If you’ve been hearing scurrying noises in the background when you’ve been visiting your league sites recently, chances are that it’s been the NAF’s OBBLM team* working all hours on the new beta version of the NAF’s own OBBLM fork (NAFLM for short). The first public release of that software is now ready for use and boy oh boy are we excited to get it out there!
The beta site is now live at http://thenafdev.obblm.com/ and gives users of the existing hosting a second OBBLM portal through to view their league, only with rafts of improvements (delivered across 70+ commits) loaded as standard. You can access your league data from either versions, but we would like coaches and commissioners to use the beta version as much as possible to identify any problems or extra ideas.
For the next month or so focus on fixes and fine tuning of the functionality already included in this version. Bugs, errors, issues etc should be either PMed to me (Shteve0) on the NAF forum, on TFF, or on Ausbowl; alternatively post in the leagues section on http://member.thenaf.net; or throw open your request to the whole team by submitting it directly to the github error log at https://github.com/TheNAF/naflm/issues.
Also super excitingly (brace yourselves), this is the first version of NAF league hosting that offers full support for three of the game’s most widely played online rosters: Bretonnians (from Blood Bowl II), Daemons of Khorne (from Blood Bowl: Chaos Edition) and the ape-like Simyin (from FUMBBL [L]). Support for these rosters has been included on the back of sustained popular request and reflects their broad popularity in wide format online play; between the three of them they represent what we’re considering a new category of unofficial “Community Rosters“. These rosters, unlike the 24 official teams, are entirely optional for local commissioners to determine whether or not to allow them in their league, so please make sure you check with the boss before building your team if you’re in any doubt as to whether they’re allowed in your area!
Below are just some of the awesome new tweaks the new site enjoys over the standard install:
- directly link to your league site!
- a new menu structure!
- a new league menu with revamped league tables!
- a revamped way of managing your league preferences… no more back end coding for the admins!
- a location-based, structured method of navigating to league pages!
- a revamped, faster way of creating and maintaining teams!
- a simple mobile interface!
- US-style league conferences!
There are some future plans for development as well:
- a revamped league scheduling tool!
- more options to customise your league directly, including adding extra tables, and a league language selector!
- League logos in the banner!
- more admin options for managing coaches and teams!
- There are currently 2 skins as shown below – the NAF skin and one themed to the Ausbowl website. More are in the pipeline!
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to everyone who’s contributed to OBBLM in all its forms down the years, not least to DoubleSkulls for his work on the original modules that form the basis for many of the changes in this, to funnyfingers for offering his time and hosting free of charge and for putting up with all my inane and impatient questions, to Whatball and the artist team at FUMBBL for their generosity in allowing the use of their player images in the team rosters, and to rythos42, mfranchetti/vanguard and hutchinsfairy for their contributions to various sections of the code. https://github.com/TheNAF/naflm
* although it could also be that you have Wombles in your wall cavity, in which case you need to get an expert in as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if left untreated, before you know it you’ll have hundreds of little Bernard Cribbenses running around the place, and then you’ll never be rid of them.
There’s a little mistake in the url for https://github.com/TheNAF/naflm/issues
The dot at the end should not be included in the link url 😉
Fixed, thank you.
Can we put our current league on here? We have 19 seasons with 98 coaches (past and present) It would be a pain in the ass to re-upload hundreds of games but it would be cool to be apart of it.
Are you OBBLM already? No easy migration tool I am afraid. See my reply to Lunch above (or below…)
Is there an “idiot guide”?
Is it possible to import established teams, either by hand or by some automated system? For example my old league has all our teams on an excel spreadsheet. How easy is it to get 20 odd teams on to the system?
No idiots guide at the moment I am afraid, and no quick import. You can create them by playing “paper friendlies”, though that will mess up some stats (eg most TDs ever). Easiest to start from scratch, but 20 teams could be created just by creating 10 friendly games and allocating SPPs, gold that way.
Actually, commissioners can manually add gold, star player points, skills etc. So if you wanted to sign up existing teams, that’s possible.
There’s also an XML import tool, though I’ve never used it.
Of course if you choose either of these systems backdating migration becomes pretty much impossible!
I might be being an idiot, but I’ve signed up for NAF OBBLM and had my account approved.
I’m a NAF member, but haven’t got my league set up anywhere online currently.
How do I create it on http://thenafdev.obblm.com ?
Can’t find a league creation option anywhere.
It’s not obvious! We need to create the league for you. I think the wiki needs a bit of work, it’s the job for the weekend probably!
Email sent.
Once I feel that I control a little bit more this OBBLM thing, I will volunteer for writing something in spanish. Perhaps two articles, one for the coaches and another one for the commisaries. The overall feeling of the website is very good.
Great!
Oh my god that red NAF skin makes my eyes bleed…. 🙁
Well, each to their own! 😀