Updating to Orbx Central 4.x

[RamonB 449]

19 minutes ago, fppilot said:

?????  This is from today:

I'm still on FTX Central 3, but will switch to ORBX Central when needed to install a new ORBX addon that demands change or if /when P3D v5 comes out and I reinstall from scratch.

Anyway, I have that link bookmarked since a while ago.

Edited February 27, 2020 by RamonB

[exeodus 78]

5 hours ago, RamonB said:

I'm still on FTX Central 3, but will switch to ORBX Central when needed to install a new ORBX addon that demands change or if /when P3D v5 comes out and I reinstall from scratch.

Anyway, I have that link bookmarked since a while ago.

Just for giggles, I tried going to orbxdirect.com/ftxcentral, and it redirects you to download ORBX Central, so be careful.

[Reader 2,009]

5 hours ago, RamonB said:

I'm still on FTX Central 3, but will switch to ORBX Central when needed to install a new ORBX addon that demands change or if /when P3D v5 comes out and I reinstall from scratch.

It has been announced that FTX Central will be withdrawn.

Quote

The application will continue to work until the 1st of May.

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by Reader

[RamonB 449]

Sigh, Thanks for the info guys.

[spilok 1,132]

Say YES and Uninstall and you will have great difficulty finding it again (unless you have a friend on this forum who will send it to you).  It's up to you.  I say "not now" until I'm REALLY ready to do it.

Stan

[IanHarrison 521]

I think you are being over cautious.

Central 4 has only been good for me. No problems, updates anything that needs it automatically.

Can't see any reason for you to hold back.

[Reader 2,009]

9 hours ago, spilok said:

I say "not now" until I'm REALLY ready to do it. Stan

.............or until 1st May 2020.

 

[sbclark 55]

My migration from FTX Central 3.0 to Orbx Central 4.x did not go smoothly.

I spent a good part of last week posting on the Orbx Forum, progressing thru a lot of steps, before I was finally successful at making the transition to V4.x.

Since most, if not all of you, who have Orbx scenery, have probably migrated to the newest Orbx Central, it will be worthwhile to read thru my Orbx posts because of the following issues listed in this brief summary:

 Note: I had none of the issues below with FTX Orbx 3.0, prior to migration.

1. Backed up image of my OS and P3D installation.
2. Experienced file error messages first time updating to Orbx Central V4.X (probably my error).
3. Restored OS and P3D image on primary SSD.
4. Experienced scenery artifacts after migrating to Orbx Central V4.x, a second time, caused by 4.x altering the scenery layers.
5. Fixed artifacts issue, by resetting the Insertion Point to locate 3^rd party scenery above Orbx scenery.
6. Then discovered elevation errors at three Orbx small airports in the Pacific Northwest region.
7. After trouble shooting, discovered fsAerodata was causing the elevation issues at three airports (I didn’t check all Orbx airports).
8. Fixed elevation issues, once again, by changing the Insertion Point in Orbx Central 4.x, to move fsAerodate below Orbx scenery

Thank God for Macrium Reflect (image backup S/W) saving me from disaster. I actually initiated recovery twice, and it worked perfectly each time. Regular system backup is critical in this hobby, especially when making major changes to simulator. I considered this migration “risky.”

I recommend those of you with Orbx scenery, and who have migrated to 4.x, to read thru my postings on the Orbx Forum thread below, and then checking your individual setups to make sure your scenery layering is set correctly.

 https://orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/188100-how-to-update-orbx-central-30-to-orbx-central-40/

I will say that the support of the moderators on the Orbx forums was excellent, and Nick and Doug eventually helped me be successful at making the Orbx Central 4.x transition. This is the only path to getting access to the latest Chase Plane app, and future updates, now that this app is only available from, and supported on Orbx Central 4.x.

Bill Clark

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

fsaerodata has a utility that corrects what ORBX Central did. After running the utility you can put fsaerodata as the highest priority in your scenery library.

BTW, you are not alone in having issues after installing one of the earlier versions of ORBX Central. 

[Reader 2,009]

10 hours ago, jabloomf1230 said:

fsaerodata has a utility that corrects what ORBX Central did. After running the utility you can put fsaerodata as the highest priority in your scenery library.

 I am not sure what you mean by "what Orbx Central did", the change in behaviour and the subsequent advice from fsaerodata itself that the FSAD scenery library entries must be below addon airports is, because of unannounced changes in P3D v4.5. As you have more information than this, can you explain why this advice is no longer valid?

Quote

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT PREPAR3D 4.5 HF2 OR HIGHER COMPATIBILITY: The latest Prepar3D version 4.5 Hotfix2 brings design changes that affect the compatibility of fsAerodata and 3rd party airports or global scenery packages (i.e. Orbx Global) that include airports. The option to update some of the navdata of 3rd party addons (comms, approaches, ILS stations), by bringing the fsAerodata scenery entries above the other airport entries, is not possible anymore. To avoid elevation issues on some airports when running 3rd party addons and fsAerodata together, fsAerodata entries must be set below 3rd party add-ons. 

 

Edited March 10, 2020 by Reader

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

If you have fsaerodata, consult their official forum for the stickied thread. This thread contains the download link to the fsaerodata utility which will allow one to have fsaerodata as the top priority in the scenery library without seeing airport altitude errors.

BTW, the so-called "unannounced change" in P3d4 was done by LM at the request of ORBX. The change blindsided all other developers, even though the change was a good one that corrected a counterintuitive design flaw that had persisted from FSX.

[sbclark 55]

To Jay and Reader,

Question - If the fsAerodata is below all 3rd party scenery and all Orbx scenery, will fsAerodata still work properly?

Bill Clark

[Reader 2,009]

3 hours ago, jabloomf1230 said:

BTW, the so-called "unannounced change" in P3d4 was done by LM at the request of ORBX. The change blindsided all other developers, even though the change was a good one that corrected a counterintuitive design flaw that had persisted from FSX.

With your evident inside knowledge, can you say why "LM" did not include this information in the release notes for version 4.5? If they had, it would not have been unannounced and would not have "blindsided" anyone.

Edited March 10, 2020 by Reader

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

I suggest that you ask your question on the LM official message board.

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

2 hours ago, sbclark said:

To Jay and Reader,

Question - If the fsAerodata is below all 3rd party scenery and all Orbx scenery, will fsAerodata still work properly?

Bill Clark

Placed as such, fsaerodata will not override any airport files that are included in ORBX and other 3rd party add-ons. Jose Rubio of fsaerodata (with the help of Pete Dowson, the author of FSUIPC)  developed a small utility which needs to be run with every AIRAC update. After running the utility, fsaerodata can be placed as the top priority in the scenery library.