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I just downloaded it and and I like it... anyone else use it and do you guys suggest it? Any problems? What version should I download for Space Marines?

I think it sucks, honestly. The UI is horrible for it, you have to know exactly what type of detachments you're building before you start, and adding detachments is not intuitive.

Having that been said, it's the only game in town though until the guys who work on the AB datafiles get their gak together.

I was actually going to help them with it, but I don't facebook, and that's apparently their only form of communication.

I have no clue what he's on about. Battlescribe is pretty darn awesome.

I've used Battlescribe since it came out and it's great imo. My only complaint is the inconsistencies between what and how information is displayed with various factions as you have different people creating the files.

I’m running Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition V26...

Is that the most up to date? And I like it I just put a list together in about 15 minutes and found some more points to play with. I just hope it’s up to date so I don’t screw over my opponents.

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
I have no clue what he's on about. Battlescribe is pretty darn awesome.

This.

It has some bugs/minor updates needed but in general is darn solid.
I havent built a paper n pen list in who knows how long.

It's perfectly fine. It's a steep learning curve to work out some of the weird things (Like adding sub-detachments in order to mix models from different books) and thanks to their rapid updates errors are fixed as soon as they get reported to them.

You want the dataset called "Warhammer 40,000 v1.x.xx" (currently 1.0.80 at the time of writing.)

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
I have no clue what he's on about. Battlescribe is pretty darn awesome.

Well, I go to new roster, and then I get a modal window that asks me for system, name, points, and the forces. Fine.

I click add and then I get ANOTHER modal window that wants me to select my army and detachment type.... err, catalogue and force org. Okay.

So lets add a AM and a SM detachment. I guess I'll go patrol for each for now. Oh, and I'll do an AM supreme command detachment too. Love that shadowsword amirite?

Hey, where's my lord of war section? I can't see where to, oh hey, it's WAAAAAY down at the bottom, under the space marines because you have to pick your forces out of the tree view by detachment, then by army, and not by army, then by detachment. That's weird.

Oh, I can't drag and drop from one detachment to the other? That makes shuffling things around by multiple detachments weird. As in, I can't at all.

Uh oh, turns out I wanted a... whoops, there's a pop up info window that shows up if I hover over anything for too long, and i have to click away from it to get back to where I was.

Now, what was I doing? Oh yeah, I wanted four troops rather than three. Battalion it is. Okay, well, maybe I'll just right click my detachment and... no, that didn't work. Well, can I... uh....

Oh hey, there's this edit forces button down here in the opposite corner from literally every other control on the program. Let's see what that does. Okay, my detachments are in here. I'll just click the one I want to turn into... oh, there's only an add or remove button. Well, I have my battalion now. Wait, why is my battalion a subsection under my patrol?! What does that even imply in game terms? Okay, so remove the battalion, remove the patrol, click back on new roster and add the battalion.

That's what I mean when the UI sucks.


Also, it sometimes has the misfortune of just going berserk and doing this:



I honestly don't know what I did to cause that. I literally went through all the steps I said above. Not the first time I've seen it though. I blame Java.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, I was on old data. No worries:

Manage Data. Clicked update data. Nothing happens. Click the drop down next to my data files, refresh data? Nope. Nothing happens. Click add data, scroll down through the repositories. Oh, hey, there's a newer version there. Click it to add and it replaces the old one. Yaaaay!

How do you contact the right people to report an error in their files?

Never had any real issues with Battlescribe. Its more than solid.

I can make a list in 5 mins, save it, change it up, save another version, etc. etc. I dont seem to have an issue with the UI. A couple of trial and errors maybe, but adding a detachment is pretty strait forward.

If I had to make a complaint it would be the variance between information on different factions. For instance the Tyranids include key words for their roster, but sadly Death Guard dont. Its not a huge issue, but like I said....if I HAD to find a complaint.

To sum it up, Battlescribe is awesome, and I dont see any reason to use a pen and paper.

Only used the app. Very hit or miss as to if there'll be any real information or options. Not intuitive at all what with there being redundant tiers of options high up, and generally not that satisfying. I'll give it another chance though. May need to update data and just try looking at it in a different way. Took me a few tries to work out the chapter tactics selection.

I just downloaded it onto my iPad and can't figure out how to start a second list. Not a 2nd detachment but a whole list. So that I can have 2 different GK lists in one place.

Please don't judge me for wanting to use GK.

I don't use it because I just don't find it as good as a spreadsheet. And having to pay to name my own characters is dumb.

I use battlescibe to make quick lists for experimenting, but will always go with a spreadsheet and books for a final tournament list because I don't trust programs to not have points errors and I prefer the print out of my spreadsheets.

It's the best thing available. I also found this cool online list builder called HQbuilder but they are REALLY slow to update - plus it requires a internet connection. It's the next best thing though.

I also find that people who use Battlescribe don't read their rules; part of using the book is you get to glance at everything a unit can do while you buy it for your list.

 daedalus wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
I have no clue what he's on about. Battlescribe is pretty darn awesome.

(...) That's what I mean when the UI sucks.

I've been using BS for 2 years now, and you're right with each and every point. You get used to it, but it's still a bad way of doing it. I frequently have to delete a detachment just because I decided to add another Elite unit.

Also, it sometimes has the misfortune of just going berserk and doing this:

I honestly don't know what I did to cause that. I literally went through all the steps I said above. Not the first time I've seen it though. I blame Java.

Happens to me too sometimes, I think it's usually tied to doing something that's not supposed to happen - like Duplicate something that shouldn't be duplicated. There's no proper exception handling (just suppresses it and moves on) so the application goes haywire - at least that's what I think is happening.

the old data thing hasn't happened to me yet, although I always make sure to check "Delete existing Data". I had a bit of an issue with the mobile app and data when the switch from 7th to 8th came around, but I think that was simply an issue with different data sources and catalogues. Since I cleared all the data and added the proper repository again it's been a smooth ride.

--

The thing with BattleScribe is simply that it's the only decent option. It should never replace your Codex, and if something seems odd you should always just check the Codex/Index/BRB. The BS catalogues are maintained by other players in their free time. They get stuff wrong just like you and I, and sometimes it's literally just a typo noone noticed yet.

BS is great, but you should never fully trust it.

And to show how hard it is to interpret GWs rules properly and to build a proper army list building app - just take a look at GWs PoS, err, AoS list builder "Azyr". I bought two boxes of the Spire of Dawn box when I started AoS, and then I downloaded Azyr simply to manage my army. Guess what - Azyr still is unable to let me build the batallion from that box. It switches allegiance of half of the elven forces to that of the other part of the box, so you could field them as one allegiance. Guess what app doesn't support this at all? I haven't checked since 40k 8th came out (haven't played AoS since then), but I'd bet they still haven't fixed that.

nekooni wrote:

 daedalus wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
I have no clue what he's on about. Battlescribe is pretty darn awesome.

(...) That's what I mean when the UI sucks.

I've been using BS for 2 years now, and you're right with each and every point. You get used to it, but it's still a bad way of doing it. I frequently have to delete a detachment just because I decided to add another Elite unit.

Yeah, I know it's gonna be all fine when I'm over the learning curve. It's just frustrating. Army Builder had more than it's fair share of jankyness too, but you could at least make basic assumptions about it, like a useful context menu and basic drag and drop capabilities.

It'd be nice if someone could write one in node.js or something and then distribute it as a do it yourself kind of deal along with the actual code.

Leo_the_Rat wrote:
I just downloaded it onto my iPad and can't figure out how to start a second list. Not a 2nd detachment but a whole list. So that I can have 2 different GK lists in one place.

Please don't judge me for wanting to use GK.

Press New Roster?

There is no button for that. I hit the "+" button but it just opens a new beginning point but won't open the roster.

Maybe it's just me.

I used battlescribe once. Didn't like the UI and didn't trust the points calculations. Also, special rules gave it problems because they weren't coded in (like the old SW list where Termies were considered elite unless you took Arjac, then they were considered troops)

It was just too clumsy for me.

I prefer writing down stats, wargear and total unit cost on a 3x5 index card. When I want to make a list, I just go through my index cards and pull the ones I want adding the unit totals as I go. Plus, with an eraser, it's easy enough to change in there's a FAQ or something.

kaotkbliss wrote:
I used battlescribe once. Didn't like the UI and didn't trust the points calculations. Also, special rules gave it problems because they weren't coded in (like the old SW list where Termies were considered elite unless you took Arjac, then they were considered troops)

It was just too clumsy for me.

You know things can improve, right? Try it now, it's far easier to use than having to add up the points and swap pages back and forth, and no less error prone than human error.

So far I like it. My only complaints is that you can't retroactively change your force organization type. Oh, and last I checked it didn't have a "No type, just let me cram some units together real quick" mode. That would be kind of nice I guess.

M.

 Infantryman wrote:
So far I like it. My only complaints is that you can't retroactively change your force organization type. Oh, and last I checked it didn't have a "No type, just let me cram some units together real quick" mode. That would be kind of nice I guess.

M.

While the first one is true, the 2nd isn't. You pick an "unbound" detachment. If enough people moan at the Battlescribe app team to add drag and drop (so you can more easily rejig detachments) they will add it.

Its ok.

right up until you forget to charge the batteries on your device :X

thats happened to me at least once.

but i prefer book paper pen.

 BaconCatBug wrote:

kaotkbliss wrote:
I used battlescribe once. Didn't like the UI and didn't trust the points calculations. Also, special rules gave it problems because they weren't coded in (like the old SW list where Termies were considered elite unless you took Arjac, then they were considered troops)

It was just too clumsy for me.

You know things can improve, right? Try it now, it's far easier to use than having to add up the points and swap pages back and forth, and no less error prone than human error.

I disagree with this. It is prone to human error because it shifts the responsibility of that error to someone else. Unless you are flipping back and forth and checking things in battlescribe you are trusting that someone else has not made errors. IME with battlescribe this is not a safe assumption, I would much rather do things myself, and it is really no easier to use than a spreadsheet. I only use it because I don't always have my books with me when I want to make a list

 Infantryman wrote:
So far I like it. My only complaints is that you can't retroactively change your force organization type. Oh, and last I checked it didn't have a "No type, just let me cram some units together real quick" mode. That would be kind of nice I guess.

M.

While that mode doesn't exist - you can just open up a auxillary detachment which has all the options and just make your list there. This is pretty much what I do all the time now.

Just know the basic rules for detachments and you are fine without specifying detachments.

 BaconCatBug wrote:

kaotkbliss wrote:
I used battlescribe once. Didn't like the UI and didn't trust the points calculations. Also, special rules gave it problems because they weren't coded in (like the old SW list where Termies were considered elite unless you took Arjac, then they were considered troops)

It was just too clumsy for me.

You know things can improve, right? Try it now, it's far easier to use than having to add up the points and swap pages back and forth, and no less error prone than human error.

Not easier for me. See, on my index cards, the troops+wargear+characters for that unit are already added up. So making a new list on the fly is as simple as flipping through the cards pulling units I want to take. Where-as in BS, I either need to start from scratch, reading all the wargear (trying to remember what it was my models had equipped) or going back through trying to add/remove units from an already made list trusting that whoever made the army list had the most recent rules and didn't mistype anything.

To each their own

Breng77 wrote:
I disagree with this. It is prone to human error because it shifts the responsibility of that error to someone else. Unless you are flipping back and forth and checking things in battlescribe you are trusting that someone else has not made errors. IME with battlescribe this is not a safe assumption, I would much rather do things myself, and it is really no easier to use than a spreadsheet. I only use it because I don't always have my books with me when I want to make a list

It's not easier to use than an excel spreadsheet, but it certainly is easier to get ready for use than an excel spreadsheet if you want that excel spreadsheet to be as smart as battlescribe - e.g. have a dropdown menu, pick a unit, have more dropdown menus appear on that line, then choose all of those options and have the entire thing a) check if your choices are legal and b) calculate all the points.

If you use your Excel just to write down the points manually, that's not really "using a spreadsheet" - that's just doing it manually (which is fine, but takes work and is prone to errors).