Get it together Army Builder

[Buzzbomb]

Frankly I used to love this product during version 2 but now this software is junk. I wait and I wait for the warhammer fantasy files to be added for new armies coming out and when it does months later it is so bug ridden as to be useless to me. Do you people who make army builder even care for the quality of your product? Get your act together and get my god damn files out in a timely manner and bug free. It cant be that hard to write new files for this game, I thought you made this version to be easier to support than the last?

THIS PROGRAM IS BECOMING A JOKE!!!!!!!! If it doesnt do what I need it to do it is USELESS.

 

[harkan]

ummm, few problems with your post:

1) If you are complaining about the WFB files then it should be in the WFB forum
2) LW do not make the datafiles, they are made by volunteers who give their time freely for no benefit
3) Have you reported these bugs to the WFB maintainer, if no-one mentions them then they can't be fixed
4) You are ranting at the wrong people, and to be honest even if you ranted at the WFB maintainer you would probably get a very simple answer back in the same vein as this one.

If you are so concerned about the file then get the editor and make the ammendments yourself, I am sure the WFB maintainer would appreciate you fixing all these bugs you haven't mentioned.

 

[Buzzbomb]

Ok now to respond to your post

1) Go take a look, we have been complaining for MONTHSn nothing gets done in a timely fashion. The last 3 armies that have come out for the builder are either to buggy or took half a year to complete and still have bugs.

2) I know they dont make the files but I expect to get my money's worth. I paid money for a service, I dont volunteer crap to Lone Wolf. And frankly if I knew it was volunteer whoever gets to it first makes the files I would not have bought this version and stuck with the last that isnt supported either, gasp just like this one barely is.

3) See answer 1
4)See answer 1

Okay now that thats done, anyone else have anything useful to say? Like someone from Lone Wolf Development who can actually get something done? From the amount of posts it looks like one of the main users of your program is warhammer players. Do you people even have any kind of QA over the authors???

Oh and to your last paragraph, the list of bugs would be to long and well, like you said, this isnt the place to talk about bugs. Thats in the dedicated forum for the game. <boggle>

 

[jlong05]

Ok now to respond to your post
2) I know they dont make the files but I expect to get my money's worth. I paid money for a service, I dont volunteer crap to Lone Wolf. And frankly if I knew it was volunteer whoever gets to it first makes the files I would not have bought this version and stuck with the last that isnt supported either, gasp just like this one barely is.

Okay now that thats done, anyone else have anything useful to say? Like someone from Lone Wolf Development who can actually get something done? From the amount of posts it looks like one of the main users of your program is warhammer players. Do you people even have any kind of QA over the authors???

Please see the quote from the Army Builder FAQ at LINK HERE

2. When will data files for game system XYZ be completed/updated?

Unfortunately, this is a question we simply can't answer. Data files for most game systems are written by volunteers. These volunteers work diligently to complete the data files as quickly as possible and keep them updated. We supporting the authors to the best of our ability, but the completion of data files is ultimately outside of our control.

You indicated you were not aware of the way datafiles are managed and that you paid for a service. You in fact paid for a product that included a free download service of 'available' datafiles. As the FAQ indicated, Lonewolf does not create nor manage the datafiles. In fact, Games Workshop specifically prevents them from even helping on the code for those datafiles.

Harkan provided a great suggestion though. The AB Creator tool is freely available and you are more than welcome to use that tool to create the datafiles you are needing.

 

[brimitch]

Buzzbomb,

First of all, your bio info on the support site says that you just
joined today. I'm not sure who the "we" might be that you're alluding
to, but I'm having difficulty finding any evidence that you've done
anything other than post an uninformative general complaint about one
of our data files to the wrong forum, and rather rudely respond to a
product announcement that was originally posted seven months ago. A
rather inauspicious start to your career on the support forums, don't
you think?

I also see that you've been an Army Builder user for about 6-7
months. Why you would wait 7 months to bring an issue to our
attention is frankly beyond me. We always encourage our users to
bring any relevant issues to our attention as soon as possible so
that we can address them, but we need specific information so that we
can do so.

The fact that our data file authors are volunteers has not changed
throughout the various versions of Army Builder, and is very clearly
stated in the documentation that accompanies the product (as jlong5
noted). Authors are donating their time and energy to support the
data files for their respective games, and as such, most users
understand that updates happen as frequently as other demands on the
author's time will allow. We're happy to work with authors when
circumstances demand it, but on the whole we encourage our authors
and users to use the forums and email as the primary means to
identify bugs or other issues that require their attention. It's been
our experience that authors are generally receptive to constructive
feedback, and work hard to ensure that their files are of the best
quality and accuracy possible.

I see that the WFB data files were last updated on 2/23/07, or less
than two months ago. It's not uncommon for weeks or even months to go
by in between updates, as it does take considerable time for authors
to address existing issues while integrating new material into the files.

Since you allude to getting what you paid for, let me assure you that
it's precisely our practice of allowing volunteer users to support
data files that keeps the cost of Army Builder as low as it is. You'd
be hard-pressed to identify a comparable product that delivers as
much information as Army Builder at anywhere near the low cost, and
we'd be equally hard-pressed to deliver Army Builder for anywhere
near the price if we were to bring on a full-time staff of authors.
Again, most of our users appreciate this fact, and it's actually one
of the reasons why so many of users do volunteer to be data file
authors - they recommend the tremendous value that Army Builder
delivers for a minimal cost, and so they contribute to that value as authors.

If you have specific concerns about the WFB data files, then you are
encouraged to contact the author directly via the correct forum, as
per the instructions he has provided in the documentation for his
files, and as per harkan's post. As he notes, he can't fix what he's
not aware of, so a more specific list of issues should garner more
attention than the general griping that you've done here. While we
can't be in every forum all the time, we do read the forums
periodically, so a detailed message in the proper forum will be seen
by LWD staff and addressed appropriately.

Brian


At 11:41 AM 4/5/2007, Buzzbomb wrote:

>Ok now to respond to your post
>
>1) Go take a look, we have been complaining for MONTHSn nothing gets
>done in a timely fashion. The last 3 armies that have come out for
>the builder are either to buggy or took half a year to complete and
>still have bugs.
>
>2) I know they dont make the files but I expect to get my money's
>worth. I paid money for a service, I dont volunteer crap to Lone
>Wolf. And frankly if I knew it was volunteer whoever gets to it
>first makes the files I would not have bought this version and stuck
>with the last that isnt supported either, gasp just like this one barely is.
>
>3) See answer 1
>4)See answer 1
>
>Okay now that thats done, anyone else have anything useful to say?
>Like someone from Lone Wolf Development who can actually get
>something done? From the amount of posts it looks like one of the
>main users of your program is warhammer players. Do you people even
>have any kind of QA over the authors???
>
>
>

__________________________

Brian Mitchell
Lone Wolf Development
Phone: 262-247-6388
Fax: 262-643-4172
email: brian@wolflair.com

 

[DannyBoy2k]

Get your act together and get my god damn files out in a timely manner and bug free.

THIS PROGRAM IS BECOMING A JOKE!!!!!!!! If it doesnt do what I need it to do it is USELESS.

No...actually, if it doesn't do what you need it to do...YOU'RE USING IT WRONG!

Instead, if you don't like the files...make your own. Simple as that.

 

[Ghaz]

I know they dont make the files but I expect to get my money's worth.

You got your 'money's worth'. Datafiles were never a part of the purchase of Army Builder and were never promised to even be available if you did purchase Army Builder. You purchased the program, not the datafiles and the program works exactly as advertised.

 

[apollo0681]

although buzzbomb is rather out of order here.

it has made me think slightly on this point.

if lone wolf or whoever it is that gets the license fee arnt responsible for updating the program why do u have to pay a fee annually. would make sense if it was just a 1 off purchase.

U need to have it regularily serviced to keep it running which u pay extra for.as wolf lair or whoever doesnt provide this service why do we keep paying a license fee every year.

thats a bit off the subject but hopefully u get my point.

maybe someone could explain where the money for the 2nd/3rd year goes to ? as we dont get anything further each year

 

[brimitch]

Apollo,

This is a common misconception about the way our licensing system
works. In fact, you get a great deal for the minimal annual license
extension fee. You continue to receive free updates to the Army
Builder program (bug fixes, revisions, added features, and other
modifications and improvements), which is separate from the data
files. You also are able to continue to use the automatic updates
feature within AB, which allows you to pull down updated data files
quickly and easily.

With most software (like antivirus packages, for example) you'd pay
the full price of the software each and every year you wanted to
continue to use it. Our licensing system only requires you to pay the
full purchase price once, and then a nominal extension fee each year
thereafter. So you're not paying extra, you're actually enjoying a
cost savings compared to nearly every other software licensing and
subscription model out there.

I hope this helps clarify how and why things are set up under the
current system.

Thanks,
Brian Mitchell
Lone Wolf Development

At 06:49 PM 4/15/2007, you wrote:

>although buzzbomb is rather out of order here.
>
>it has made me think slightly on this point.
>
>if lone wolf or whoever it is that gets the license fee arnt
>responsible for updating the program why do u have to pay a fee
>annually. would make sense if it was just a 1 off purchase.
>
>U need to have it regularily serviced to keep it running which u pay
>extra for.as wolf lair or whoever doesnt provide this service why do
>we keep paying a license fee every year.
>
>thats a bit off the subject but hopefully u get my point.
>
>maybe someone could explain where the money for the 2nd/3rd year
>goes to ? as we dont get anything further each year
>
>
>

 

[dsteffen]

Brian...when was the last update to army builder released?
I do not think there has been an update between May 06 to May 07 (my year).

I have been really hoping there would be more printing options.
For example like being able to print out cards in stead of the sheets
and a more flexible way of using color..

 

[rob]

At 07:59 PM 5/15/2007, you wrote:

Brian...when was the last update to army builder released?
I do not think there has been an update between May 06 to May 07 (my year).

I have been really hoping there would be more printing options.
For example like being able to print out cards in stead of the sheets
and a more flexible way of using color..

The last update to AB was V3.1, which occurred shortly before you started using AB. We had planned to have a V3.2 update right about now, which was after Hero Lab was completed. Unfortunately, Hero Lab was a more complex project than we anticipated, so we're now behind schedule. We definitely have a bunch of stuff mapped out for a V3.2 update, but it won't happen until a bit later this year.

Custom printing sizes and the like will NOT be something that users can readily do on their own. It will require writing your own complex scripts within the data files to do it, which means few users would actually leverage the ability, and I doubt too many authors would include card output with the various data files. Adding support for this would be very time-consuming from a development standpoint, and we've had maybe three requests for something like this in the past few years. Since not a lot of users would be able to leverage this ability, it's not something that we have on the todo list for V3.2.

You say you want "a more flexible way of using color". What would that look like? How would it work? What would be "more flexible"? We need to have some concrete idea of what you want to have any chance of being able to add it, so please describe this in as much detail as possible.

-Rob

 

[dsteffen]

You say you want "a more flexible way of using color". What would that look like? How would it work? What would be "more flexible"? We need to have some concrete idea of what you want to have any chance of being able to add it, so please describe this in as much detail as possible.

How about if a something changes out of the normal.. Example I add a +2 sword to my warlord the changes in that line would be in red.

Or how about stripes the run thru the columns of a page so you can easily track a special ablilty For example I have a movement that runs thru the whole page in a single column how about allowing that column to be a different color or maybe have about all the columns being able to be changed.

If you want and example of what I am talking about I could photoshop something up for you.

 

[rob]

At 09:26 PM 5/25/2007, you wrote:

Quote:
You say you want "a more flexible way of using color". What would that look like? How would it work? What would be "more flexible"? We need to have some concrete idea of what you want to have any chance of being able to add it, so please describe this in as much detail as possible.

How about if a something changes out of the normal.. Example I add a +2 sword to my warlord the changes in that line would be in red.

This is something that is up to the data file author and can currently be done in the data files. It's not something that can (or could) be controlled by the user.

Or how about stripes the run thru the columns of a page so you can easily track a special ablilty For example I have a movement that runs thru the whole page in a single column how about allowing that column to be a different color or maybe have about all the columns being able to be changed.

So you want to highlight selected columns? I guess we could add that, but authors could also implement this if they wanted.

Is this something that users would generally like to see added?

If you want and example of what I am talking about I could photoshop something up for you.

That would be helpful to ensure that I'm understanding you correctly.

-Rob