Earth Simulations

[britfrog 180]

Having now just about finished re installing my VFR hard drive I find I come to the usual battleground of trying to reinstall earth simulations Guernsey.

 

Has anyone any idea how to go about it?

 

I have backed up the earth simulations directory and can see the usual directories that I used to see in the fsx scenery box do I simply copy them to my add on scenery directory?

 

I have tried to use the ES installer which makes watching paint dry seem fast however after waiting an eon for it to stop communicating with ES it srtill does nothing

 

Surely to G-D there must be a better way of selling software???

 

 

can anyone help?

[Darren 2]

If you already have Guernsey ( ie: the Earth Simulations folder)  left on your system from before. You can re-activate the folders. 

See this helpdesk article for general advice about which folders to activate and in what order they should be layered. You'd then need to install the ES compatible Autogen files to your FSX/Autogen folder. You can get those here

 

Just passing this morning Brit, so saw your post, but it's a good idea to ask us via the ES helpdesk if you have ES related questions.

 

Is your ESI up to date. ( version 2.4)   available here  ( to check the version see here ) 

 

There's a couple of videos about using ESI, showing I hope that it's not as complicated as all that. Guernsey being well over 4GB isn't going to download in minutes. 

 

[Kevin Firth 114]

With your history and heritage BritFrog, I would have thought it would have been a piece of cake? cheers k

[britfrog 180]

Thanks for the reply Darren,

i will try to communicate directly

 

 

Kevin my little experience fails to make me understand why I cannot simply download an exe file and install it like everyone else does, and why I need a program that checks in with ES everyday at 4pm this is insanity or close to it.

 

I have been using fsim in all its guises since 1986 and have installed probably thousands of scenery and aircraft files , now i need to watch 2 videos to help me understand how to install something???

and they say it is easy? if it is why did they make 2 vids?

Having watched the 2 videos I discover that neither is any use to helping me re-install the program i already have backed up on my p.c. it cannot be shown where the back up is, even though the ESI prog put them there in the first place, nooo it wants to download it all again and that takes 14 hours to give me a program that I already have.!!!

I have to say it has stopped me buying any more of their products , as good as they are..

[Darren 2]

 why I cannot simply download an exe file and install it like everyone else does,

 

 

​It was so you'd have one installer on your system, and not 25+  separate install programs.

 

why I need a program that checks in with ES everyday at 4pm

 

 

So you don't have the trouble you first encountered with the software being out of date.

 

if it is why did they make 2 vids?

 

 

Because some people are resistant to change and don't like reading instructions.

 

Having watched the 2 videos I discover that neither is any use to helping me re-install the program i already have backed up on my p.c.

 

 

You didn't have a back-up on your system, you had the scenery/texture  folders yes, but that isn't a backup. That's why I explained how to re-activate the folders. 

If you want a back-up to save re-downloading ( or reactivating in FSX if the files were still there )  You would have needed to choose the download to back-up option. 

 

[mutley 4,498]

Nigel,

 

I think the ES installer was created with all good intensions to make it an user friendly, intuitive interface.

 

I hope with all the user feedback sent to Darren that the installer will be updated to make it less reliant on intervention from the ES servers.

 

Who knows what the future holds 

[Kevin Firth 114]

To be fair to Darren and ES, the ESI program in my experience works great, (but perhaps isn't the most user friendy interface in the world)

ESI does what it was intended to and avoids the need for multiple tens of individual installers. It was, and is, ahead of its time.

Some customers though have said that they don't like it so ES like any good business have said they are producing traditional installers for their products.

I don't think we can say fairer than that

PS I wasn't having a go before Nigel, just that knowing some of your (extensive!) background experience assumed it would be easy for you, sorry !

Cheers k

[britfrog 180]

In fairness to Darren and earth simulations he has been more than helpful,  on a weekend as well, so hats off to him  and a big thank you ) his help has been very much appreciated and we have solved the issues that I had , however there has got to be an easier way than this.

 

 

i was getting more and more uptight because I had just spent the best part of 4 days  reinstalling  windows and FSX ( we all know how that can be ), the sum total of which is some 350 gb's of stuff , i have no idea how many scenery installations i have made or aircraft or other programs

and the only one that is unlike any other is the installer from ES. If it had a normal installer I would not have had to bother Darren or even written this thread as a normal installation goes ahead without any fuss. Take a look at FTX stuff, that installs without any fuss at all.

 

Kevin I hear what you are saying about this installer being the future , i have to say I sincerely hope not , not only does his program take up more space than a simple installer, but in the middle of flying online it phones home ET (every day!!) and that creates mayhem with my firewalls asking permission etc.

It has also taken me nearly a whole day to get 1 simple program up and running correctly. This cannot be cost effective for ES, who not only have to answer calls for help from idiots like me but they have had to make several videos as well so that the thick in arm thick in head can comprehend how to go about what some think is a simple installation, Why???

 

Sadly I still find their ES internet launcher bewilderingly complicated but that is me I guess. I have now copied and pasted all their help files and their updates into my back up of ES so hopefully I now have enough info on hand to handle another installation in a years time.

 

 Can you imagine the uproar worldwide if everyone used this installation system??? phone lines and help centres would be flooded with demands for help, it is simply not logical, and unnecessarily complicated

I have no problem in any person protecting their products against piracy, but there are a shed load of easier ways about going around that.

If indeed ES are making a normal installer Kevin I will be first in line and the first to shout that now their excellent program is now equipped with an excellent installer and i will be the first to buy more of their products, something I am not proposing to do for the moment.

 

 

 

 

 Kev i didnt think you were having a go m8 

 

 

[jaydor 345]

I would like to get ES Isle of Man, but there is no way I will allow my computer to be hooked up to a developer site as stated here.

Hence a lost sale..

Thank you Nigel for the heads up..

[Kevin Firth 114]

Just wait for the traditional installer then James However is it installed, the scenery is ace

[dogtrack 346]

Must agree Re the Installer. If at some time a conventional means of installing is made available. I shall  complete my collection.

[Christopher Low 63]

I will need to have a look at this ESI Pack method. Like Brit, I also prefer to be able to download a zipped installer package, and then run the installer from a folder on my hard disk. However, there is no way that I would let the current ES method of installation stop me from purchasing ES products. I would have to be insane to refuse access to what are the best FSX scenery packages available anywhere.

[jaydor 345]

I will need to have a look at this ESI Pack method. Like Brit, I also prefer to be able to download a zipped installer package, and then run the installer from a folder on my hard disk. However, there is no way that I would let the current ES method of installation stop me from purchasing ES products. I would have to be insane to refuse access to what are the best FSX scenery packages available anywhere.

It's not the installer that bothers me, it's the live connection to the developer each day..

[flybytes 34]

This must be the worst & most confusing s/w installer I've ever come across (& over 45-years I've seen many weird & not so wonderful installers).

I ordered the boxed set of ES Isle of Man & found the first install didn't put any I.oM scenery into the scenery library. Attempting to re-install I was prompted to either de-install or to repair, picking the repair option resulted in the system hanging up. This happened on the 2nd attempt, the 3rd attempt finally worked and seeing the wonderful scenery did make up for the more than 4-hours I spent getting there.

Oh dear, little did I realise that my troubles were just starting!

Just before the postman delivered the boxed dvd version of ES IoM scenery, I had been using the FSX Object Placement Tool to add more objects to my Ascension Island Scenery. After a bit of a fly around the IoM scenery I resumed adding objects to Ascension Island - the Object Placement Tool appeared to be working fine producing .xml files which were then compiled to .bgl files without any errors. To my surprise none of the scenery objectS positioned after loading ES IoM were visible in the normal FSX fly mode.

I tried positioning some test objects here in the UK & none of them were visible either. Taking the bull by the horns I decided to restore my PC to the restore point immediately prior to installing ES IoM & found that the Object Placement tool worked flawlessly - all new objects becoming visible.

My next step was to undo the restore - to my surprise, most of my IoM scenery was not visible except for the ES airports, subsequent repairs via the ES dvds have been unsuccessful. The current situation is almost no IoM scenery objects, but at least the Object Placement tool works.

A full de-install/re-install of ES IoM will be attempted soon - but if it comes to a choice of a working Object Placement tool or IoM scenery it will be the latter that has to go.

Ray.

[Kevin Firth 114]

I've not encountered such probs Ray, have you raised a help desk issue with Darren about it?

James, why does a connection to check version status so bother you? Don't many installers check home when you run them? I genuinely don't understand this because it only does an ET for me if ESI is actually running, when it's not there are no processes that CAN make such a connection in play on my PC!! :S Are we in danger of being a bit paranoid? Or is Earth Sims really a clever front agency for the NSA and GCHQ who are covertly collecting info on what addons we're running for Microsoft?

cheers K

[brett 2,316]

Never can be too careful with The New World Order looming.

[jaydor 345]

I've not encountered such probs Ray, have you raised a help desk issue with Darren about it?

James, why does a connection to check version status so bother you? Don't many installers check home when you run them? I genuinely don't understand this because it only does an ET for me if ESI is actually running, when it's not there are no processes that CAN make such a connection in play on my PC!! :S Are we in danger of being a bit paranoid? Or is Earth Sims really a clever front agency for the NSA and GCHQ who are covertly collecting info on what addons we're running for Microsoft?

 

cheers K

 

Kevin

 

I think Flybytes  has just nailed it for me..

 

[Christopher Low 63]

 

If you want a back-up to save re-downloading ( or reactivating in FSX if the files were still there )  You would have needed to choose the download to back-up option.

 

Darren,

 

What if I want to do this and the software is already installed on my system? I have "Mark for Uninstall" next to the items that I have installed. How do I make an ESI-Pack for these?

[flybytes 34]

Have finally succeeded in loading all of the Isle of Man scenery & my Object Placement tool is unaffected & working o.k.

 

Removing the original install of ES IoM & re-installing didn't work, still tons of missing scenery objects.

 

In the end I manually executed the IoM pack-install.exe, bypassing much of the ES installer & manually loaded the relevant scenery files, effects files etc into the FSX scenery library.

 

All looks good.

 

Ray.

 

[Darren 2]

Darren,

 

What if I want to do this and the software is already installed on my system? I have "Mark for Uninstall" next to the items that I have installed. How do I make an ESI-Pack for these?

 

 

Hi Chris

 

If the scenery has been installed directly from the server previously, go to the "My Library" link and you'd have to select one of the repair or uninstall buttons to bring up the selected scenery window. You should then see an Orange "Make ESI-Pack" Button. If you click that the scenery will be downloaded to an ESI-Pack. ( we expected people to either download from the servers, or make an ESI-Pack on installing for the first time ( As recommended) , so downloading will occur again now to assemble the ESI-Packs) 

 

These are the relevant Helpdesk articles to do with ESI-Packs

 

How to make a local back-up of your purchases

 

I don't see the "Make ESI-Pack" option?

 

How to install to non internet connected pc with ESInstaller

 

To be honest guys, I get just as bewildered by what it is that some people find so very complicated about ESI, as they might about using it.... but we have the message loud and clear and we're adapting to your wishes. 

 

(& over 45-years I've seen many weird & not so wonderful installers)

 

 

That'd be an abacus, they were great!   

[flybytes 34]

Would like to clarify, I'm only knocking the installer, which I'm sure ES will make it more user friendly - perhaps my DVD copy is flawed? I cannot recall having any problems when I loaded the Alderney DVDs. Perhaps one clue to the problem was the installer persistently called up a non-existant ES web page (error #404).

 

The final product, i.e. the ES IoM scenery is fantastic, have been flying some very low level flights around the island and this scenery is easily the best I've seen on any simulator so far, showing how the foundations of FSX can cope with well designed scenery. Frame rates rarely drop below 30-fps on my system, despite the detailed texturing, hi-res' mesh & large amounts of scenery objects.

 

Earth Simulations should be congratulated.

 

Ray.

 

[Christopher Low 63]

Darren,

 

I am still having problems making ESI Packs. I have followed your instructions, but the size of any product that I want to make into an ESI Pack is always shown as 0B. How do I solve this?

 

EDIT: Ah, I seem to have two entries for some of my products. The alternative entries have the filesizes displayed, so I am now going to try and create my ESI Packs