that the 49ers are red and gold and have no use for their team colors being displayed on screen.  

Also would like a roster view like the Classic Team Data (pictured top right).  The new DD seems to slot players as Starters and Bench, so if I want to see all of someone's RBs I have to look in two areas.  I'd prefer them all together, ordered by position and then round selected (or ADP, or projected points, or something) like it is in the Classic.

 
I love the new app and thank you.  My question is, how come when I put in the exact same league settings and scoring that I get completely different rankings on the new app as opposed to DD classic?  DD classic listing top 7 picks as rb's for my 2 qb league.  The new app has top 7 as qb-wr-qb-wr-rb-rb-rb. Wildly different. The DD classic ranks seem way off this year (always been spot on imo). 

The other tool that seems WAY off is the 162 cheatsheets. I use performance version 2, the bottom sheet (start 2 qb's). In the top 50 players on the right, the first qb is listed at 12.  Top 6 picks all rb's.  Something is amiss.

 
This is very similar to my setup as well.  In particular, I want to be able to view the Team Stats and Team Data simultaneously, which I can't in the new version.  

Also +1 on the colors - for me the issue isn't necessarily the contrast between positions, but I find it very distracting to have the team colors directly next to the position colors.  It's very useful to have the positions identified by color; on the other hand, I know that the 49ers are red and gold and have no use for their team colors being displayed on screen.  

Also would like a roster view like the Classic Team Data (pictured top right).  The new DD seems to slot players as Starters and Bench, so if I want to see all of someone's RBs I have to look in two areas.  I'd prefer them all together, ordered by position and then round selected (or ADP, or projected points, or something) like it is in the Classic.
:goodposting:

Agree with all of these points.

 
If someone with color blindness could get me hex codes from here: http://www.2createawebsite.com/build/hex-colors.html for all the positions, that would work for them, that would be super useful. We need colors for QB, RB, WR, TE, PK, DEF, DL, LB, DB. I can log that request easily then.

Hear you guys on wanting the team positional counts available along with a couple other screens. That's something we could add on desktop if you made the app big enough to accommodate it.

There are a few different tabs on the roster too. The Pos tab will list all players by position, rating each position strength and giving you the bye week for each player. 

 
I love the new app and thank you.  My question is, how come when I put in the exact same league settings and scoring that I get completely different rankings on the new app as opposed to DD classic?  DD classic listing top 7 picks as rb's for my 2 qb league.  The new app has top 7 as qb-wr-qb-wr-rb-rb-rb. Wildly different. The DD classic ranks seem way off this year (always been spot on imo). 

The other tool that seems WAY off is the 162 cheatsheets. I use performance version 2, the bottom sheet (start 2 qb's). In the top 50 players on the right, the first qb is listed at 12.  Top 6 picks all rb's.  Something is amiss.
It's a different and updated algorithm; I noted the key differences above. It's especially better in this new version for working out flex spots properly.

 
If someone with color blindness could get me hex codes from here: http://www.2createawebsite.com/build/hex-colors.html for all the positions, that would work for them, that would be super useful. We need colors for QB, RB, WR, TE, PK, DEF, DL, LB, DB. I can log that request easily then.

Hear you guys on wanting the team positional counts available along with a couple other screens. That's something we could add on desktop if you made the app big enough to accommodate it.

There are a few different tabs on the roster too. The Pos tab will list all players by position, rating each position strength and giving you the bye week for each player. 
Thanks a ton, Simon.  I'll work on it this weekend.

=- Joe
 
It's a different and updated algorithm; I noted the key differences above. It's especially better in this new version for working out flex spots properly.
I hear you, I still think DD classic and 162 cheatsheet overall rankings are off for certain lineup setups. Previous year's DD classic would always have QB's listed appropriately high for 2 qb leagues. The new app seems to rank the way DD classic and 162 cheatsheets has in year's past.

 
Thanks again, Simon, for giving me a shot at this.  This exercise, while admittedly fun, was way more challenging that I thought it would be.  Here is what I came up with for nine distinguishable colors from my eye’s perspective.

Draft Dominator Color Suggestions

To those of you out there who joined me in the clarion call, please have a look see and let me know if it meets your needs as well.

- Joe

Truth in Advertising Disclaimer:  Who knew there were a gazillion different shades of something so basic as green.  &$^#

 
Thanks again, Simon, for giving me a shot at this.  This exercise, while admittedly fun, was way more challenging that I thought it would be.  Here is what I came up with for nine distinguishable colors from my eye’s perspective.

Draft Dominator Color Suggestions

To those of you out there who joined me in the clarion call, please have a look see and let me know if it meets your needs as well.

- Joe

Truth in Advertising Disclaimer:  Who knew there were a gazillion different shades of something so basic as green.  &$^#
To keep consistency with the other colors, would it be any difference to switch them around a little but use the same hex codes? E.g. WRs to yellow, TEs to blue, QBs to light grey?

 
:blackdot:
I just downloaded the new version on my laptop and have fired of my first email question.

This is completely different and will take quite a bit of getting used to.  It seems the trend of making computer programs act and look like mobile apps has hit one of my favorite pieces of software. :( Not a fan of this trend, but us old guys have to adapt.

 
Awesome! But the desktop app does not display any players on one computer but it does on another. Windows 7 seems ok but my windows 10 shows a blank screen in the players section.


interesting as I am running on Windows 10 here.  


give us a shout at apps@footballguys.com . A screenshot would be useful. Are you running the correct version on the windows 10? 64 bit or 32 bit... http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001121.htm
I emailed same issue with screen shots, 'not showing players'. I downloaded correct version for Windows 10 (64 bit). Reply I received (thank you for fast reply!), " Sorry you are running into this issue. Are you by any chance using a touch screen windows computer? We have been working hard to address these issues and will have an update released soon."

I replied, "Indeed my laptop is touch screen." 

 
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Mjolnirs said:
:blackdot:
I just downloaded the new version on my laptop and have fired of my first email question.

This is completely different and will take quite a bit of getting used to.  It seems the trend of making computer programs act and look like mobile apps has hit one of my favorite pieces of software. :( Not a fan of this trend, but us old guys have to adapt.
We really appreciate the time people invest in getting used to this. We are confident that a combo of that and us responding to feedback results in the best tools and the best draft for you guys.

On the trying to make this look like mobile, really the goal here is to make this the same program/app on all devices. While to a certain extent there's a risk of just having to resort to the 'lowest common denominator' of all devices we support, on the other hand we are making sure the app is responsive to the screen size you give it (and will put in more work there for even larger desktops). We're far from putting a phone layout up on a desktop screen. And the same thing counts for the mobile app. We're trying to support swipe-type gestures there that won't work on desktop too.

 
My #1 pet peeve with "upgraded" software is when companies remove useful features.

This new DD has done that in spades. It doesn't display nearly the same amount of useful information. It also doesn't seem to allow me to take advantage of 12 years of team tendency data that Classic did. I used to be able to say "Bill always picks 3WRs before his second RB, or Bob always picks a QB by the fourth round", and during a draft DD could easily predict a round ahead, giving me a great leg-up in knowing when runs would start or when it'd be safe to let players fall.

This is very disappointing.

 
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Here's a link to a screen shot of my typical Classic Draft Dominator setup:

Classic Draft Dominator Screen Shot


Pretty similar to mine. I have 4 windows open across the top: Draft Status, Best Value Pick, Draft Summary, and Game By Game Projections.

Then across the bottom: Player Pool, Team Stats, and then Team Data.

During a draft, I could easily tell where we were, what's been going on recently (summary window), who between me and my next pick has filled up on positions and what they still need (team stats), what they will likely pick (best value window with Auto Look Ahead checked, used in conjuction with a custom.adp file imported before the draft), and a quick comparison of tiers (player pool).

Game By Game I like to have up to tinker with weights live and find the best Complementary Player for whatever position I'm filling with backups.

I could look at the screen and instantly orient myself with all necessary data.

 
I can't seem to get this thing to work

I am using it on windows 7 box 

I cannot enter info for more than one team when I go to draft set up and order 

 
Im sure they'll get the bugs worked out. I have the classic see no need to change at this point.

Tex
I tend to agree. I had no clue the mobile app was more up to date. That said, I have won a very tough league 3 out of the last 4 years using Classic. Not sure I'm looking to change, however I will give it a look.

 
Haven't tried this but if this means multiple views/windows cannot simultaneously be viewed as has always been the case on desktop/laptop, that is a huge negative IMO. :thumbdown:
Agreed. Love the fact I can have multiple windows open within DD at the same time

 
My #1 pet peeve with "upgraded" software is when companies remove useful features.

This new DD has done that in spades. It doesn't display nearly the same amount of useful information. It also doesn't seem to allow me to take advantage of 12 years of team tendency data that Classic did. I used to be able to say "Bill always picks 3WRs before his second RB, or Bob always picks a QB by the fourth round", and during a draft DD could easily predict a round ahead, giving me a great leg-up in knowing when runs would start or when it'd be safe to let players fall.

This is very disappointing.
You can do this using the rankings profile feature - the wrench icon above the players list.

 
I can't seem to get this thing to work

I am using it on windows 7 box 

I cannot enter info for more than one team when I go to draft set up and order 
Need more info there please! Can you email us at apps@footballguys.com. Specifically we'd need more than "cannot enter info" - if you could describe in terms of clicking here, where you're trying to type, what you'd expect to happen but what does happen, that should give us enough to be able to help.

 

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