Can I use FSX Deluxe add-ons with FSX:SE?

I want to use FSX again but upgrade to the Steam edition (they have a sale on some add-ons going now -- till March 18, 2019).

Can I use the scenery (orbx) and plane add-ons (carenado) I have for Deluxe with the Steam edition? Thank you.

Mostly, yes.

All the Orbx stuff is SE aware and should install properly. Any other "newer" addons should be SE aware also but it is your responsibility to insure that anything you buy specifically list BOTH FSX and FSX-SE.

Some things you already have MAY install to SE, some others might not; take time to check web sites to make sure you understand the features and limitations of each product individually.

At the moment I do not have FSX and SE both installed on the same OS - I had no issues personally when that was the case. Currently all my scenery (Except ORBX) is shared equally by FSX and P3dv2 on Windows 7 and by FSX-SE and P3dv3 on Windows 10. Some aircraft work on all platforms, some do not. All you can do is try for yourself.

Loyd

FSX-SE is essentially the same as the FSX Deluxe edition with the Acceleration pack addon included. The changes made are minor - see HERE for info.

IME many of the products that are stated as being solely for -SE are in fact the same version as those previously released for the Deluxe/Acceleration versions. All that has changed is that the auto installer code has been amended to find either the -SE default install path (which is buried deeper than the standard FSX default path) or -SE related registry entries.

I should state that, whilst I have 'bagged' a copy of -SE when it was on sale, I am yet to install it. However, I helped a friend about six months ago to install the -SE version on a new computer and transfer all of his previous Accel version payware addons (including products by Justflight, CLS QualityWings, FSGenesis, REX, Flight 1 - all of which are pre -SE) and a considerable amount of freeware stuff. All installed with no issues once manually pointed to the -SE location.

Thank you both. This was very helpful.

The reason I asked is that the sale on Steam will end before I get a chance to try them out and the sale is too good to pass up. I hate to miss taking advantage of the 50% discount but even hate it more if I ended up buying a duplicate. For example the Carenado 182RG and the ORBX Catalina airport scenery which I already have for the Deluxe version.

.....I hate to miss taking advantage of the 50% discount but even hate it more if I ended up buying a duplicate......

A tip here that you may find helpful.....

Whilst Steam holds regular 'major' advertised sells like many other websites at pre-set times of the year, many products are also placed on 'minor' un-advertised sells at regular intervals. If you add a product to your wish list you will be notified of such sells. The savings for these irregular sales are normally the same as in major sales but sometimes may be slightly less e.g. 40% or 45% instead of 50%.

I'm new to actually using Steam, but not to FSX. I seem to be spending more time fooling around with the program with seeing how it can work well on a not-state-of-the-art laptop instead of flying. Specifically, I'm using this on a laptop which has Windows 10 running on i7 cpu with 8 GB of RAM and unfortunately only a 5400 rpm primary drive. I'd like to keep the installation simple, minimalistic, 'lean and mean' and making it easy to back-up unlike my PC desktop which has lots of addons.

Why the steam version? I read it runs smoother than the boxed or retail version of the original FSX, AND, it was cheap at about $5. :)

My FS Steam experience so far:

1. I bought the Catalina airport for Steam at steampowered.com on sale thinking it was the same one sold by ORBX. Ooopps... no it's not. It's by some other developer. I had a heck of a time trying to get a refund because Steam said I've used it for more than 2 hours. Apparently, it automatically installed without my realizing it. How did that happen? I told them I used it for less than 5 minutes and wasn't even sure how DLC's worked and how steam counted the hours played with the DLC. I guess they assumed that when I used FSX that I was also using the DLC (Catalina). That was not the case. After several message exchanges, to Steam's credit they gave me a refund (an online credit actually).

2. FSX Steam installed on Window 10's "Program Files (x86)" which I didn't care for. After googling, I discovered that there was an easy solution to moving FSX Steam away from that folder. Simply 1) create a new folder on the root of a drive 2) copy steam.exe and the steamapps folder into the new folder, and 3) launch steam.exe. Easy!

3. Apparently there's already a new version of nVidiaInspector, version 2.1.3.20, that works on my nvidia equipped laptop. Best of all there is an endorsement and a detailed instruction from 'Nickn'. Goodbye instrument panel shimmers.

4. WOAI works on FSX Steam. Yippeee... hello fps.

5. The installation of FSX Steam was so much easier compared to the retail version. Also, the only edit I made to the fsx.cfg file so far was to change the line WideViewAspect line from' False' to 'True'.

6. Here's something which stills needs to be looked at. To play FSX Steam, I have to launch the steam launcher icon on the desktop, select the library menu item, select the game, and select play. There're probably other buttons I need to press too.... yep, even though I figured out how to play offline I still have to login to steam and enter a password. Too many buttons! Anyone have tips on this one?

Thanks in advance.

@ oneleg…..

WRT your comment at 6.

To play a game without going through the process you have detailed you need to set Steam to auto start in OffLine mode (you must ensure that you have correctly set it to start off-line as detailed below) AND you must use a menu or desktop shortcut to start the game:

1. Start Steam online - make sure the Remember my password box on the login window is checked.

2. Verify that all game files are completely updated - you can see the update status for a game under the Library section (when the game shows as 100% - Ready it is ready to be played in Offline Mode).

3. Launch the game you would like to play offline to verify that there are no further updates to download - shut down the game and return to Steam once you have confirmed that the game can be played.

4. Go to Steam > Settings to ensure the Don't save account credentials on this computer option is **not* selected.

5. From the main Steam window, go to the Steam menu and select Go Offline.

6. Click Restart in Offline Mode to restart Steam in Offline Mode. Once Steam restarts it will place a icon on the taskbar.

If you have set it up correctly when you start your PC and Steam starts up in the background it will display a message stating that it is set to start in offline mode and it will offer 2 options - start in online or remain offline. Select your required choice. Steam will always start in this way even if there is a internet connection available.

@Brian, thanks.

After your #6, I press the steam icon on the desktop, the Steam screen pops up telling me I'm offline and in the Steam screen select the Library menu item, cursor down to the game, and Play. Am I doing this right?

In the box version of FSX all I do is double click the game icon and I'm in the game.

[quote=oneleg;2077149.....

In the box version of FSX all I do is double click the game icon and I'm in the game.

The method you have described is one way to do it. You can, however, use the same method as the boxed version. To do so:

1. Navigate to the FSX-SE root folder and locate the FSX.exe file - if you have installed Steam in the default location it will be at C;\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\Common\FSX

2. Right click on the file and select Send To > Desktop (Create shortcut). This will place a shortcut to the game on your desktop.

3. Run the game by clicking on the desktop shortcut.