BattleScribe 1.15.07 Updated on Desktop!

First off, I'll get this out of the way: This isn't the big update that many have been waiting for! This release is just a refresh of 1.15.07 to bring some improvements to the installer and auto-update functionality. In addition, BattleScribe on desktop now requires Java 7, and should solve some launch issues on Windows 10.

• BattleScribe now requires Java 7 - go to www.java.com to update if you think you need it (or if you're unsure).
• Fixed issues launching BattleScribe on Windows 10 - you might need to manually re-install using the Windows setup.
• Auto-update will now work on Mac OSX, using the Mac installer disk image.
• Windows auto-update now uses the Windows setup for cleaner updates.
• Fixed clicks not working on the "update available" and advert images on OSX.
• Changed the style of the Mac version as the libraries required are no longer being maintained by the author. On the plus side, this reduces the size of the download significantly.

This has been a slight detour from the main project at hand: a big rebuild of several core components of the "engine". This coming update is intended to bring BattleScribe to a state that can better support future updates and improvements. The main people this will effect will be the data authors out there - I hope this should solve some long-running requests, or at least provide a platform to solve these issues in future.

It's a big job and has been in the works for several months now, but things are starting to come together. I'm currently "rewiring" the desktop interface to work with the new engine, so I should have a beta ready Soon™. The desktop version will remain in beta until the mobile versions can be completed, with a view to releasing all three versions (desktop, Android, iOS) at once.

I won't give you any predictions on time to release, but do know that Progress is being made!

BattleScribe 1.15.07 Released on Android and Desktop!

Today sees the release of BattleScribe 1.15.07, with some nice bug fixes and a nice new feature.

First up, a new way to share your list: You can now save the View Roster output as an image, which is really nice for sharing on Twitter and other social networks. No idea why I didn't think of this before, but thanks to @iosefward on Twitter for that suggestion!

Second, a nasty bug that's been dogging the desktop version for some time has finally been resolved. When adding or removing certain items, the app would sometimes crash/freeze, blanking parts of the user interface or leaving it unresponsive. Of course let me know if you still see similar problems in this version.

On Android, an annoying little issue has now been fixed: when going back a page, the scroll position of the list is now remembered. No more endless scrolling in those long lists.

Now we get to see how well the auto-update feature works on desktop!

All Platforms

• Share/save the roster output as an image for easy sharing on Twitter or other social networks
• Fixed occasional crash when adding or removing items
• Fixed issue where some modified profiles would not show up in the roster output

Desktop

• Fixed occasional crash when adding or removing items that would leave parts of the UI blank or unresponsive
• Toolbar in Roster Editor will now scroll when the window is too small
• Forces and categories can now have negative minimum points values in Game System Editor

Android

• List scroll position remembered when going back to the last screen
• Fixed issue where the wrong points value would sometimes be displayed on list items
• Fixed occasional crash when returning to the app after some time

As usual, the next job is to bring these changes and fixes to iOS, so that should be coming soon.

BattleScribe 1.15.06 Released on Android and Desktop!

Another new release today!

1.15.06 brings the usual bug fixes and improvements, along with a new feature for Pro users and auto-updates on desktop.

The Pro version adds a statistical breakdown of your roster when viewing it, for the stats nerds among you (like me). This shows the number of units, models and upgrades you've selected, the points spent and the percentage of your total points spent on them, broken down by force and category. This is heavily dependant on the data files being configured for this though, so it might take some time to become accurate.

On desktop, BattleScribe can now auto-update itself when new versions become available. Since new versions are fairly regular, this should make life much easier! All you'll need to do for future updates is click a button and let BattleScribe download and install the new version for you. This is not available for the Mac installer version (at least for now) since it's somewhat different to the Windows installer and Any Computer zip versions.

I've also moved the ad on desktop to just below the roster tree (in the middle). This is to try to save on the wasted space either side of the ad where it was before.

As usual, the next job is to get 1.15.06 ready for iOS, so it will be available on iPhone soon.

All Platforms

• Pro: See a breakdown of unit/model/upgrade counts, points spent and percentages when viewing your roster.
• Fixed crash when creating/loading rosters using old/broken data files.

Desktop

• Free: Moved ad to just below the selection tree panel to save wasted space.
• BattleScribe can auto-update itself when new versions become available (Windows installer and Any Computer zip versions only).
• Fixed show/hide modifiers on profiles/profile links giving errors in Catalogue Editor.
• Fixed new links not generating a unique ID in Catalogue Editor.
• Fixed bug pasting IDs into modifier child textbox in Catalogue Editor.
• More tweaks and bug fixes.

Android

• Pro: Fixed crash when editing a selection's custom name/description.
• "Low memory mode" can be turned on/off from the menu.
• Fixed several crashes caused by rotating the device with a dialog box showing.
• More tweaks and bug fixes.

BattleScribe 1.15.05 Released on Android and Desktop!

Not a lot has changed on the surface in this release - it's nearly all under the hood. There have been a large number of small bugs and issues fixed, plus a big focus on performance and memory use.

I've gone through the code to identify and eliminate many areas where memory (RAM) was not being efficiently used. This leads to improved performance, shorter loading times and reduced memory requirements. Some Android devices were struggling when using large or complex data files, and would "randomly" crash when they ran out of memory. Hopefully, this situation should be much improved. In addition, Android devices with particularly small amounts of available memory will not load rule and profile data to minimise memory needs, so at least you can build lists.

On desktop, as requested, the preview popups have been adjusted so they take a bit longer to show up, and are positioned to not hide the thing they pop up from. There's also now an option to turn off the preview popups entirely.

As usual, these changes will be coming to iOS soon - I'll be submitting a new version to Apple in the next day or so.

All Platforms

• Output now shows custom roster descriptions.
• Improved performance and memory management.
• Fixed bug where hidden items would sometimes not stay hidden.
• Various other bug fixes.

Desktop

• Adjusted preview popup delay and positioning.
• Added option to turn preview popups on/off.

Android

• Low memory devices will not load profile and rule data to avoid running out of memory.

BattleScribe New Year's Half Price Sale!

To usher in 2015, BattleScribe Pro is on sale: half price for a week!

You have until 23:59:59 GMT on Wednesday January 7th to pick up a copy on the cheap. You can get a desktop key from the BattleScribe store, or the mobile versions from Google Play, iTunes or the Amazon app store.

Happy new year!