New database enhancements Spring 2014
Firstly, the site has been up since 2006 so we're not about to dismantle a stable website just before the World Cup. The existing functionality will continue unchanged for the foreseeable future. The changes being introduced are an extra database and new set of functions. Initially these will be rolled out to subscribers, then to our most regular users, then to all users. The reason for this is that it allows us the chance to assess the effect of the new changes and minimise the risks of system overload. Eligible users will see a new option on their menus that says Beta. This will provide links to all the new functionality that is being tested.
The new database is bigger, faster, more modern and ultimately more stable and secure. We'll be storing more matches, more competitions and more detail.
More matches & more competitions.
Currently the FootySimulator match data starts from immediately after the 1994 World Cup Finals, so we have 20 years worth of information. The new database is much more comprehensive. For the World Cup and European Championships, we go back to the very beginning which is 1930 and 1960 respectively. We also go back to the start for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Oceania Nations Championship. For the Copa America, we'll initially be going back as far as 1989: for the Asian Championships: 1984 and for the African Cup of Nations: 1992.
There will be more non-FIFA football too. In addition to the Island Games and VIVA World Cup information that we already store, we'll also be covering other NF-Board competitions as well as regional competitions such as the Coupe d'Outre Mer, the ABCS Cup and the Pacific Games.
More detail
In the new database, we'll be providing separate ratings for home and away performances as well as tournament play. We'll also be holding half time scores where available giving the potential for separate ratings for the first half and second half of matches.
The new BETA functionality
Ranking list
Of all the changes, this screen will look the most familiar. The new ranking screen contains information to a greater degree of precision, the look and feel has been improved, you can sort ascending or descending by any of the columns and you'll notice some extra teams in the ranking list. The rankings will differ slightly from the old database due to the extra matches and a slight difference in the weightings of certain competitions.
Team Profiles
The Team Information screen is radically improved both in terms of look & feel and navigation. From the buttons at the top of the screen, you will be able to select ratings for Home, Away and Tournament as well as the existing Overall ratings. Competition history can also be observed via the top buttons.
The selected team's ranking will now be displayed graphically along with those of their immediate neighbours. The accordion menu will also give you the opportunity to view the team's last 5 results or their best/worst 5 results ever as defined by FootySimulator ranking points.
The results history search has also been enhanced. The search by date has both a start and end date so you can narrow down your searches by date. You can also filter by the type of match (i.e. qualification, tournament or World Cup). When the list of matches comes up you'll also see half time scores where available along with extra time and penalty shootout information. More details on the matches will be available such as the group and location.
Competitions
There will be many more competitions in the new database so there's much more information to see. In addition to the extra range of competitions, you'll also be able to see extra information concerning the individual matches, such as location and group.
One more thing
The extra functionality is free and is also experimental. It may be necessary from time to time for us to switch the bonus functionality off, to make enhancements, fix bugs, or protect bandwidth. We'll also greatly appreciate your feedback in terms of reporting bugs and making recommendations.
