I also would rather have the choice not to install the app. I have seen over on the MS Forums this quote from Bijan Habashi. It was posted about 12 hrs ago. I hope this happens soon as he has just updated our local area for the next update!

 

"Hi

This was discussed before and was requested by many.
Previously, the installation process required you to log in to your account, locate your order, and search for the download link. After that, you had to manually extract the files and copy them to the correct location. With the new approach, you can simply open the app and install with just a single click, streamlining the entire process and making it more user-friendly.

Whatever changes was done was because of community feedback.

Simmarket is a well known website and it’s safe and secure.

Regardless, in addition to simmarket, I will setup my own website where users can purchase and download a zip file without any app."

3 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

Almost as a rule, large sim reinstalls had become a nightmare, as people dug through old files looking for passwords or even just a reminder of exactly where they had even purchased that thingy that had been residing on their systems for years and now they can't quite remember which store they got it from. Then you have to download and reinstall the various installers, hoping you still remember the activation serial number(s)....

Or that the store is still open: or that you purchase has not been transferred to a different vendor.

It could literally take days (or more) to restore a sim that had gone down for whatever reason, and probably pretty understandably, thats left behind lots of bad memories. I think I even recall Avsim trying to address the issue once by offering some sort of universal installer. The memory is hazy, and the endeavor apparently went nowhere.

(not a pop at you personally, @HiFlyer, just using your post as a reference)

I've only been simming since late FSX/P3Dv2, but in that time I have probably bought something in excess of 4000 addon packagages (just extrapolating back from my current 1200 or so for MSFS). In all that time, and across all the vendors I've used, I've seen precisely one vendor site vanish on me, and one major transfer situation (when Orbx took over the sales of all their products from their original distributor). And the one site that did vanish was a bit of a rogue anyway and so I'd only bought a couple of things from it.

There is no way anybody should be adding such software to their systems without keeping some sort of record of what they bought and from where. If nothing else, just a simple text file with the name, source and product key information. Or if you're an obsessive like me, a humungous spreadsheet with every last bit of detail (I'm thinking of adding a field describing the weather on the day I bought an addon to mine <grin>) and everything cross-referenced.

But either way, whether you're using scraps of paper, spreadsheets, or nothing at all, you'll still have to re-download all your addons from somewhere. Even if you've kept copies of the original download files and recorded that info (there goes that OCD again!) it is likely that the copy you downloaded originally is no longer the current version.

Given this need to re-download stuff, it seems pretty reasonable to me to have a vendor app to manage that for you. Yes, there's loads of the b*ggers, but that's no different from downloading from loads of individual vendor sites, and you get the added benefit of an app that itself keeps track of your installs and provides updates automatically. And often remembers your activation codes for you as well.

I understand this whole "I like to be in charge" thing, but the truth is - you're not. Haven't been for a long time. You have no control over your OS (yeah, sure you can block Windows Updates for a while) and have you looked at all the strange folders that get created on your C drive lately? You have no control in lots of aspects over apps like MSFS. You can't really be a nerd in the MS environment any more, you're a user now! If you want to go back to those days you need to switch to Linux, and I suspect even that is moving in the same direction nowadays.

I don’t mind the idea behind the app, it might be useful for some. I just find it odd that it would change from optional to forced. Why?

4 hours ago, andy1252 said:

I understand this whole "I like to be in charge" thing, but the truth is - you're not. Haven't been for a long time. You have no control over your OS (yeah, sure you can block Windows Updates for a while) and have you looked at all the strange folders that get created on your C drive lately? You have no control in lots of aspects over apps like MSFS. You can't really be a nerd in the MS environment any more, you're a user now! If you want to go back to those days you need to switch to Linux, and I suspect even that is moving in the same direction nowadays.

One of the oldest tropes... Kind of like: The war is lost! So just bend over and enjoy it!

You're speaking to a long term member of the electronic frontier foundation (amongst other organizations) and you might be surprised how often such organizations win when things head to court, despite the constant refrain about it being all over and turning in the towel. And yes, to the extent possible, I do try to stringently control what's on my machine, hence the objection to giving up and allowing it to be flooded by tons of "useful" apps that every vendor of whatever type tries to assure us is for our benefit rather than theirs.

I would ask, how many of us are currently using spam filters? How many of us have placed ourselves on the national do-not-call registry? How many of us are behind firewalls and VPN's? How many are currently ditching intrusive social media? How many of us have disabled (removed from the bootlist) self-starting apps that keep/kept trying to pop up and upsell us, or demand to be updated, etc. Heck, how many people here are holding on to windows ten at least partially because windows 11's relentless phoning home gives them the heebie-jeebies?

My point is, that many people crave control in an world/environment that finds profit in wrenching it away from them, supposedly for our own benefit.

Some of us are not fans, and likely never will be.

Long before the arrival of the MSFS marketplace, I (and i'm pretty sure a lot of others) had already been retreating step by step from purchasing at the all-too-many stores because of the mounting inconvenience of keeping track of it all. If I Had to make a guess, I would say individual store usage will continue to decline in favor of the single in-game marketplace, despite the fear of MS shutting things down one day and leaving us high-and-dry like they did with games for windows live.

And on that front, I'm one of the people who still has access to my stuff after joining with others to threaten a class action lawsuit.

As we speak, people are already preparing for future fights, which I'm sure MS is taking note of..... (digressing a bit)

https://www.stopkillinggames.com/

So it's not just a knee-jerk reaction on my part. I have long-term feelings on this subject.

I'm going to drop out here, though, as it's not my intention to derail the thread.

 

 

2 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

I would ask, how many of us are currently using spam filters? How many of us have placed ourselves on the national do-not-call registry? How many of us are behind firewalls and VPN's? How many are currently ditching intrusive social media? How many of us have disabled (removed from the bootlist) self-starting apps that keep/kept trying to pop up and upsell us, or demand to be updated, etc. Heck, how many people here are holding on to windows ten at least partially because windows 11's relentless phoning home gives them the heebie-jeebies

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and no 🙂

2 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

I'm going to drop out here, though, as it's not my intention to derail the thread.

Before you do, would you mind clarifying what you object to? It's still a bit unclear to me unfortunately. Is it the requirement of installing Bijan Seasons via the simMarket app? Which is pretty much the standard of installing MSFS addons nowadays - through an app. 

Edited January 26, 20251 yr by Cpt_Piett

1 hour ago, Cpt_Piett said:

Before you do, would you mind clarifying what you object to? It's still a bit unclear to me unfortunately. Is it the requirement of installing Bijan Seasons via the simMarket app? Which is pretty much the standard of installing MSFS addons nowadays - through an app. 

So after all the blathering I just did its still unclear? I will say again, I don't like administering all the Apps that every seller seems to think I should just love. I don't like keeping track of either serials or passwords. (I used to have an entire disk devoted to years of backups and lists of serial numbers. Decades of purchases. I have deleted every single bit of it, forever.)

Above and beyond Bijan and the current app, I liked all of the above less and less, and avoided it more and more. I don't like the extra processes running in the background checking for updates and whatever else they might be doing, there is already too much of that. My list of stores has deliberately shrunk, and I will shrink it further. Despite the risks, the ease and centrality of the in-game store is more attractive, and I will be purchasing from there pretty exclusively now. I might even repurchase Bijans app from the marketplace if it comes there so I am just that bit closer to putting all of that unnecessary busy-work in the past.

I do however, like pretty much one-click install of all of my stuff while I am eating a sammich. ✈️

EDIT: By the way, I absolutely loathed buying stuff for Xplane as well, back when I was purchasing things like Skymaxx. I hated the download app deciding at random intervals to make me dig up and re-input my credentials, so instead I downloaded tons of freeware. Eventually I stopped making Xplane purchases of any sort, and seriously doubt I ever will again.

Edited January 26, 20251 yr by HiFlyer

19 minutes ago, HiFlyer said:

So after all the blathering I just did its still unclear? I will say again, I don't like administering all the Apps that every seller seems to think I should just love. I don't like keeping track of either serials or passwords. (I used to have an entire disk devoted to years of backups and lists of serial numbers. Decades of purchases. I have deleted every single bit of it, forever.)

Thanks for elaborating. It doesn't seem specific to Bijan Seasons then - I guess it was more or less arbitrary that you mentioned it in this thread. I'm not a fan of having to use several apps to manage all my addons, but for me it's an inconvenience - I'm not worried about security. 

4 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

I would ask, how many of us are currently using spam filters? How many of us have placed ourselves on the national do-not-call registry? How many of us are behind firewalls and VPN's? How many are currently ditching intrusive social media? How many of us have disabled (removed from the bootlist) self-starting apps that keep/kept trying to pop up and upsell us, or demand to be updated, etc. Heck, how many people here are holding on to windows ten at least partially because windows 11's relentless phoning home gives them the heebie-jeebies?

Don't want to extend this. As you say, wandering off topic a bit. Just wanted to say that I totally agree with all of this. I don't do VPNs but everything else is perfectly fine with me (and mostly done by me). And I'll be surprised if you ever find anything about me on the net - I just simply don't do social media of any kind apart from here. But I do consider all this stuff to just be "common sense", although that might only be true to anybody over a certain age. I just don't think there are the same sort of options in the MS O/S or even app environment anymore, and that if you want to continue using Windows in any shape or form you have to accept that you're effectively sharing your PC with MS.

Happy to exchange views or ideas on any this if you want to, but if so, just PM me and we'll let the thread go back on track.

cheers

Andy

For those wanting to use "Seasons Enhanced" without simmarket app, I created my own website.

BijanStudio.com.

For now I only have 3 products, including Season Enhanced Version 1.9, but I will add all other ones on a daily basis.

Existing customers preferring direct zip file installation into the community folder without the Simmarket app can choose the “Cash on Delivery” option during purchase. Include your Simmarket account number for verification. You won’t be charged.
Upon approval, you will receive an email with a download link for your purchased product.

Version 1.9 is available on my website and it will be available soon on simmarket as well.

 

New updates for version 1.9:

1. Coastal tree and bush improvements have extended from San Diego to Canada, transforming the shoreline scenery into a continuous, breathtaking landscape .
2. San Francisco’s waterfront trees have been updated, with tree palm trees and sizes in parks reduced for better visibility.
3. Removed photogrammetry trees from Norfolk’s airport areas (KORF).
4. Added terrain mask in the Philippines and replaced a few white cloud textures with lush greenery on terrains. Additionally, I reduced the number of trees in farms across Mindanao and a few other areas.
5. Great Dismal Swamp waters have been fixed.
6. More updates have been implemented in the Canary Islands, enhancing their natural beauty.
7. Trees around Big Bear city and airport updated.
8. Tree sizes reduced in several parks in Los Angeles.
9. Cypress trees now line the roads around Monticchiello, Italy, covering 35 square kilometers.
10. The terrain mask has been removed from the Pyrenees Mountains in France.
11. Updated tree on the coast of Albany in Western Australia.
12. Minor adjustments to color and density overall.

 

For list of all feature, please refer to the description on the product page since it is very long. 
 

One of the features in this update is Montichiello, Italy, you’ll find cypress trees all along the roads, covering over 30 square kilometers.

They’re a truly stunning sight and give the area a real Tuscan vibe.

Thank you for providing this download option! And let me say, I consider your add-on to be a must have for 2024. I have recommended it to several people, including MSFS Flightplans, who ended up recording a YT video highlighting your work. I have three requests I hope you will consider:

1. Separate terrain masks from biomes so we have the option of deleting the terrain masks without removing the biomes. To me, this one is a pretty big deal since we purchased an add-on to fix trees not terrain masking so the terrain masks should be optional. Your terrain masks are fine but in some areas it comes down to personal preference. I prefer the default Hawaii Terrain Mask for example, even though I recognize it’s overly saturated.

2. Sanya is a major tourist destination in Asia and is well known for its coconut groves. I hope you’ll add these as it would be a very nice complement to the work Samscene3D did for the airport and buildings. 

3. Add banana plantations for places like St. Lucia. Taburet has included these but I really don’t want to have to use two different tree add-ons.

And again, I’m very appreciative of what you have provided for the community. Kudos!

Edited January 29, 20251 yr by Gulf76

36 minutes ago, Gulf76 said:

Thank you for providing this download option! And let me say, I consider your add-on to be a must have for 2024. I have recommended it to several people, including MSFS Flightplans, who ended up recording a YT video highlighting your work. I have three requests I hope you will consider:

1. Separate terrain masks from biomes so we have the option of deleting the terrain masks without removing the biomes. To me, this one is a pretty big deal since we purchased an add-on to fix trees not terrain masking so the terrain masks should be optional. Your terrain masks are fine but in some areas it comes down to personal preference. I prefer the default Hawaii Terrain Mask for example, even though I recognize it’s overly saturated.

2. Sanya is a major tourist destination in Asia and is well known for its coconut groves. I hope you’ll add these as it would be a very nice complement to the work Samscene3D did for the airport and buildings. 

3. Add banana plantations for places like St. Lucia. Taburet has included these but I really don’t want to have to use two different tree add-ons.

And again, I’m very appreciative of what you have provided for the community. Kudos!

Thanks so much for your support, recommendation and feedback. 
I added these to my to do list and update these in upcoming updates.

 

@BijanStudio This is in the Beta 2 update. Right over LIMJ (addon scenery) climbing above FL100 or thereabouts, one huuge tree right on the runway. On the ground, everything is fine, and from specific viewing angles, it disappears. Just FYI

 

11 hours ago, V1ROTA7E said:

@BijanStudio This is in the Beta 2 update. Right over LIMJ (addon scenery) climbing above FL100 or thereabouts, one huuge tree right on the runway. On the ground, everything is fine, and from specific viewing angles, it disappears. Just FYI

 

Hi,

For some reason I cannot see the image you posted but I checked the area and didn't see any trees on runway. It could be from the scenery add-on you are using. Did you try it without the scenery add-on?

Bijan
BijanStudio.com

I really appreciate your continued development of this add-on and incorporating user requests. Quick question, I flew in Beverly Hills today with the most recent release and no longer see the line of tall palm trees approaching the BH Hotel. I looked in the Scenery folder and did not see the BHpalms.BGL file either. I haven’t flown there since version 1.3 so don’t know in which version it was removed. Was the removal intentional? Any chance we’ll get them back? Thanks!

14 hours ago, Gulf76 said:

I really appreciate your continued development of this add-on and incorporating user requests. Quick question, I flew in Beverly Hills today with the most recent release and no longer see the line of tall palm trees approaching the BH Hotel. I looked in the Scenery folder and did not see the BHpalms.BGL file either. I haven’t flown there since version 1.3 so don’t know in which version it was removed. Was the removal intentional? Any chance we’ll get them back? Thanks!

Thank you. 
They are being updated and it will be part of "SouthCAPalms.bgl" which will be released by tomorrow. So make sure to upgrade to latest version.

 

Bijan

BijanStudio.com



Other new features are farms:

Before:

 

After: 

 

Edited March 22, 20251 yr by BijanStudio