A lot of folks found themselves unable to find the official CAV Army Creator after Combat Assault Vehicle was licensed to Talon Games. It was removed from the Reaper website with the anticipation of Talon Games providing a replacement that matched the new Strike Operations edition. Well after speaking with Jon at Talon Games, we were given permission to create the Unofficial CAV:SO Force Builder 3.x. Since the original source code to CAV 2E was not available to work from, we used our version of the Warlord 2E Army Creator as the basis for building this new tool. We will be taking this opportunity to improve upon the user interface and the data card output as well as some of the functionality during its development.
Work continues as time permits on adding new features that folks have expressed interest in on the Reaper Forums, where those features make sense and don’t require lots of resources to code. This tool is being offered on one of our sister domains for free, along with additional game materials we hope you will find of value, including house rules and the official convention scenarios that were published during the first few years after the game release.
The new unofficial CAV-Strike Operations Force Builder 3.0.1 will soon be available at the Unofficial CAV:SO Force Builder. As of this writing there are still a large number of model images and datacards that need to be completed and uploaded, but the tool will produce any roster that the older tool could do with a few enhancements.
FEATURES:
1) The builder page (and all other pages) may be zoomed in your browser without destroying the page layout.
2) A Roster Name may be added for every army build.
3) Squad names can be used for each squad section (or you can leave empty for the default).
4) Game Points have been added and are optional.
5) Number of Squads per Row can be configured for the output. (The default of 4 fills the page better.)
6) Faction Doctrines have been added along with a display of each doctrine in the datacard window using the datacard format.
7) Models and Equipment within any given squad may be re-ordered within that squad via drag-n-drop with your mouse (however this does not work with touch devices).
8) A “mini” instructions block was added as a footer to the squad build area/column with a couple of basic as a reminder for new players.
9) Army Creator 2.0.1 can be “skinned” with a color theme – though the ability for the user to change the color theme has not been implemented, maybe in a future update.
The Roster Output (Printout) now contains the following additions/enhancements:
1) Roster Name (optional – faction name is used if no roster name is supplied).
2) The full Faction Doctrine (if selected) is included as a section on the 1st Roster Page just below the troop roster.
The Support Site currently provides:
1) A datacard spreadsheet with a quick-overview of model stats.
2) All current official errata for the CAV:Strike Operations Edition.
3) Reference Pages for gameplay, such as Model States, Upgrades and Equipment, and Special Abilities, with more game reference material to come. (Note: You will ALWAYS need the rulebook to play the game.)
Also included are Campaigns, Scenarios, and Free Download materials along with other useful information to help you recruit new players and just plain have more fun! These Library Materials will be added to or expanded as time, and submissions, permit.
Please report any data discrepancies or functional issues to the Dark Horse inbox in the reapermini forum – thanks!
Also, we would like to extend a Thank You to the folks at Talon Games for granting permission to use all of the data and materials necessary to build this tool.
ENJOY !