I just finally installed FS2004. Out of the box, it is very nice, and I see lots of little improvements over FS2002. But like any veteran FS'er, it is no sooner installed than I am beginning the process of adding to it. I knew ahead of time that I would have to upgrade some things for FS2004 compatibility (my Dreamfleet Cessna Cardinal, for example). And I knew there were features of FS2004 scenery that either would not work, or render it incompatible, with FS2002. But I didn't know there would be problems the other way around.I just installed an FS2002 scenery package in FS2004. Well, I still have FS2002, and the scenery was already installed outside of the FS2002 folder structure, so I just pointed the FS2004 scenery manager to the appropriate folder for it. The scenery is "AKASE," scenery for Alaska, that includes a nice rendition of McGrath.The scenery "works", except the runways are textured with what appears to be a snow texture. I vaguely recall a thread having to do with something like this, but couldn't turn it up with a search. And it might have been about something else.It pretty much renders the scenery useless in FS2004. Could it simply be a layering issue of some kind for which there is an easy fix? There is not a lot of specifically FS2004 scenery for Alaska yet, and I hate to lose this one.-Basil

Well, I'll reply to my own post here, and "bump" it up in the process, hoping to get some discussion of this.I found a fix --an update-- for the particular scenery in question (not in the library here, but on the scenery page for VA). Seems that some polys in the FS2002 version covered the runways. The "fix" is only partial, though, in that the PAPI lighting doesn't work.Now I've gone and installed another favorite FS2002 scenery package, and wouldn't you know it, I have an issue with this one having polys that overlay runways. Just how extensive is this problem with FS2002 scenery in FS2004?It has been a long time since I coded scenery for FS, but it sure looks like something happened to how FS handles layering priority. Is there a fix? Should I post the question to the scenery designers forum?-Basil

You are going to see more and more problems using the earlier fltsim scenery.As a test using the Airport for Windows Scenery design program and a Test Isle airport located in the middle of the South Atlantic, I placed the FS2002 and earlier scenery. It worked okay at that empty location. I also tried using Chris Gilbert's FS2002 KMCO scenery in FS2004. Many problems with polygons.Microsoft has indicated they were going to move away from the earlier style and move ahead with more advanced scenery design.The Airport for Windows designer just released an Alpha version based on the new XML style using the FS2004_BGLCOMP_SDK compiler. Lee Swordy has released AFCAD221+, and others have release XML style scenery design tools using the same FS2004_BGLCOMP_SDK compiler.The hand writing is very visible on the wall. Upgrade to the new style or be left at FS2002.W. Sieffert

Well, I'm writing from the perspective of a user, not a scenery developer. I'm disappointed, of course, that so much of the scenery that I added to FS2002 is not going to work in FS2004. But I realize that technology advances only as fast as we're willing to let go of the past. Hopefully, the community will come up with scenery to replace what we became accustomed to in FS2002.-Basil

If the scenery was design specifically for FS2002, the only issues you should have is elevation and placement, maybe an odd texture misplacement as well, but should work. I design scenery and these are the biggest problems I have encountered. If you want, list the zips and I'll check them out, could be an easy fix.Regards, MichaelKDFWhttp://mysite.verizon.net/res052cd/mybannercva1.jpgCalVirAir International VACougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviation[link:www.cgrmthelos.com]Cougar Mountain Helicopters