http://iscoresports.com/

For those of us using the app for youth play, I'd like to suggest some potential improvements to the process of creating a new game.

Before describing the fix, let me describe the most common new game scenario.

1) We arrive at the field (if first game an hour or more ahead of start time, if a later game in a tourney perhaps immediately before start time).
2) We learn the name of the opponent.
3) Time passes until lineup card exchange (again, if later game, perhaps very little time)
4) Lineup card exchange, coin toss (to determine home team), we're now on the clock.
5) 3-5 minutes of warm-up pitches
6) Batter up....

To speed the new game setup process, I'll go into our team's Roster and edit the batting oder and defensive setup to match our plans for the upcomming game. I can get this done long before game time.

HOWEVER, only after step 4 above do I typically have the opposing team's lineup and know which team is home. So this gives me 3-5 minutes to:

1) Create the opposing team's lineup--which I typically use Quick Roster for
2) Create a new game--I had to wait until now, because though I knew the team names, I didn't know who was the home team
3) Replace Quick Roster generated roster with opposing team data--typically I just input jersey numbers. I know I can do this after the fact via Misc->Edit Starting Lineup, but once the game gets going who's got time for that?

I think the following changes would make things a lot better:
1) Create a new game with team names and be able (quickly--i.e. minimal clicks) to change Home/Visitor prior to first at-bat.
2) Have a "Quick Lineup" button from within the game. Either on the initial lineup screen or from the "Misc" menu when in play mode.
3) Have a game option to prompt for jersey number entry when a "numberless" player comes up in the batting order. Or perhaps, more generally a "Line-up confirmation" option. Such that the first time through the order a confirmation screen is presented for each batter. This would allow you to confirm/edit info on the batter. Ideally, the occurrence of this prompt would be an option in the game settings by team. After the first pass through the lineup the prompt would go away.
4) In general support the ability to "setup" as much of a game as possible when you don't know who's home but know all there is to know about one team, and next to nothing about the other team.

Some improvements along these lines would go a long way to lowering my blood pressure during the top of the first!!

Thanks for you consideration and great app! My favorite iPad app. Period.

-JRG

You can already change home/visitor prior to first bat. When viewing the lineups, just click Opitions and their is a "Swap" option to swap home/visitor.

If you watch training video #3 at http://iscoresports.com/baseball/training.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, we actually cover the arriving late scenario pretty well. You can make the edits as batters come to the plate by tapping the batter and editing the name/jersey number from there.

So prior to game time, you can create a team with a Quick Roster and create the game any time before it starts. At coin toss, you can use the "Swap" option to set home/visitor. At any time, you can edit the opposing teams lineup, and after pressing play, you can edit the names of the batters as you go. You don't have to do it as a post game edit, you can do it during the game as players come to the plate.

Something I have done with good success is to get the lineup card from our coach before the game then go to the other coach/ scorekeeper and exchange lineups prior to the umpire meeting. Their scorekeeper is just as anxious to get the lineup as we are. Some coaches are uncooperative but not many.

Prior to a tournament, I may not know which teams we will play, but I should know which teams are in the tournament from the tournament website. I'll try my best to find team websites and rosters in the week leading up to the tournament. For the ones I can't find I use quick roster. All teams will be entered prior to arriving at the ballpark so it is relatively easy to pick the team we are playing and move the roster around when I get the lineup. A little bit of homework on the front end, but worth it for less stress during the game.

Completely agree that you guys have pretty much done all you can to quickly get into game.

Will add my .02, but pretty much just reiterating the other replies.

90% of the games I score, I have the rosters before I get to the field. Most teams (at least at the travel league level) have a website from which you can get roster info. This usually includes first name, last name and number. Sometimes they will indicate position and left/right bat/throw. To make it even easier to get this info into the app, use the import feature from the admin website. Having this in ahead of time, makes life easier.

Agree with what others say about trying to get the lineup card as early as possible by initiating the exchange process.

SWAP teams is readily available to switch home/away. Even if you thought you had it right and hit PLAY to start the game, only to realize you had it backwards. Just hit UNDO, EXIT. Swap teams and hit PLAY again.

All that said, I do like your idea for confirmation the first time thru the order. There is nothing worse than realizing the players on base do not match what the app says those players should be, due to a lineup mistake that you did not catch while they were batting. Being prompted to confirm each batter one time, could be useful.

see this post for info on how to navigate the admin site (my.icore.central.com) for adding teams and players to your data base..

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=3502


Echo the idea, (optional setting to enable/disable of course) prompted first time through the order to confirm player name and number.

you could go the next step (more advance coding I am sure) to optionally prompt every time at the plate a player comes to bat who was not in the defensive line up last half inning, prompting you to make the "paired" substitution. (would only be an option, "enable paired substitution prompt). you can still do doble switches of course, or allow them to continue to bat, just a reminder. (this is not a high need/priority item for me, but an idea building on the idea posted)