In regards to Bonus Ball

[nathandumoulin]

I've been too busy with damage control to check the forums this weekend, but I'm assuming things here are pretty bitter and negative. I just wanted to quickly make a statement or two.

For one, I run the production company. I'm not a network guy, nor is that my job, nor is it that of anyone else on my crew. Those services are offered by a dedicated company. My crew runs a massive production setup here, and push a stream to the servers. What happens past that point is not my concern (although Im totally to blame for the missing audio on the first 10 minutes on day 1 however.

Both the website hosting and video delivery network crashed under the high traffic. They said it wouldn't but clearly it did. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Although today the host switched us over to a tier 3 VPS and promised it would handle the load (plus I personally added some additional horsepower to the server in hopes of saving the day), it still got crushed within minutes. We ended up just streaming a low quality feed to ustream at the lowest bitrate possible, which clearly sucked ass.

Unfortunate? Absolutely. But catastrophic? Far from it.

What really mattered is what happened here at the venue. The game is amazing, the production was awesome, and the venue looks incredible. Best of all, the players are more into this than anything ive ever seen. The investors are pumped, the network people that came through are all over it, and the casino reps have schedule further meetings.

At the end of the day, a stream is just a stream. It’s unfortunate that viewers were disappointed and unable to watch anything short of mediocrity, but in the big picture, the core of what we aimed for was a success.

We have the matches in 1080p, recorded in flawless quality, and will be releasing them soon. All other matches this week will be recorded, but not streamed (until the network people solve the problem). Week 2 will be free to everyone (assuming we get the system fixed in time), and anyone who purchased will get their subscription extended 2 additional weeks.

For those of you who want to remain negative, feel free. It doesn't bother us one bit, nor do we blame you. You only see what goes online, and that has obviously been a disaster. And for those who enjoyed what little they saw of the game, then thanks for standing by us, and get ready for an incredible season.

A shit stream or not, Bonus Ball is here to stay.

PS. Read more about it here. http://www.wpbltv.com/news/wpbl-debut-match/14

 

[JAM]

Keep up the great work, Nathan. Change is always hard for folks to accept in all industries, and pool is no different. The BB game is a change for some.

I'm still rooting for you from the stands. Keep on keeping on, and don't let any negativity thwart you from your end goal. It is quite obvious how hard you have worked. You've literally put your heart and soul into this, as have the others on the BB staff. I know you all are doing everything within your power to effect a change in pool for the better. BRAVO!

Always remember there are three kinds of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happens, and those who wonder what happened. You're making things happen. It's easy to be in the peanut gallery and critcize others who are making things happen. Don't stop now! Keep going.

 

[sunburn]

I can't believe what I'm reading.

 

[peteypooldude]

Thanks Nathan and company. I too think BB is going to be a great thing.
I don't know how the other teams are going to fade New York though.

 

[SloMoHolic]

Thanks for the good news, Nathan.

I, and others here, appreciate your update.

You and your team are making this happen, and I realize that the live stream is a small part (but important-on-AZB). It sounds like you have had a ton of success, despite the problems with the live stream. Don't let that slow you down. Just keep on moving forward.

Your continuing success will quash these doubts.

I wish the best for you and your team.

Sincerely,

-Blake

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

I like you Nathan, always have.

I very much appreciate your efforts and wish you and BB a lot of success.

The way I am reading your statement, however, comes across as condescending and disingenuous.

There are definitely haters here on az, that's for sure. I am not one of them.

Please read and take to heart some of the comments regarding not just the poor quality of the stream, which btw, for some strange reason you claim that beyond your team's huge setup was "not your concern", but also some of the fair criticisms that may help you to fine tune the BB format.

And if the boatload of problems encountered on the stream for two nights really was the fault of a dedicated outside company that I assume got paid to do better, then rain pure hell on them on behalf of your team and, yes, even us potential BB customers who slogged through two nights of unacceptable broadcasting..

Please be candid, was the real reason for the stream being in such disarray because it couldn't handle the large amount of traffic?

My sincere advice to you would be to recognize that there are some here on az who are really pulling for you and BB so please don't leave us feeling like we can shove ice-picks into our collective temples.

best,
brian kc

 

[bowman]

take no notice of the slaters this game is a breath of fresh air rules/pockets and shot clock are perfect keep things as they are it will come good in the end keep up the good work your all doing will be awesome when the stream is sorted ..

 

[Houstoer]

I like you Nathan, always have.

I very much appreciate your efforts and wish you and BB a lot of success.

The way I am reading your statement, however, comes across as condescending and disingenuous.

There are definitely haters here on az, that's for sure. I am not one of them.

Please read and take to heart some of the comments regarding not just the poor quality of the stream, which btw, for some strange reason you claim that beyond your team's huge setup was "not your concern", but also some of the fair criticisms that may help you to fine tune the BB format.

And if the boatload of problems encountered on the stream for two nights really was the fault of a dedicated outside company that I assume got paid to do better, then rain pure hell on them on behalf of your team and, yes, even us potential BB customers who slogged through two nights of unacceptable broadcasting..

Please be candid, was the real reason for the stream being in such disarray because it couldn't handle the large amount of traffic?

My sincere advice to you would be to recognize that there are some here on az who are really pulling for you and BB so please don't leave us feeling like we can shove ice-picks into our collective temples.

best,
brian kc

well said sir. I completely agree with your statements. He needs to really reword and review what he posts. I would love to see it catch on; I personally like the game but hearing from someone that its not their concern and just blaming it on someone else doesn't help the whole matter at hand one bit.

 

[Nostroke]

IF he had nothing to do with it, I don't blame him for saying it. If everyone thought i had been in charge of something that bad and i wasn't, I'd have to say it also. Otherwise my state of mind would be at the hospitalization level at BEST.

 

[Poolshootindon]

What the !!!

I've been too busy with damage control to check the forums this weekend, but I'm assuming things here are pretty bitter and negative. I just wanted to quickly make a statement or two.

For one, I run the production company. I'm not a network guy, nor is that my job, nor is it that of anyone else on my crew. Those services are offered by a dedicated company. My crew runs a massive production setup here, and push a stream to the servers. What happens past that point is not my concern (although Im totally to blame for the missing audio on the first 10 minutes on day 1 however.
Both the website hosting and video delivery network crashed under the high traffic. They said it wouldn't but clearly it did. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Although today the host switched us over to a tier 3 VPS and promised it would handle the load (plus I personally added some additional horsepower to the server in hopes of saving the day), it still got crushed within minutes. We ended up just streaming a low quality feed to ustream at the lowest bitrate possible, which clearly sucked ass.

Unfortunate? Absolutely. But catastrophic? Far from it.

What really mattered is what happened here at the venue. The game is amazing, the production was awesome, and the venue looks incredible. Best of all, the players are more into this than anything ive ever seen. The investors are pumped, the network people that came through are all over it, and the casino reps have schedule further meetings.

At the end of the day, a stream is just a stream. It’s unfortunate that viewers were disappointed and unable to watch anything short of mediocrity, but in the big picture, the core of what we aimed for was a success.

We have the matches in 1080p, recorded in flawless quality, and will be releasing them soon. All other matches this week will be recorded, but not streamed (until the network people solve the problem). Week 2 will be free to everyone (assuming we get the system fixed in time), and anyone who purchased will get their subscription extended 2 additional weeks.

For those of you who want to remain negative, feel free. It doesn't bother us one bit, nor do we blame you. You only see what goes online, and that has obviously been a disaster. And for those who enjoyed what little they saw of the game, then thanks for standing by us, and get ready for an incredible season.

A shit stream or not, Bonus Ball is here to stay.

PS. Read more about it here. http://www.wpbltv.com/news/wpbl-debut-match/14

Nathan. You have got to be kidding.

Don

 

[King T]

The stream is no big deal, it will get worked out even if they have to switch services...,
thats no reflection on the game, thats a orginazational thing, their new, they will work that out.

The game.., I think that it will catch on with some, it might become big with the league players that are looking for something new or who may be new to pool anyway so everything look exciting...,

for the traditionalist, it may take some time, it might not ever catch on, I hope it works because we need all the good news for pool that we can get and the guys behind it all care about the game.

Good Luck Sirs!

 

[nathandumoulin]

Thanks for the support everyone.

IF he had nothing to do with it, I don't blame him for saying it.

Responsible, and at fault are entirely different.

Although not part of my contract, I did hire these service providers to handle the networking. They failed miserably, and although I was not the one directly at fault, I'm still responsible. My job or not, I'm the one who chose these companies.

I don't know server stuff at all, hired companies who do it for a living, and well...they didn't deliver. In the end it falls on me.

In hindsight, if I had to do it over, I'd probably do the exact same thing. I'm not sure how I could have foreseen it, unless I hired someone else who was qualified to double check the work after maybe?

The way I am reading your statement, however, comes across as condescending and disingenuous.

Brian, I'm not sure I follow. Is this in reference to me saying that I assume people on here will be negative? I actually outright said that any negativity is justified, and that I wouldnt blame anyone for it. After all, the only thing anyone has seen outside of the studio, is an admittedly pathetic feed, so it stands to reason that people would be disappointed. I'm not knocking anyone for hating. I'm trying to say that I appreciate anyone who stick it out through this period of doubt until the issue gets sorted out.

 

[rjbigfish]

Thanks for the support everyone.



Responsible, and at fault are entirely different.

Although not part of my contract, I did hire these service providers to handle the networking. They failed miserably, and although I was not the one directly at fault, I'm still responsible. My job or not, I'm the one who chose these companies.

I don't know server stuff at all, hired companies who do it for a living, and well...they didn't deliver. In the end it falls on me.

In hindsight, if I had to do it over, I'd probably do the exact same thing. I'm not sure how I could have foreseen it, unless I hired someone else who was qualified to double check the work after maybe?




Brian, I'm not sure I follow. Is this in reference to me saying that I assume people on here will be negative? I actually outright said that any negativity is justified, and that I wouldnt blame anyone for it. After all, the only thing anyone has seen outside of the studio, is an admittedly pathetic feed, so it stands to reason that people would be disappointed. I'm not knocking anyone for hating. I'm trying to say that I appreciate anyone who stick it out through this period of doubt until the issue gets sorted out.

You guys had plenty of time to test all of this. You were 6 months late starting your season yet you couldn't handle things at all on the first weekend. You could have had a preseason game or two doing testing instead of the promo stuff you did leading up to this. You have to load test something like this. If I were to release something where I work and it were to have the problems that you are having I most likely be looking for a job. You all went on for months saying that this was going to be a professional outfit and that we need to trust you that you are going all out to make this a success and no stone is going to be left unturn and this is what we get for a first impression. I have not said much at all as it relates to bonus ball because I wanted to wait and see for myself but unfortunately you have failed miserably in my eyes and I am not going to waste another second of my life on this train wreck. Maybe I will watch again some day when you prove that you are ready for this but as of now that seems light years away.

 

[Poolshootindon]

Why the Haters tag?

I like you Nathan, always have.

I very much appreciate your efforts and wish you and BB a lot of success.

The way I am reading your statement, however, comes across as condescending and disingenuous.

There are definitely haters here on az, that's for sure. I am not one of them.

Please read and take to heart some of the comments regarding not just the poor quality of the stream, which btw, for some strange reason you claim that beyond your team's huge setup was "not your concern", but also some of the fair criticisms that may help you to fine tune the BB format.

And if the boatload of problems encountered on the stream for two nights really was the fault of a dedicated outside company that I assume got paid to do better, then rain pure hell on them on behalf of your team and, yes, even us potential BB customers who slogged through two nights of unacceptable broadcasting..

Please be candid, was the real reason for the stream being in such disarray because it couldn't handle the large amount of traffic?

My sincere advice to you would be to recognize that there are some here on az who are really pulling for you and BB so please don't leave us feeling like we can shove ice-picks into our collective temples.

best,
brian kc

Brian..

Why is it that if someone has a different view they are called "Haters"?

Don

 

[Nostroke]

Im actually speechless

 

[Fast Lenny]

Nathan. You have got to be kidding.

Don

I think he meant that it was not in his control when he said concern, basically when the stream is pushed to that server it is out of his hands literally.

 

[JCIN]

Nathan I am going to offer you the best advice you will get all day.

Just stop posting.

Fix your product. Let it speak for you.

All you are doing with these types of responses is pissing off people who feel like they wasted their time on giving something a chance. Telling them that "So what the stream sucked we are all still awesome." is very very insulting.

You botched the largest budget launch since the IPT. Stop blaming it on everything and everyone else and fix the problem. People will forgive and forget. They will not if you keep this up. The fact is I dont think you give a shit about anyone here because this market really makes no impact on if BB survives or not. Your posts in this thread only re-enforce that opinion.

End of the day your product and how you stand behind it speaks for you.

 

[Fast Lenny]

You guys had plenty of time to test all of this. You were 6 months late starting your season yet you couldn't handle things at all on the first weekend. You could have had a preseason game or two doing testing instead of the promo stuff you did leading up to this. You have to load test something like this. If I were to release something where I work and it were to have the problems that you are having I most likely be looking for a job. You all went on for months saying that this was going to be a professional outfit and that we need to trust you that you are going all out to make this a success and no stone is going to be left unturn and this is what we get for a first impression. I have not said much at all as it relates to bonus ball because I wanted to wait and see for myself but unfortunately you have failed miserably in my eyes and I am not going to waste another second of my life on this train wreck. Maybe I will watch again some day when you prove that you are ready for this but as of now that seems light years away.

You cannot test something until it is built, the whole place was being constructed so you cannot set up equipment to run before that. The fact is the stream was tested and fine until the heavy traffic came, you all saw what you saw which I am sure was not pretty both days but in the arena it was another story.

I am sure you will be watching next week with everyone else when we are streaming free for the 4 days especially since you took so much time to write this on here. I believe the experience will be better and hope those who are frustrated will give it a shot, I think most peoples curiosity will get the best of them. I cannot wait until you all see the NY vs Atlanta match as Earl was is rare form.

 

[rjbigfish]

Nathan I am going to offer you the best advice you will get all day.

Just stop posting.

Fix your product. Let it speak for you.

All you are doing with these types of responses is pissing off people who feel like they wasted their time on giving something a chance. Telling them that "So what the stream sucked we are all still awesome." is very very insulting.

You botched the largest budget launch since the IPT. Stop blaming it on everything and everyone else and fix the problem. People will forgive and forget. They will not if you keep this up. The fact is I dont think you give a shit about anyone here because this market really makes no impact on if BB survives or not. Your posts in this thread only re-enforce that opinion.

End of the day your product and how you stand behind it speaks for you.

DING DING DING we have a winner. Everything in this post is right on the money.

 

[rjbigfish]

You cannot test something until it is built, the whole place was being constructed so you cannot set up equipment to run before that. The fact is the stream was tested and fine until the heavy traffic came, you all saw what you saw which I am sure was not pretty both days but in the arena it was another story.

I am sure you will be watching next week with everyone else when we are streaming free for the 4 days especially since you took so much time to write this on here. I believe the experience will be better and hope those who are frustrated will give it a shot, I think most peoples curiosity will get the best of them. I cannot wait until you all see the NY vs Atlanta match and Earl was is rare form.

Again Lenny, you cant tell us that something CANT BE TESTED. You can tell me that you didn't test it which is obvious but you could have tested it and chose not to. It was more important to get it started ASAP instead of taking a week or two and having a preseason and doing testing then. If you would have said this week that you were going to stream a match for free and it wasnt going to count so that you could test traffic I am sure you could have had a high load to test this. It comes down to planning and execution and your management chose not to do either and that reflects on them in a very negative way when you are trying to convince us that you are running a top notch operation.