If you wish to share Pro Predictor 2.7S with friends or upload it to another service, feel free to do so. However, include the complete package which contains Pro Predictor, the data files, the manual and this Read Me.
What's New in 2.7
Pro Predictor 2.7S corrects the problems with the new teams' power rating and the sorting in some of the Best and Worst stats. It also has a color picker that allows for more colors in setting the window and menu colors. Other changes are mostly internal and designed to improve its handling of various routines.
In earlier versions, when Pro Predictor set up the power ratings for the the new season, it lowered the power for the previous year's super bowl teams because they seldom performed as well in the next season. However, with free agency and movement of so many players, this no longer holds true. Therefore, that has been removed.
The key to Pro Predictor's accuracy rate lies in the Pre Season Adjustments routine. The better you are able to fine tune a team's power, the better it will do in predicting the scores. With each year of free agency, I think I'm getting a better idea of just how much it affects the power ratings. I've found that for most teams, no change is best. And for those who have added or lost significant players, I've learned to be very conservative in the points I add or deduct. PRO 1995 has my adjustments entered. Take a look at them to see if you agree. If not change them. But, be ruled by your head, not your heart. For example, don't raise you favorite team's power rating just because you want it to do well.
After the first weeks of the season, you might want to re-adjust the team power, especially if a team is obviously overrated or underrated.
About Pro Predictor
Pro Predictor predicts the outcome of each week’s NFL games: it tells you who is going to win each game, by how many points, and the approximate score. Over the last eight years, it has had an accuracy rate of 60-70 percent in predicting the weekly winners. It can also project ahead and tell you who is most likely to make the play-offs and who’ll win the Super Bowl!
But, perhaps its best feature is its record keeping. With Pro Predictor, you have an encylopedia of NFL facts right at your finger tips. It keeps a myriad of statistics for each team, each division, each conference, and the entire league.
It will give you the regular season standings for any given week, which show not only the won-lost records but how each team is doing at home as opposed to on the road, its record for the last three (or more) weeks and if it is on a winning or losing streak. It will do the same for the play-off standings, which include each team’s record in its division, its conference, and the other stats needed to determine which teams make the play-offs.
Its individual team records include each team’s schedule and another called team stats. The team schedule includes not only the actual schedule but a host of other information, such as the difficulty of its schedule, its past record against the teams on its schedule, etc.. The team stats focus on the team’s won-lost records, both current and past, and its record over the past years against the other teams in the league.
It also has statistics that compare the teams in the league not only for the current season but past seasons as well. These include such things as best won-lost records at home, on the road, and totals, most points scored, least points allowed, each team's Super Bowl record, etc..
All you have to do is enter the scores each week. However, you do have the option of entering yardage stats if you want to see how teams compare offensively and defensively.
Note: Each Tuesday during the season, after I have entered the scores, yardage stats, and injury reports, I upload a copy to several services. The sysop has to review the file for virus etc. but usually puts them in the library by Wednesday night or Thursday. Those who want to download the weekly updates can find them at the following:
America Online: Games and Entertainment:New Scenario Files
Compuserve: Sports Forum: Football
Internet: Sumex (There may be a special Pro Predictor folder)
Other Internet sites: After they have downloaded the updates, several people are nice enough to place them at various sites. Check you favorite site to see if it's there.
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Before you set up the files and begin using Pro Predictor, read the Introduction and Getting Started chapters in the manual. The Getting Started chapter shows how to set up the files for optimum use and gives an overview of how Pro Predictor works. The Introduction takes you on a guided tour of Pro Predictor so you won't miss any of its features.
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Pro Predictor is a shareware application, which means that if you use it and like it, you're supposed to reward the programmer by sending in the shareware fee. Now, I know that most of you fully intend to send in the fee but before you know it the season's over and...
In the meantime, however, you're missing the satisfaction of having sent in the fee and receiving the Register User's version, which has several functions that the shareware version does not have. I spend most of my time revising and improving the registered version. It's the one I use and if I want a special feature, I add it to the registered version. In fact, the register version is 3.0 while the shareware version is 2.7.
At the end of the Introduction chapter in the manual, there's a list of the Register User's version's added features.
To become a registered user, send the shareware fee of $25 to:
R. Scott Smith
15928 Devonshire St.
Granada Hills, CA 91344
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me:
