New features for 2015
Here is a list of the top new feature we have added in the off-season. Most of these were from the suggestions on our feature request page.
If you have a great idea for a new feature, we would like to hear it at our feature request page: https://thebench.com.au/feature-requests
Waiver Wire
One of the most voted for feature was the Waiver Wire. The Waiver Wire is a feature imported from the American NFL Fantasy Games and is a play on how the real world NFL Player contracts are managed and traded. Checkout more about Waivers here.
In our game, the Waivers are a way to better manage the drafting and dropping of players during the season. At the most simple level, it works like this:
- If a Player is dropped from a Squad, they cannot be immediately drafted by another Club.
- Instead, the Player is listed on the Waiver Wire where all Clubs are able submit a request to draft the Player.
- After 24 hours on the Waiver Wire, requests are processed in reverse ladder order. The result is the lowest ranking Club’s request will be accepted and the player drafted and all other requests for the same player are rejected.
- If there are no requests for the Player, the Player returns to the free agent pool and can be drafted by anyone.
- In addition to dropped players being placed on the Waiver Wire, from the start of the first game of the round to approx. 24 hours after the last game of the Round, all players will be included on the Waiver Wire and so will require a Waiver Request to be drafted.
The Waiver Wire has been enabled by default but Competition managers can disable from their League Edit page. Look out for a follow up article with more details about using the Waiver Wire feature.
The return of captains
The must awaited return of double point captains!
This was a feature we had on the old website but lost it in the transition to TheBench last season. Well it’s now back for those of you in Paid Leagues.
You can create this bonus position if you like by going to the Edit League section of your profile (so obviously you need to be a Comp Admin). You then need to click on the Advanced Tab (seen below).
Then you need to Enable Bonus Position 2 and call it Captain. Bonus Position 1 will always remain as Kicker to ensure that you don’t have more than one player kicking.
Once this is enabled you then need to go back up to Edit Positions and Scoring (seen below).
If you want the Captains to be exactly double points then you should copy the scoring formula from each position and then click the edit icon next to each position.
E.g. 4*$tries + 2*$tryAssists + $lineBreaks – 2*$sinBins – 4*$sentOffs + $fieldGoals + $fortyTwenty
Once again using the Advanced Tab you should then paste the scoring formula into the Scoring Expression field for Bonus Position 2.
Important: make sure you do this for ALL positions you want to be able to enable the captain bonus position for. Although note that you will only be able to select one captain each week.
Ladder Sorting
Another highly requested feature was being able to change the way the Ladder is sorted. The following options are now available which can be selected from the League Edit page for custom Leagues.
In all cases the ladder is first sorted by the number of wins and draws. The tie breaker however is now customisable from the following:
- Percentage: This is the default for AFL where the ladder tie break is sorted by the percentage or score for to score against, but it doesn’t affect us (unless you want some weird hybrid game…)
- Differential: This is the default for NRL and Super Rugby where the ladder tie break is sorted by the score against subtracted from the score for.
- Score For: This is a new option where the tie break is sorted purely by the total score for.
Draft Models
We have always supported bespoke draft models but now we have put the tools in the hands of Competition Managers to set up their draft to their liking.
Competition Managers can customise every draft pick, allowing for trading of draft positions, or they can choose from one of the following pre-canned Draft Models:
- Snake: This is the standard draft model you have seen on TheBench for years. Sometimes referred to as Serpentine. This is where Clubs are sorted by a random number and then pick from top to bottom, bottom to top and back again.
- Linear: This is half a snake. Picks are always made from top to bottom, top to bottom, etc.
- Staggered: This one is probably not for everyone but hey, everyones different and some apparently like it. Based on the draft priority order, Club 1 picks first, then Club 2, Club 3, etc until the last Club has picked their first player. Club 1 is then moved to the end of the list, and Club 2 then picks first for a second player. After each round, the Club who picked first is moved to the end of the list to pick last in the next round.
- Free for All: Probably one of the most interesting new Draft Models, the “Free for all”, is all in the name. Every so often (the Competition Manager chooses how often), the system opens up for everyone at the same time to pick their next player, first in best dressed. This then repeats (based on the timeframe you choose), until all Clubs have a full squad. It’s quick, intense and a lot of fun!
Keep an eye out for follow up article on the Free For All model in the coming weeks.
Timezones
A simple on but handy for those not on the Eastern Australian Timezone. On your profile page, clicking the edit link next to your avatar will give you an option to edit your timezone. This will make sure the dates on the fixture and elsewhere, are shown in your local timezone.
What else?
There is a bunch more which we will cover in a follow up article including:
- Create User with Clubs
- Customising individual draft pick positions
- Rolling Lockout on all Games
- New iOS, there is a WHOLE new iOS app with a fresh look and a bunch of new features including a Live Draft dashboard.
JB
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