Tuesday 20 August 2013

BattleScribe 1.13.07 Released!

Update 2: Version 1.13.07 is now available on iOS, fixing the points calculation bug. Thankfully Apple approved my request for an expedited review, so it's out much sooner than expected! Praise the God Emperor.

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Update: Version 1.13.07 has just been released which resolves a couple of bugs in yesterday's update. It is available now on Android and desktop. I've submitted the fix to Apple, but we need to wait for them to approve it - which could be up to a week...

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It's that time again: A new version of BattleScribe for Android, iOS and desktop. This version includes performance improvements, much more reliable roster file sharing and the ability to open and view a roster even if you don't have the right data files to be able to edit it.

Important Note: This version introduces a new file extension for compressed data files (.rosz/.catz/.gstz replaces .ros.zip/.cat.zip/.gst.zip). This means that older versions of BattleScribe will not recognize compressed data files or repositories created with version 1.13.06 and above. It is highly recommended that you update BattleScribe on all your computers and devices to ensure they are compatible with one another. Version 1.13.06 can still handle old-style files with no problem however.

A more detailed explanation for this is after the release notes, and includes some important information for those who host data file repositories.

Without further ado, here's the release notes for each platform:

Android
  • Much improved roster sharing, including sending as a BattleScribe roster file (Menu -> Share Roster) 
  • Open a roster file just by clicking it (e.g. a roster file sent to you as an email attachment or hosted on a website) 
  • Open and view a roster, even if you don't have the required data files 
  • Add and remove forces from your roster while you're editing it (e.g. allied detachments) 
  • (Pro) Add custom unit/model names and descriptions 
  • Import individual data files or whole repositories by clicking on them (e.g. data files sent to you as email attachments) 
  • Improved "Getting Started" guide 
  • Performance improvements when navigating a roster and adding/removing selections 
  • Performance no longer degrades as your list gets bigger 
  • (Free) Improved ad rotation to save on data usage and battery life 
  • Small view roster improvements 
  • Engine improvements to handle new data file features 
  • BattleScribe no longer "hijacks" .zip file downloads
  • Bug fixes 

iOS
Note: The ability to add and remove forces as you build your roster, and customization of unit names and descriptions for pro users is the very next thing I'll be working on for iOS. This was held back as I wanted to release support for the new file extensions on all platforms as quickly as possible.
  • Email your roster as a BattleScribe roster file, an HTML file, or as plain text (Menu -> Share Roster)
  • Open roster files sent to you by email or shared on a website (just click the email attachment or link)
  • You can now open and view a roster, even if you don't have the required data files
  • Improved "Getting Started" guide
  • Import individual data files or whole repositories by clicking on them (e.g. data files sent to you as email attachments) 
  • Small view roster improvements
  • Performance improvements when navigating a roster and adding/removing selections
  • Performance no longer degrades as your list gets bigger
  • (Free) Improved ad rotation to save on data usage and battery life
  • Engine improvements to handle new data file features
  • Bug fixes

Desktop
  • Open and view a roster, even if you don't have the required data files
  • New compressed roster and data file extensions (.rosz, .catz, .gstz)
  • Data Indexer now has an option to create repositories using either the new or old style file extensions (for compatibility with older versions of BattleScribe)
  • Saving rosters as ".rosz" is now default (for compatibility with the mobile versions)
  • Editor right-click menus contain options to add items
  • New rules and profiles added to a catalogue have their names set to that of their parent entry
  • Performance improvements while editing a roster
  • Bug fixes

Data File Extension Change
The reason this was changed is due to sharing on Android. The uncompressed .ros/.cat/.gst files are no good for sharing as they are recognized as text files and displayed, rather than being passed to the BattleScribe app. The old style compressed .ros.zip/.cat.zip/.gst.zip files got over this problem, but the "double barreled" file extension is not handled very well by Android, and caused some weird behavior (for example BattleScribe was "hijacking" plain .zip files).

Changing the file extensions has got around all these problems, and now sharing is working reliably between Android and iOS devices, which is great. You can now even import individual data files from a URL or email attachment.

For repository hosts, I have added an option to Data Indexer to create repositories using the old style file extensions. This allows your repository to be readable by older versions of BattleScribe. It is recommended that you create your repositories using old style file extensions for the time being. If you change to the new style of file extension, you should make sure you clearly notify your users that they need BattleScribe version 1.13.06 or higher to access your repository.