Bman. Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Evening all- There is plenty of discussions about sales, presale, 2012, roadmaps, P3D, zero-tolerance etc. All is fine and well on that front. It dawned on me while reading all of these threads is what I really need is FTX Central or a standalone app to tell me what Orbx addons are not up to date. Over the past 2 years I have amassed, well, everything on this side of the planet. What I found is that many of the airports/planes etc had updates 1.... 2.... or 3 of them. I suppose I could scour the threads weekly to see what has been updated but after getting 25 Orbx apps up an running, tracking down updates and determining what version I currently have installed is clunky. In the end, it's just taking away from my simming time. Nearly $1,000 of Orbx apps and I can't keep my updates straight. As the future products come rolling in, my issue will only compound. Is there a way to get FTX Central tell me what is "Not Current Version" or "Update Available" or a standalone app that will at least scan my Orbx library and notify? That would be awesome. I guess I am reminded everyday I reboot my machine since there are several apps telling me there are updates available when I login - from free to paid. It would me nice if my plethora of Orbx softwares would do the same. Benjamin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcernuska Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 What a brilliant question! I have the same problem (own all the OrbX products except FSX GO) and my free time is very limited. Every month or so when I find a few minutes of time I waste it seeking and installing various updates (of course one could say that I should just fly and stop worrying about updates - but I am too tidy for that)... It would be awesome if the FTXCentral could take care of: * Telling me the exact version number for each product in a neat and tidy form * Download all the necessary updates * Install the updates in the correct order But I fear that programming such a complex updating system would exceed the available resources at OrbX... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukester Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 +1 from me on this suggestion if it's possible. Would make the whole FTX experience smoother & complete IMO. I know you can check FTX Central to see your current version but cross-referencing this to the update/patch webpage can be tedious if your not constantly checking or playing FSX/FTX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek McAllan Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 It's already there... in FTX Central, go to the Tools-> Reports-> FTX Products Installed menu item and you get a list of the versions of all your FTX installations. Just compare that with the list at http://www.fullterrain.com/support.html and Bob's your uncle. Or Aunt. Doesn't really get much easier than that... Cheers, Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeesAndButterflies Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 It's already there... in FTX Central, go to the Tools-> Reports-> FTX Products Installed menu item and you get a list of the versions of all your FTX installations. Just compare that with the list at http://www.fullterrain.com/support.html and Bob's your uncle. Or Aunt. Doesn't really get much easier than that... Cheers, Derek Well I guess the purpose was to have it all automatic, because, let's face it : with all these patchs, the whole process has become quit heavy. And I don't even talk about complete reinstallations So definitely +1 for the automatic updater ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_auau Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 It's already there... in FTX Central, go to the Tools-> Reports-> FTX Products Installed menu item and you get a list of the versions of all your FTX installations. Just compare that with the list at http://www.fullterra...om/support.html and Bob's your uncle. Or Aunt. Doesn't really get much easier than that... Cheers, Derek yea people who this but it doesnt say if you up to date with everything is what the op question was not to cross check everything aginst the web so it wud be handy if there wa s a tool saying your up to date Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibidut Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Great idea! Go for it ORBX : Henrik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogtrack Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Mmmm yes, cool idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimshot Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lateagain Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimo Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 update checker would be awesome. I can install the update myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasterke Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitzer Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 +1 Was only thinking this yesterday making sure I was not ordering a product I had already purchased. I don't think I have the latest version of Central yet, but have for quite sometime thought it could do with a little revamp and make it easier to keep tabs on what regions & airfields you have installed and to keep tabs on what product version you are running compared with what is available. I would love it if FTX Central broke down the products into regions and airfields and let me know if any had been updated from the version I had installed and even if it told me there was a product I did not have at all. However, this would probably take some considerable work and time to do and I would guess from a business POV it would be regarded that resources to do this would be better spent on producing scenery products. No harm in airing your views on improvements that could be made though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockliffe Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 There has been several posts regarding this and they are usually replied by Orbx saying that the current system is very easy and straightforward, which it may be, but only if you take a proactive approach and check your scenery entries one at a time. But, I agree, to have something that alerts you that your scenery needs an update would be fantastic. A perfect example is Apple Apps... whenever there is an update available and you start your Ipad, there is an incon telling you of the available update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper31 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I do not like auto updates. I will update my stuff when I WANT to, not when my PC says to. But, that is just my way, which does not sound like most everyone else's way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasterke Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I do not like auto updates. I will update my stuff when I WANT to, not when my PC says to. But, that is just my way, which does not sound like most everyone else's way Hi, your right : no auto updates , but an application that tells us that an update is available Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper31 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Hi, your right : no auto updates , but an application that tells us that an update is available Patrick, that would be okay too. Still, I always check for updates on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manta Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltsimguy Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Orbx announces all patches and new sceneries etc. Subscribe to this forum and you will receive an email announcing that a particular patch is now available. Do like me, save all patch announcements into a separate appropriately named email folder along with your download announcements and payment order number info and your set, not big deal. I prefer to leave it as is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Venema Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Actually it is even simpler. 1. From FTX Central run the installed products and versions report 2. Visit http://fullterrain.com/support.html All our patches are listed on one page. Almost all are cumulative, meaning you just install the last patch formthe products you have. At some stage we may automate this process but it's not a simple task to retrofit such functionality four years after we began releasing products without the intent to do version and update automation. It will likely require an online SQL database to be established and some way of identifiying your current version that is installed. We're not the Apple Appstore, which was built from the ground up to have versioning checks built into the client devices such as iPhone, iPad etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitzer Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 John, I don't think going as far providing automated updates is necessary and not something I would personally use. A bit like Sniper I like to be in control and would be more than happy for there to be a simple button on FTX Central that you could click which would look at the existing version file and compare with the products or online list of what is current. As I said before and as you have just highlighted retro fitting this to the existing software might be time consuming with little real term benefit to Orbx other than to provide a useful feature to it's users. As always these ideas are much simpler to think of than they are to actually do even if on the face of it it sounds simple enough - been there done that many a time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Richards Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I'm going to sound completely dumb here, as I have lots of Orbx products installed, but what is FTX Central??? I have done a search of my drive and don't appear to have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bman. Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 I agree - far simpler said than done. There is no doubt about that whatsoever. Its simply the fact that I don't live and breath on what the current versions of what products I have installed. Sure, when I had 5-7 products , I was always on top of it. Now that I have 25+, there is no way I can control it unless I spend half an evening cross checking my FTX central with the update area. I would even go so thin as to wish there was a version date associated with the patches. As it is now, a v1.2a with no date means nothing to me. I work, work, work, work, family then fly. Then on the occasion think I should check for an update. 25 products later, I am kind of up to date. Even if there was a date stamp, I could at least say I think I update since September and now. I don't have the luxury of waking up know my schedule consists of "we need to kick out 0004a today and start working on x" (I wish...I wish). I run into this daily as an architect - I send out supplemental instructions or addenda frequently but after I hit so many, I have to issue a bulletin of the current set of documents. It not only keeps everyone on the same page but the product is better in the end. Relating to topic subscriptions - for what ever reason, I do not receive thread notices nor FSS release notices to my email. I have triple checked my address is correct and spam filters are released. Maybe this would ease up problem but I can't figure why nothing comes through. These are the only two places that nothing comes though. I am at a loss on this front - I don't know if it's the 20,000 leagues under the sea but I don't get notices. Either way keep at it - I will keep flying! Benjamin. PS - I forgot to mention, I am not looking for automated updates. No no - just FTX central or other to tell me "This is not the current version" - or "update available". I don't need anything more - simply the notification is fine enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BionicCrab Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I know the Microsoft MSI installer just uses two GUIDs for version checking. One of the Product ID one for the Version ID. So even for 50 products it's not that big of a file. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josedav Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Starting out w/ Orbx about 4 years ago the scale of complexity in keeping up to date was completely different than it is now with many add-ons mounting. As time progresses and enthusiasm is kept alive by new innovations in sim technology, money is sure to flow and add-ons increased. Some new practical means of client notification concerning future updates would be in vogue for Orbx as well as the customer to insure a smoother transition of scale and relieve the mounting burden of support issues due to out of date apps. After all- Orbx is planning to cover most of the world- are they not? Doubtful if any informed simmers will quit purchasing product even in the hardest of times having found thus far Orbx represents the best investment of dollars for quality scenery and support. As mentioned in another thread, revitalization of past Orbx sceneries continuing to be updated with the latest tech patches, can only insure continued customer confidence and support for a company that has created a unique atmosphere of excitement-- where everybody wins. The above mentioned suggestions from the originator of this thread seems to be a pragmatic and natural evolvement of the whole process... Joseph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cvearl Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 +1 from me as well. A simple version Sniffer added to FTX central. Just gives you a nudge when one of the regions or airports needs attention would be groovy. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Venema Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 As i said we'll look into it. Adrian Lehmann (FSS) is the FTXCentral coder so he and I will discuss and come up with a possible simple checking mechanism. Also i will update the support page to add datestamps to all patches and order them descending by most recent first. Give me some weeks to do that since I am supposed to be on vacation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lateagain Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I'm going to sound completely dumb here, as I have lots of Orbx products installed, but what is FTX Central??? I have done a search of my drive and don't appear to have it. Hi Mark, In the absense of any "official" response to your query (and by the way there are no dumb questions ....only dumb answers ) I see from your signature that most of (all?) your add-ons are Oz add-ons? If you install any of the US versions you end up with FTX Central which is a simple desktop "switch" giving you a choice to select basic FSX/America/Australia or Oceania (if you have NZ). If you don't get that with just Oz add-ons installed that's obviously not a solution? Hopefully someone will give you an official response as this is just a guess. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Richards Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Thanks Geoff, appreciated and you're right, I don't have any US add ons because I rarely fly over there. It begs the question then about how the suggestions made would work without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmazzei Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Hi Mark, I don't have any Australian scenery but as far as I know Ftx Central is also used to switch between each Orbx region (Australia, North America, Oceania) and the default FSX It is named FTXCentral.exe and is located in the following path: ............\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\ORBX\Scripts\FTXCentral FTX Central is installed with every recent Orbx scenery and with the Orbxlibs Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normandean Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I know that all updates are announced on the forum, but for those of us who cannot keep up with everyday announcements it would be a great help if the updates were dated on the support page. Norman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxter Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 As i said we'll look into it. Adrian Lehmann (FSS) is the FTXCentral coder so he and I will discuss and come up with a possible simple checking mechanism. Also i will update the support page to add datestamps to all patches and order them descending by most recent first. Give me some weeks to do that since I am supposed to be on vacation Thanks JV, that would be excellent and very much appreciated, but please have a well earned break and a very Happy New Years in advance to you and the team. Best regards as always, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca22au Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Yes JVs intervention is as I would have suspected. It would be very hard work with little return to code and programme what we might like. I am not a fanboy, indeed too old to be anyone's boy, but I think the ask was fair, but the response was reasonable - it is not hard to do yourself. But there is also another test. If your flights from an airport, an Orbx airport I mean, are smooth and pleasing then any further patching is up to you. Most patches are about bringing the Flows to the airport, so it really is your choice. I still find YMML and YBBN incredibly demanding on my not too bad rig, so I keep looking for the next version of polygon reduction! Nth American airports for me need little patching because I hardly notice the difference. But Ketchikan does, and I am sure some updates will arrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Richards Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I installed SP4 last night and now have FTC Central. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Venema Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Thanks for the input into this discussion everyone. We will review FTX Central functionality through 2012 and look to implement these ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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