Orbx

[Sundog]

I now have a problem flying between continents. My system runs fine for a minute, then it lockups for ten minutes (Blue circle of bored to death?) and just sits and loads for ten minutes, then flies for a minute, etc. I'll stick to just North America for now, since I don't have this problem there. The problem occurred trying to fly from North America to Iceland.

 

[dc10boy]

This is a complete mess! Stay out of FTX central, I'm really mad! I'm using FTX global 1.4 and made the mistake of installing the Freeware ORBX Portland cityscape scenery. FTX central updated on me before I could stop it, and would not let me opt out of the LC migration. My once perfect FSX rig now suffers from blurries, mixed bag textures and a triple fold increase in load times.Also, I once had FTX freeware airports installed and removed it. FTX central will not stop adding it to the scenery.cfg even though it is not on the system!It also erases any custom terrain.cfg mods made for other sceneries. I want to completely remove FTX global from my FSX, go back to my old GEX set, and then reinstall FTX Global 1.4 NOT updated and NO MIGRATION.How do I accomplish this? Why is there no uninstall program on an update that can (and will) wreck FSX machines?
How can I accomplish removing the new FTX and reinstalling the FTX Global I bought at the end of May? I have a complete FSX backup, what needs to be restored ? What other files are changed? How can I make it stop trying to add the freeware airports I no longer have? I posted these questions in the ORBX forums earlier. as of right now, my sim is basically unusable.Never again will I allow anything in my sim to auto update.
Thank you

 

[Lonewolfee1]

Another one coming in August.

Seems there will be another sweeping change to Central in August. https://youtu.be/pZozWcKkI0s

 

[Penzoil3]

Not OrbX fault, the server move was not their idea-

<aside class="ipsComment_author cAuthorPane ipsColumn ipsColumn_medium">[h=3] John Venema[/h]

• Orbx CEO
• 
• Administrators
• 
• 2,538
• 22,432 posts
• Location: Hampshire UK
• Order #:Staff

</aside>
ID: 1 Posted <time datetime="2016-06-09T11:06:00Z" title="06/09/2016 4:06 AM" data-short="Jun 9">June 9</time> · Report post

Hello everyone,

Please allow me to firstly apologise for the extended downtime we've had this week on the forums and the website. Believe me, it's not by choice that this has happened and we're working with Jay to try to get things back on track. Jay's service provider has moved several servers to new hardware and the migration process has not been quite as smooth as hoped. This is not Jay's fault, he has been up to early hours of several mornings to try to minimise the impact.

Please be aware that this server migration was forced upon us by a third party hosting company and not planned by us but we're hoping it stabilizes very soon. We would never release a major update like FTX Central 2.1 and then choose to migrate servers at the same time. We have been planning a coordinated and disruption-free move to completely new hosted servers in July and we may move that forward now.

 

[dc10boy]

I disagree wholeheartedly. The mess we are facing has nothing to do with a server change.This has to do with wholesale changes to the FSX landclass table and God knows what else, and a complete lack of a way to reverse the process or documentation of what was actually changed.. This message from JV was also in the formus
"Now for the good news! It's not a disaster for those with corrupt textures and other issues, because all the files you need to display everything properly are all still there, and we'll push out a fix ASAP.

However, here's what we don't want folks to do:

• Don't try to establish expert solutions on non-Orbx forums - this is only going to do further damage to your installations.
• Don't try to manually revert to the pre-unified FTX Central setup. The migration is a very complex process and cannot be easily reverted.
• If you haven't downloaded the latest Orbxlibs or migrated FTX Central, please hold off doing so for a few days until the team can push a fix out."
• 
  Don't try to revert? Complex process? my sim is wrecked (FPS cut by nearly 50% load times tripled, blurries, stutters and freezes you wouldn't believe.) and I can't even find out for sure what was done to it.I did not ask for, or want this update. I had a perfect rig until this was forced upon me.I just came back from vacation fired up the computer to go fly,I opened FTX central to add their free Portland scenery and it updated before I could stop it and said I needed to update the ORBX libraries and begin the LC migration.I should have just pulled the plug on the computer right there, and I am furious.
  I'm to the point where I don't want a pushed fix.I want to revert back to what I had before and never allow another update ever.Something tells me I'm facing a complete reinstall.
  Oh and JV posted this in the forum as well

"If you're experiencing texture corruptions even though you appear to have migrated successfully then please post a support issue with screenshot examples including coordinates of the problem.

Ben is on vacation until June 27th so any bugs to be remedied in FTX Central will have to wait for his return."
Great.

 

[Essex]

This has to do with wholesale changes to the FSX landclass table and God knows what else, and a complete lack of a way to reverse the process or documentation of what was actually changed.

I think we need to take charge of this ourselves, with incremental backups.
We just need some backup software that ticks all the boxes.
Anyone?

 

[Roger]

Sue,

I'm on the ORBX website many times every day!

I've just posted this on their website "My issue is that since Unification is that my system locks up after a flight of a few minutes. Sometimes the lock-up lasts a few seconds and I can continue for a while, but sometimes they last so long that I have to pull the big switch. This is a totally new phenomena for me and has only occurred since unification. Every time I fly now I am waiting for the next freeze."


Blurries and long load times or even odd textures are not my issue - my sim locks-up freezing the monitor.

 

[dc10boy]

I think we need to take charge of this ourselves, with incremental backups.
We just need some backup software that ticks all the boxes.
Anyone?

Essex, I'm sitting on a complete recent FSX backup right in front of me.All of it.As of today still, nobody from ORBX can, or will tell me what exactly was done to my FSX.I have asked this question directly in 3 different threads.I don't know if the registry was changed, or if all the changes reside in the fSx directory.They do say they're working on it.I'm not sure I even want or trust a fix anymore.I just want to find a way to reverse this and go back to what I had last week.I think this week I'm going to wave the white flag and begin the process of reinstalling everything.

 

[GypsyBaron]

Fortunately I am traveling now, and have been for the past several weeks, so have dodged the bullet
on these Unification issues.

When I do return home how can I absolutely AVOID and 'automatic' FTX updates ? My system arrangement
works just fine for me, running in Hybrid Mode, and I do NOT want any 'automatic' intervention taking place.

I use several different scenery.cfg files that are tailored for the area(s) I will be flying in for the current time
and I typically disable all FTX regions that are not in the area of my intended flight.

I need to be able to run FTX Central without it going out for updates or invoking this Unification scheme.

Any inputs on how I can make this happen, or in the case of Unification, NOT happen?

Paul (Pretty much all the regions, Global, Global Vector and LC stuff)

 

[hairyspin]

I don't think Central auto-updates without option, so don't let it. Or turn the auto bit off before it completes any update download.

 

[Roger]

Since clearing out the sim scenery index folder as per Ben's post at ORBX my sim lock-ups seem to have cleared. I haven't touched the shader folders as I am not sure what to clear out as there are multiple folders within.

"There is a SceneryIndexes for FSX. Here are the adjusted paths that should work for FSX users:

• %programdata%\Microsoft\FSX\SceneryIndexes
• %localappdata%\Microsoft\FSX\Shaders"

 

[ncooper]

You can delete the Shaders and if present, the Shaders 10 folder.
Both of these are rebuilt by FSX each time it starts.

Of course, you may wish to await official confirmation before you do this.

 

[dhasdell]

Are Orbx and FTX Central working properly again now? Since people were having problems I've been keeping clear of trying to access them.

 

[wombat666]

Are Orbx and FTX Central working properly again now? Since people were having problems I've been keeping clear of trying to access them.

Never had a problem with both my P3D3 and FSX installations.
Might just have been dumb luck!
Or perhaps because I updated everything to the very latest versions.

 

[henrystreet]

Are Orbx and FTX Central working properly again now? Since people were having problems I've been keeping clear of trying to access them.

Yes, at least for me, the problems have been resolved and FTX Central v2 with the new seamless landclass (no more regions) is working fine.

 

[fuzz1]

I'd recommend to stay clear until the promised fixes are out, tested and positive feedback is given. I wish I'd taken my own advice at the outset as my FSX continues to be a mess since the lclookup migration. I've attempted all the
recommended fixes to no avail, short of a complete reinstall.

Many people will not know they even have a problem until they encounter specific areas. That said, certain other areas seem ok. I have all the symptoms... incorrect textures, blurries, stutters and pauses.
I'm not aware that there have been ANY updated files since the original migration files were pushed out 3 weeks ago. Only a few hot fixes for certain areas.

 

[heywooood]

I'd recommend to stay clear until the promised fixes are out, tested and positive feedback is given. I wish I'd taken my own advice at the outset as my FSX continues to be a mess since the lclookup migration. I've attempted all the
recommended fixes to no avail, short of a complete reinstall.

Many people will not know they even have a problem until they encounter specific areas. That said, certain other areas seem ok. I have all the symptoms... incorrect textures, blurries, stutters and pauses.
I'm not aware that there have been ANY updated files since the original migration files were pushed out 3 weeks ago. Only a few hot fixes for certain areas.

I'm not touching it. Just glad I came here and saw this thread before updating. I have to say, with all the ORBX users in FSX and this arguably being one of the busiest fan sites, I am not happy that ORBX did not officially make any announcements once it was determined there was a serious problem. I don't know what options there are other than photo real scenery packs or random, individual efforts by freeware developers to enhance FSX scenery but this incident and lack of response by ORBX has got me looking into it.

They should ideally consider offering some product(s) to the community at large as recompense - once they have truly fixed the problem=. Whether they caused it or not. Their follow up has been lacking, in my view anyway..

 

[AussieMan]

I am on the verge of stopping buying ORBX products. I will only be buying the LC but no more airports As they have abandoned their roots. ORBX started out as an Australian company creating scenery for the Australian military. There have been several requests for Australian airports but each time we get told that Australian and NZ airports don't generate enough money.

I have every piece of Australian ground texture and all Australian airports and all the regions so far produced as well as many of the US and English airports. ORBX have forgotten that it is not just Australians that fly in Australia in FSX and P3D but a lot of international simmers also like flying there.

Fortunately a group of us have picked up where the original OZx left off and are working on several projects that are entering the final beta stage with more airports in the works. I am not a developer (yet but working on it) but happily test airports that are produced.

 

[b52bob]

Anyone know a good Bendigo?

 

[griphos]

With very large chunks of both the US, not to mention the rest of NA, much less the Western Hemisphere, and also Europe left to cover, it's a bit odd to complain that Orbx is not still making products for your favorite area that is already very well covered.

I don't believe they've forgotten anything. I like to fly down under as well. But I'm sure when they say they can't sell enough copies of new Aussie airports, they know what they're talking about. I suspect Broome hasn't sold that well for them. But SCA has sold quite well indeed.