It would also be very nice if LM could fill in addom developers sooner, so updates to addon software could be released at he same time as an ugrade by LM.

 

Unfortunately if LM waited for all Add-on developers (or even some pre-defined "major" 3PDs) to come up to speed that could delay the release of 3.1 indefinitely.  I keep stressing this over and over but I think people just don't understand or just don't want to believe ... not sure which.  Some 3PDs "hack" (not using safe methods and going outside of what is available in the P3D SDK) the Prepar3D.EXE and/or DLLs in order to do things that couldn't be done otherwise ... nothing malicious, it's being done for user/customer benefits (giving users things they couldn't otherwise get).  BUT, as such, those hacks can ONLY be updated AFTER a "final" build is made ... 3PDs are given some warning (not a lot) when a build is expected to be the final build.

 

3PDs may even wait until the release build before they get to work ... because they "need" a release build in order to re-locate their hack and find what they need out of the final Prepar3d.exe and/or DLLs in order to make their product work.  It's NOT always an easy task to re-locate address offsets ... very low level code we're talking about, not some C++ syntax, but hex offset/addresses.

 

I hate using the word "hack" because that's not really what is happening, but it's very technical and it's not a process I care to go into detail to describe.  But be assured these "hacks" are for consumer benefits, it's what gives a product that competitive edge and as such is typically NOT discussed.  This is NOT something LM could do anything about (well actually LM can do something about it, but be glad they don't otherwise products like ASN, ObjectFlow, etc. would never work).  LM will work with these 3PDs to see if it's something they can implement in the SDK, but not all 3PDs want their proprietary knowledge made available in the SDK (that's just business, nothing personal).

 

Anyway, this is the final time I'm going to discuss this as I've probably talked about this topic well over 100's times.  Maybe I should make a pinned topic, but I'm not sure that would help.

 

Cheers, Rob.

It never ceases to amaze me how some of you guys keep repeating the same complaints after every P3D update.

LOL! I think you are missing the point. What is truly amazing, at least to me, is the time all you first adopters appear to have to waste reinstalling everything from scratch. Reinstalling the core sim/client/whatever is not the issue, it's the time and effort spent reinstating the multitude of quality Addons that make this sim really special.

 

I hate to say it, but there is a small hard core of simmers here who come across as being pretty smug each time this updating nightmare comes around. They criticise the rest of us while preferring to provide very little detailed information about their own experiences. How many, I wonder, have progressed little further than the base 3.0 install thus making the updating process relatively easy, quick and unproblematic?

 

Then there are those who constantly jump to LM's defence stating that these issues are not their problem nor should it be made to seem so. Yet LM must now be aware that their sim only really comes alive visually with the installation of certain third party quality products and that these products are now widely used by many of their clients. Should this fact now elevate their relevance and encourage LM to work with approved third party developers to co-ordinate their updates with the aim of ensuring they work together at the time of an incremental Prepar3D release?

 

It may be that those like me with a multitude of ORBX related Addons can, in fact, update without losing existing content by simply uninstalling the Prepar3D 3.0 client and then install the 3.1 client. Is this possible? If so then please commit and say so. Yes, we know about certain issues like ObjectFlow requiring an update, but surely that should not deter or hinder a Prepar3D client update.

 

LM recommend a full reinstall, as they would; I imagine Rob will also recommend a full reinstall as he has done in the past. In that they are consistent, but still takes no account of the effort and time we must spend to comply with these recommendations.

 

I imagine the response will be 'yes you can, but do so at your own risk' and you will probably end up doing a full reinstall anyway. So what's changed? Nothing much, it seems.

 

Mike

@Manny

 

Please never ever depend on windows restore, found out the hard way. Its does not restore 100%

A disk image tool is the only way to be sure.

 

Windows restore works very poorly if at all when trying to fix programs that get screwed up for one reason or another. The only way to be sure you can fix an issue is to have a backup of your harddrive, to get back to square one. 

Can not get it to update to 3.1 says its installed but after checking version its still 3.0 any ideas guys - anyone who has installed it may want to check your version as I'll bet you dont have the new version installed

Rich - didn't you say you installed OVER 3.0 w/o uninstalling the client? Perhaps that's the issue?

 

Vic

@Manny

 

Please never ever depend on windows restore, found out the hard way. Its does not restore 100%

A disk image tool is the only way to be sure.

 

I kind of agree with you.

 

But its better than nothing.

 

One thing though if your restore doesn't work.. most case it may not..try restore in safe mode..it has a higher probability that it would.

 

And yes,..the reason I ventured into doing this .1 install was, yesterday I did a full Hard disk restore using Acronis 2014 (both..my C drive with my OS and the P3D folder due to the stealthy bug the FSDT addon manager introduced). I now had the confidence that I can restore...so the FSDT addon disaster had a silver lining (I knew I can restore and gave me the courage to do this update).

 

Can not get it to update to 3.1 says its installed but after checking version its still 3.0 any ideas guys - anyone who has installed it may want to check your version as I'll bet you dont have the new version installed

You installed over V3 (Using v3.1 setup). You should have followed the instructions. 1 - Uninstall V3 client.  2- Install V3.1 client. 

 

The other way was a fresh install.

Can someone give me a quick and dirty on uninstalling 3.0 and installing 3.1? Can I backup my content, uninstall 3.0, install 3.1 and copy my content back? Kind of a simplistic question. I suspect I would backup configuration files as well. Is this feasible or should I tear it all down and start again.

 

Advice most appreciated.

Can someone give me a quick and dirty on uninstalling 3.0 and installing 3.1? Can I backup my content, uninstall 3.0, install 3.1 and copy my content back? Kind of a simplistic question. I suspect I would backup configuration files as well. Is this feasible or should I tear it all down and start again.

 

Advice most appreciated.

 

You always can do a full install any time...so why not give the client install a shot?

 

I am now thinking this is  not a high install.

 

Uninstall the 3.0 client..and install the .1 client msi file. Thats it

Rich - didn't you say you installed OVER 3.0 w/o uninstalling the client? Perhaps that's the issue?

 

Vic

 

Vic where should the default install directory for the client be - should it be in my p3d install main folder - thanks

IMOP, P3D is such a huge hassle for me. I can deal with uninstall and then install a new version. It drives me crazy when some of my addon doesnt work. I sit out and wait......

 

David

Anyway, this is the final time I'm going to discuss this as I've probably talked about this topic well over 100's times.  Maybe I should make a pinned topic, but I'm not sure that would help.

 

Cheers, Rob.

 

Thanks for explaining Rob. I hadn't read about this before

LOL! I think you are missing the point. What is truly amazing, at least to me, is the time all you first adopters appear to have to waste reinstalling everything from scratch. Reinstalling the core sim/client/whatever is not the issue, it's the time and effort spent reinstating the multitude of quality Addons that make this sim really special.

 

If you think I'm a first adopter you're wrong. I usually wait for the addon developers to catch up with their own updates. I do inderstand what you are saying though. Reinstalling again is a hassle, but it's the way it is until now. Then why the repeated complaining by some about it every time LM releases an update? Why not more comments on the positive aspects of this update? Or the simple fact there is yet another update at all... My original post in this thread was fed by my irritation about this.

Maybe it'll all change for the better sometime in the future.

Yes, Rich - wherever you installed 3.0. So when you uninstall the client, you then reinstall 3.1 to the same location. If you install OVER the old client w/o the uninstall you will have issues.

 

Vic

Yes, Rich - wherever you installed 3.0. So when you uninstall the client, you then reinstall 3.1 to the same location. If you install OVER the old client w/o the uninstall you will have issues.

 

Vic

 

Vic going to do a fresh install - is this ok

 

Load 3.0 then 3.1 main setup.exe - not the client options will I be ok - thank you

If you installed the V3.1 Client over the V3 client (which of course you should not have) I would suggest that you uninstall the 3.1 client by clicking on the 3.1 client installer and selecting the unistall option. Once you have done that then reinstall in the V3.0 client. That will probably roll you back to V3.0. I am not certain but if you are corned into a complete reinstall its worth trying first. Once you have reinstalled the V3.0 client, you could then do the upgrade to V3.1 properly by uninstalling  the V3.0 client as per the LM instruction and then install just the V3.1 Client instead of doing a complete reinstall, addons and all!

 

I Installed the V3.1 Client as per LM instructions only. I find that the pattern in the ocean water is getting more repetitive with each update.

LM can expose what Orbx and others need, but in-house to LM only via an in-house module, and create a module that exposes those objects to the addon developers only, unplublished.  Addon devs then don't have to hunt, and the address becomes available to the inhouse module at compile time.  No hunting.   It doesn't guarantee obfuscation, but there are ways to make it pretty tight.  I'm not sure obfuscation is the greater goal here for LM or Orbx anyways, just accessibility.  People that really want your secrets to compete with you will have them no matter what you do.  It's the fast that eat the slow.  Sometimes it's just wiser to spend more money on developers instead of patent attorneys.   But to me it is time to break it out since it does cause so much anxiety for early adapters.  You don't want to blunt that first wave in any way if you can help it, what is said about first impressions is critical for software these days, because competition.  I do believe the community of enthusiasts will grow soon as common hardware capabilities reaches the threshold level of performance where the dizzyness we tolerated all these years isn't experienced by the fresh eyes.