If you create a league one of the options is using the live draft.

Has anyone used it? How does it work?

Sheller... I've played in two of them, and I tested it extensively before it went live.

If you have specific questions, let me know. I don't want to spend too much time going into it here.

The big problem with it is a lack of auto-pick and proxy pick functions.

Thanks Len - I'll throw out specific questions as they occur -

First one - Does live draft allow white- and black-listing of players?

- #2 - I know what proxy picking is, but what is auto-pick?

#3 - Do owners have to devote a draft center team to the draft to use live draft?

Auto pick is pretty much using your proxy list to choose your guy for you. As it is the draft feature starts at team one. Team one then has a set amount of time...I think from 2 minutes to an hour...to make his pick. The problem is that if you don't make your draft time, you are skipped. Auto-pick would make the pick for you based on your "proxy list" that you would set in the draft tool function.

There is also a way to set it up to keep people in their draft slots with missed picks on the board, or to allow anyone to pick as soon as it is their draft slot. So if team 2 missed their pick, and team 3 picked 2 minutes into his alloted draft time, team 3 would be able to pick immediately. That might sound confusing.

You do have to use a draft center team to use the live draft.

Does the league creator have override ability - that is, make a missed pick for a missing owner?

So 'auto pick' and 'proxy pick' are virtually the same thing, right?

Right or wrong - the draft doesn't start until the 24 draft center teams are in?

What happens if an owner pulls his team? Does the sim 'remember' his team if a replacement owner needs to be found?

They are the same thing.....right the draft will not start until all 24 draft center teams are in...if an owner pulls his team then the league won't fire. I believe it picks the random draft order for you. Once the draft starts you cannot pull your team...I don't think the Commish has override ability.

Hmmm... with a couple of adjustments and refinements this might REALLY work well for progressive leagues

Yeah...it is really close to being awesome.

For it to work, tho, it'd need to -

- be able to handle proxy picks
- create a whitelist & blacklist of players
- give some type of override option to the league commissioner

and this -
- remember leagues/team rosters
- be able to autoload draftable players - that is, if the league is currently simming, say, the 1918/1988 season, and 1918 is progressing & 1988 is regressing, it'll know to load 1919 & 1987 for the next draft
- if it retains team memory, knows the roster of each team in the league, it'll have to be able to handle the y O'Douls of the world, the players who change from position players to pitchers, and vice versa

The whitelist/blacklist is no problem. It works.

Proxy pick and autopick, as I used them, are two different things.

Proxy pick would be allowing someone such as the commish to pick for you. You can't leave your pick with anyone, you are just skipped.

Autopick would be an automatic way to pick. Build a list, and have the sim pick from it.

I agree that commish override is needed.

The lack of these functions is why it is rarely used.

So, proxy pick means you authorize someone else to make your pick for you.

Autopick means Brainiac works off a list you've loaded - like the proxy requests owners use in most progressives.

How important is it to have multiple autopicks? That is, load your list with enough players to cover every pick you're scheduled to make in a draft? - in most progressives that would be on average 5-6 picks per draft.

I think I'd be happy with single autopicks. Most proxies are made not because the owner isn't available, just because he isn't around when his picks are scheduled. Subsequent picks depend a lot on who you get with your current pick. As an owner I'd have a hard time loading a list with a lot of contingent picks.