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Army Builder – the Point-and-Click Army Construction software – is adding many cool new features! These features include mobile device roster viewing, model list generation, PDF output, major user interface refinements, and much more! Officially releasing later this month, this will be a free update for users with an active Army Builder license. You can get a sneak peak of Army Builder 3.2 now by visiting our website at
http://wolflair.com/index.php?context=army_builder&page=army_builder_v3~2_preview

Mobile device roster viewing? That sounds interesting. One thing I've wondered is how effective an iPhone app would be.

Cool man! I'll likely renew my AB license for this. Will it work with any PDA-ish phone or only the iphone?

I'm excited about the PDF output as my cell can actually import PDFs into it's doc viewer. Handy for a back-up list... I might finally have to switch from Excel (at work) / OpenOffice.org Calc (at home) To AB3 (even if I prefer AB 2's layout)

Surely "Mobile Device" list includes Windows Mobile....hope it's not exclusively Iphone.

Sarge wrote:Cool man! I'll likely renew my AB license for this. Will it work with any PDA-ish phone or only the iphone?

Got the impression it was the output from a computer that was available for use on the IPhone, not the program itself.

This should make gaming life even easier! Good job Wolf Lair!!

Should cut down on the number of laptops at the FLGS for sure.

Just to be clear on the mobile device support. V3.2 is still a Windows application that runs on a desktop or laptop computer. It now includes a feature that will generate an HTML version of the roster that is tailored for use on mobile devices. The roster can then be readily viewed on the mobile device, being designed for viewing on a small footprint display and allowing information to be expanded/collapsed, as needed. Based on this approach, it will work on the vast majority of mobile devices.

Basically, the objective is to eliminate the need for paper rosters, allowing players to have everything available for quick reference on their mobile device. There is no actual editing of the roster on the mobile device - yet.

LWD: Will there an inventory tracker as part of AB at some point? Your already pretty close with the list telling you which models you need over all.

Sarge wrote:LWD: Will there an inventory tracker as part of AB at some point? Your already pretty close with the list telling you which models you need over all.

We've spent a lot of time working towards a complete inventory management solution, but there are some major complications involved. I posted an explanation on another site when this question was raised. I'm going to simply re-post it here. If you have further questions, let us know and we'll do our best to provide an answer.

----Begin Re-Post----

The new model list feature can be used to manage inventory, albeit without the flexibility that some users are going to want. There are some major issues with adding full-blown "inventory management".

For the hardcore player, we would need to track everything at the SKU level. Each individual model would need to be tracked. Then we would have to map each model to the specifically equipped units that it could be fielded within. This is a detail that the data file authors would need to adjudicate and maintain, which would add a *lot* of work to their plate.

More than likely, the classifications made by authors would become a source of disagreement due to the subjective nature of how some models can be classified in some games (e.g. 40K). That would entail that we provide a complex interface that allows users to override the default classifications with their own preferences. At that point, the simplicity of using AB disappears.

Then there is the question of how to handle conversions, for which there are no SKUs. However, the player is absolutely going to want to track those models within his inventory.

Now look at the casual players. For the casual player, lots of models can readily fill in for other models. While they generally strive to be WYSIWYG, there is a fair amount of "fudging" that goes on. And that's perfectly reasonable for their play needs.

The complexity of having something that works appropriately for all these different player needs is staggering. Not only would it be lots of work to implement, it would also make the product very complex to *use*. At that point, inventory management would only be truly useful to a very small subset of our users. Until we can figure out a way to handle all of the above competing requirements with a simple interface that makes it readily accessible to that vast majority of our users, a "complete" inventory mechanism just isn't practical. So we're still working out how best to solve this issue.

Excellent

I look forward to updating, since I bought Army Builder in the fall! Looks like a great improvement

ARmy Builder has turned into Gw.. too costly for sub par stuff.... I'll pass.

sweet!!! - That's all i gotta say!

Looks like Ill have to wait a bit longer for an Iphone app version. This at least is a welcome update.

I'm all over an app like this for my Iphone. I have already been using the HTML output rosters, then emailing them too myself so I can view them on my phone, but this will work much better. Is there any chance that army builder will have a Mac version at some point? That would make my life much easier.

skullking wrote:Is there any chance that army builder will have a Mac version at some point? That would make my life much easier.

This is already in their FAQ:

9. Will Army Builder be available for the Mac?


There are currently no plans to write a native Mac version of Army Builder. However, the product appears to work well under the various emulators on the Mac, such as Virtual PC and SoftPC. Mac users who have access to these emulators should be able to run Army Builder without difficulty.


The reason for this is simple. We're a tiny company, and we simply don't have the staff to develop a separate Mac version of the product at this time. It's definitely something we'd like to do, but the reality is that we don't have the personnel resources.

http://wolflair.com/rightframe.php?context=army_builder&page=frequently_asked_questions

So, AB plus the cost of virtualization if you are a Mac user. Or just do as I do and Boot Camp exclusively for AB. Kinda tedious, but free.

I'll have to count myself in the camp that will be upgrading for this. Seems to add some nice functionality and since I have an active licence the price is right.

I'll be upgrading too

I'm also a mac user. I have an 8 year old PC that I have AB running on When I do get myself a new Intel mac, I'll do the boot camp method too

Sarge wrote:Cool man! I'll likely renew my AB license for this. Will it work with any PDA-ish phone or only the iphone?

Due to the crappy licensing system I won't be renewing my license. If they updated the program as regularly as they promised then I wouldn't have a problem paying the annual fee. But at the moment the fee is for access to stuff that is provided for FREE by other people - The AB40k team do all the work to support 40k and Wolf Lair makes all the money? That's twisted.

I'm not a big fan of this "annual" fee crap. I like to BUY software .... not RENT it.

I'll probably only end up updating my AB when AB40k change their data files to 3.2 only and even then I'll buy a new one. Who want's to pay for a 4 year "license extension" when the developer's done SFA with the software in 3 years???

Meep357 wrote:

Sarge wrote:Cool man! I'll likely renew my AB license for this. Will it work with any PDA-ish phone or only the iphone?

Due to the crappy licensing system I won't be renewing my license. If they updated the program as regularly as they promised then I wouldn't have a problem paying the annual fee. But at the moment the fee is for access to stuff that is provided for FREE by other people - The AB40k team do all the work to support 40k and Wolf Lair makes all the money? That's twisted.

I'm not a big fan of this "annual" fee crap. I like to BUY software .... not RENT it.

I'll probably only end up updating my AB when AB40k change their data files to 3.2 only and even then I'll buy a new one. Who want's to pay for a 4 year "license extension" when the developer's done SFA with the software in 3 years???

Dude... ALL software has licensing.
Some is free, some is optional, some is mandatory.
Of the mandatory, some are one time fees and others are annual fees.

Think about your anti-virus. If you use Norton's or McAffee, you have to pay licensing annually.

Know the difference? If you don't pay your AB licensing, it still works just fine. The only real difference is that you have to manually navigate to the web site for updates.

Eric

MagickalMemories wrote:Dude... ALL software has licensing.
Some is free, some is optional, some is mandatory.
Of the mandatory, some are one time fees and others are annual fees.

Think about your anti-virus. If you use Norton's or McAffee, you have to pay licensing annually.

Know the difference? If you don't pay your AB licensing, it still works just fine. The only real difference is that you have to manually navigate to the web site for updates.

Eric

Yep ... and Norton and McAffee update their software regularly (once a month MINIMUM; usually once a week) for that licensing fee.

I can not think of another product that asks for an annual licensing fee that doesn't provide regular updates or additional functionality.

At the moment you pay a one time fee and the software works fine (like other software with a one time fee) then they have their annual fee (which they do state is to fund updates and support for their software - which they don't provide) on top of that. Under this licensing system I would expect an update every twelve months MINIMUM. You want me to pay an annual fee on top of the price of purchasing the software you'd better provide something for that.

Now if Wolf Lair wrote the army list files, provided remuneration to the authors, or updated their software more than once every FOUR years I wouldn't mind paying their subscription fee. At the moment they do NOTHING but link to the data file (which are freely available from the authors).

Those people who bought AB 3 when it came out got a couple of minor updates quickly for their $40 bucks (in 2005 when it released). Then they've previously payed an additional $37.50 bucks (for 2006, 2007 & 2008) and have recently paid another $12.50 (for 2009) and WL is only now looking at doing an update (their first since 2005 as the 3.1b and c patches were really just bug fixes rather than actual program updates).... That means that if (like me) you've had AB3 since it came out you'll have paid $40 for the program and an additional $45 for the update. Wolf Lair claims their update system is designed to save people money .... hang on ... yup it'll cost me an additional $5 to update rather than buy a new copy!


Now I love my AB. It's a brilliant tool for double checking lists. It's an invaluable tool for messing around with experimental lists and modifying lists quickly. However, the licensing system they've chosen, plus the lack of updates or any other sort of extra support / functionality does not make it worth maintaining the subscription. If they start providing the support that they claim they are / will be under their current licensing system I'll support them fully. I LOVE the product - they just need to either support it properly or go back to the old $40 here you go, don't expect any updates model.

QFT

Agreed about the licensing. Got nothing as far as updates for the first two years I owned it aside from datafile updates. I can already print files to a PDF and the rest of it is just meh. I've already been viewing rosters on my phone by saving as text and dropping it on the phone.

Meep357 wrote:
Yep ... and Norton and McAffee update their software regularly (once a month MINIMUM; usually once a week) for that licensing fee.

I can not think of another product that asks for an annual licensing fee that doesn't provide regular updates or additional functionality.

At the moment you pay a one time fee and the software works fine (like other software with a one time fee) then they have their annual fee (which they do state is to fund updates and support for their software - which they don't provide) on top of that. Under this licensing system I would expect an update every twelve months MINIMUM. You want me to pay an annual fee on top of the price of purchasing the software you'd better provide something for that.

Now if Wolf Lair wrote the army list files, provided remuneration to the authors, or updated their software more than once every FOUR years I wouldn't mind paying their subscription fee. At the moment they do NOTHING but link to the data file (which are freely available from the authors).

Those people who bought AB 3 when it came out got a couple of minor updates quickly for their $40 bucks (in 2005 when it released). Then they've previously payed an additional $37.50 bucks (for 2006, 2007 & 2008) and have recently paid another $12.50 (for 2009) and WL is only now looking at doing an update (their first since 2005 as the 3.1b and c patches were really just bug fixes rather than actual program updates).... That means that if (like me) you've had AB3 since it came out you'll have paid $40 for the program and an additional $45 for the update. Wolf Lair claims their update system is designed to save people money .... hang on ... yup it'll cost me an additional $5 to update rather than buy a new copy!


Now I love my AB. It's a brilliant tool for double checking lists. It's an invaluable tool for messing around with experimental lists and modifying lists quickly. However, the licensing system they've chosen, plus the lack of updates or any other sort of extra support / functionality does not make it worth maintaining the subscription. If they start providing the support that they claim they are / will be under their current licensing system I'll support them fully. I LOVE the product - they just need to either support it properly or go back to the old $40 here you go, don't expect any updates model.

I think you might think we're arguing different points here.
In fact, you made my point perfectly.
All software has some sort of licensing agreement and, in this case, you don't have to pay extra every year for the software to remain functional (unlike others).

Sure, you don't get the auto link for the files if you don't pay for the continued licensing.
I'm with you.
*F* it.
LOL I can just clickety-clack on the old keyboard and visit the site the "old fashioned" way. : )

Eric

...and I'm with you on loving my AB, too. I actually preferred AB2's interface, but AB3 isn't so bad, once you're used to it.

LWD-PR wrote:

Sarge wrote:LWD: Will there an inventory tracker as part of AB at some point? Your already pretty close with the list telling you which models you need over all.

We've spent a lot of time working towards a complete inventory management solution, but there are some major complications involved. I posted an explanation on another site when this question was raised. I'm going to simply re-post it here. If you have further questions, let us know and we'll do our best to provide an answer.

----Begin Re-Post----

The new model list feature can be used to manage inventory, albeit without the flexibility that some users are going to want. There are some major issues with adding full-blown "inventory management".

For the hardcore player, we would need to track everything at the SKU level. Each individual model would need to be tracked. Then we would have to map each model to the specifically equipped units that it could be fielded within. This is a detail that the data file authors would need to adjudicate and maintain, which would add a *lot* of work to their plate.

More than likely, the classifications made by authors would become a source of disagreement due to the subjective nature of how some models can be classified in some games (e.g. 40K). That would entail that we provide a complex interface that allows users to override the default classifications with their own preferences. At that point, the simplicity of using AB disappears.

Then there is the question of how to handle conversions, for which there are no SKUs. However, the player is absolutely going to want to track those models within his inventory.

Now look at the casual players. For the casual player, lots of models can readily fill in for other models. While they generally strive to be WYSIWYG, there is a fair amount of "fudging" that goes on. And that's perfectly reasonable for their play needs.

The complexity of having something that works appropriately for all these different player needs is staggering. Not only would it be lots of work to implement, it would also make the product very complex to *use*. At that point, inventory management would only be truly useful to a very small subset of our users. Until we can figure out a way to handle all of the above competing requirements with a simple interface that makes it readily accessible to that vast majority of our users, a "complete" inventory mechanism just isn't practical. So we're still working out how best to solve this issue.

I'm not sure you'd have to track everything by SKU. Particularly since I have no idea what the SKUs are on my figures. Couldn't you do it by model type? Such as x marine with bolter, x marine with plasma gun, x marine with jump pack. I agree with the HQ figures in 40k and Fantasy it'd become quite a task. For other games, such as BFG, Warmachine, Hordes where the customization is at the force level instead of the character level a similar system would work. Also, why would the datafile authors have to do that legwork? Couldn't you build them a framework and they/us build in the details? That's how I imagine the system working now.

Here is another licensing question. If mine expired years ago, can I just buy one for this year (to get the update) or do I have to buy one for every year since to now?

Just this year matey.

And, if wolf's lair made the data files, they wouldn't exist because the GW thought police would get them... The only way the product can exist is if they are made by third parties.

Sarge wrote:I'm not sure you'd have to track everything by SKU. Particularly since I have no idea what the SKUs are on my figures. Couldn't you do it by model type? Such as x marine with bolter, x marine with plasma gun, x marine with jump pack. I agree with the HQ figures in 40k and Fantasy it'd become quite a task. For other games, such as BFG, Warmachine, Hordes where the customization is at the force level instead of the character level a similar system would work.

Different game systems have different needs that would have to be handled appropriately. When I stated that we'd have to handle things by SKU, I meant that every model would need to be individually classified properly. That's for the purists. Then there are the more casual players who don't worry about every model being WYSIWYG, with models "filling in" that are close to accurate. And then there are the conversions. So all those different situations would need to be handled smoothly, with each type of user having a different set of needs for AB to work well for them.

Sarge wrote:Also, why would the datafile authors have to do that legwork? Couldn't you build them a framework and they/us build in the details? That's how I imagine the system working now.

All of the data files are developed by the authors. Those authors are the ones who enter each unit and all of its options. Consequently, those same authors would have to assign which models have specific options and then establish which models can/can't be used within specific units. AB would definitely provide the basic mechanisms for managing it all (the framework), but the authors would have to actually enter all the details. They would also have to determine the classifications, and that can be subjective in some situations, with hardcore players being precise about the classifications and casual players wanting some fudge factor allowance. The actual data entry and all of these details are where it gets to be lots of extra work for the authors.