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Orbx SitRep: Migration, OLC NA, Store etc

John Venema

By John Venema
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John Venema Orbx VIP

John Venema

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Hello everyone,

 

I thought it would be a good time to update everyone on key developments going on in the background so you're all up to speed with stuff.

 

1. FTX Central V2.1 Migration

 

This is the big doozie :)  We have had over 8,000 customers migrate to FTXCv2.1 and about 1-2% of customers have experienced post-migration issues ranging from mild to severe. Let me apologise to those 1-2% because it was never our intention to cause a single person disruption to their enjoyment of the sim nor have people resort to re-installs. We're genuinely sorry that things have gone awry for you.

 

Ben has been back at work for a nearly a week and we're testing his diagnostic tool. Here's a beta screenshot of what to expect when you run the tool:

 

4357630f7c6d362dab5487059c1ce161.jpg

 

Ben, Ed, Eugene and the testing team are currently working hard to tie down any loose ends, missing files, migration issues and also testing on clean-install machines versus complex-install machines. We will try to get this tool into your hands ASAP since we MUST have this resolved and everyone happily using unified lookup before we can move onto new product releases that depend on it.

 

 

2. Last of the P3DV3 airport ports

 

These are just about done, Ed's just finalising the installers and then we will be finished with what has been a massive task for Ed, the developers and the testers. I know it's taken a lot longer than many people wanted but we're pleased to have made it across the line finally. Expect Ed's release announcement any day now, and thanks again for being so patient with us.

 

 

3. openLC North America

 

The big one! You've been spammed many beta shots of the southern half and testing is progressing well; most testers are reporting an almost perfect match between Google Earth and the landclass they are testing, so that bodes well for a release in the next few weeks. Please note that some features like missing beaches etc will be patched in an upcoming Vector release since that's a different development team in charge of those aspects.

 

Logistically, every customer who already has openLC NA Alaska/Canada installed will only have to download the new southern NA zip files from their FSS accounts once they purchase the second part of NA. We are placing the new 3D lighting tech layer in a high priority scenery layer so it automatically upgrades both the FTX NA regions and also openLC Alaska/Canada. The installer will take care of all the housekeeping for you.

 

Note that openLC NA will require you to be using the new unified lclookup and FTX Central V2.1, so that's why our focus is to resolve those issues as soon as possible.

 

Finally please remember all owners of openLC NA Alaska/Canada will get an automatic AU$22.50 discount on the southern part. You still have time to purchase openLC NA Alaska/Canada to qualify for the discount.

 

 

4. FTX Central V3 and OrbxDirect webstore

 

Once Ben has resolved all customer issues with FTXCv2.1 and migration,  his focus will return to the new FTX Central V3 and the integrated website/OrbxDirect store. I can promise you that we won't be going live with this new way of buying Orbx products until I'm personally satisfied the infrastructure is rock solid and the payment gateway is secure and seamless. In the meantime it will be business as usual with Flightsimstore.com (FSS) so nothing changes until we're ready. If that means the new FTXC/website/store is pushed out to August, September or October, that's just the way it will be to ensure a smooth transition. 

 

In the meantime these forums and the website will be moving to new hosted servers with better bandwidth and resilience. We are aware of several glitches with the forums and these will be addressed in due course. There's a lot happening in the background in Orbx-land but in the end things will settle down and run a lot smoother.

 

We may invite a group of a hundred or so customers to beta-test the new store, and this will involve migrating their FSS accounts to OrbxDirect and then making a purchase in the new store. We will naturally offer a discount to those customers for offering to be guinea pigs for us :)

 

The thing that will be exciting for all our customers will be the seamless way in which you browse the new website, click on a purchase, checkout your basket and then let FTX Central V3 do its magic in the background while you continue to fly. You'll get an alert once a product is ready to use and that's about as complex as it gets. The wrapper system will be gone, it's a case of browse, click, buy, fly.

 

 

5. VECTOR 1.4

 

This is finally ready for release and includes an option in the configurator to disable FTX Australia for max compat. There is a huge amount of customer-driven fixes in 1.4 and the wait will be worth it. Please don't stop reporting bugs you find such as missing lakes, beaches, rivers - anything that is not in the current dataset is open to be patched into V1.5, 1.6 etc.

 

Ed should be announcing the availability any day now. Thanks again to our customer community for helping us make this a better product with every release! UPDATE: This has now been released: 

 

 

 

6. New product releases

 

June/July has always been a traditionally quiet period for Orbx release but we have some major products due in the next month and beyond such as openLC NA, FTX Germany North, LDDU Dubrovnik, ENNK Narvik, YMML V3, L05 Kern Valley SCA, KBSA Santa Barbara, FTX BuildingsHD, Cityscape Cote 'dzur to name a few. There's a lot more other unannounced projects in the works from 'Tim and Ken The Experience Men', Jarrad Marshall, Alex Goff, Andreas Hegi, Scott Armstrong, Misha Cajic and more. Early prep work is already underway for openLC South America and FTX Germany South as well.

 

I hope this fills in a few blanks and assures you we're busy bees in the background.

 

Yours in updates.

 

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BrianV Life Member

BrianV

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Many thanks for the excellent update. This is also the first time I hear of a forthcoming Kern Valley release. Looking forward to this and the openLA North America release, ... well, and some more items too on this exciting list :)

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Claude Troncy Senior Member

Claude Troncy

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Bonjour,

Thank you very much @John Venemafor the feedback.
As I seen nothing concerning the OLC Europe, am I right if I I say that with the disgnostic tool, all blurries textures since the migration will be a bad memory ?

Just technically, when ORBX have time, I will be interested to understand what cause the blurries textures, and the extra cpu usage which seems related to the new unified lclookup .

Merci

Cheers

Claude

 

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Vora Life Member

Vora

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Kern Valley? Very interesting looking airport in a perfect location. Lake Isabella was already in the rumor box in some posts.

Splendid update all around, especially it's Côte d'Azur and BuildingsHD I'm looking forward to.

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seby.h Senior Member

seby.h

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That's a lot of new stuff, but don't forget there is also the big update patches for FTX England region and the adjacent regions NRL IRL SCO and WLS in the works too!!!

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fuzz1 Advanced Member

fuzz1

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Status report is most appreciated.  I am also one of the 'few' afflicted with apparently all the post-migration problems (FSX).   Incorrect textures, blurries and performance issues (stuttering and freezes/pauses not present pre-migration).  I'm not completely clear however if Ben's migration fixer tool will address the blurries and performance issues.  Perhaps with missing files being properly corrected with the tool, such problems will also soon become a distant memory.    I remain concerned the missing files are unrelated to the blurries/performance issues and that will unfortunately represent a show stopper for me.  

 

I've seen nothing thus far, but perhaps I missed it, representing an acknowledgement from the Orbx team that the blurry/performance problems being experienced and reported over the last month, are even related to a failed migration.  I'm certain many customers similarly affected would find a word or two from the team on this subject most helpful.

 

As much as I'd like to continue buying future Orbx products, it would make no sense for me to buy additional wonderful scenery to install in a crippled sim, which state is how I would presently describe my post-migration fsx.  Should the intended migration corrections not eliminate these other problems, or if these problems are indeed somehow inherent in the new lclookup and related changes, I'd be forced to find some way to revert to pre-migration status and 'lock in' that state for all time.  As much as I'd detest that, my preference would still be to have a properly working sim, even in the absence of future Orbx products that rely on the new lclookup.   Here's hoping this concern will be unrealized and I can continue Orbxizing my sim world.

 

 

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Claude Troncy Senior Member

Claude Troncy

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8 minutes ago, fuzz1 said:

I've seen nothing thus far, but perhaps I missed it, representing an acknowledgement from the Orbx team that the blurry/performance problems being experienced and reported over the last month, are even related to a failed migration.  I'm certain many customers similarly affected would find a word or two from the team on this subject most helpful.

 

I agree, it is also not clear to me if the blurry performance problem is related to a failed migration or something else not yet analysed.
The only thing I know is that everything was nice before. I do not understand why I am in the 2% of unlucky, because I have a very standard installation.
So a word from the team would be reassuring. Honestly, nothing is said in the initial post about the blurry/perf problem.

Cheers

Claude

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John Venema Orbx VIP

John Venema

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Blurries are *always* related to conflicting LC vying to display the same class of textures. I can assure you that blurries can be cured with a proper migration.

Almost all the problems people are experiencing are related to the makeup of their sim addons and an incomplete migration process.

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fuzz1 Advanced Member

fuzz1

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Thanks John,  the assurance you provided is extremely comforting.   Waiting patiently for a proper fix is that much easier, knowing there will absolutely be a light at the end of the (blurry) tunnel. 

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banjoman1960 Life Member

banjoman1960

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4 hours ago, John Venema said:

We may invite a group of a hundred or so customers to beta-test the new store, and this will involve migrating their FSS accounts to OrbxDirect and then making a purchase in the new store. We will naturally offer a discount to those customers for offering to be guinea pigs for us :)

maybee you offer this first to the people,that have the mess after the central update,if it work on there pc´s,then it work maybee on every :lol:

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paddler Life Member

paddler

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Always great to have the news updates John, it makes us feel that we are indeed always considered. Looking forward to all of the new products and changes as I have had some problems in the past with the odd one but these are rectified quickly. If asked would be glad to be a "guinea pig" beta tester of the new store. 

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eham8 Advanced Member

eham8

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Hi John,

 

This is excellent news and I'm looking forward to the new releases. I also want to say thank very much for the Vector 1.4 update. After installing it Europe has become a lot more flyable. There are still blurries and autogen does not work everywhere as it should or could (tested only south of EDDF) but it is all in all a whole lot better now.

I hope the fix Ben and the others are working on will be released soon and that we can call this a thing of the past.

 

Cheers,

Arthur

 

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THibben Senior Member

THibben

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Hi John,

 

I haven't many problems but would be more than willing to do an advanced review of the update.  I have a high end system and a large number of ORBX sceneries installed.

 

Tom

 

I am retired with a fair amount of spare time.

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cwam Senior Member

cwam

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As one of the 1-2%, many thanks for the effort you have all been making and for the update.

 

I have just finished installing all my ORBX stuff into P3Dv3 and you know what, even when the landclass clearly is wrong it is still pretty stunning to fly over!

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moggy72 Senior Member

moggy72

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John (or other Orbx staff)

 

Any idea how far off the diagnostic tool is from release, and is there anything that should be done in advance/preparation for it??

 

Regards

 

Steve

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Ken Terry Life Member

Ken Terry

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John, thanks for the comprehensive update, would you kindly expand/clarify/explain the statement "includes an option in the configurator to disable FTX Australia for max compat"  Are there problems with Australia?  Why should we disable FTX Australia.

Thanks

Ken

Sydney AUS

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DesertPilot Life Member

DesertPilot

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45 minutes ago, Ken Terry said:

John, thanks for the comprehensive update, would you kindly expand/clarify/explain the statement "includes an option in the configurator to disable FTX Australia for max compat"  Are there problems with Australia?  Why should we disable FTX Australia.

Thanks

Ken

Sydney AUS

 

See JV's post in another thread for an explanation:

 

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