active 2W3 and ORBX Central - not a happy bunny

[andy1252]

I got the email re the 2W3 announcement. It stated " Please ensure you use Orbx Central to install this product if you are a Mac/Linux user" - no other mention of using Orbx Central. I went to OrbxDirect to buy this, the screen there now states (but only if you scroll down) that you need ORBX Central to install this product. I didn't scroll down at the time as the purchase option is right there when you click on the product so don't know if this was stated on there initially or if this has been added following the issues with the missing library update (which is still not showing on FTX Central). I would not have bought the product at this point if I'd have know this.

 

Can I run both Orbx Central and FTX central on the same machine without each interfering with each other? Can I install it to see if it does everything I fear but remove it and go back to FTXC if I don't like it? I had intended to put off installing Orbx Central as long as possible as I abhor the use of add-on XML as a way of installing products into P3D and my understanding is that ORBX Central will convert all my Orbx products to do this. I can just about live with using the xml option for the occasional new product but I really don't want all my ORBX scenery (and I have everything you produce) managed in this way.

 

Or is this the first step in dropping support for FTXC?

[Nick Cooper]

Hello,

you have several options:

 

1. I think you can still use FTX central to install this product.

2. It is for X Plane 11 and therefore there are no xml files involved

3. you can install Orbx Central and use an existing installation of P3D v4

without making any changes and without using xml add-ons.

4. you can install Orbx central and use it only to install to X Plane 11 and

for now at least, use FTX Central for P3D v4.

 

so you can still be a happy bunny.

[andy1252]

Thanks @Nick Cooper,

 

As of this morning, the library update has made it into FTX Central so that solves the install problem for 2W3.

 

If it really is the case that I can install Orbx Central but only use it for specific sims then I'll get a copy and experiment. My issue is not with xml per se, simply the unnecessarily open way LM has implemented it. There are at least three different ways to specify xml files to P3D, so keeping track of what's coming from where is a pain. Different vendors are using different techniques to install add-ons now, and almost nobody tells you what their installation packages are doing. And while I fully support the idea of all add-ons being outside the actual sim directory, I think the way LM has tried to implement it is half-****ed at best.

 

I noted the reference in another related thread to the Lorby-SI addon organiser so I'll see how that works for me as well. I've spent some time getting a nicely tuned system with SCE and now I'm losing control of it because of the add-on environment. If P4AO can give me back control of my system, I will indeed resume my former state of leporidaean well-being.