BattleScribe 1.13.05 Released, Store Open!

The new version is finally here, with the main addition being the ability to add and remove forces to/from your roster as you create it, which was badly needed. There are also some additional minor changes and a big pile of bug fixes.

The other big thing is that BattleScribe has now moved to a free/pro model, where the free version is supported by advertising and the pro version has some additional features. You can now purchase a pro license key from the shiny new store and for the first month it will only cost you £0.99 - get 'em while they're hot! For more details on the advertising, take a look at the previous blog post.

Here's what's in the release:

• Pro: Added a dice statistics tool much like on mobile.
• Ability to add or remove a force from an existing list.
• Force Types can now have min/max points/selections/percentage. This is validated on a per-force type basis.
• Output files are now saved with the XML formatted and indented by 2 spaces. Great for those using version control for their data repositories.
• You can now import a downloaded .bsi index file from the Manage Data screen.
• Small improvement to View Roster output where if a rule's name is the same as the parent selection's, it will output a '*' instead of the full rule name.
• Catalogue-level rules are now always outputted when viewing a roster, even if they have no description.
• Added validation to prevent circular references in catalogue file shared items - this would cause Roster Editor to crash when loading the file.
• Fixed crash when opening rosters with multiple forces.
• Various bug fixes around shared items and modifiers
• Fixed bug where min/max in roster wasn't working for shared entries.
• Probably some other minor bug fixes I don't remember...

BattleScribe Pro For Desktop Coming Soon

That's right, BattleScribe on desktop is moving to a free/pro model, much like the mobile versions. This means that the free version is going to be supported by advertising/sponsorship, and there will be the option to buy a "pro" licence key to remove the advertising and gain additional features.

Don't panic! This post will hopefully explain the details and answer any questions. Of course if you have any additional questions or concerns, let me know in the comments (or Facebook / Google+ / Twitter / the forum / etc).

• Why? Developing BattleScribe takes a massive amount of time and effort, yet there is still a huge amount left to do. Going this route will help a lot towards letting me developing BattleScribe full-time (I have a day job too, unfortunately), meaning I can really put in the time to realize it's potential. Basically, I will be able to introduce more features, faster.
• What ads? The promotions will all be for awesome wargaming products and services, curated by myself (I will not be using a third party ad service, so no "click the monkey to win an iPad" crap). I really hope to make the ads useful and interesting so you will actually find something cool you didn't know about before.
• Are you going to break the free version? Absolutely not. The free version is still going to a fully featured army list editor, with no restrictions on your army, points etc. The free version is not going to be turned into a "demo". Any new features that I consider "core" to the army list builder will appear in the free version at the same time as the pro version. The one feature I have moved to the pro version is the ability to give units custom names and background information.
• So what do I get in the pro version then? The promotional banner ads and the affiliate button will be removed (though they can be turned back on from the options menu). There will also be additional, non-essential features that are cool or just nice to have. To start with, I've added the dice statistics tool that's available in the pro mobile versions, but there is more to come (e.g. the ability to save "favorite" units and re-use them in multiple lists).
• What's it gonna cost? For the first month, as a thank you to everyone who's supported BattleScribe over the years, I'll be selling license keys for £0.99. This gives you all a chance to jump on the pro version for a nominal fee. After that I'll be putting the price to up £4.99. Oh, and that's a one-time fee, not a yearly subscription...

Here's a screenshot

I hope that answers most of the questions you have, but as I said, please do let me know if you have any other concerns. I want to try and be as open and honest about this as I can. I've also put up the latest pre-release in the forum which includes the advertising so you can take a look (you can't buy a pro license just yet though).

Finally, if you have your own wargaming company / product / service that you wish to promote via BattleScribe, please do drop me an email. I'll be running ads for free for the first few months, so get in there while you can!