Addons how do they work?

[bclarksn]

I am a newbi and i'm sure everyone is tired of hearing about addons. I have visited numerous sites and when I look at the various answers to addons it is always "How to Install Addons". That is not what i'm asking!! What I would like to know is what should happen when I press the radio button "Search in Addons".

1. Type addon name in box.

2. Addon should appear in the Search results pane.

3. Some kind of information should appear in the Scenery Areas pane.

4. Press OK and the addon scenery appears in the current location pane.

5. You fly the area designated.

 

This is my thoughts on how this addon system should work, but it doesn't even though the addon shows in the addons menu.

So can someone please explain to me what is wrong with my system. I can never get my addons to work!!!

I am 76 years old and have a student's pilot licsence for gliders and completed my first solo. I was also a paratrooper in my young and foolish days. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in Advance! Keep on Flying!

William Clarkson

P.S

[CRJ_simpilot]

It sounds like the add-on wasn't installed correctly. What add-ons are you trying to install? I think you really need to pay attention to the resources on how to install an add-on.

 

Did you even unzip the files from the get go?

[napamule2]

You are not the first one to wonder what gives when you tick radio button 'Search Add-On Scenery'. Post simular to your go back to 2011. What I gather is that that feature is a left over from old 3rd party add-ons system that is no longer used. Tick the 'Search Default Scenery' and then type the airport name and you will find the airport. Why fraustrate yourself by trying to make something work that is not needed or relevant and will not work no matter what you do. Some things you just have to accept.

 

I have had 50 different scenery folders. I make my own folder and never put anything in the default 'Add On Scenery' folders. I name it 'Add On Scenery CB'. And I make a folder for each scenery under this 'Add On Scenery CB' folder. I then create a 'Scenery' (*.bgls go here) folder and a 'Texture' (*.bmps go here) folder (if the scenery has any). I then activate thru Scenery Library proceedure and make each active. I can uncheck what I won't be using that often. I never hand edit the scenery cfg. NEVER! FltSim will do that for me and does it well (for 12 yrs now). No need for any 'scenery editor' either. Oh, I will be 80 yrs old in May.

Chuck B

Napamule

Edited April 20, 2020 by napamule2

[bclarksn]

You didn't understand what I asked! I want to know if the process works if its done properly. Do you know what a flow chart is. Yes I followed instructions from 3 different websites and youtube and the help section in fsx. Thanks for replying so quickly, but next time read the question.

[bclarksn]

Thank you Chuck, your equipment is very impressive. Where do you put the folders you create, I will try your suggestion. I am trying to addon current scenery from various sites. Most are dated 2018. I am also learning SBuilderx and Gimp to make my own scenery so I know that scenery goes into scenery and texture goes to texture folders. I hope that the new FS has better file handling features. I would never launch something that doesn't work. I have Associate Degree in Computer Science and not often stumped by this kind of error. I would love to fix FSX so it works the way it designed.

[jethrom]

Hello bclarksn,

 

Chuck B, is absolutely correct, all your added airport and default airports are selected using the bulleted option "Search default scenery" these are the ones added to the active Scenery.cfg besides the stock airfields pre existing, and added Scenery Areas.

If you know the name of the airfield, city, state, country/region, you can search by name.

Or by using the 4digit ICAO code "By airport ID:" in the middle upper options.

But always with "Search default scenery" option.

 

@Chuck B Btw... many happy wishes for May, 80 years strong.

[llivaudais]

step by step Answer in language "Simple":

 

Keep suitably-sized, just-barely-sticky piece of masking tape in convenient location.

Upon opening search for airports, Place tape over "Search Add on scenery"

Select only from remaining option (all) "default scenery". Ignore word "default" or use more tape.

Find airport (from all airports)

Smile when successful. Learn to live with confusion and disappointment.

 

I'm only 75 and I've come to accept that Chaos really is almost all that exists.

I am grateful when almost anything works like you would rationally think that is should.

Programmers are paid extra to introduce annoying 'features'. The good ones do it for free.

You must learn to accept that which you cannot fix. It won't get any better but we're here to help.

 

Peace!

Loyd

[napamule2]

The FSX folders are (actually) working under WINDOWS folder structure. So FS2020 will not change THAT!

 

I put my own scenery folder right under FSX main folder. See pic. You can have unlimited folders. You want to divide by Country, or by a dozen other categories you can do that. There is NO limit as to number of folders/sub folders BEACAUSE IT'S A WINDOWS (NTFS) fileing 'system' and not a FSX system. Other than hard drive space, of course. My C and D drives are both 1 TB drives. You could concieveably have 800 GB of scenery in 20,000 folders and a total of 200,000 files. That's a lot of scenery but it would be possible.

Chuck B

Napamule