Time for a new direction with EsportsRef
Since we launched the Beta testing version of the DApp on the esportsref.com website a few months back, we’ve discovered multiple bugs with the front-end.
This slowed down progress, and it has also proven to be a time-consuming (and costly!) experience working with yet another full-stack developer to tackle them.
After more weeks of code changes, and more money spent, and still not being satisfied with the end result, I decided to part company with yet another dev. This was the SIXTH full-stack developer I’ve worked with on the project, and not one of them has been able to deliver the requirements set out in the project roadmap.
I don’t know if it’s just plain old bad luck, but every developer I’ve worked with thus far, has either been lacking the required skills to deliver the project, or has been deliberately stretching out the time to deliver so that more funds are released to them, or in one case was an outright SCAMMER (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!), which I won’t admit saying has left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth when it comes to working with freelance developers.
It seems that in the world of Web3 full-stack development, a talented, trustworthy, reasonably priced dev is incredibly difficult to come by. Having tried both freelancer.com and upwork.com, and also working with developers who have reached out to me on Telegram, it’s a bit like the Wild West when it comes to getting someone decent on board.
A couple of weeks ago, I decided enough was enough. I appreciate that there are some complex elements of the website (back-end database, custom chat platform, smart contract integration, leaderboard system, etc.) yet it’s still not complete, and still has at least half a dozen bugs (after already spending thousands of pounds on fixing the last batch of 11 bugs found the previous month!). I was sick and tired of throwing more and more money at these developers, only to be let down, strung along, over-charged, and not really even knowing if they were really doing what they claim to be doing.
Some of the bugs I’d convinced myself would take 30 minutes to fix, and yet were being told it might take a few days. The problem being that I’m not a full-stack developer myself and I don’t have the necessary Javascript, Node, React, Next, Firebase skills to even be able to challenge what they are telling me.
I wasn’t prepared to keep throwing money at the website, unless I had a developer who would be fair, honest, and transparent, and sadly I couldn’t seem to find one no matter how hard I tried.
So it go me thinking…
How could I possibly deliver this platform, without needing to be reliant upon these questionable developers, not only to get the site up and running, but to provide continued support as the platform got launched?
The solution was actually right in front of me and it always had been, but I just hadn’t seen it!
Leverage existing tools instead of trying to program your own!
I was done trying to “re-invent the wheel” for a highly customized esports platform…
Instead I would use Discord!
I was in a Discord server talking to some guys about marketing a couple of weeks back, and it occurred to me that the platform it already offered 80% of the requirements for EsportsRef!
It had public chat groups, private chats, group chats, users could “level up” based on certain criteria, and there was a wealth of tools and discord bots which could be easily integrated into the Discord server to further enhance the user experience and increase functionality.
Stupidly, I’d just been looking at Discord as little more than a social media platform, and as an alternative way to chat to people, but there’s actually so much more to it than that. For example, you can integrate Twitch feeds so that people are notified when a gaming stream goes live. There is a tool to implement a ticketing system for EsportsRef game disputes, and there is even Web3 integration tools now where you can call smart contract functions directly from discord.
But the best thing of all, is that you can even develop new tools and bots for Discord to get it to behave in the exact way you want it to. It’s also been around quite a while now so it’s trusted by a ton of people around the world, including the gaming community, and can be used easily from both a PC and a mobile phone. It’s also really easy to use, both as a Discord server administrator and as a regular user.
Whilst it could never be a 100% perfect fit for the use-case, there is definitely enough there to convince me that Discord really should be THE CORE platform of the EsportsRef project, on which everything is built.
So with immediate effect, I will now be focusing my attention on the EsportsRef discord server. This will be the go-to place for casual gamers, esports teams, referees, investors and anyone else interested in finding out more about what we’re doing.
First and foremost I want to market the Discord for gamers. I want them to use the server to chat about new games, and arrange to compete with each other, and not necessarily for ESR tokens. It’s only once the platform is established, that people will start to see the benefits of being able to compete for crypto and how the use of a HUMAN referee can be so powerful.
So I’m asking all ESR investors to join the server, become an active engaging member of the community, and share the URL to the server with anyone who loves playing games.
As the server community grows, we can look to “boost” the server up to Level 3, which means the server will get more exposure and it will unlock more features. If anyone is in a position to “boost” our server, it will be extremely warmly welcomed!
So this is the plan moving forward. We will shift away from the reliance of full-stack developers to help deliver the platform, and will instead use discord as the go-to hub for everyone involved. Moving forwards the esportsref.com website will be used as more of a placeholder for useful links, information about the project, and as somewhere where you can request a smart contract to compete for ESR tokens.
But we also need your help! Spread the word, and help us make the EsportsRef Discord server the place to be if you’re into gaming and you want to invest in a crypto project with huge potential!
