Does fsx steam work with most add-ons such as pmdg, weather add-ins, scenery etc?

 

Thanks

 

Hey Gerry,

I have the PMDG 777, Aerosoft Airbus series, Rex, ASN, all of my 3rd party addons working in Steam just fine.

Perfect, I think I will just go that route then with fsx steam.

I hope whatever they do with this update, they don't break existing addons many of whom just updated their work to be compatible!

I was seriously thinking of biting the bullet and buying the Steam edition, but a few second thoughts are putting me off.

• From what I've read, you need to uninstall the box version first, or else some add-ons like ORBX ain't going to work.
• Hi Fi Active Sky Next isn't compatible ... allegedly. I already run this on a second PC and use simconnect which is the workaround suggested for the previous ASE version (which I still have) to work with Steam.
• The thought of spending days (yes days!) re-installing all my add-ons, planes and scenery, is daunting and hard work .... when I could be "flying".
• I haven't seen/read yet many experiences from dedicated simmers of changing to Steam.

But after all that I think it will have to be done soon, as the typewriter got overtaken by the word processor, and FS 9 by FSX, its called progress ... allegedly.

 

 

and FS 9 by FSX, its called progress ... allegedly.

 

Your boxed FSX isn't going anywhere and there isn't that much difference between the 2 versions, except for OOM fixes and multiplayer.

• From what I've read, you need to uninstall the box version first, or else some add-ons like ORBX ain't going to work.

 

The scenery works, it is only the installers which have problems. I simply use the same scenery files in both FSX and FSX-SE -- make all the paths in the FSX SCENERY.CFG full paths, including drive etc, then use that exact same CFG file for FSX-SE. That way I've not had to reinstall any scenery whatsoever.

 

• Hi Fi Active Sky Next isn't compatible ... allegedly. I already run this on a second PC and use simconnect which is the workaround suggested for the previous ASE version (which I still have) to work with Steam

 

I've been using the current Beta version of ASN with FSX-SE's January build (62608) quite happily for weeks. They are working on an update for 62610.

 

• The thought of spending days (yes days!) re-installing all my add-ons, planes and scenery, is daunting and hard work .... when I could be "flying".

 

 

Again, sceneries are shared by using the same SCENERY.CFG with full paths. Likewise my aircraft are all shared by pointing the FSX-SE's SimObjects paths, in its CFG file, to the FSX airplanes folder. You also need to copy over the Gauges folder and the Effects folder. Took me all of 20 minutes to get a parallel FSX-SE installation with everything my FSX installation had!

 

• I haven't seen/read yet many experiences from dedicated simmers ofchanging to Steam.

I get much better frames rates in heavy situations- dense airports, lots of AI, high autogen 15-25 at Heathrow now gets me 25-40 in FSX-SE, everything else exactly the same. I can also increase AI and Autogen without noticeable deterioration. And, more importantly, it is smoother, much smoother.

 

And DTG are working on it, fixing bugs (some very long-standing ones, like the G3D one FSUIPC used to patch in FSX, and several Terrain ones already) and making both performance and memory-usage improvements.

 

Forget all the criticism about their profit motives and rubbish DLC. That's the commercial sde. ON the technical side they are definitely employing (or probably contracting) knowledgeable programmers who are quite capable of getting to proper grips with FSX source code.

 

Regards

Pete

 

.

Your boxed FSX isn't going anywhere and there isn't that much difference between the 2 versions, except for OOM fixes and multiplayer.

 

Not much difference?! Come round and see the difference on my cockpit!  Very noticeably faster, smoother and more stabile!

 

Pete

I was seriously thinking of biting the bullet and buying the Steam edition, but a few second thoughts are putting me off.

• From what I've read, you need to uninstall the box version first, or else some add-ons like ORBX ain't going to work.
• Hi Fi Active Sky Next isn't compatible ... allegedly. I already run this on a second PC and use simconnect which is the workaround suggested for the previous ASE version (which I still have) to work with Steam.
• The thought of spending days (yes days!) re-installing all my add-ons, planes and scenery, is daunting and hard work .... when I could be "flying".
• I haven't seen/read yet many experiences from dedicated simmers of changing to Steam.

But after all that I think it will have to be done soon, as the typewriter got overtaken by the word processor, and FS 9 by FSX, its called progress ... allegedly.

Your right about ORBX. All traces of the boxed version must be gone and in my case a registry cleaner wasnt enough so I had to format my win7 ssd as well as my fsx ssd so the work load of reinstalling was huge , around 2 weeks but let me tell you having FSX-SE (dx10) and a new WIN7 gives me a jaw dropping flight sim experiance and considering I will be doing this for the next 10 years or more makes it worthwhile

Just tried the new Beta, it broke ASN so I got rid of it fast. Immediately when ASN runs, you get an incompatibility error. Then right after the ASN can not control Ambient weather parameters message and ASN shutsdown. Also get a compatibility error for objectdflow.dll but gives you the option to load it anyway. You have to do that each time you run FSXSE. On the plus side the off line mode works.

Just tried the new Beta, it broke ASN so I got rid of it fast. Immediately when ASN runs, you get an incompatibility error. Then right after the ASN can not control Ambient weather parameters message and ASN shutsdown. Also get a compatibility error for objectdflow.dll but gives you the option to load it anyway. You have to do that each time you run FSXSE. On the plus side the off line mode works.

 

I do not get that error, or any error in fact. Uninstall ASN and reinstall. 

Looks like the update is available after you've opted in.

 

Did anyone already take the plunge?

 

 

 

- Edit:

 

Just noticed Tom's post.

Just tried the new Beta, it broke ASN so I got rid of it fast. Immediately when ASN runs, you get an incompatibility error. Then right after the ASN can not control Ambient weather parameters message and ASN shutsdown. Also get a compatibility error for objectdflow.dll but gives you the option to load it anyway. You have to do that each time you run FSXSE. On the plus side the off line mode works.

 

 

I do not get that error, or any error in fact. Uninstall ASN and reinstall. 

 

You guys need to differentiate which beta you are talking about.

 

The FSX:SE open beta is incompatible with the Active Sky open beta unti HiFi updates it.

The scenery works, it is only the installers which have problems. I simply use the same scenery files in both FSX and FSX-SE -- make all the paths in the FSX SCENERY.CFG full paths, including drive etc, then use that exact same CFG file for FSX-SE. That way I've not had to reinstall any scenery whatsoever.

 

 

I've been using the current Beta version of ASN with FSX-SE's January build (62608) quite happily for weeks. They are working on an update for 62610.

 

 

Again, sceneries are shared by using the same SCENERY.CFG with full paths. Likewise my aircraft are all shared by pointing the FSX-SE's SimObjects paths, in its CFG file, to the FSX airplanes folder. You also need to copy over the Gauges folder and the Effects folder. Took me all of 20 minutes to get a parallel FSX-SE installation with everything my FSX installation had!

 

•  

I get much better frames rates in heavy situations- dense airports, lots of AI, high autogen 15-25 at Heathrow now gets me 25-40 in FSX-SE, everything else exactly the same. I can also increase AI and Autogen without noticeable deterioration. And, more importantly, it is smoother, much smoother.

 

And DTG are working on it, fixing bugs (some very long-standing ones, like the G3D one FSUIPC used to patch in FSX, and several Terrain ones already) and making both performance and memory-usage improvements.

 

Forget all the criticism about their profit motives and rubbish DLC. That's the commercial sde. ON the technical side they are definitely employing (or probably contracting) knowledgeable programmers who are quite capable of getting to proper grips with FSX source code.

 

Regards

Pete

 

.

 

Not much difference?! Come round and see the difference on my cockpit!  Very noticeably faster, smoother and more stabile!

 

Pete

 

Wow, really informative post Pete.  I had previously purchased SE on sale but was very reluctant to install because I thought I had to uninstall my current FSX and was not sure if I would actually see any difference.  Sounds like your method will get me up and running quickly so I can evaluate it myself and decide if its a keeper or not.

I do not get that error, or any error in fact. Uninstall ASN and reinstall. 

Ok, re opted in to the FSXSE Beta, uninstalled ASN then reinstall, same errors, not sure why you don't have them. Note they don't appear until your loading a flight.

 

 

except for OOM fixes

 

Probably the single most reason to switch. For me it's either FSX-SE or P3D v2.5 next. 

After all the negativity expressed towards DTG lately in another thread, I feel that I made a really good purchase decision when I bought FSX:SE in December, it seems that they are keeping promises and actively fixing/refining FSX into something we did not have all these years.  Good on ya Dovetail!

 

That thread has nuances and is not black and white, and I contributed to it. I realise the examination of nuances is not generally popular. As I stated in that thread and many others there are two often conflated subjects here. One is whether Steam Edition FSX is a good thing. I stated many times and repeat that FSX-SE is good, runs better than FSX_MS and is a promising and excellent sim compared with the original MS release. The negativity is entirely concerned with their business arrangements on DLC, and not on the quality of the core sim, though the price of the second was of course intended to subsidise the launch price of the first, and this in the long term is relevant however some want to dismiss such discussions.