Resolved OrbX PNW and other add-on scenery question.

[ddavid 149]

Earlier this year, I installed Windows 7 on a new SSD and subsequently re-installed FSX Acceleration, so my sim is quite uncluttered, for once! Fire up times are impressive and with default scenery, FPS is very good. But...

About a month or so ago, I bit the bullet and purchased OrbX PNW. It's as good as its reputation and I have been enjoying the Seattle area with both fixed and rotary wing craft. I've written a couple of missions for PNW and even modified the default "Whiteout" mission so that it works with PNW.

Just a week ago, I installed Nemeth Designs' new Mi-24 Hind, for reviewing. As I normally fly helicopters with HoverControl, I dropped in on their base at Missoula (KMSO) only to realise that I'd not re-installed the HoverControl KMSO scenery. When I did, I found the field full of vegetation - on the taxiways, as you can see:

I uninstalled the HoverControl KMSO scenery and the veg had gone:

I then exited FSX, started FTX Central and disabled PNW. Re-started FSX to find no veg with the default, either

So then I re-installed the HoverControl KMSO to find everything as I remembered it:

Now, it looks as if the HoverControl KMSO scenery uses a different ground texture (land-class) to default FSX (note the green grass?). In addition, OrbX PNW, which may use the same (or similar texture/land-class) has introduced autogen (vegetation) way, way outside the PNW region. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

I'm confused (No change there, then! - Ed) I thought the changes that OrbX makes to scenery only affects the regions (i.e. PNW) that you purchase and install. Whilst this assumption may hold for FSX default, it doesn't seem to be correct for some (i.e. HoverControl KMSO) add-on scenery.

Thanks for bearing with me on this. If you've had similar experience with other add-on sceneries and have any suggestions (Ha!) please let me know.

Cheers - Dai.

[brett 2,283]

Guess:   Could the problem be because of the order of the scenery and not have anything to do with ORBX stuff? 

[jaydor 345]

Dai, you got me scratching my head, as when I looked at your shots they look nothing like FTX PNW (KMSO).

 

Here's my shots of KMSO..

 

Runway 29:

 

 

Centre of both runways looking towards the tower:

 

 

Top of 29:

 

 

Check your scenery settings to make sure PNW is top of the pops and that you have the latest Libs from FTX..

 

James

[ddavid 149]

Thanks, Both. Did what you suggested - placed the HoverControl KMSO scenery above the OrbX entries in the FSX (Active) Scenery List:

 

No change - vegetation (from OrbX PNW's change to landclass textures and autogen) still there.

Did some research and found this on the Aerosoft Forum:

 

FSX uses autogen textures globally, so you see the same autogen all over the world. To improve the look, Orbx decided to replace this autogen (when FTX is turned on) and uses region codes to avoid that Orbx autogen is displayed outside Orbx regions. If you have another addon that also removes autogen you will have no or less autogen in other regions. FSX allows only one file to be active. There is a workaround to connect new autogen definitions with each other, but this works only, if not the same files are being replaced.

And on the OrbX website, this from John Venema in his post about delaying FTX Global on 04Jun13:

 

... So FTX Central was born and our early and long-term customers all knew why it was there and to switch to Default whenever they flew outside an Orbx region. That was a reasonable compromise for them to make to enjoy Australia and PNW when they were released, but as the FTX regions began to creep ever closer to each other to allow trans-ocean flights and finally when we began our EU series with England, a whole new group of customers purchased their first FTX region without knowing the history behind FTX Central and switching those core file.

Ever noticed how you can keep the FTX North America region active and it doesn't do a lot of damage outside PNW? That's because the lclookup.bgl mods were kept to a minimum because Holger insisted on it. However with EU the mods that were made were very aggressive to the point where disruptions began to appear around other parts of the world...

So, looks like I have to turn PNW off if I'm to cross the border and land at HoverControl's KMSO. Win some & lose some, eh?

Thanks for your input.

Cheers - Dai.

[jaydor 345]

Dai, Why is there desert mountains showing to the rear and skyline if you are using FTX PNW? KMSO is in PNW isn't it?

[stu7708 244]

Dai, Why is there desert mountains showing to the rear and skyline if you are using FTX PNW? KMSO is in PNW isn't it?

 

Sadly for Dai it isn't.. it's in the Northern Rocky Mountains region

[stu7708 244]

As to the initial issue, it's as Dai said, usually it's a good practice to not have a FTX region active when flying outside it since part of the process that goes on behind the scenes when changing regions in the FTX Central is to replace the default lclookup.bgl (i think that's the name of the file) with a lookup table for the landclass that is custom made for the activated region...

 

In most cases it does no harm at all, but sometimes you end up with strange results like Dai's issue with strangely placed vegetation.

 

I've even had issues with a now defunct freeware scenery project that would lead to a CTD if you tried to load up FSX in that part of the world with any ORBX-region active.

[brett 2,283]

Sometimes it seems like FTX scenery is like the Larkspur plant, looks beautiful but can be deadly to default FSX if it touches it.   Thanks for those revealing facts Micke.

[stu7708 244]

Well, don't take my word as gospel though.. 

 

But it's my understanding on it from reading the ORBX forum....

[ddavid 149]

Caveat emptor...

Or, more specifically, be afraid, very afraid!

Cheers - Dai.

[brett 2,283]

I wonder if this still happens if you get FTXGlobal which negates having to use FTX Central. Either way there should be more warning's attached to their scenery products instead of having to rely on trodding through ton's of forum threads.

[Bruce (a.k.a. brian747) 142]

> FTXGlobal which negates having to use FTX Central....

 

???

 

With FTXG I still have FTX Central, but I use it in "hybrid" mode, which means that I don't have to manually switch regions. So I can fly from UTX England to somewhere in France without having to open FTX Central somewhere over the Channel and make a change.

 

Nil problemo, and all that jazz. 

 

Cheers,

 

Bruce

 

(a.k.a. brian747)

 

[brett 2,283]

As you were....(Thanks Bruce/Brian  )

 

I wonder if this still happens if you get FTXGlobal which negates having to use FTX Central while in hybrid mode. Either way there should be more warning's attached to their scenery products instead of having to rely on trodding through ton's of forum threads.