concerned about $ values

[Neil@HQ]

Re: Re: valuations

Originally posted by cardboardbox
are you saying the custom valuator here won't calculate custom values?

No, not at all. I haven't played with the outputs much so I don't know what they look like. But what any piece of paper won't give you is the dynamic valuations during a draft. So if that is important...

I though I read in one of the posts where someone suggested buying a book on valuations and doing it yourself. I suggested RotoLab as a better alternative to doing that. I should think that the custom valuator would meet most needs. I just haven't had a chance to play around with it that much.

[ackermaj]

Thanks for the comments Neil.

There are only a couple of minor things that are holding me back from using a product like Rotolab.

One is that to some degree it seems to take the fun out of it a little bit (but only a little bit). I understand winning is the ultimate goal, but having league standings generated with each auction pick seems a bit excessive to me. Maybe I'm crazy.

The other reason is simply time. I am the commish, so I have to track the entire draft anyway. Although, if this is done in Rotolab (which I assume it is), it might be worth my while. maybe I'll download the demo.

[cardboardbox]

Re: Re: Re: valuations

Originally posted by Neil@HQ
No, not at all. I haven't played with the outputs much so I don't know what they look like. But what any piece of paper won't give you is the dynamic valuations during a draft. So if that is important...

I though I read in one of the posts where someone suggested buying a book on valuations and doing it yourself. I suggested RotoLab as a better alternative to doing that. I should think that the custom valuator would meet most needs. I just haven't had a chance to play around with it that much.

ah yes... that would be helpful. Unfortunately I spent all my baseball allowance on HQ already.

I really just want the $ value projections from the custom valuator to be more realistic. I'm going into my first auction and don't have much experience doing this yet.

[Neil@HQ]

Originally posted by ackermaj
The other reason is simply time. I am the commish, so I have to track the entire draft anyway. Although, if this is done in Rotolab (which I assume it is), it might be worth my while. maybe I'll download the demo.

Whoa. If you are also the commish then I would definetly get it. Download the demo and kick the tires. Do a "mock draft" with yourself to see how it fills in the rosters etc. The amount of headaches that this would reduce is great. In my straight-draft this past Sunday, guys kept trying to grab players that were already taken (sound familiar)? With a computerized system it avoids this problem altogether.

Sorry to sound like a commerical for RotoLab. I'm not getting a kick-back or anything like that, it's just that I have had a very positive experience with it and thought I'd share that with you.

[smasters1]

It does track the draft -- full rosters and draft order. I'm commish in my league, and I used RotoLab (as well round-by-round listings on paper for backup) for our straight draft last year -- it works well for tracking everything you need as commish as well as for your own picks.

There is a free version you can download to get the feel for it using a sample league. I was won over when I saw the demo last year...

*steve m.

[pate]

Neil wrote:
<<<<<<<<
I'm not getting a kick-back or anything like that
>>>>>>>>
You didn't get the deluxe nail clippers I sent you? ;-)

ackermaj, I agree looking at the standings after every pick is nuts. But I do look at the totals quite a bit and how my team is stacking up with the league, that provides a lot of clues as to how well I am implementing my draft plan.

Just my opinion, but I do disagree with you that it takes some of the fun out of the draft. Since drafting by computers (and this includes using Benson's program in the mid-90s until I wrote Rotolab), I've enjoyed drafts so much more letting the computer handle all the mundane calculations. I've got the pick entered and everything recalculated in about 5 seconds. I'm concentrating on my next move and taking in the room, while the rest of the league is writing in the player's name. But Neil is right, download the demo and just check it out. If it doesn't work for you, no harm done, do what you enjoy best. I'll leave you with this user quote off my testimonial page, since it seems applicable:

"I didn't really like computers at the draft, until I used your product. Now I wouldn't do one without it"


-Merv
RotoLab

[ackermaj]

Hey Merv,

I downloaded the demo, and subsequently purchased Rotolab. I'm looking forward to getting to know the program. So far I am impressed with its depth and polish.

I'm really looking forward to being able to have that time to plan my next move, and sort of "take in the room" as you put it. Last year I was near frantic between picks keeping everything straight.

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

[Neil@HQ]

Originally posted by pate
But I do look at the totals quite a bit and how my team is stacking up with the league, that provides a lot of clues as to how well I am implementing my draft plan.

This is a really, really useful feature. During the draft I am constantly monitoring my totals to see if I can hit my "targets."

I very much recomend that you put in totals that correspond to your leagues history. I used the past two years final totals to see what level would earn 9 points (12 team league) in each category. Durning my draft I monitor my progress in these categories. Short on steals? Target a speedster in your next pick.

With this level of automation and 'heads up' displays, it makes you look like a genius, even though you may not think you know what you're doing..

[elias]

Custom valuator fixes

Just wondering if it is possible to post "generic" draft guides such as you have offered in the past two years while you are fixing the bugs in this new system. I plugged in the variables from my current league and the numbers are laughable--they are so far from reality.

Only the rankings are usefull. I will use the 5X5 projected values instead because I at least can relate them to what I expect at our auction.

With the guides from last year, I could just move them to excel, play around a little, print them out and use them. This new system is more work and the numbers are way off.

[hqforums]

The old draft guides were just re-sorted output from our Projections files. If you are Excel-savvy, which it sounds like you are, you can always just download the projections files and set yourself up in the interim.

[cardboardbox]

should we expect an update to the custom valuator this friday?