FA-18E (Fighter Jet) Issue

[b3burner]

I downloaded the following file... 'fa-18e_sh.zip' from the Simviation website (though it can also be gotten at FlightSim.com as file... 'fa18e_sh.zip' (circa 3-30-2004), and it seems to be the same exact thing).

Nice package, though the framerates are a little low on my system. That I was willing to learn to live with but the crash to black screen, followed by the "Microsoft Flight Simulator 9.0 has stopped working" message is something a little harder to deal with.

Upon experimentation of moving various files in and out, I seemed to narrow it down to the panel folder that was causing the problem. After doing a brief panel search for F-18's, I happened upon a custom panel file titled, 'fa-18f_p.zip' (here at the Flightsim.com downloads). I replaced the 'fa18e_sh.zip' panel with custom one, and the problem went away, and seems to be solved.

But despite having solved it, a few questions remain:

1. Why would a panel folder (and presumably its contents) cause the entire sim to crash?

(By the way, it didn't just happen in cockpit or V-cockpit view. It would also happen in spot view as well... so though the panel appears to be the culprit, one doesn't necessarily have to have the panel in view in order to replicate the problem.)

2. Would it more likely be a result of the panel.cfg file, or the .bmp's, .xml's, .cab's, etc. within the panel folder that are referenced by the panel.cfg file?

3. Do you think that this is an issue unique to this download-- and can anyone here who remembers downloading this aircraft tell me if they've experienced the same problem-- or would this more likely be an issue unique to my video/graphics card and/or computer?

Thank you,

-- John

[CessnaFlyer]

does the downloaded aircraft come with gauges? if so what are the gauses? i have an aircraft i like but can not fly it because the panel messes up the flightsim. there are certin gauges that do not work with fs9.

[jgf]

Some radio gauges, CD players, radars, HUDs, and non-default GPS gauges seem prone to cause problems in some systems (any panel with the "radioCD" gauge will CTD my system before I even get in the cockpit).

It may take an hour or so but you can narrow down which gauge is the culprit and replace it; in the panel.cfg place "//" (without quotes) in front of the second gauge in the first window and in front of the first gauge in every other window (FS9 will stop loading gauges at a break in the numerical sequence). Now try a flight, you should only have one gauge (depending on what it is, it may not even be visible); if no CTD, exit and move the // to the third gauge and try another flight. Keep going, moving the // down one line each time; eventually you'll get the CTD again, the last gauge loaded is the problem.

Some HUD gauges have several components and may CTD if any individual part is not loaded, these must be disabled/enabled as a group.

This procedure will not work on aircraft with complex systems and startup procedures since they require sequential operation of specific gauges to even have the engine(s) running; but since you have the aircraft functional with a different panel that isn't a concern here.

[b3burner]

jgf,

Very interesting insight you've provided. Thank you so much. So you're saying that the only appropriate place to do my testing is in the panel.cfg file? What about disabling the .xml files inside the 'superh.cab' file one at a time? Would that in essence accomplish the same thing, or not?

Also, I manage to have that 'superh.cab' file sitting in both the panel folder of this individual FA-18 aircraft folder, as well as inside the FS9\Gauges folder. Could inadvertently having the same file existing in two locations be causing problems? Also, should the gauge .cab have been disassembled, or leave it alone?

Finally, I thought it odd that a .cab file for fx (effects)-- ('dfa18_fx.cab') would be nested within the panel folder for this plane? Wouldn't such a file normally be in an effects folder with instructions to empty it into the FS9\Effects folder?

Thank you again.

[jgf]

Do not extract the .cab file contents, FS9 will read them fine within the file and they won't eventually get fragmented. Having the cab file, or individual *.gau files, in the panel folder and in the gauges folder simultaneously is no problem; FS9 will search the aircraft's panel folder first, if it doesn't find its files there it will then go to the gauges folder (in fact it's a good idea to copy all the default aircraft cab files to the gauge folder since many add-on aircraft use them). The "loose" xml gauges in my gauge folder are all in subfolders, which must correctly named so the particular panel.cfg can find them.

I'm not familiar with fx files ever being in a panel folder, but that doesn't mean it's not been done. OTOH I've never seen a cab file in the effects folder, and don't think FS9 would recognize one there (over 1400 files in my effects folder but not a single cab file among them). If the aircraft docs don't mention that file, I would leave it where it is (or contact the aircraft's creator).

[CessnaFlyer]

im with jgf. i have not seen a cabfile in fs9 effects before. i have seen them for the gauges thought. maybe you put the file in wrong place when you installed the aircraft? is it just the f/a18 your having trouble with or is it all aircraft?

[b3burner]

im with jgf. i have not seen a cabfile in fs9 effects before. i have seen them for the gauges thought. maybe you put the file in wrong place when you installed the aircraft?

Actually, no... I did leave this cab file 'dfa18_fx.cab' inside the panel folder where it was originally seated in the download.

Is it just the f/a18 your having trouble with or is it all aircraft?

Just the F/A18 for the time being.

[CessnaFlyer]

ok. i would say try reinstalling the aircraft and see what happens? also i did a search for that plane i couldn't find it in the library. are you sure it's compatible with fs9? and do you have latest fsuipc? maybe it needs that?

[b3burner]

ok. i would say try reinstalling the aircraft and see what happens?

Okay, I guess I could give that a try, though I'm wondering if troubleshooting the gauges by testing them one at a time (per JGF's suggestion), might be the best thing to do as a "first go-around"?

.... also i did a search for that plane i couldn't find it in the library. are you sure it's compatible with fs9?

Probably because I named the file name as it appears on the Simviation website first, and placed the name as it appears on FlightSim.com second. Sorry about that. Try 'fa18e_sh.zip' (the one without the hyphen between the "a" and the "1"), and it should be there. And I'm pretty sure it's compatible with FS9... appeared to be.

.... and do you have latest fsuipc? maybe it needs that?

Yeah.... I've... uhh... never really understood the whole "fsuipc" thing real well, except that I understand an awful lot of nice 3rd party items (such as Autower and Scruffy Duck Airport editor) require it. I remember installing it last spring or summer, and I remember having a hard time getting it to work. I never knew it needed updating from time to time. Geeez... I don't even remember where I put my FSUIPC files....

I thank you for your input, though this will probably take a lot of A/B testing before I figure it out, but I'm sure the answer is out there.

Hey incidentally, not to change the subject of this thread too much, but I'm curious do you know, is there a 3rd party download or something I can install, that will allow me to see changes I've made to the simulator-- without having to exit and restart the sim-- after each time I've made a change to a file? It would be nice to be able to do that, and it would save a ton of time over the course of say... 6 hours of tinkering on a Sunday afternoon.

Thanks,

-- John

[jgf]

FSUIPC is a dll placed in the FS9\modules folder which allows other programs to communicate with FS9. The registered version also gives you more control over various aspects of the sim (controls, weather, etc.); most software requiring this work fine with the unregistered version, which rarely requires any user intervention, just drop it ni the modules folder and forget about it.

If a specific version of FSUIPC is required, the docs will mention that; any higher version number will work.