New User problems

[JeffGood]

Just trying out Airport for Windows for the first time and hit the following problems:
1. On Preferences/Directories, help file has a screenshot from an earlier version and there is no explanation on what to do with the File BGL path edit box and the check box above. (I set this to FS2000\scenedb\Airport\scenery and checked the box).

2. SCASM saves compiled file in same folder as APT file - not in FS2000\scenedb\Airport\scenery although its log window says it did.

3. On completion of assembly, get error dialog "TestIsle.sca generation completed, but SCASM Error Log Not Found" (twice - another one for TestIsle_AFD.SCA).

4. On Section/General dialog: Scenery layer edit box is updated from 0 to next available only when it receives input focus, and this is not saved with the APT file (re-open file and it's back to 0)

5. FS2000's scenery.cfg file is not updated (did this manually to get things working).

6. Could not get Create AFD to work.

7. Help could not find the chm file after I had shut down and rebooted my system (worked fine after installation).

My stuff is on funny drive letters - maybe this is a problem:
Airport is on Drive G:, my working drive (local saves etc.) is Drive H: and FS2000 is installed on Drive I: - I set all the folders correctly in the Directories dialog.

Jeff.

[JeffGood]

One more thing: when I tried to test my island runway at N45 E45 (as per tutorial), my aircraft was glued to the ground. I've seen a reference to this somewhere else, but can't find it.

Jeff.

[thiscox]

I'll try to answer things in order:

1. the help is old. Someday I'll get to it. The File specific BGL location is an alternate location of where to install the bgl file instead of the default location. If you routinely work with multiple sceneries, you may want one in \scenedb\airport\alaska\scenery and another in \scenedb\airport\wyoming\scenery for example. For now you can ignore it - just leave the box unchecked and put the location where you want your scenery to be installed in the default box. Normally c:\microsoft games\fs2000\scenedb\airport\scenery

2. SCASM first compiles the scenery in the same location as the APT file, then copies it (installs it) into the FS2000 directory you specify in #1 above. So it should be there. Sounds like something is wrong with Airport finding FS, since the scenery.cfg is not getting edited and the bgl not installed.

3. SCASM puts the error normally where the scasm.exe file of the bgl file is going. I've had trouble predicting where it will be copied to. Put SCASM.exe in the same directory as the apt file and hopefully Airport will find it.

4. The scenery layer is picked up from the scenery.cfg file, so this problem and the next one are the same. Check the directory for FS you have specified.

5. The AFD is not working because something is going wrong with the copying of the bgl files from Airport to FS.

6. If you're stuck on the runway, put a ground polygon under the whole scenery. The example files were made back when synthetic tiles were used as part of the scenery system. This is no longer true.

Tom

[JeffGood]

Many thanks, Tom. After reading your reply, its now obvious to me that most of it boils down to not finding the FS2000 installation. I was pretty sure I had the correct folders but I will double check. Interestingly enough, the initial installation had filled these in with C:\Program Files\etc. - I just changed the C to an I. I do in fact have something in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games, but it's not Flight Simulator.

Yes, I found the solution to the glue problem elsewhere and put a flatten area underneath, which fixed it.

Jeff.