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I was a v. 2 user, then I haven't been gaming GW for a while, now I'm getting back into it a bit and thinking about upgrading it to work on my 40K and WHF files. I'd like to be able to use my old files rather than start from scratch - does that updating patch work?

Thanks for thoughts,
Aman

I simply picked up V3 myself BUT when I installed it I did notice a patch to update from V2 to V3...sooo my guess is yes it simply can patch itself.

You can't upgrade from v2 to v3. They're separate programs.

I have found it very easy to use, and have never had a problem with it. It's much better than it's Hero Vault, which wasn't as intuitive.

Program gets a 10/10 from me.

Personally I prefer Army Builder 2. AB3 Has a yearly license so you have to keep paying for it. Also because of their unofficial agreement with GW there's usually about a 2-3 month waiting period after an army book is released before there is a data file. With 2.0 data files are usually available within a week of army book release. Plus AB3 has several errors in data files that have not been fixed after a year of coming out.

I guess I should clarify that this is from a Warhammer Fantasy perspective. It might be better for 40k...

Swoop!

I cant believe how so many people say that, AB3 is not pay per year to use, you pay for it you own it. The yearly fee is only for if you want the auto updates. You can go to the forums and download the updates yourself, the yearly fee is just to support a good company, and to make it so you dont have to manually add the updates...big whoop. Support a good company.

I've had it for over 2 years and think its great.

I don't pay the yearly licence fee as I can just update the files I need from their website when I want.

I have no idea how I did army lists before AB v3. As far as data files, there is a delay when a codex is released, but it's actually more like a 1 month wait. Same thing for WHFB. You have the understand the the data file author is doing this out of the goodness of his heart and make no money off his incredible effort. I purchased AB 3 a long time ago and have never paid anything else after the initial purchase. I just visit the data file author's site and download the patch manually. I've also reformatted my computer many times since then and Wolflair has never had a problem reinstating the license for me to reinstall. All in all, it's a big 10 / 10 score.

so which is better for the present 40K and WHF files, v2 or 3?
actually, I play LOTR and BFG too, so all four interest me.

For 40K then v3 is definitely better.

I just downloaded and played with the demo of AB3, I like it, and it does seem to have more up-to-date info than AB2, but I preferred the interface in 2 to that in 3. I typically end up using Excel for my army lists, but the AB demo is nice for messing around with (for example) different Crisis suit configurations quickly.

AB3 all the way for me.

Easy to use, outputs in many formats so you can send files to those who don't have it.

some say that v. 4 is coming soon and to wait. How say ye here a D-D?

I love it so much its the S**t!!!

I really like AB V3, and I have never once regretted paying for it. I still tend to use excel for apocolypse games, but it's a great tool for fooling around.

@ Ghaz: I don't use AB for Apocalypse because it won't allow me to use all of my models, specifically dedicated transports. I actually have a rhino and a razorback for each of my tactical squads, and in big games, I tend to use both. Is there any way to do that in AB? I don't think there is, but the whole point of Apoc is to "play with everything..."

Polonius wrote:@ Ghaz: I don't use AB for Apocalypse because it won't allow me to use all of my models, specifically dedicated transports. I actually have a rhino and a razorback for each of my tactical squads, and in big games, I tend to use both. Is there any way to do that in AB? I don't think there is, but the whole point of Apoc is to "play with everything..."

I don't believe it is possible. IIRC, one of the 'rules' for Apocalypse is that unit options are still in effect (ie, no Tactical Squads with all models equipped with plasma guns, etc.) and I believe this would fall under that 'rule'.

Aman wrote:some say that v. 4 is coming soon and to wait. How say ye here a D-D?

Uh, they're not releasing a v4. They're simply going to update v3.3 to v3.4. The planned changes are not enough to warrant a v4 designation and if you have v3.3 and an active license then the upgrade to v3.4 is free.

Pricing is odd in the least so I'll break it down for you all.

$40, a one time fee you pay for first.
$12.50, yearly renewal
$10 per additional license, may have up to 4

The nice thing about the additional licenses is that when you say buy all 4 additional, you only have to pay $12.50 to renew them all.

Don't forget to renew your license, otherwise you'll be paying that $12.50 for less than a year.

I just had to renew things and such, so I figured out the pricing scheme. I also think they need to advertise it's not 40 a year, it stopped me from buying AB3 for the longest time.

Datadep5 wrote:
$10 per additional license, may have up to 4

Don't forget that you actually get 2 licenses to start with.

The primary reason I don't sue Army Builder is lack of a Mac version.

Secondary reason is that the interface is annoying to me. V2, at least, used pretty mcuh all non-standard Windows interface widgets and didn't supprot a lot of standard things like scroll wheel mice. Not sure if V3 has fixed this: the screenshots still make it look crappy.

I'd certainly pay a couple bucks for such a program if it worked well and was Mac friendly (Note: Run it in VirtualPC/Parralels/Boot Camp is not a great option, even if it works). I'd prefer it to sue standard widgets on whatever OS it supports. Such thing should be possible, as it's basically a DB frontend.

The licensing for AB V3 does seem a bit over-the-top. If there was more active competition in this niche I'd guess Wolflair would need to change it. As is, they're the best dedicated product in the niche, so they can get away with a lot of customer-hostile behavior.

A competitor would essentially need to cut a deal with GW, PP, and some other small companies to effectively compete. If a developer came out with a product and it had 40k, WHFB, WM, and Hordes lists on day 1 it might have a chance.

AB3 does support the scroll wheel (it does on mine anyway).

Sure, it's not as pretty as some mac software, but I've seen quite a few PRO level packages for windows that look worse.

I used to use Excel for list building, and even wrote a custom macro for my SM (3rd ed), but I use AB now as my club has resumed running tourneys and it was an "essential" purchase. The two licences for the price was nice, and you DON'T need to pay for renewal - going to the site and downloading updates is easy enough.

Blame the number of people pirating AB2 for the change of licencing for AB3. Nothing for nothing.

I do wish the AB interface matched better with the OS interface it's on. The blue is distinctive but I'd settle for a Windows XP looking program that did the same thing. It's just an aesthetic thing.

chaplaingrabthar wrote:I do wish the AB interface matched better with the OS interface it's on. The blue is distinctive but I'd settle for a Windows XP looking program that did the same thing. It's just an aesthetic thing.

I do know with AB 2 they had downloadable skins.

http://www.wolflair.com/rightframe.php?context=more&page=skins_downloads

There is an option for skins for AB3, but no-one does them (to my knowledge).

That said, I'm more of a practical sort, and if how something looks doesn't afect its performance, it is left to do the job.

Just recently switched to mac, and although it takes slightly longer to boot up, have not had any issues running Army Builder in parallels.

It's great, never had a problem with it. I highly recommend it.

After last update, V3.2D, a lot of my old army lists will no longer load. The latest version gives access to Blood Angels but it changes the way some units are selected so my old IG, Ork and Nid lists will have to be redone. Moral here is make sure you keep a back up print out of all your favourite lists in case you need to redo them. That said, easy to use, prints clear lists, great support, cool program. Much better than doing them by hand or in a spreadsheet.

Thanks for necroing a year old thread

Yes it is a bit necron.