Draft Dominator 2017 Released (iPhone, Android, iPad, and desktop/laptop browsers) (1 Viewer)

[Simon Shepherd]

I agree with this. I have been trying the competing tool and it does make drafting so much easier. I like the DD interface and usability better but it is a big tradeoff to not have the sync capability. 

I think it's really important to address this as it comes up often.

I am of course familiar with the competing tool referenced.

This isn't a thing where we don't think it'd be a useful feature, or we can't do it. For the most popular sites (ESPN, Yahoo, NFL.com) it's an issue where those guys clearly do not want us to do it. Yahoo for instance has a full fledged API but this does not include drafts. Why? Because those sites offer free games in return for footfall and the opportunity to advertise. If we sync drafts, you would not visit their site for the draft.

We're uncomfortable taking that footfall away from them.

Furthermore, without an API, we are at the mercy of those sites changing their HTML structure. If that happens, our sync would break. From a technical perspective, I am uncomfortable offering a service whose reliability is entirely out of our hands, for such a fast-paced event as a fantasy draft.

So some side notes:

1) Yes, there are some sites e.g. MFL who do offer APIs for this. It's not beyond consideration that we might support this but experience with a past app has told me you have to be super careful with this. If we offer this and NOT the others, users get annoyed and 1* the app because they think we're being preferential to MFL users. It pains me that the review system is the way it is. But if adding a feature means we might sell half as many apps because we get downvoted, it's tough to do from a commercial perspective.

2) Yes, we do grab data from sites for MyFBG. But, that's different from writing back to those sites. You still need to visit those sites to set your lineup. So I suppose it's not beyond consideration we might download picks and not write them back. Thoughts?

3) The overall concept of live internet drafting is one we want to be involved with. Stay tuned for 2018. 

 

[skinsrule05]

I think it's really important to address this as it comes up often.

I am of course familiar with the competing tool referenced.

This isn't a thing where we don't think it'd be a useful feature, or we can't do it. For the most popular sites (ESPN, Yahoo, NFL.com) it's an issue where those guys clearly do not want us to do it. Yahoo for instance has a full fledged API but this does not include drafts. Why? Because those sites offer free games in return for footfall and the opportunity to advertise. If we sync drafts, you would not visit their site for the draft.

We're uncomfortable taking that footfall away from them.

Furthermore, without an API, we are at the mercy of those sites changing their HTML structure. If that happens, our sync would break. From a technical perspective, I am uncomfortable offering a service whose reliability is entirely out of our hands, for such a fast-paced event as a fantasy draft.

So some side notes:

1) Yes, there are some sites e.g. MFL who do offer APIs for this. It's not beyond consideration that we might support this but experience with a past app has told me you have to be super careful with this. If we offer this and NOT the others, users get annoyed and 1* the app because they think we're being preferential to MFL users. It pains me that the review system is the way it is. But if adding a feature means we might sell half as many apps because we get downvoted, it's tough to do from a commercial perspective.

2) Yes, we do grab data from sites for MyFBG. But, that's different from writing back to those sites. You still need to visit those sites to set your lineup. So I suppose it's not beyond consideration we might download picks and not write them back. Thoughts?

3) The overall concept of live internet drafting is one we want to be involved with. Stay tuned for 2018. 

I would be completely fine if the DD didn't write back to the site. As it is now I enter all of the picks in DD then go to the CBS app to enter my pick. To me the sync would be extremely useful if it just brings in the picks to DD. 

I get the issue of the sites changing their format and it messes up your sync. That would be a tough technical hurdle. 

 

[stickboy]

I would be completely fine if the DD didn't write back to the site. As it is now I enter all of the picks in DD then go to the CBS app to enter my pick. To me the sync would be extremely useful if it just brings in the picks to DD. 

I get the issue of the sites changing their format and it messes up your sync. That would be a tough technical hurdle. 

@Simon Shepherd I agree with the above.  No scraping because too brittle, and no writing to the FFL site because you are undermining the model.  But what we want is the simple ability to read the draft picks from the FFL site after they have been entered there for the other teams in my league.  Add a control that allows me to sync the latest picks from ESPN, CBS, or whatever by reading their site.  All players, including myself, need to visit the FFL site and enter picks, but I don't have to always be trying to transcribe from them onto DD.

I'm looking at https://github.com/rbarton65/espnff which does both public and private league access (I have to enter cookie info for private) to see if it can pull draft info.  But to use it, I would also need APIs from DD to enter the data.  Thoughts?

 

[Zoblefu]

Yes, this is all I would want. I would not expect the DD tool to actually write any data back to the sites. I expect to still have to actually be in the draft room drafting my own players. The hope is just that I don't have to enter everyone else's picks into DD, and that you could pick up that data from the fantasy site during the draft so we don't have to go back and forth selecting everyone else's picks in DD.  When it's our turn to actually pick, we can consult the DD software and either manually make our pick in both pieces of software, or possibly just make it in our draft software and DD could possibly pick up that we made a selection.  Either way would be fine.

 

[Chaka]

Last season I was pretty vocal in my opposition to the DD App as I was concerned that it meant FGBs was going to sunset my beloved DD Classic.

Curiosity got the best of me this year and after 10-20 minutes of trying out the DD Online I am definitely switching to DD Online/App. It's robust, has an easy UI and a shocking amount of customization options.

I strongly recommend watching the extended tutorial video because it answers the questions that most people will have.

Hats off to the entire development team.

 

[Bad_Mo]

DD Online is included. Mobile apps are sold separately.

thanks

 

[Bad_Mo]

Hey...why am I getting a message about updated projections not available with trial version and you need to be a subscriber...when I am and downloaded the free version?

 

[Simon Shepherd]

@Simon Shepherd I agree with the above.  No scraping because too brittle, and no writing to the FFL site because you are undermining the model.  But what we want is the simple ability to read the draft picks from the FFL site after they have been entered there for the other teams in my league.  Add a control that allows me to sync the latest picks from ESPN, CBS, or whatever by reading their site.  All players, including myself, need to visit the FFL site and enter picks, but I don't have to always be trying to transcribe from them onto DD.

I'm looking at https://github.com/rbarton65/espnff which does both public and private league access (I have to enter cookie info for private) to see if it can pull draft info.  But to use it, I would also need APIs from DD to enter the data.  Thoughts?

If we support anything here it's unlikely to be via API. Our system is not setup to operate via API unfortunately. Thanks for the other thoughts guys. All heard and we will discuss what we're going to do here prior to 2018.

As an aside: if that github project is getting stuff from ESPN, it's scraping. Or intercepting an internal API for ESPN's own apps which in turn could change without notice at any point too.

 

[Simon Shepherd]

Last season I was pretty vocal in my opposition to the DD App as I was concerned that it meant FGBs was going to sunset my beloved DD Classic.

Curiosity got the best of me this year and after 10-20 minutes of trying out the DD Online I am definitely switching to DD Online/App. It's robust, has an easy UI and a shocking amount of customization options.

I strongly recommend watching the extended tutorial video because it answers the questions that most people will have.

Hats off to the entire development team.

Thanks @Chaka appreciate that.

 

[Simon Shepherd]

Hey...why am I getting a message about updated projections not available with trial version and you need to be a subscriber...when I am and downloaded the free version?

Support is not here for the forums. That sounds like a very frustrating problem and one we will do our best to help you with over at https://sportsguys.zendesk.com . But the forums are not the place to get support for our products.

 

[davewwright]

If we support anything here it's unlikely to be via API. Our system is not setup to operate via API unfortunately. Thanks for the other thoughts guys. All heard and we will discuss what we're going to do here prior to 2018.

As an aside: if that github project is getting stuff from ESPN, it's scraping. Or intercepting an internal API for ESPN's own apps which in turn could change without notice at any point too.

It's using the previously public ESPN API's.  The calls are basic REST object calls.   Agreed that anything can change without notice, but in general APIs stick around much longer that scraped UI's.

It really does not matter if DD does not have API interfaces.  We understand why, it was not built for integration rather to be best of breed functionality.  What I am suggesting is that integrating with common draft sites to pull the selected players into DD does not tread on these site's business models, and enhances DD as a tool for player selection.

Thanks for listening

 

[Bad_Mo]

Support is not here for the forums. That sounds like a very frustrating problem and one we will do our best to help you with over at https://sportsguys.zendesk.com . But the forums are not the place to get support for our products.

Gotcha but I'm asking a basic question about the free version that you can download with a paid subscription.  Not the app.  This thread is dedicated to the DD so I think its appropriate.

If you download the free version, with a paid subscription, why aren't the projection updates available like they have been the last 4-5 years or so?

 

[Chaka]

Gotcha but I'm asking a basic question about the free version that you can download with a paid subscription.  Not the app.  This thread is dedicated to the DD so I think its appropriate.

If you download the free version, with a paid subscription, why aren't the projection updates available like they have been the last 4-5 years or so?

Are you talking the DD Online or the DD Classic? IIRC for the Classic in the past the free player updates stopped somewhere in late July. I can't say that with 100% certainty as I typically used my own data.

But ultimately your question seems to fall more on the FBG operations side than development side.

 

[Bad_Mo]

Are you talking the DD Online or the DD Classic? IIRC for the Classic in the past the free player updates stopped somewhere in late July. I can't say that with 100% certainty as I typically used my own data.

But ultimately your question seems to fall more on the FBG operations side than development side.

DD Online I think...downloaded versions to Mac.  I'm actually getting confused with the version...online, classic, app.  The old school one you could download with the yearly subscription.  One of the reasons this place was worth it over others (plus the contests and forums, of course).

 

[Chaka]

DD Online I think...downloaded versions to Mac.  I'm actually getting confused with the version...online, classic, app.  The old school one you could download with the yearly subscription.  One of the reasons this place was worth it over others (plus the contests and forums, of course).

The online version is accessed through your web browser (link), it is not a download or stand alone desktop program.

 

[Simon Shepherd]

Gotcha but I'm asking a basic question about the free version that you can download with a paid subscription.  Not the app.  This thread is dedicated to the DD so I think its appropriate.

If you download the free version, with a paid subscription, why aren't the projection updates available like they have been the last 4-5 years or so?

This is a customer support question and must be submitted through https://sportsguys.zendesk.com . It actually sounds related to DD Classic not the new app so is not even relevant to this thread.

This thread is a useful thread for general discussion. There can be no expectation of customer support here when we have invested so much in a fully manned Zendesk help center, whose scope does not extend to the forums.

Please redirect your support questions there. They can't be answered here and if this thread becomes about customer support the only option we have is to close it so everyone knows to use zendesk for customer support.

 

[Payne]

Let me put it this way.  After last year's complete debacle with myFBG, I am shocked the reaction this year was "we'll have myFBG ready July 1st".  For many of my dynasty leagues, drafts are over by then and free agency runs have already happened.  So I believe what the other poster was referring to, and I agree with him, is that myFBG should've been fixed long before this, and in my opinion, way before you go asking for more money with this year's version of Mobile DD.  Maybe I misunderstood him.

With that said, I've got a ticket in to help with aspects of myFBG.  I'm not an empty complainer, but find it hard to hold back my sarcasm as shown in my post.  My apologies for that.

I forgot about what an issue that was. And how I requested somebody to contact me and asked for a refund as it was basically useless to me since my league is composed of two different 12 team conferences. It never was able to handle it. Not sure I would have renewed for this year had I remembered beforehand. Dang it.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

What's below Export Draft Results on the settings dropdown?  I can see there's more there, but it runs off the bottom of the screen and there's no way to scroll that drop-down so I can't see what's down there.

 

[Chaka]

What's below Export Draft Results on the settings dropdown?  I can see there's more there, but it runs off the bottom of the screen and there's no way to scroll that drop-down so I can't see what's down there.

Edit the Rankings - For any team in the draft adjust positions, players, projections sets, weekly weights and draft strategies.

Minimize your taskbar, or use the small icons setting that should help.

 

[Simon Shepherd]

What's below Export Draft Results on the settings dropdown?  I can see there's more there, but it runs off the bottom of the screen and there's no way to scroll that drop-down so I can't see what's down there.

It's just a secondary link to the rankings profile panel, which you can also access by hitting the wrench button above the players list.

 

[Payne]

I have one other question.

At work (using Firefox) I see "Teams", "By Pos" and "Schedule" on the upper right corner box.

At home (using Chrome) I no longer can see "Teams". I need this to help with my auction as it shows budget and max bet.

Is there a reason for this and how can I change it?

 

[Simon Shepherd]

I have one other question.

At work (using Firefox) I see "Teams", "By Pos" and "Schedule" on the upper right corner box.

At home (using Chrome) I no longer can see "Teams". I need this to help with my auction as it shows budget and max bet.

Is there a reason for this and how can I change it?

https://sportsguys.zendesk.com thanks.

 

[Annyong]

Maybe it's because I'm a moron, but I'm having trouble logging into the app using my FBG username and pw. What is I dong wrong?

 

[Simon Shepherd]

Maybe it's because I'm a moron, but I'm having trouble logging into the app using my FBG username and pw. What is I dong wrong?

Ok guys I am going to have to close this thread because it seems we haven't done enough to get the message across that customer service does not happen here. It's at https://sportsguys.zendesk.com . Anyone who has issues - I will help you guys over there. I'm sorry we couldn't leave this open but it looks like the only way to make this clear enough on the forums is to lock this up with the first and last posts both making this as clear as possible.

Once again the link: https://sportsguys.zendesk.com