Super Celebratory September Sale!

It's been a good month :-)

The free iOS version was finally released and the Android version now has over 10,000 users. Awesome milestones!

I can't thank you all enough for your support - BattleScribe wouldn't be what it is without you!

But I can't thank you properly with just words. So for the month of September, BattleScribe Mobile Pro will be £0.69 ($0.99 / €0.99), or Android iOS and Kindle Fire.

Enjoy :-)

Free Version of BattleScribe Mobile Now Available for iOS!

Rejoice! The free version of BattleScribe mobile for iPhone/iPad/iPod has been approved and is now available in the iTunes Appstore!

Enjoy :)

BattleScribe For iPhone, iPod and iPad Released!

Finally it's here! BattleScribe Mobile Pro has been approved and is now available in the iTunes Appstore!

Unfortunately the free version was rejected because of the way it linked to the pro version in the store... I'm disappointed I can't offer a free version right away, but there you have it. I'll work on making the changes I need to, and then resubmit it. Keep an eye on here/Twitter/Google+ and I'll announce when it becomes available if you'd prefer to wait.

For you iPad users, I haven't yet made a proper tablet UI. It's something I want to do, but I felt it was important to get something released sooner rather than later. Actually I need to do a UI for Android tablets too, and I'll need to have a good think about how to make good use of the larger screen.

Anyway, happy days. I know there's a lot of people who've been waiting for this for ages, so I'm glad it's finally come together :)

New Version for Desktop and Android, Submitted to Apple Appstore

Quite a bit of news today: There are new releases for the desktop and Android versions, and I've submitted BattleScribe Mobile to the Apple App Store for iPods and iPhones!

Desktop
First up, there's a new release of BattleScribe for the desktop (version 1.12.05b). This just contains a whole pile of little tweaks, fixes and other minor gubbinz that were done as I've worked on the Android and iOS versions over the last few months. Some of the bigger fixes are listed in the release notes below, but there are plenty more little bits and pieces.

BattleScribe 1.12.05b

• Fixed some errors incorrectly appearing for entry groups in some cases.
• Default entry group child is now checked when editing catalogues to make sure the child selected actually exists in the catalogue...
• Broken default entry group children now cleaned when the file is loaded. This prevents an issue where an incorrect entry group child would be added in some cases (eg space wolf rune priest armour).
• Default entry group child now works for sub entry groups (ie entry groups within entry groups).
• Fixed incorrect catalogue xml namespace.
• Fixed "no category" entries being displayed twice in view/print roster.
• Plenty of other little fixes to minor problems and crashes.

Android

I've also released a new version for Android on the Google Play store and Amazon App Store. This just has a couple of little bits (just so the desktop and mobile versions are at the same level). It's still awaiting approval for the Amazon store, but should be available in the next few days. It should also become available for Kindle Fire users soon, but unhelpfully Amazon don't actually tell you when this happens, so you'll have to tell me when it does ;)

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.13b

• URLs entered on the Manage Data screen are now checked for validity
• Better handling of intents, so BattleScribe should recognize data files as importable if they are sent to your phone, opened from the SD card etc.

iOS

Yes, you read that right - BattleScribe is finally coming to iPods and iPhones! Rejoice! I have finished the app and submitted it to the app store, though it's currently "Waiting for Approval", so it's not quite available yet. I'm not sure how long the approval process takes (it's already been a few days) but I will announce here when it's done. Hopefully it won't be long!

Here's some screenshots:

BattleScribe Mobile Available on Amazon App Store

They took their time, but Amazon have finally approved BattleScribe Mobile and it's gone live in their app store. That means all you Kindle Fire owners out there can finally get hold of it in the same way as any other app - no more sideloading.

Here's the links to the store pages:

• BattleScribe Mobile (free, ad supported)
• BattleScribe Mobile Pro (£1.99, no adds, additional dice statistics tool)

I'll add these links to the BattleScribe website when I get a chance.

Note: Due to the time it takes for Amazon to approve the app, it's actually a version behind (v1.12.11). I've submitted the latest version, which has to be approved yet again, so it might be a couple of days before the update becomes available.

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.12 Released!

[Update:] Just fixed an additional crash when adding/removing selections using some catalogues. There's always one isn't there?

I'm calling this one "The Crashbuster."

This release contains fixes for a bunch of force closes, some of which have plagued BattleScribe since before the makeover. There's also a few user interface tweeks and nudges, and I've changed the way rosters are saved (it's now automatic).

I've made the Android APK file (for the free version) available to download straight off the site for those of you who prefer to sideload their apps. In addition, the pro version is in the Amazon App Store for 99p. I've resubmitted the updated pro and free versions and they should become available once Amazon approves them. Once the new pro version appears, it will return to being £1.99.

A while back after BattleScribe Mobile got it's makeover I said "if you tried BattleScribe on your Android before and found it too slow, buggy or crashy, now's the time to give it another go." Well, this time I mean it ;)

Full Change List

• Your roster is saved automatically, so you don't have to keep clicking save. You can still duplicate your roster.
• Moved the create button on the create new roster screen up to the top bar.
• Moved the update from repository button on the manage data screen to the top bar.
• Fixed layout of collective entry groups.
• Other minor UI tweeks.
• Fixed crash when returning to BattleScribe after leaving the app for a while. You are given the option to reload the roster you were previously working on.
• Fixed crash when deleting rosters.
• Fixed crash when adding/removing certain selections from collective entry groups.
• Fixed problem where loading dialogs would never go away, or would crash the app.
• Fixed other crashes that occasionally occurred in relation to collective entry groups.

Right, now to get on with finishing that pesky iOS version...

New Data File Forum

The biggest problem BattleScribe users face is getting hold of data files. I'm sure many of you have had problems finding the files you need to get up and running, and I'd bet money that many more gave up using BattleScribe because they couldn't find any files to get started in the first place.

The data repository system that was added a while back has helped a lot - there's no more copy/pasting of files and BattleScribe can now automatically update your files when new ones are available. Which is pretty sweet (even if I do say so myself).

Thing is, this doesn't really solve the problem of finding a repository in the first place. To that end (as suggested by Scarletsquig), I've added a data files forum so you can let people know about the files you've created and the repositories you're hosting. If you've spent time and effort creating an awesome set of files, it'd be great if you felt like sharing them with the rest of the community!

Feel free to use the forum to:

• Post links to your repository or data files
• Take comments and suggestions
• Let people report bugs or problems with your files
• Accept new or updated data files from the community
• Get together with other data file makers to pool resources
• Whatever else that's data file related

There is of course The One Rule: No Games Workshop. Sorry about that, but I've already got myself into trouble with that one...

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.10b Released!

So, it turns out that the fix in the last version that prevented BattleScribe from crashing when returning to the app after doing something else, had... side effects. In some cases, particularly when using a certain Grey Knights catalogue, you would get a crash when trying to edit a unit you'd added to your roster. It was a weird error and there wasn't much information about it out there on the 'net. After some sleuthing however, I uncovered the problem. Settle down while I tell you a story...

Android apps need to store the data that you're currently working on when you leave the app, so when you come back the data can be restored and you can continue from where you left off. The original crash when returning to the app was caused because BattleScribe wasn't saving any data and therefore there wasn't anything to restore when you came back, resulting in a force close. So to fix this issue, I saved the roster, catalogue and game system data when you left the app, and restored it when you returned. Fair enough you might say.

The problem is, the BattleScribe data files can be rather large and complex (for a phone to handle anyway). The Grey Knights catalogue in question is one of the best put together and most complete catalogues out there. It's also the biggest I know of. It turns out that the Grey Knight data was in fact too big! So big in fact that the app would run out of space and crash when trying to save the data for later!

So unfortunately the solution to this (for the time being at least) is to remove this fix and no longer save data when you leave the app. It will go back to crashing if you return to it after some time away. I do have some ideas on how to fix this for good, but it will take some time and I wanted to fix this as quickly as I could. For now at least I think it is better to get people going again and make sure that all those Grey Knights players out there can create lists.

I hope this post isn't too techie, and explains a bit why this fix had to be removed. As the Tau would say, it's for the Greater Good.

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.09b Released!

It's been a little bit of a rocky start for the rebuilt Android version of BattleScribe. I guess it's to be expected when you start from a clean slate, but I don't like to have worked to make a better user experience, only to inflict everyone with all new bugs. With this latest update, however, I think we're back on track.

Over the last week (in between a nasty cold), I think I've resolved pretty much all the major issues people were having. Particularly, there were a couple of force closes that needed fixing, and performance issues as it over-aggressively checked file formats. I've also managed to squeeze in a couple of new features and tweaks, and (finally) fixed a force close that occurred when returning to the app after doing something else.

So, if you tried BattleScribe on your Android before and found it too slow, buggy or crashy, now's the time to give it another go - it's free after all ;) On top of that, as a bit of an apology for the problems over the last week, I'm going to leave BattleScribe Mobile Pro at 99p for another week.

P.S. I'm working on getting it into the Amazon app store at the moment for the Kindle people out there. Unfortunately their approval process is a little... slow.

1.12.08b:

• Now checks data files are the correct format on startup, and caches the results. This means much faster loading when creating/opening a roster.
• When using the +/- buttons to add entries, you can now enter a number directly into the box
• Added pan/zoom on the view roster screen
• Correct error messages should now be shown
• Fixed force close when clicking error messages

1.12.09b:

• Fixed force close when returning to the app after you have exited to use another app

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.07b Released! [Updated]

[Update:] After a some feedback it turns out there was a real facepalm of a bug in the last release that prevented adding/removing via the +/- dialog in some cases. Also there was a little outcry over removing landscape orientation on some of the screens. I've just released a new update that should fix both of these issues. Enjoy :)

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After nearly three weeks, I've finished completely rebuilding the Android version of BattleScribe from the ground up. I think it really needed it - the original version wasn't very nice to look at and in some places was pretty poorly put together (it was my first Android app, I was learning!).

This new version is much easier on the eye, with a cleaner interface - hopefully it's easier to figure out what's going on. There are also some new features to help you import data files and share your rosters with others. Other than that, the main screen for editing your roster works pretty much the same as before. I've got some ideas on how to improve this page in the future though, so keep an eye out.

To celebrate, I will be having a sale: BattleScribe Mobile Pro will be just 99p for a week, so get it while it's hot!

I will be adding BattleScribe Mobile to the Amazon app store and others over the coming days if you prefer not to use the Google Market.

Here's some screenshots of the new look (full change list below):

Change List:

• Completely new "black on white" user interface, making it much cleaner and more readable.
• New "getting started" screen to help you find and set up data repositories.
• Long-click on individual selections to view or duplicate them.
• BattleScribe now lets you open any roster file it finds on your SD card (not just ones in the BattleScribe folder).
• BattleScribe will now open and import rosters/data files downloaded from websites or stored on your SD card.
• New sharing options to send your roster file via email or bluetooth.
• New sharing options to send your roster as text/HTML/BBCode/Markdown via email, social networks or to other apps.
• (Hopefully) many minor bugs no longer exist.
• (Probably) some new minor bugs have been introduced - please let me know if you have any problems!
• Updated help documentation on the website.
• Shiny new logo!