FRC Spyder 2014?

[Navid Shafa]

I'm a huge fan of FRC Spyder and it's the number one used app on my phone. I'm concerned that we're this far into the season and I've yet to see anything...

Will there be an FRC Spyder update for 2014? Or a fresh Install?

Thanks

[Mike Soukup]

Yes, we plan to release an update for the 2014 season.

[Navid Shafa]

Yes, we plan to release an update for the 2014 season.

I'm glad to hear this, thanks for all of your hard work!

[wireties]

Indeed - thanks for the great app!!

[Starke]

Yes, we plan to release an update for the 2014 season.

Thank you for your hard work with this Mike! It is greatly appreciated!

[Navid Shafa]

I hate to bump, but I was wondering if you have any idea on release time frame? If there's anything the community can do to help you guys moving forward, please let us know. I was using last year's app from the start of registration. You really take something for granted when it's gone. Thanks again guys, you are the best. <3

[Mike Soukup]

The iOS version is already out, the Android version will be out sometime in the next couple of days.

[MikeE]

The iOS version is already out, the Android version will be out sometime in the next couple of days.

Thanks Mike. I'll also be eagerly watching for the update.

[Navid Shafa]

The iOS version is already out, the Android version will be out sometime in the next couple of days.

Awesome, thank you so much!

[jlmcmchl]

I have the iOS version, and on refresh, it gets 2013's data. Is this to be expected right now, or is it a bug?

I do have the updated version.

[Dave Flowerday]

I have the iOS version, and on refresh, it gets 2013's data. Is this to be expected right now, or is it a bug?

I do have the updated version.
Please confirm you are running version 3.2.0 on the About page. There's really no way (if you're really running 3.2.0) that it can be showing you 2013 data - what makes you think it is?

[jlmcmchl]

Please confirm you are running version 3.2.0 on the About page. There's really no way (if you're really running 3.2.0) that it can be showing you 2013 data - what makes you think it is?

For some reason a fresh download didn't actually update it to 3.2.0. Updated, it works correctly.

[bEdhEd]

My team is almost done with our scouting system that incorporates the ideas of FRC spyder.

It's like a regular electronic scouting program for android, but it also includes all the matches and teams from every regional, so you can scout any regional you want.

[Tuba4]

I realize this thread is about the FRC Spyder app but is there going to be a new FRC Tracker app as well?

[Nathan Streeter]

I hadn't been getting the 2014 events on my iOS app... today I got the update (3.2.0 from 3.1.x) from the appstore and then did a refresh inside the app to get the latest event data... worked perfectly!

[Steven Donow]

Just got the update on Android. Love the new HOLO-ified interface. Any plans to add a HOLO dark option?

[Mike Soukup]

Thanks Deven. The old interface was .... well .... old, so it had to go. There are no current plans for a Dark theme, but I'll look into it. With the change to the refreshed layout, I didn't have to to get all the old features in; I'll put them back as soon as possible.

[shhrz]

The app looks great!

I don't seem to be able to find widgets though? :) Am I missing them? Or are there none?

[Mike Soukup]

The app looks great!

I don't seem to be able to find widgets though? :) Am I missing them? Or are there none?
Thanks! The widgets didn't make the transition from old layout to new layout because I didn't think they were widely used. We'll see how much work it is to put new ones in that conform to the new Android style guidelines. No promises though.

[Navid Shafa]

I'm liking the new interface. My only concern is that it looks like you can no longer select a team and see what events they are attending or how they did there.

[Mike Soukup]

I'm liking the new interface. My only concern is that it looks like you can no longer select a team and see what events they are attending or how they did there.
That's actually the next item on my list. If I get the time, I'll have it done in the next couple of days. I wanted to get the initial release out and port stuff over as I get the chance.

[shhrz]

Thanks! The widgets didn't make the transition from old layout to new layout because I didn't think they were widely used. We'll see how much work it is to put new ones in that conform to the new Android style guidelines. No promises though.

Thanks! :)

[sammyjalex]

Thanks so much for the work that you put into this, Mike. I've become so dependent on this app and it looks fantastic.

-Sam

[Peyton Yeung]

Thanks a lot. From a strategy stand point this is incredibly important.

[Procolsaurus]

Does 2014 Spyder run on Froyo OS(2.2.1) or am I going to need to update my OS to get Spyder running.
Been using this great app since 2011, but for now I'll need to look over shoulders instead of looking up results myself.

[Mike Soukup]

Does 2014 Spyder run on Froyo OS(2.2.1) or am I going to need to update my OS to get Spyder running.
Been using this great app since 2011, but for now I'll need to look over shoulders instead of looking up results myself.

Try v2.0.1. There was a bug in v2.0.0 on Android 2.2 devices because I was using an API that was only available on Android 2.3+.

[BBray_T1296]

o.O I clicked on this thread on my laptop and just as the page loaded my phone (S4) buzzed saying it had just updated an app - that app? FRC Spyder. Really creepy actually.

[vhcook]

This is probably my favorite app. Thank you for all the work it takes to keep this thing going every season.

Bug report using v2.0.3 with Android 4.4.2. When I select a team from a regional to look at their matches, the last match is hidden by the ad.

[Mike Soukup]

Bug report using v2.0.3 with Android 4.4.2. When I select a team from a regional to look at their matches, the last match is hidden by the ad.

Yeah, that's a silly layout problem that I noticed this morning. It was an easy fix and will be in the next release.

[Steven Donow]

Possible bug report for Android (unless I'm doing something wrong)-there's no way to get a tournament bracket. Or was this removed from this year's version?

[dellagd]

Is anyone else having Hatboro-Horsham not update on their Spyder app?

[BotnEyedJoe]

Yes, no H-H updates all day through Spyder (iOS), though results are on the FIRST web site.

[Dave Scheck]

Possible bug report for Android (unless I'm doing something wrong)-there's no way to get a tournament bracket. Or was this removed from this year's version?That was temporarily removed in order to get the initial release out. We'll be adding back in in a future update.

[Dave Scheck]

Is anyone else having Hatboro-Horsham not update on their Spyder app?Yes, no H-H updates all day through Spyder (iOS), though results are on the FIRST web site.Something to keep in mind is that while Spyder is a very useful tool, it isn't magic. It needs to get its data from somewhere. If FIRST isn't publishing data for events, there's not much we can do. If you see a situation like this, check the FIRST web site. If the matches aren't up to date there, your best bet is to report it to somebody that's at the event and have them check with on-site officials to determine the cause.

[Kelly180]

Yes, we plan to release an update for the 2014 season.

How am I not surprised that you would make such an amazing app for FIRST users! :)

I can't believe I found you!! AHHHHH!!! <3:eek:

[Dave Flowerday]

An update to FRC Spyder for iOS was released today. One new feature was added: the ability to share match lists using email, Twitter, Facebook, etc. You can do this with either the full event match list of just a single team's match list. The idea here is to be able to do things like send your team's match list to family and friends watching the webcast. There's also a couple other minor changes and fixes.

Download it from the App Store here (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frc-spyder/id361141145).

[Banderoonies]

Anyone know why the FRC Tracker has no data at all for New England Events? Is it just me?

[Dave Scheck]

Anyone know why the FRC Tracker has no data at all for New England Events? Is it just me?Do you mean FRC Spyder or FRC Tracker? We only do Spyder. Groton is giving a 404 on the FIRST website http://www2.usfirst.org/2014comp/Events/CTGRO/matchresults.html. UNH has a results and the data shows up for me when I click refresh in the event view.

Remember, if there's nothing published, there's nothing that Spyder (or Tracker) can do about that. If you notice a case like that your best bet is to talk to someone at the event and make them aware that their website isn't showing correct information.

[plnyyanks]

Remember, if there's nothing published, there's nothing that Spyder (or Tracker) can do about that. If you notice a case like that your best bet is to talk to someone at the event and make them aware that their website isn't showing correct information.

I'm scorekeeper at Groton - I'll take a look into it when I'm at the venue tonight

[Mike Soukup]

I just posted Android version 2.0.5 that adds two new tabs to the event screen:
- "team stats" has OPR, DPR, CCWM calculations for each team
- "predictions" has score predictions of each unplayed match using each team's OPR

I'll leave it up to the community to debate how useful the OPR statistic is for this year's game, but we wanted to provide it as another easily accessible data point available at your fingertips.

[Hoover]

Hi Mike,

I like the new tabs. What I'd like to see in the predictions would remain after the match so we could compare. I know that subsequent games alter the OPR. It would have to consider the OPR as it was before the match so that the prediction could remain as it was just right before played. This might be a lot of work but if it could be done then an indicator could show if the prediction held. Perhaps even a percentage accuracy could be known.

This could even be done post event. If it took a lot of CPU it might be better that way. Any possibilities?

[Cheesycakester]

Are there plans to implement elimination round schedules and results into the app? I seem to recall this functionlity last year (android)

Edit: I'm at Arkansas and I don't see any elims currently but I do see it at other regional events

Edit2: Also all the team OPR calculations say "not enough match data" when all the qualifiers are posted

[Mike Soukup]

Hi Mike,

I like the new tabs. What I'd like to see in the predictions would remain after the match so we could compare. I know that subsequent games alter the OPR. It would have to consider the OPR as it was before the match so that the prediction could remain as it was just right before played. This might be a lot of work but if it could be done then an indicator could show if the prediction held. Perhaps even a percentage accuracy could be known.

This could even be done post event. If it took a lot of CPU it might be better that way. Any possibilities?

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to ask for this. I guess the answer is ~7 hours. It's trivial to do it the wrong way and just apply the current OPR to previous matches, but that's just silly. It's a bit more work to do it the right way, as you described. I like the idea though, it's something we can look into, but it's low on the list.

[Mike Soukup]

Are there plans to implement elimination round schedules and results into the app? I seem to recall this functionlity last year (android)

Edit: I'm at Arkansas and I don't see any elims currently but I do see it at other regional events

Edit2: Also all the team OPR calculations say "not enough match data" when all the qualifiers are posted

An elimination round bracket is in the works, it will probably be done for next weekend, but don't hold me to it. Hold Dave to it, he's writing that part :)

I see elimination matches at Arkansas.

I also see OPR as missing for Arkansas. We'll look into it.

[Navid Shafa]

Predictions look good for the most part. Except for when the scores are negative :p

[Jakenan]

I was wondering if there are any plans on bring FRC Spyder to Windows Phones. Unfortunately, I'm a bit behind the times when it comes to phones and ipods. A Nokia Lumia is the best I can afford and there's no Windows love when it comes to apps.

[Mike Soukup]

I was wondering if there are any plans on bring FRC Spyder to Windows Phones. Unfortunately, I'm a bit behind the times when it comes to phones and ipods. A Nokia Lumia is the best I can afford and there's no Windows love when it comes to apps.

There are no plans for a Windows Phone version. None of us have one and we don't have enough free time to learn a new device platform.

----

I released another new version tonight. It makes the match scores list easier to parse quickly by putting each alliance's score next to the team numbers instead of hanging off on the right side of the screen.

[JTEarley]

I really like having the opr available. Would it be possible to have an option to sort teams in the statististics tab by their opr?

Other than that, I love the way the app has been developing (android)

[Dave Scheck]

An elimination round bracket is in the works, it will probably be done for next weekend, but don't hold me to it. Hold Dave to it, he's writing that part :)I'm just about done with the reimplementation of the elim bracket tab for Android. I have a little bit more to clean up and it should be ready to go in the update later this week.

[Mike Soukup]

I really like having the opr available. Would it be possible to have an option to sort teams in the statististics tab by their opr?

Anything is possible. The latest version can sort by team, rank, opr, dpr, and ccwm in the team statistics tab. It also adds a new tab for the tournament bracket.

[GearsOfFury]

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to ask for this. I guess the answer is ~7 hours. It's trivial to do it the wrong way and just apply the current OPR to previous matches, but that's just silly. It's a bit more work to do it the right way, as you described. I like the idea though, it's something we can look into, but it's low on the list.

While the "wrong way" is silly for expired quals matches, it might be useful for elims, no? They is, you're not (I don't think) updating opr after quals, so allow the (static) predictions to continue showing for elim matches even after they're played...?

[peetam22]

Hey I was looking at spyder and match 78 scores from the Orlando Regional are in but none of the teams from either alliances have been updated. All matches after that one have been fine though. If this could please get fixed, we'd all greatly appreciate it :)

[peetam22]

Never mind, it fixed itself :D

[OWilliamson]

So I was playing around with this app today, specifically with adding favorite teams. I went to check out the favorites tab, and what did I find but "Teh Chezy Pofs" ;)

I'm not sure if it was intentional somehow or not, but I was only able to get it to show once. Regardless, it definitely put a smile on my face today :D

[pyroslev]

Used it at our event.

The prediction system needs, shall we say, A LOT of work. If you can figure out a way to tap into NI Parkway and watch that for team requests that would help. In one match, the winning alliance predicted all had serious issues that were in the Parkway system.

Other than that, great as usual.

[Mike Soukup]

The prediction system needs, shall we say, A LOT of work. If you can figure out a way to tap into NI Parkway and watch that for team requests that would help. In one match, the winning alliance predicted all had serious issues that were in the Parkway system.

The prediction tab is purely a mathematical model; it sums up the OPRs of each team and uses that as a match score. It's far from perfect and may even be useless, but we're just presenting the data and leaving it up to the user to decide what to do with it.

I have no idea what NI Parkway is, it sounds like a local way to keep track of teams that are having robot issues. Tying into that is far from Spyder's realm, we deal with published match data from FIRST.

[Mike Soukup]

So I was playing around with this app today, specifically with adding favorite teams. I went to check out the favorites tab, and what did I find but "Teh Chezy Pofs" ;)

I'm not sure if it was intentional somehow or not, but I was only able to get it to show once. Regardless, it definitely put a smile on my face today :D

EJ must have hacked your phone. Actually, it was probably that Pat Fairbanks guy.

[pyroslev]

Request for next year:

Improve the prediction system. (it was more entertaining than accurate)
Built in screenshot taker? (Bonus mostly)
Takes updates from NI Parkway. Help highlight a team's issues and may help the prediction system.

Get Rid of the Banner Ads.

[jlmcmchl]

Request for next year:

Improve the prediction system. (it was more entertaining than accurate)
Built in screenshot taker? (Bonus mostly)
Takes updates from NI Parkway. Help highlight a team's issues and may help the prediction system.

Get Rid of the Banner Ads.

The prediction system is meant, as noted, to be entertainment. If you want your own scouting system, well, that's the perfect opportunity for students to get programming experience outside of the robot.

You realize that they've put a lot of time over the years into making FRC Spyder what it is today, right? It's on multiple app stores, and maintaining that takes a fair amount of work. Banner ads are only welcome.


I'm seeing all these posts about OPR and predictions, supposedly from people with Android phones. When will this feature be coming to iOS?

[Bryan Herbst]

Request for next year:

Improve the prediction system. (it was more entertaining than accurate)
Built in screenshot taker? (Bonus mostly)
Takes updates from NI Parkway. Help highlight a team's issues and may help the prediction system.

Get Rid of the Banner Ads.

What phone do you have? If you are running Anything above 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), Android natively supports screenshots. Press the volume down and power buttons at the same time, and you should get a screenshot in your gallery.

[vhcook]

Once again expressing my love for this app.

Slight glitch this morning. Team 4522 was a late add to the OKC regional (yesterday, I think), and although they show up in the match schedule, they're not in the team list.

[Dave Flowerday]

I'm seeing all these posts about OPR and predictions, supposedly from people with Android phones. When will this feature be coming to iOS?
The OPR/DPR/CCWM and predictions features are ready for iOS, however one downside of owning an iDevice is that you have to wait for Apple to approve every single app update. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

[Mike Soukup]

Once again expressing my love for this app.

Slight glitch this morning. Team 4522 was a late add to the OKC regional (yesterday, I think), and although they show up in the match schedule, they're not in the team list.

Thanks for the positive comments vhcook & jlmcmchl; it's refreshing to see appreciative posts instead of complaints & demands to update an app that we're giving away for free.

Team 4522 is now in the team list. It sometimes takes a little bit of time for team list updates to get into our database. Let us know if you have any other problems.

[pyroslev]

What phone do you have? If you are running Anything above 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), Android natively supports screenshots. Press the volume down and power buttons at the same time, and you should get a screenshot in your gallery.

Casion G'Zone Commando C711. Very tough phone. Water and Acid proof. On my 3rd Battery with it.

NI Parkway was introduced to keep track of teams with control system issues, coding/CRIO/etc issues. A team puts in a request for help and anyone can respond to it. Last year I diagnosed an issue at a regional in Oregon and I'm in Virginia. There is a notification system where you can get an email or text when an issue appears in your regional. It was developed as a mobile website.

I can check with a NI rep and see if they can suggest a way to integrate it. I would like mostly cause it would improve prediction. In a match, it predicted Red Alliance to win. All three Red Alliance robots had issue in Parkway, including one team that's robot wasn't even built yet. So it's more of a bonus thing to help with the more advanced features.

[BigJ]

I can check with a NI rep and see if they can suggest a way to integrate it. I would like mostly cause it would improve prediction.

And then people would want to turn that on/off...

And then people would want different ways to weight it differently...

And then... and then...

Putting aside the fact that you're adding qualitative/subjective data into a purely mathematical OPR "prediction", it is a good example of feature creep (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feature_creep).

[Patrick Flynn]

Used it at our event.

The prediction system needs, shall we say, A LOT of work. If you can figure out a way to tap into NI Parkway and watch that for team requests that would help. In one match, the winning alliance predicted all had serious issues that were in the Parkway system.



Request for next year:

Improve the prediction system. (it was more entertaining than accurate)
Built in screenshot taker? (Bonus mostly)
Takes updates from NI Parkway. Help highlight a team's issues and may help the prediction system.

Get Rid of the Banner Ads.


I can check with a NI rep and see if they can suggest a way to integrate it. I would like mostly cause it would improve prediction. In a match, it predicted Red Alliance to win. All three Red Alliance robots had issue in Parkway, including one team that's robot wasn't even built yet. So it's more of a bonus thing to help with the more advanced features.

Not sure if you have read a single post in this thread. Actually i'm sure you haven't. As explained in this thread which you should read before you post again, the predictions are just using OPR.

Getting rid of the banner ads? What harm do they do to you? I'm sure they would be glad to remove the ads after you fund the development of this app and pay for all the other expenses. Or are you suggesting that someone pays for this out of pocket so that you don't have to see an ad that is not even in the way?

Bashing something that someone donated their time to make and gives to you for free is totally not needed. If you think you can do better certainly do.

I love the features this app provides thanks to everyone that works on it!

[vhcook]

Thanks for the positive comments vhcook & jlmcmchl; it's refreshing to see appreciative posts instead of complaints & demands to update an app that we're giving away for free.

Team 4522 is now in the team list. It sometimes takes a little bit of time for team list updates to get into our database. Let us know if you have any other problems.

Thanks!

Y'all have obviously put a lot of work and love into this app. All of the mentors (and many of the students) on my team use it intensely during the season, and we're all delighted.

I haven't experienced a defect above "Minor" severity over the course of several years of using this app, and even those get fixed faster than most Critical defects in software I've paid for. This is unusual, particularly since you've added new features every year, almost all incredibly spiffy. I really wasn't expecting any new functionality above what we had last year, particularly given the complete redesign, and what you've done here is splendid. Thank you for all your work.

-----
I'd like to remind other users that this is a very nice gift horse, and we should not be asking for dental x-rays. We aren't paying for the right to set development priorities - enhancements are a pleasant surprise, not a right.

[pyroslev]

Bashing something that someone donated their time to make and gives to you for free is totally not needed. If you think you can do better certainly do.

I love the features this app provides thanks to everyone that works on it!

I in no way bash this app nor the developer. After trying my hand at Android App development, I'll leave it to better minds. The methodology of the Feauture Creep is a shining example of what a good app evolving does. Honestly reminds me of how Mozilla Firefox creeped along the first few years.

Banners ads were blocked by another app. (But I would pay for it if needed)
Prediction system does work but just needs tweaking is all. Right a lot of time.
Integrating information from Parkway is a longshot but it would help to consolidate the power of the app, the same way OPR did this year. You could look at one app and see the stats and if a team's flagged for an issue that you could render help on. Just add more power the app's potential.

I do apologize if I offended anyone. Mike, it's a great bit of work. Always handy and must have. My rating was a 5 Star from Day one, which I cannot say the same for the Official FRC Game Manual App. If you want a Beta Tester for Older Android devices, let me know. I'm running Android 2.3.x.

[Mike Soukup]

Thanks pyroslev. The prediction screen, as was stated earlier by a few others, is mostly for entertainment. I'd rather stick to quantitative & mathematical models instead of adding in some subjective and unreliable data (e.g. I peeked at Parkway yesterday and saw that team 126 needed help finding the field; I doubt that was true).

I agree that the official FRC game manual app is pretty bad. It uses a cross-platform framework that doesn't follow the Android design guidelines; it's extremely tough to navigate. At least they got rid of the 5+ second splash screen on start-up that was there a few years ago. I downloaded the unofficial app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appdelegates.frcmanual2014) because it's a lot better.

Take a look at the official VEX Toss Up (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dwabtech.vex2014) app to see what a quality manual app looks like. Dave, Dave and I created that for VEX. It's hyperlinked, it filters as you type in the search bar, and it has clickable images.

Thanks for the offer for beta testing, but I have my own 2.3, 2.3, and 4.4 devices plus the emulator that I can test releases on. Besides, at the frequency I was putting out releases earlier in the year, the beta cycle would have been a few hours.

[Dave Flowerday]

The updated version of FRC Spyder for iOS has been approved by Apple and is available now in the App Store (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frc-spyder/id361141145?mt=8&uo=4). This version adds OPR, DPR, and CCWM to the rankings page and also adds the OPR-based Match Prediction feature.

[nuclearnerd]

Mike / Dave

Can I add a (minor) feature request? Would it be possible to add stats to the teams from an event screen *before* the event starts? That is, can you incorporate the seeds, OPRs and whatnot from previous regionals? That would be useful for "pre-scouting" an event.

The other pony would be to include each team's robot images that are indexed on thebluealliance.com (what few there are). I'm a visual thinker, so I cannot keep team numbers straight in my head for the life of me :rolleyes:

[Tom Line]

Dave, thanks for all you guys have done for the community with this app. We use it almost exclusively on 1718 for everything from match schedules to checking upcoming matches and whether they're going to be tough or not. I just can't say enough good things about it. Every time anyone asks a question about schedule, or scores, or rank, the answer is 'check spyder'.

[XaulZan11]

Can I add a (minor) feature request? Would it be possible to add stats to the teams from an event screen *before* the event starts? That is, can you incorporate the seeds, OPRs and whatnot from previous regionals? That would be useful for "pre-scouting" an event.


If possible, I think this would be really useful as well, especially for the championship coming up. It would be really nice to go to the division team list, click on a team and see what event(s) they previously played with records and seeds.

Before this app, I had to send a freshman down to write down the top 8 seeds and had to deal with paper copies of schedules to see when each team was playing. This app has made scouting at the event significantly easier. I'm also amazed how many parents on our team have and use the app. Thank you so much!

[Joe Ross]

The other pony would be to include each team's robot images that are indexed on thebluealliance.com (what few there are). I'm a visual thinker, so I cannot keep team numbers straight in my head for the life of me :rolleyes:

If you have an iPhone, FRC Tracker has a photo database. There are almost 1000 photos in it. You can also take a photo with the app and associate it with a team.

Back to Spyder, I like going up to people on the end of Friday as people huddle around the pit display either taking pictures or writing stuff down and telling them that there's an app for that.

[nuclearnerd]

If you have an iPhone, FRC Tracker has a photo database. There are almost 1000 photos in it. You can also take a photo with the app and associate it with a team.

That's cool! Unfortunately I have an Android phone. I wonder if the FRC Tracker people would share their photo database with FRC Spyder and/or thebluealliance?

[Zach O]

The updated version of FRC Spyder for iOS has been approved by Apple and is available now in the App Store (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frc-spyder/id361141145?mt=8&uo=4). This version adds OPR, DPR, and CCWM to the rankings page and also adds the OPR-based Match Prediction feature.

And a little bit of a facelift! Looks great.

Pressing the "Go" button on the alert view to update the app in the iOS version brings the user to the Play store.

[Dave Flowerday]

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback!

Would it be possible to add stats to the teams from an event screen *before* the event starts?
If possible, I think this would be really useful as well, especially for the championship coming up.!

At this point we're all pretty busy with more important commitments, so it's unlikely there will be any additional features added to FRC Spyder this season.

Pressing the "Go" button on the alert view to update the app in the iOS version brings the user to the Play store.

Thanks for pointing that out, it was fixed earlier this afternoon.

[TimN]

Any chance of making this app available on the Amazon App Store for the Kindle Fire HD?

[Mike Soukup]

Any chance of making this app available on the Amazon App Store for the Kindle Fire HD?

Unfortunately none of us have Kindle devices, so we don't have a way to test it.

[dodar]

I dont know if its just my phone or if anyone else is having this problem, but Spyder doesnt update information anymore. The "loading" circle just constantly spins and I have to force stop the program to get it to stop.

EDIT: I uninstalled and then re-installed the program and now it updates perfectly.

[Dominick Ferone]

Do you think next year it would be possible to add,
Pit Map: so at a regional if everyone isn't in sequence there is an easy way to find a team then having to memorize where they are.(NYC is all a scrambled mess for pits)

Awards: so people could check what awards teams have won(with that maybe have it update you if a team you watch won an award.)

Live stream integration: Blue alliance won't always work on my phone to let me watch matches.

Team note tabs: when you walk to a team you can put a note tab next to them to later reference.(in pit scouting notes maybe and then be able to send them to each other. And to make notes on how well you played with them, or other important notes.)

Those are some ideas i had I don't know if other people have the same ideas or would like them integrated. I understand they may not be possible. Thank you guys for the great app i have been using for years now. It is the go to app i tell people to check out when they say they wanna keep an eye on us at competition.
Keep up the good work!

[jlmcmchl]

Do you think next year it would be possible to add,
Pit Map: so at a regional if everyone isn't in sequence there is an easy way to find a team then having to memorize where they are.(NYC is all a scrambled mess for pits)

Awards: so people could check what awards teams have won(with that maybe have it update you if a team you watch won an award.)

Live stream integration: Blue alliance won't always work on my phone to let me watch matches.

Team note tabs: when you walk to a team you can put a note tab next to them to later reference.(in pit scouting notes maybe and then be able to send them to each other. And to make notes on how well you played with them, or other important notes.)

Those are some ideas i had I don't know if other people have the same ideas or would like them integrated. I understand they may not be possible. Thank you guys for the great app i have been using for years now. It is the go to app i tell people to check out when they say they wanna keep an eye on us at competition.
Keep up the good work!

The feature creep is strong with this one.

More seriously, that's a lot of work for a FREE app, and multi-platform at that.

[Zach O]

I'm all for ideas, but uh... Spyder isn't magic.

Pit Map: so at a regional if everyone isn't in sequence there is an easy way to find a team then having to memorize where they are.(NYC is all a scrambled mess for pits)

The pit layouts are planned out by individuals at events, and that data isn't available online. Due to the difference in layouts between venues, it would be almost impossible to have a standard template and have people map them out manually.

[Mike Soukup]

The feature creep is strong with this one.

I'm all for ideas, but uh... Spyder isn't magic.

What they said. I should hire you two as spokesmen.

We'll consider more features for next year, but we're currently too busy with paying jobs to add anything else this year.

[plnyyanks]

Live stream integration: Blue alliance won't always work on my phone to let me watch matches.
Spyder would have the same problem as your phone, for the most part. Your best bet usually, if TBA doesn't work, is to use the streaming service (Livestram, Ustream, twitch, etc) native app and watch from there.


Team note tabs: when you walk to a team you can put a note tab next to them to later reference.(in pit scouting notes maybe and then be able to send them to each other. And to make notes on how well you played with them, or other important notes.)


[shameless plug]
I actually wrote an app that does this for this season (Android only, I don't know iOS) that does just that. Take a look!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plnyyanks.frcnotebook

[Dave Flowerday]

For anyone thinking of providing a free service to the FRC community (like we do with FRC Spyder), it may be worthwhile to keep in mind that, like us, you'll mostly just receive a steady stream of whining, complaining, and other un-GP verbal abuse. Very few people will ever say "thank you" (but for those who do, we appreciate it!). Mostly, you'll just have people telling you how things are broken (even though they're out of your control), people leaving you 1-star reviews with comments implying you inhale audibly, and so on (note that this is not at all limited to students; we've seen poor behavior from plenty of adults too).

Take, for example, this email we just received (note that it's likely the name and email are fake, so don't trust those):

Subject [General questions or comments] Your app doesn't work
From yesitisjoeykraut@gmail.com
To support@dwabtech.com
Date Today 6:47 pm

Richie Burgner sent a message using the contact form at http://www.dwabtech.com/main/contact.

Your app doesn't work at least for the San Jose regional and you are making the entire place unhappy, in fact we have started a boycott against your app in hopes that you will fix it. I don't care how hard it is I want to be able to check my rank so get it together or face legal charges



If by any chance someone knows the real author of this amusing email, perhaps a discussion of what FIRST's values are supposed to be would be in order.

Being involved with FRC Spyder has certainly proven to me that while "GP" is generally the rule of thumb on CD, it is definitely NOT a philosophy held by the general FIRST participant/spectator population.

[Bochek]

For anyone thinking of providing a free service to the FRC community (like we do with FRC Spyder), it may be worthwhile to keep in mind that, like us, you'll mostly just receive a steady stream of whining, complaining, and other un-GP verbal abuse.

The last 2 weeks straight.

[Chris Fultz]

Dave & Mike -

First off, thanks for the app and everything it does.

Second off, I had no idea who was behind it, so thanks for letting us know. Very cool.

Third off, I never complain about free.

Fourth off, Can you add a "my ideal draft list" option? That would really make things easy for me.

[Navid Shafa]

Richie Burgner: 'so get it together or face legal charges.'

I am laughing really hard. This person is either a troll and or extremely ignorant.

You guys rock, in case we haven't said it enough:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

[blaze8902]

I wanted to make an attempt to express my gratitude as well. Spyder, while it is true that we still prefer to do our own statistical calculations, has been a near-essential tool for team 4265. A live update of schedule, results, and rankings makes the lives of scouts so much easier. (And helps our drive team out a bit as well!) A thanks from my entire team for all of the hard work you have put into this impressive application.

[Andrew Rudolph]

I love it and have for many years, thank you so much whoever you are!

The only feature I would like to see, that probably works off the framework in place already, is an "on deck" feature. Basically if a user creates an on deck alert for a team, lets say they are in match 23, when the score for match 22 goes up it gives an alert to the user that the subscribed team is up next. Would help at home or at events to make sure I watch the team in a match.

[Robotmmm]

I would like to sincerely thank you for this app. I can not even imagine going through a single day of the competition season without it! Please know that for every annoying, ungrateful person, there are many, many more of us who truly appreciate your efforts!

[IndySam]

THANKS!

[Navid Shafa]

Basically if a user creates an on deck alert for a team, lets say they are in match 23, when the score for match 22 goes up it gives an alert to the user that the subscribed team is up next.

FRC Megaphone (https://frcmega.com/) does exactly that, amongst other things.

[Jake177]

Thank you to everyone involved in FRC Spyder for everything you have done and continue to do for the FIRST community.

[Puts on old man hat]
When I started competing in FRC, we had to go back to the monitor in the pits anytime we wanted to check the standings at an event. The only way to know the match schedule was to have a paper copy. And good luck trying to keep track of what was going on at a event you weren't either attending or watching on a webcast (if there even was one).

Now you ungrateful kids stop bothering these nice people who are just trying to make life easier for you. And stay off my lawn.
[Takes off old man hat]

[Billfred]

I love it and have for many years, thank you so much whoever you are!

The only feature I would like to see, that probably works off the framework in place already, is an "on deck" feature. Basically if a user creates an on deck alert for a team, lets say they are in match 23, when the score for match 22 goes up it gives an alert to the user that the subscribed team is up next. Would help at home or at events to make sure I watch the team in a match.

This. All of this.

Oh, and also: Haters gonna hate. :)

[plnyyanks]

Now that I know who to thank, thanks so much for an awesome app (and at the best price, too!). For every jerk making unreasonable complaints, there's a silent majority who loves the work you do.

And for what it's worth, if you guys need help with developing the Android version of Spyder, let me know, I'd love to chip in - I'm more than competent with the SDK.

[billylo]

FRC Spyder is on my home page every competition season. Thank you.

[Billfred]

One application that hit me (and totally a 2015-if-ever thing): predictions in elimination rounds will invariably compute the same numbers for each alliance for all those matches. Once the elimination schedule is set, perhaps it could take that information and predict the bracket?

Spyder saved my butt today when I tried to follow teams at three regionals while doing a demo with my own team! It's a great tool to have in the box.

[Mike Soukup]

Quick poll of users, especially those at or following the Pacific Northwest district championship. Was Spyder working for you today? We received a single, yet adamant, complaint from a parent who is following her son's team that it wasn't updating. We had no problems with our phones though when we investigated.

[Billfred]

Quick poll of users, especially those at or following the Pacific Northwest district championship. Was Spyder working for you today? We received a single, yet adamant, complaint from a parent who is following her son's team that it wasn't updating. We had no problems with our phones though when we investigated.

Wasn't tracking anyone at PNW, but I was getting a few (2-4) notifications from NECMP where I wasn't following any teams.

[BethMo]

Quick poll of users, especially those at or following the Pacific Northwest district championship. Was Spyder working for you today? We received a single, yet adamant, complaint from a parent who is following her son's team that it wasn't updating. We had no problems with our phones though when we investigated.

I was at the PNW championship and it stopped updating for me after round 10. I kept going back and trying to update again every 20 minutes or so but it never downloaded new data. (I just tried it again now, a couple hours after the event closed for the day, and it did get the data.)

[Jeffrafa]

Quick poll of users, especially those at or following the Pacific Northwest district championship. Was Spyder working for you today? We received a single, yet adamant, complaint from a parent who is following her son's team that it wasn't updating. We had no problems with our phones though when we investigated.

Never noticed a hitch for me today at the PNW district championships. I was at the event, but following several teams there and I was reliably getting instant push notifications following matches and in-app updates whenever I refreshed. Awesome app for tracking multiple teams and checking schedule/standings throughout the event.

Pretty wacky OPR's in the PNW so far, 4 teams have OPR over 200, highest at 280. The highest two OPR's exceed any of their alliance match scores. I assume it's just a glitch from the small sample size though, will likely straighten itself out in a couple more rounds.

[Navid Shafa]

Never noticed a hitch for me today at the PNW district championships. I was at the event, but following several teams there and I was reliably getting instant push notifications following matches and in-app updates whenever I refreshed. Awesome app for tracking multiple teams and checking schedule/standings throughout the event.

Pretty wacky OPR's in the PNW so far, 4 teams have OPR over 200, highest at 280. The highest two OPR's exceed any of their alliance match scores. I assume it's just a glitch from the small sample size though, will likely straighten itself out in a couple more rounds.

OPR is never accurate at any event until each team has played at least 6-7 matches. It most definitely is a sample size issue.

I haven't had any problems today, my dad's isn't updating though. We both have a Samsung Galaxy, same carrier. It's strange...

[Basel A]

Quick poll of users, especially those at or following the Pacific Northwest district championship. Was Spyder working for you today? We received a single, yet adamant, complaint from a parent who is following her son's team that it wasn't updating. We had no problems with our phones though when we investigated.

While I was at MSC, I'd try to update, it'd go for a short while, say "Update Successful," but wouldn't have actually updated (still had old teamlist). Wasn't a problem with cell service, because I was doing other things at the time as well. After I did this a couple dozen times, it eventually started working and continued to work the rest of the day. I want to say it working coincided with the start of matches, but I'm not sure.

[pyroslev]

I was at the FTC East Super Regional Last weekend. And I think about 100 people downloaded the app after I showed it to them. You could always tell when a score notification came in cause of someone's reaction.

[cgmv123]

Quick poll of users, especially those at or following the Pacific Northwest district championship. Was Spyder working for you today? We received a single, yet adamant, complaint from a parent who is following her son's team that it wasn't updating. We had no problems with our phones though when we investigated.

I just refreshed the app, and I have rankings from the PNW Championship. Android 4.0.

[ghesla]

Thank you for the app!
Running all day in regionals

[Joe Ross]

OPR is never accurate at any event until each team has played at least 6-7 matches. It most definitely is a sample size issue.


Until the number of matches is >= number of teams, the OPR system of equations is underdetermined.

Consider the equation a + b = 3, there are an infinite number of solutions. The same thing occurs when there are less matches then teams. Since there are 6 teams per match, opr is underdetermined until everyone has 6 matches.

At the championship, it will take until the middle of Friday before OPR is overdetermined.

FRC Tracker won't calculate OPR until the solution is overdetermined. Users of FRC Spyder and any other live OPR updating tool should definitely take OPR with a huge grain of salt until the solution is overdetermined.

[BethMo]

Following up, since I was one of those for whom the update wasn't fetching data on Thursday: no problems updating from PNW championship on Friday.

[billylo]

What they said. I should hire you two as spokesmen.

We'll consider more features for next year, but we're currently too busy with paying jobs to add anything else this year.

Hi, Mike,

If there are any interests, I can volunteer to work with the 610 programmers to port it to BlackBerry BB10 for the community. A little giveback to FIRST and the Canadian smartphone pioneer. BB10 can run many Android apps with a simple wrapper.

Billy.

[CauseImAzn]

Until the number of matches is >= number of teams, the OPR system of equations is underdetermined.


Isn't it half the number of teams? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't each match have two equations, one for each alliance's score?

[Joe Ross]

Is anyone having issues with Spyder on Newton? Not all teams are showing up. It was working earlier today.

[dodar]

Is anyone having issues with Spyder on Newton? Not all teams are showing up. It was working earlier today.

Yeah, me too. But the field isnt showing rankings either on matches. I think they had to reset everything and when a team plays now, they are being re-added into the rankings. Just give it a few more matches and everyone should be back.

[Navid Shafa]

Yeah, me too. But the field isnt showing rankings either on matches. I think they had to reset everything and when a team plays now, they are being re-added into the rankings. Just give it a few more matches and everyone should be back.

It's fixed now. They updated it during lunch. FMS wasn't updating properly.

[Dave Flowerday]

As a preemptive warning, FIRST's data feeds are broken and this is why FRC Spyder isn't updating. Someone at FIRST appears to be editing their result HTML pages using Microsoft Word (!) and this produces a different HTML structure than their normal pages. Since FIRST does not provide the data in a clean API format, we're forced to scrape the data from their result pages and parse it. When they publish data using Microsoft Word, Word changes the layout of the HTML which makes it incompatible with our data parsers.

Unfortunately we are extremely busy supporting the VEX Robotics World Championship and don't have time to tweak our data parsers to deal with the changes FIRST has made.

Maybe someday FIRST will get this right and provide the data in a way more suited for app consumption.

[blockhead]

I second the post above. It is very frustrating that FIRST doesn't provide better tools for these third party sites like The Blue Alliance and At The Control. Obviously they want these sites to exist!