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Mike MacGregor

Announcement: Cheatsheet Compiler/Draft Buddy 2003

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Hey guys. Still working away at the Compiler and Draft Buddy with a planned/hopeful release next week. After what should be a marathon work session all weekend, I think that timetable is doable (Krueger - need those projections! ;) )

 

Since the topic has come up however, I don't want all of you to have to speculate on how the Compiler/Buddy is going to be distributed this year.

 

First of all, yes, I have teamed up with FF Champs and the Compiler is being offered as part of our Draft Kit, Silver and Gold packages. The pre-season Draft Kit package is $29.95, but that includes not only the Compiler and Draft Buddy with FF Champs' player projections updated through to the start of the season, but Champs rankings, sleeper picks, draft strategy, player profiles and more. I might add, my IDP projections and profiles which were available at FF Today in 2002 are now exclusive to FF Champs under our partnership.

 

Second, the Compiler and Buddy package WILL be available at FF Today again this year (yay! :) ). But, it will not be free (boo! ;) ).

 

Seriously though, as I think most of you know I have spent a ton of time on the Compiler and Buddy the past few years. Not only developing them with continual improvements based on a mountain of great feedback, but keeping on top of updates and providing constant tech support all pre-season. Those who have sent me questions can attest the responses are prompt and range anytime between 8:00am past 2:00am the next day, pretty much every day June to September.

 

And how do I do this? Well, I have a consulting job which I essentially stop working at during football season so I can pursue this career path. That is how committed I am to trying to make this work. I focus 100% on football (Compiler, Buddy, etc.) to offer the best products to you that I can.

 

Financially speaking though, I cannot continue to offer Compiler/Buddy at no charge. What I can and will do though is offer it at what I think is a very reasonable price for what you get. The plan, and I don't see this changing, is to sell the FF Today Cheatsheet Compiler and Draft Buddy package for $14.95.

 

This will of course include updates all through the pre-season, including updated projections, depth charts and features. Plus world class tech support via message board and email.

 

I think that is a fair offer. In a perfect world the Compiler and Buddy would continue to be free for all but that is not meant to be. I know some who used it in the past for free won't buy it now. I truly am sorry to lose anyone because I definitely want the Compiler/Buddy to be considered the best fantasy football draft prep software available anywhere. This is the right time for this though. I couldn't continue the other way for another season.

 

Anyway, as usual, I've rambled on and on. I hope everyone jumps aboard for another great season. Now it is late but I will check back in tomorrow or Sunday to give a sneak peak at the new features I've added to the Compiler and Buddy for 2003.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

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Mike,

Glad to hear it's almost done.......the fever is coming HAHA!

 

While I am dissapointed at the product now costing $14.95 ;) I feel like this is a superior product (which is supported in excellent fashion). However, a lower cost might have returned all previous users (I.E. $4.95).................and netted more $'s (hard earned $'s I might add)

 

In my job I develop many tools like this and it would take a lot of time to re-create it's functionality. Keep up the great work Mike and looking forward to hearing about the new features ;)

 

[ 06-14-2003: Message edited by: fdemello ]

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Certainly the price is something Mike K. and I struggled with the most. (FF Today will of course be getting a significant share of the sales. I didn't mention that before.)

 

We think it is a great product obviously, but truly want the price to reflect our costs in terms of both hard dollar outflows (bandwidth for the downloads is expensive) and time committed to the Compiler/Buddy ( I have no life.. ;) ), while still being the best cost-benefit option compared to the numerous competitors that seem to have popped up out of no where in recent months. I think we have done that at $14.95.

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Mike,

 

This is my first time to this site about 1-2 month ago. I was just waiting to see the complier and what it might do. For those who use it in the past they might like it and even cough up 14.95 for it. But for me/us who have never seen the complier before and the service. 14.95 is a little steep cause we don't know what we are getting. I meant if the stuff is good 14.95 wouldn't be an issue. How about putting up like a trial package thingy.

 

That is all..

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I can't agree more with the last post. This is my first time to this site today actually. I bookmarked it and came back becuase of this compiler idea. It sounds like something that I tried to create on my own with not much success seeing as I'm also new to Fantasy Football. Last year was my first year playing and didn't do to bad. I missed my playoffs by one spot and if I would have made it into the playoffs would have ended up placing 2nd. I had a fairly poor draft from what I was told but managed to make a couple of good trades to make it through the season. This cheatsheet compiler sounds like something that every FF fan would want to have to become champion of their league. Having never seen the compiler or any other compiler for that fact, it's hard to anty up $15 and hope for the best. If there is no way to get the full version of the compiler as a demo could you possibly recommend an alternative to see exactly what a compiler does/looks like/or how it works. If not is it possible to see some screen shots and a better explanation of the product. This is something that I am definitely interested in seeing as the top 4 guys in my league are pretty much pros at it and it would be awesome to shut them up this year.

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Guys, some great points about first time users not knowing what they are getting. I will see what I can do about building a demo version of some sort and there will be extensive feature lists, online documentation and screen shots to show off the Compiler and Draft Buddy.

 

Oh, and LOL at "shut them up this year" tepoa58 ;)

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Mike...Thanks for the update on the compiler. While my member number only reflects a couple of months of forum posting, I've been hanging our here for almost a year. Coming off a championship victory in my third FF year, I was seeking an edge last summer to prepare for an auction draft. I stumbled upon your compiler and gave it a shot. It was universally noted by all owners in my league that I was the clear winner coming out of the draft. Everyone wanted to know what tools and methodology I used to prepare for the event. Truth be known, I used a combination of your compiler and two subscription services for an additional perspectives on stat predictions.

 

It is an awesome tool with great flexibility for all leagues sizes, lineup configurations and scoring.

 

Hmmmm....$14.95

 

I can't begrudge an entreprenuer who offers free forums and website services, then adds a value added tool like the compiler and expects to get a return on a signficant investment in time and infrastructure. Will I pay $14.95 for this service...ABSOLUTELY. Do I hope there's a pre-season discount (before July 6th perhaps) with a price point of $9.95...one can only hope. Or perhaps a $9.95 price point for the FF Geeks and your loyal following.

 

Nonetheless, those who choose not to subscribe will only have themselves to blame when they finish the season one game out of playoff contention.

 

ICETIME25 :cool:

 

PS. If this tool doesn't have it this year, it would be great it had a re-drafter with updated projections during the season to assist with trade offers and free agent pick-up. A competitive service introduced this last year, but they don't come close to providing a pre-season tool like the compiler or the forums !!! ;)

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By the way for those who were wondering, I didn't repeat last year as I fell victim of Faulk's injury, but went deep into the playoffs with a great surrounding cast thanks to the compiler. :cool:

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I used the compiler, but managed to go 0-14 last year. It wasn't the compilers fault though -- at least I don't think it was. It was just an odd bit of bad luck. My four season records are 2nd, 2nd, 7th, and 12th. Oh well. I may buy the compiler again this year, but I'm not sure because of the price. I believe that it is a good tool, but of course I'm wary after last years experiment gone bad.

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What the compiler mean for me...after the draft, I had without a doubt the best team...K. Warner, P. Holmes, D. McAllister, D. Boston, J. Smith, T. Gonzalez...made the playoffs, but didn't win because of obvious poor play and injuries. Anyway, with the compiler and draft buddy, I could determine what other teams needed and changed my pick accordingly. I will certainly fork over the $10.95.

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Originally posted by tenacious_b:

I used the compiler, but managed to go 0-14 last year.  It wasn't the compilers fault though -- at least I don't think it was.  It was just an odd bit of bad luck.  My four season records are 2nd, 2nd, 7th, and 12th.  Oh well.  I may buy the compiler again this year, but I'm not sure because of the price.  I believe that it is a good tool, but of course I'm wary after last years experiment gone bad.

 

Well, that certainly isn't the typical "testimonial" I'm used to seeing for the Compiler. Maybe you can shoot me over some details of the draft and how your season went last year tenacious_b. I'd like to discuss how we can try to correct these things for this year, whether it is anything from your Compiler setup to...performing ritual dances and soul cleansing exercises to create some good luck for you ;)

 

Email: mike@profootballanalysis.com

 

[ 06-16-2003: Message edited by: Mike MacGregor ]

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I too am new to this site but not to FF. I have been playing for about 8 years and have won my league twice. I am primarily a VB drafter but I have heard good things about this compiler. The $14.95 won't mean that I can't eat for a week but I would like to perhaps see last years version. There are great tools everywhere but without any research into the tools wouldn't be a wise investment.

 

Just one man's opinion.

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Last year I used the compiler and it was a lifesaver. I'm just sorry I didn't check here first before forking over the extra money on FFchamps. But even then it was worth it. The Cheatsheet Compiler and Draft Buddy are essential to my pre-season planning and draft. Thanks Mike for all the hard work.

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I've used the compiler the last two years and have won 22 games including a Superbowl in a 13 week reagular season + 3 week playoff system. It is invaluable in my league, because of the 12 team format it makes all the picks more important. Definately worth the cost!

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Um, I have a few questions about all the testimonials.

 

1- I feel out of place here because I have "geek" status. Why are most of the testimonials from "rookie" members?

 

2- How much work is really involved with this thing? How much time needs to be involved in learning hpw to use it? I looked into using the Cheatsheet Compiler/Draft Buddy last year but decided not to do because we had just had a baby and studing & concentrating on anything was just not going to happen. Yes, I did have my worst FF season ever last year. This year we're busy with some major remodeling work going on untill Christmas. It's worth the money if it saves me time & effort, but not if I have to put off several projects until I understand the software.

 

3- Does the Cheatsheet Compiler/Draft Buddy alter your draft strategy if you are used to using a certain system. ie: stud rb's, etc, etc.

 

Any help would be appreciated and Paypal would be of interest to me also if I like the answers I receive.

 

[ 06-18-2003: Message edited by: the screaming banshee ]

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Originally posted by the screaming banshee:

1- I feel out of place here because I have "geek" status.  Why are most of the testimonials from "rookie" members?

 

Purely a guess on my part banshee, but I think perhaps it is because these people came to FF Today, found and used the Compiler, but never had much other time or desire to cruise the main board and rack up the posts.

 

Maybe the Compiler board gave them reason to create a forums userID. The fact they are still "Rookies" could be taken as a good sign. It means they weren't on here with 30+ tech support questions about the Compiler last year. Ergo, the software ran smoothly for them.

 

2- How much work is really involved with this thing?  How much time needs to be involved in learning hpw to use it?  I looked into using the Cheatsheet Compiler/Draft Buddy last year but decided not to do because we had just had a baby and studing & concentrating on anything was just not going to happen.  Yes, I did have my worst FF season ever last year.  This year we're busy with some major remodeling work going on untill Christmas.  It's worth the money if it saves me time & effort, but not if I have to put off several projects until I understand the software.

 

One knock the Compiler gets is it is in Microsoft Excel. Some people don't have access to Excel to be able to use the Compiler, which is certainly unfortunate from my perspective, but I haven't been able to develop a suitable online or stand-alone solution to this point in time.

 

But, looking at it another way, the Compiler/Buddy is an extremely flexible system. First, you can run it as is with very little tweaking or playing around with it. Input your league variables, scoring system, hit submit and out pop your rankings based on FF Today projections (always updated). Open Draft Buddy, fill in a couple cells, hit submit and copy over your rankings. Then start entering players as they are drafted. I think I've made this very straight forward and user friendly. Knowing Excel might help a bit but I don't think it is necessary.

 

Or, people with lots of time can customize the thing to their heart's content. Want to input projections from other sites or do their own, go right ahead. Want to...I don't know...change the colors of players on your favorite team. No problem. Good luck trying this with a stand-alone system.

 

The short answer is: I don't think it will take long to get up to speed to use the software for the essentials.

 

3- Does the Cheatsheet Compiler/Draft Buddy alter your draft strategy if you are used to using a certain system. ie: stud rb's, etc, etc.

 

Every individual still makes their own drafting decisions obviously, so the Compiler/Buddy is not going to alter what you ultimately decide you want to do. However, the Compiler does give you rankings based on how it thinks players should be valued in your league, based on the variables you input and our projections.

 

There are options however. You can choose different ranking methods depending on what you feel most comfortable with. Plus, I've added some new methods this year instead of just the traditional ones. For example: Stud RB is one, and a Compiler Recommended formula. The best thing is to run a method, check over the rankings if you think they are reasonable. If not, try another. Changing methods and recalculating the results takes about 10 seconds. You can also alter the rankings if so desired to move particular players up and down you are high or low on.

 

As for Draft Buddy, it has functionality to help you make better decisions as your draft is progressing. Input each player drafted, and you can quickly flip between tabs to see every team's roster, who is still available, bye week concerns, etc.

 

One great feature everyone should get comfortable with is tiering. Sitting near the end of a round of a snake draft with 3 RB left in the top tier but only 1 WR left in the top tier? Take the WR and sit tight for the RB. Buddy shows you where these tiers are.

 

Change your strategy? - No. Help develop and/or improve your strategy to make better draft choices. - Yes.

 

Any help would be appreciated and Paypal would be of interest to me also if I like the answers I receive.

 

PayPal will be an option. Thanks for considering Compiler/Buddy for 2003.

 

PS Good luck with the remodelling. I lived through a kitchen reno last year. You're on something 'til Christmas? Yikes! That would drive me nuts. Er...I mean, "Yes dear, I love the new kitchen... I'd love to remodel the bathroom next..." ;)

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Mike, I believe there is an excel viewer program offered by Microsoft that will allow people to view excel files, but not create them. Since people only need to view the spreadsheet it should work for them. You should look into this.

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Thanks t_b, but people do need to input a few cells (scoring system, number of starters, etc.) and run the macros to make the Compiler and Buddy do their thing. The Excel Viewer from Microsoft does not allow this. Good thought though!

 

There are apparently some freely available MS Office knock-off products however. I'm skeptical they will have Visual Basic support (i.e. macros), but this could potentially be a solution for non-Excel owners. Will have to investigate further.

 

Plus I usually suggest going to a local college or library to use a computer as they should have Excel. Or renting computer time at a nearby Kinko's, or Internet cafe.

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Originally posted by the screaming banshee:

[QB]Um, I have a few questions about all the testimonials.

 

1- I feel out of place here because I have "geek" status.  Why are most of the testimonials from "rookie" members?

 

[QB]

 

who you calling rookie, willis.

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I used the compiler last season for the first time. I have done fantasy leagues for more years than I can count and this by far made it the easiest one. I was a commisioner for a new league last season and due to a owner dropping out the last second I ended up drafting 2 teams in a 10 team league. I won first and second with them. The compiler also made it so easy to track who was drafted by who and then during the season keep track of players being traded and put on and picked off of waivers. I just have a couple of questions.

1. When will it be available to purchase and where do we purchase the program?

2. When the updates come available do we have to download the whole program again or just the updates and where would this take place?

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1- I feel out of place here because I have "geek" status. Why are most of the testimonials from "rookie" members?  

 

Just because I don't post on a forum doesn't necessarily make me a rookie. ;)

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At first I felt so special that zippychi would use one of his 85 posts ribbing me but then Rah Rah used one of his 4 posts responding to me and I am just overwhelmed with emotion right now. ;)

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Yes, I do plan on getting the compiler/draft buddy combo to use this year. To many ff players seem to like it. I do have a few more questions. I was wondering why is a yearly update necessary if you have to enter the players anyway? What extra features are added yearly that would make it worthwhile? Are the any problems using the compiler/draft buddy if you are in 4-5 different leagues? I'm not questioning the value of the program, it's just that I would like to see the value in yearly updates without wasting extra money. ie: Kind of like AutoCad 2000, 2000i, 2002, 200? and so on & so on. Thanks for all the help.

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Originally posted by frankie liles:

1.  When will it be available to purchase and where do we purchase the program?

 

2.  When the updates come available do we have to download the whole program again or just the updates and where would this take place?

 

Hi Frankie. Thanks for the great testimonial. In fact, did you send an email a little while back? I think we added you to our testimonials on the Compiler page to be posted here (currently in draft).

 

As to your questions...

 

1. Unfortunately, we've run into a small snag with our payment processing system that has delayed us. I'm quite upset about this but it is beyond our control. We just ask for a little more patience and we will do our best to get up and running ASAP.

 

1b. Where? The details/links will be posted at FF Today when everything is finalized.

 

2. To start, it will be full downloads like before. The file size is only 2MB zipped though, plus I am working on a system to quickly update just the projections without the big download, hopefully to be released later in the pre-season.

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Originally posted by the screaming banshee:

I was wondering why is a yearly update necessary if you have to enter the players anyway?  What extra features are added yearly that would make it worthwhile?  Are the any problems using the compiler/draft buddy if you are in 4-5 different leagues?

 

Hey banshee. Actually you only choose players from drop-down lists for your draft in Draft Buddy. I wish I could predict exactly who was going to be taken when in your draft, but I can't ;)

 

Seriously, all the players are in there. That is part of the annual update. We need to add new players and get rid of old players and input new teams, depth chart and stats info for all players. That is a big job. Thing is, if you just add or delete rows and columns from the Compiler, it will not work properly, so just going with an old version is not recommended.

 

Other parts of the annual update - new projections for the current year. Also, new features are added. I've added some new scoring options, tiering, auction support and other stuff this year. I'm sure to receive a lot of great feedback again this year to keep improving the Compiler and Buddy for their loyal supporters.

 

As for multiple leagues, this was made with multiple leagues in mind. Back in 1999 I was thinking about my 4 leagues I had lined up for the year, and wondering how I could make building my draft lists more efficient for each different scoring system. The Compiler was born.

 

What I do is open the downloaded Compiler or Buddy file, called something like fftoday_compiler_2003_1.0.xls, and then once I've played around with it for a particular league, choose File > Save As.. and save it as a new name such as HEFFA_compiler.xls or IRONMAN_compiler.xls. Make as many local copies as you like. (Please do not distribute to others ;))

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then Rah Rah used one of his 4 posts responding to me and I am just overwhelmed with emotion right now.    

 

I've actually made that many posts?

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Thats cool Mike, I'll keep looking for it. As for the rookie comment I've used this site for years but i just started posting in the last couple of months.

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Originally posted by the screaming banshee:

At first I felt so special that zippychi would use one of his 85 posts ribbing me but then Rah Rah used one of his 4 posts responding to me and I am just overwhelmed with emotion right now.   ;)

 

it is all about member # banshee ;)

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I stumbled onto the cheatsheeet compiler and draft buddy last year by accident the night before my 1st draft. I was shocked that it was free!! This has been the best tool I have ever come across for FF. I used it as a regular owner and as a commisioner to run a draft. It's worth every penny you're charging and I appreciate the amount of time and effort you have put into it. Can't wait for it to be ready this year!!

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Originally posted by Puma:

For those people complaining they don't have Excel There are alternatives to Microsofts expencive programs. You can get more information here:

 

Cheap and Free Excel/Office programs

 

Good luck

 

Eric

 

You didn't hear it from me, but you can get Microsoft office free on a peer to peer network. Basically you are downloading it from someone else who has paid for it, or downloaded it also. Not that I did this

;) but it can be done on networks such as WinMX. It would be very helpfull to have a broadband connection while downloading large files like office and excel.

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I've been visiting fftoday for.....hell, I can't remember how long, but I've been playing fantasy football since the mid 80's. :confused: ('87 I think) This compiler is one of the best tools you can find at any price. While I am dissappointed that it will no longer be free ;), I think the $14.95 price tag is reasonable, especially considering the amount of time it will take to keep it updated and the amount of time I'm sure it took to develop it. The one thing I would like to see happen is a discounted offer for those players who have been loyal to the fftoday site. I'm not exactly sure how that could be determined, but it would be a nice gesture if feasible. Keep up all the good work, Mike, Mark et al!

 

Tha Commish

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Hey commish, we announced a $4 discount if purchased before Aug 1 in another thread. Thanks for coming back and we'll get you hooked up soon.

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You mentioned the compiler being part of a FFToday draft package. Can we slip you a little money under the table and just buy the compiler? ;) Keep up the good work and thanks for the great compiler!

 

Baby Arm?

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EM - Purchasing the Compiler and Buddy from FF Today is the whole package, including player projections. You can still slip me a little extra cash under the table though. I don't mind ;)

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