active ORBX and scenery_packs.ini

[andy1252]

Just wondering id there's a simple yet cunning plan for the placement of ORBX entries in the ini file. Reason I ask is that I just had a bit of a problem with LOWI. After the install (perfectly successfully done) I checked the ini and saw the ORBX entries at the top, as usual. So I moved them down to where the rest of the ORBX entries live, as usual.

 

When I ran XP, I got a horrible looking landscape on approach -

 

So I thought - maybe the default "LOWI demo area" is above the ORBX LOWI and is causing the problem so I went back to the ini, found it was higher and moved it down below the ORBX entries. Ran XP again and got the same problem.

 

So I went back and "verified the installation", which ran fine, so I started XP and all was well. I then went back to look at the ini file and noticed that the ORBX stuff was back at the top again, but this time I noticed that there were five folders, not the four I'd moved previously. It seems that  FTXCentral had put the A, A, B and C LOWI entries together at the top of the ini file, but the D_LOWI_Orthos entry was separate and several entries further down. I had not moved this with the other four and so the orthos were sitting above all the other stuff and causing the issue I got.

 

So I have two questions. Is this placement normal, and if so - why? Is FTX Central smart enough to detect the Cervino scenery in my ini file and split LOWI around it (and is that necessary?) or was this random? (I've attached my ini file if anyone wants to see exactly what I'm talking about).

 

And related to this, is the LOWI_Demo_Area something that should be disabled now? I assume any XP upgrade will simply re-install/enable it in future anyway.

 

scenery_packs.ini

[Jon Clarke]

Hi Andy. The sequencing by Central of the LOWI files is correct regarding the A,A B & C files are concerned. LOWI being a 3rd party airport goes above Global Airports as do all other Orbx or A.N.Other partie's airports. Regarding the D file. I have questioned why it goes below Global Airports as it is part of the airport scenery but with a difference to other XP addon airports that also contain Ortho files. The Ortho coverage of LOWI addon is much, much larger than your typical airport addon and i have asked if the placement by Central of the Ortho file below Global Airports is because the Ortho area covers possibly some other airfields or airports. It would make sense therefore to place the Ortho file below Global Airports so as not to mask any default airport in that Ortho coverage area.

 

Regarding the ability of Central to spot your Cervino scenery.....I think we may be giving it a bit more credit than is warranted  It had placed LOWI Ortho in between my TEGB North Overlay and TEGB Washington Orthos. Work that one out ! Central is not always accurately placing files but is 98% accurate. For example, it always placed Needles below Global Airports whereas it is an active heli landing location and need to be treated like an airport and be above Global airports. it also places the ZZZ_Orbx_KCGX_Merrill_C_Meigs_Field/ in the wrong location despite it being prefixed with the alphabet lettering of ZZZ indicating it should be at the bottom of the .ini.