Confused about Mandatory Update on Dec 31, 2021

[TacomaSailor 192]

I had been struggling with the dreaded "Black Loading Screen" problem which, suddenly started on Thursday Dec 30.  I spent many hours trying all the recommended solutions/work arounds with no success.

Friday evening, December 31, I turned off and then back on three Steam Overlay parameters:

Enable Overlay
Use Big Picture
Use Desktop Game

and, for no apparent reason because I had done that many times prior, the Sim loaded just as it should.  But, at the "checking updates" screen I was told there was a mandatory 114 GB update.  

I pointed the update process at the proper SSD and folder and three hours later the sim was fully updated and operating just as it had been on December 29.  BUT...

The version number had changed from 1.21.13.0 to 1.21.18.0 which, sounds like a big update to me.  AND...

my images and colors when in the sim are vastly improved, sharper and more vivid, (none of the sim control parms changed - they were and still are all mostly Ultra/200) and my VR frame rate has increased by about 30% to 50%.

What the heck happened to my Steam version of flight sim on New Years eve?  I love the results but am very confused. 
 

 

Edited January 1, 2022 by TacomaSailor
spelling

[bobcat999 8,546]

Strange!  Isn't 1.21.18.0 the beta?  If it is, it fixes a lot of issues.  I have been running the Kodiak for up to three hours at a time, no CTDs. 

Edited January 1, 2022 by bobcat999

[bvdboomen 263]

Maybe the Beta version is standby for release but needs to be activated for deployment by MS/Asobo when they're back from the holidays.
Something on your system could have triggered the mandatory update. Sometimes a change in the path info could be enough.
So, maybe, a full uninstall and reinstall will get us all the new 1.21.18.0 version.
Just a guess and pure speculation from my side. 🙂

Edited January 1, 2022 by bvdboomen

[MrFuzzy 2,124]

3 hours ago, TacomaSailor said:

The version number had changed from 1.21.13.0 to 1.21.18.0 which, sounds like a big update to me.  AND...

my images and colors when in the sim are vastly improved, sharper and more vivid, (none of the sim control parms changed - they were and still are all mostly Ultra/200) and my VR frame rate has increased by about 30% to 50%.

What the heck happened to my Steam version of flight sim on New Years eve?  I love the results but am very confused. 

You opted in the hotfix beta version (build 1.21.18.0). 

The graphics improvement you see is due to the resolution of the color depth bug, introduced wit SU5, which caused color banding and AA shimmering.

Edited January 1, 2022 by MrFuzzy

[TacomaSailor 192]

22 minutes ago, MrFuzzy said:

You opted in the hotfix beta version (build 1.21.18.0). 

 

I think Steam got frustrated with me - I do not recall asking for the beta version - I did see it as an option but it required a key code which I did not have since I am not part of the Insider group.

Alls Well that Ends Well

[MrBitstFlyer 3,918]

34 minutes ago, TacomaSailor said:

I think Steam got frustrated with me - I do not recall asking for the beta version - I did see it as an option but it required a key code which I did not have since I am not part of the Insider group.

Alls Well that Ends Well

The beta does not require a code, that field can be left blank.

[JimBrown 596]

5 hours ago, TacomaSailor said:

I think Steam got frustrated with me - I do not recall asking for the beta version - I did see it as an option but it required a key code which I did not have since I am not part of the Insider group.

Alls Well that Ends Well

And there's where you actually opted in to the Beta. 😉

Although the dialogue has a spot for a key code, it is not required for this beta. So, if you OK'd that dialogue with the beta selected, you got the beta. As you noted, it's a nice improvement.

Have fun!

...jim

 

[bvdboomen 263]

9 hours ago, JimBrown said:

And there's where you actually opted in to the Beta.

Oh well, there goes my theory. 🙂

[JimBrown 596]

3 hours ago, bvdboomen said:

Oh well, there goes my theory. 🙂

I think it was more of a hypothesis rather than a theory. (There is a difference). All the same, as a hypothesis, it was a good one. 😉

...jim

[TacomaSailor 192]

My last bit of confusion was clarified this morning - when Steam did the update the "installed package" pointer in user.opt was changed (not by me on purpose) to a Community Folder that did have a couple Navigraph things in it.  The confusion for me was that my Desktop Link to Community and MS AddonLinker still pointed to the community folder in use before the Beta Upgrade.

When I started FlightSim the mods pointed at by the "updated" installed package parm were being used and I could see them in flight sim.  What confused me was those SAME mods were in the Community Folder that had been in use BEFORE the update and it took a while for me to discover there were two Community folders on my flightsim SSD with some but not identical contents.  AddonLinker was updating the Community folder I knew about and could see but Flightsim.exe was reading a different Community folder. 

Edited January 2, 2022 by TacomaSailor