Strat-O-Matic.com transition info/FAQ

[Hack Wilson]

Let's all take a deep breath. 8-)

[Roosky]

Im sure that good ole Hal will give us plenty of things to gripe about starting tomorrow night and we can come together in anger against his managerial expertise. :D

[Hack Wilson]

I welcome the glitch whereby all my teams win. 8-)

[rjohaire]

Are the games starting tonight or tomorrow night? It says Friday, so I was assuming after midnight is Friday?

[Roosky]

I feel fairly confident that Friday means that games will run tomorrow evening. Just think about it like this, leagues always started on Monday and that never meant that they actually began on Sunday night after midnight. It would be a very confusing way to do things.

[PJ Axelsson]

Good question. Guess I better assume they start tonight.

[bernieh]

Yes, deep breath everybody.

Here's the thing. I'm going to need you all to just bear with me for a bit. Here's why.

Everything comes to down to one thing. I'm only one guy. It's absolutely crazy that for all these years, I've been basically the only guy who does all the programming, game design, graphic design, monitoring, 24/7/365 on-call emergency coverage, customer service, community representation, everything. One guy can't expect to excel at every single one of these areas, and while I don't pretend I do, I think I do an admirable job at least trying. I feel like my detractors don't give me enough credit for the intense passion and work ethic I have for this job, and for the herculean challenge that I've been trying to handle all these years. I've practically destroyed my personal and family life - not to mention my health - only to be called an incompetent slacker by Petrosian, and the wrong man for the job by Nev.

Yes, there's bugs. Yes, there's confusion. But [i:c068fee3ef]everything has a reason,[/i:c068fee3ef] and whether or not you feel like I deserve the benefit of the doubt, please try and exercise some anyway. [i:c068fee3ef]Every single thing has a reason for it[/i:c068fee3ef], but I simply don't have the time to explain it all. Why? Because I'm only one guy.

Why aren't I on the boards constantly addressing your comments on the new site? Because I'm busy answering emails helping individual users get into their teams. And I'm only one guy.

But it takes "just a minute" to answer this one question! No, it doesn't. I'll answer one question now: the forums are intentionally unlinked because new users are unable to post there for the time being, and won't until we've migrated it over. This paragraph did just take a minute to type, but then it'll be wondered why a dozen other questions aren't answered. I'm only one guy. For the record, I'll be continuing to try and address issues on the "Welcome" wiki page I posted, which is a much more central place. No new users can see this forum.

Well, working with the fact that there's only one guy, why not wait however long it takes to put out a perfect new site that's flawless from day one? For many business reasons, just one of which was Strat-O-Matic had no choice. We simply could not stay on SportingNews.com for longer. There's more reasons that are not my place or pay-grade to give, but that's all you need to know.

So... [i:c068fee3ef]how could we have this situation where this entire game is being run by one guy for all these years[/i:c068fee3ef]? He obviously can't handle it all. No argument from me there. I've come to hate all the insane responsibility I have on my shoulders and the fact that I can't please all of the people, at all of my tasks, all of the time.

But here's what you need to know, if you're considering leaving all of a sudden because there's lingering bugs and a graphical background you don't like after an absolutely MASSIVE new site launch. Strat-O-Matic.com is committed to [i:c068fee3ef]changing the situation[/i:c068fee3ef]. They'll be getting me help in countless different ways. Maybe I'll get coverage on nights and weekends so I'm not so tired during the day. Maybe I'll get customer service help so I can focus on the game's programming. What's certain is that though it may take some time, they are committed to improving the situation. If you're still unhappy after a while, then of course, it's your prerogative to leave at any time. Just don't expect everything to be suddenly perfect immediately out of the gates.

So please, let's take a deep breath, and try to keep in mind that there's only one guy here trying to make the best of an extraordinary situation.

Flame away, those that are inclined to flame; this is probably nice bait for you... I'll just be going back to the trenches trying to address ALL of your concerns. Everyone else: thanks for your continued support, and all the encouraging and congratulatory emails I'm getting.

[KEVINEHLE]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Great response Bernie. Most of us know it's a one-man operation. However, there are many who think that online Strato is a faceless corporation with teams of programmers and IT geeks.

We know it's just you and "nearly" all of us appreciate the effort.

I have just one question........... are you just "one guy"? :wink:

Kev

[dharmabums]

Wasn't there a "Bernie Does Vegas" movie somewhere? Must be something about that in these message boards somewhere. That ought to be worth a flame! :P

[Roosky]

I am personally very excited with the direction that things are heading and I have been playing the game pretty much from day one. I am not worried about the bugs because I know they are going to get fixed. As someone that works directly with customers on a daily basis I am well aware that it just doesn't matter what you do for some people because it will never be enough. I realize it is hard to ignore that faction but all you can do is put the work in and be satisfied knowing that you are doing the most you can and treating people fairly. Keep plugging away Bernie, unfortunately those of us that are happy with things will never make as much noise as those who are not. But I think you know that already.