Question about Addon Manager

[ACSoft]

Hello,

I just buyed & installed all four of your beautiful airports (LSGG, LSZH, KJFK, KORD) FS9 version. Congratulations for the high quality of these sceneries. Also, no problems with installation and since now, no usage problems. All four have now AES linked to them and I builded "cold start" flight files for my favourite aircrafts (PMDG 747-400 & PMDG MD-11). Now, remain to see what will happen when really flying from and to them.

What make me not so happy, is the design with this "Addon Manager" module, which is "imposed", otherwise, the scenery simply don't show. As a former FS developer myself, less 3rd party modules I have installed, more happy I am.

Speaking of your bglman.dll and while being on yours airports, it seem to slow down the switching of menu bar, menu, and menu items, something really enoying to my taste. This happen not only for me, but also to my friend, who told me I should look at your products. Could this be linked with the fact we both use a NO-CD version of FS9.EXE (FS 9.1 without the >2GB mod) ?

In any cases, this one, I will have to keep it. No choice !!! Let's hope it won't cause other problems and it don't eat too much ressources and power. This is perhaps the price to pay for a good protection of your work !!!

But please, almost, can I have complete informations about it ?

I mean, I searched through all the forum, after searching all the doc, but didn't found any specific explanations about these options:

- Active Gates
- Active Gates Messages
- Dynamic vehicles for user aircraft
- Dynamic vehicle for AI aircraft
- Flying Tips

What do these options ? Are they related to any airports or just FSDreamTeam products ? What about AES in relation with them ? What happen if I deselect them ? Why deselection isn't memorized ? Etc...

Many thanks in forward and again, congratulations for your "State of the Art Work".

Alain Capt
ACSoft Productions

[virtuali]

Speaking of your bglman.dll and while being on yours airports, it seem to slow down the switching of menu bar, menu, and menu items, something really enoying to my taste. This happen not only for me, but also to my friend, who told me I should look at your products. Could this be linked with the fact we both use a NO-CD version of FS9.EXE (FS 9.1 without the >2GB mod) ?

I really can't see this effect, and nobody ever reported about this specific issue before in the 3+ years it has been out.

Any information you might have read/found about any issues with the Addon Manager for FS9 and the FS9.EXE, the no-cd and the >2GB patch, is by now obsolete: the current version is fully compatible with any FS9 version, patched, non-patched, cracked or not.

What make me not so happy, is the design with this "Addon Manager" module, which is "imposed", otherwise, the scenery simply don't show. As a former FS developer myself, less 3rd party modules I have installed, more happy I am.

You are using other products (like PMDG) with "imposed" dll modules as well so, I don't see why this should be any different...as long as it works, which you said yourself it does.

It doesn't take much resources, it's just about 500K of RAM, which is less than a single AI texture, and it doesn't do anything at all if you are not flying in the area of a scenery managed by it, except checking every now and then (and with a very low priority task) if you are entering in an area of a scenery managed by it. So, the impact on performance is not even measurable.

didn't found any specific explanations about these options:

- Active Gates
- Active Gates Messages
- Dynamic vehicles for user aircraft
- Dynamic vehicle for AI aircraft
- Flying Tips

You haven't found any reference to these options on this forum, because none of the FSDT use them. The only products that used those options were some of Cloud9 products, and not all of them. However, the "About" option would say if a specific scenery use, for example, the active gate feature.

However, just for historical reasons, here's what they do:

- Active Gates, enable/disable support for jetway animations in Cloud9 sceneries. I think it was used by EHAM, KLAX and KDCA

- Active Gates message enable/disable only the green message text that appears when you activate a gate, provided of course, you are in a scenery that supports it, like Cloud9's EHAM

- Dynamic vehicles for AI and user aircraft options enable/disable service vehicles around user or AI airplane, in sceneries that has service vehicles. I think only Cloud9 EHAM use this feature

- Flying tips is used only by Cloud9 Phantom and MB339 (and perhaps F104), to enable/disable additional warning messages about possible mistakes, like not raising the gear fast enough which might lead to big problems with the F104, and other similar tips.

None of these options have anything to do with AES, that works independently, and none of these options have any effect on FSDT sceneries.

We got a couple of requests from users that it might have been an useful feature to save these options, but it doesn't look so pressing right now, because none of our sceneries use them anyway, and we are concentrating all our efforts on improving the FSX version which, instead, does a a lot more for our products (not related at all with protection), up to a point that we might not be able to create such sceneries without it, because it helps a lot with features and performances.

[ACSoft]

Hi,

I made some more investigation:

I restored the original FS9.EXE and started my FS with the meaning to check if this make any difference with the menu switching slowdown.

This is the message I get immediately after launching FS:

"For Security purpose, this program will not run while system debuggers are active. Please remove or disable the system debugger before trying to run this program again"

I pressed the only option "OK" of this message and get immediately a new one:

"Flight Simulator was unable to load some aircraft or software. You can continue using Flight Simulator, but this aircraft or software will be disabled.

File: bglman.dll"

Not very happy of that, but anyway, I had the idea to reinstall the "Addon Manager" (file: setup_addonmanager.exe), thinking that now it might install another version of the module, because I have actually the original version of FS9.EXE.

Effectively, after this reinstall, I was able to run FS without those messages anymore. I checked to load a situation at LSGG and was happy to see the scenery.

Then, I replaced again the original FS9.EXE with the NO-CD version, without to reinstall the "Addon Manager". I Was curious to see what would happen. The result, is maybe unlogical in the meaning of one different version of "bglman.dll" for each version of FS9.EXE, because this version (or installation / configuration) just work fine with both FS9.EXE.

Shall I stay like that ?

Do-you have an idea of what happened here ?

Regards,

Alain Capt
ACSoft Productions

PS: By the way, no differences seen for the menu switching slow down in any configurations.

[virtuali]

Do-you have an idea of what happened here ?

Yes, of course. And, if you simply asked, or if you searched on the forum, you might have saved yourself any investigation.

As we explained on the forum thread related to the >2GB FS9 patch, the current version is now compatible with all combination of FS9.EXEs that can be found BUT, you can't just switch the FS9.EXE on the fly, and expect to have it working automatically. The INSTALLER, ( any installer, either scenery or the stand-alone Addon Manager installer )  looks which FS9.EXE you have (cd or no-cd), and install a *specific* version of the bglman.dll, which is correct for the FS9.EXE you have.

So, you only need to run installer again, after you switch from an FS9.EXE with cd-checks to a no-cd FS9.EXE and vice-versa, so the installer can install the right version. And of course, this is exactly what happened, and it works, as you just confirmed. You don't usually keep switching between cd or no-cd FS9.EXE so, this shouldn't be a big deal.

I can only confirm there aren't any difference between the two versions with regard to menu creation or any supposed slowdowns, which shouldn't be there in the first place, as nobody else reported it before. This might be also depending on how many other additional menu items you have in FS9, though so, if you have several, you might notice a slowdown that you wouldn't otherwise see with less modules. 

Anyway, I still don't see the issue: unless the slowdown is really significant ( you haven't said how severe it is: it's in the order of 1/10 of a second, or it's several seconds ? ), you should worry if the program slowed down the *sim* while flying, rather than the menu creation.

[ACSoft]

Hello,

You are using other products (like PMDG) with "imposed" dll modules as well so, I don't see why this should be any different...as long as it works, which you said yourself it does.

Of course, but PMDG module has all its justification to be there. There is a lot of useful functions for flying this bird there !!! What can I do with your module ? Nothing (you just told me that), except actions which have nothing to do with flying an aircraft ! It look more or less like "AeroCore.dll", which I have personnaly exiled in my "Disabled_module" directory since the first day !

But anyway, this is not so important.

You haven't found any reference to these options on this forum, because none of the FSDT use them. The only products that used those options were some of Cloud9 products, and not all of them. However, the "About" option would say if a specific scenery use, for example, the active gate feature..

Thanks for this info and the others, but you should admit I couldn't have guessed that !!!

It would be also great if you always specify a version No somewhere. Take my example: I debark in your world, buy and install your products and then, check the forums. There, I found for example a thread "Geneva hot fixes", but no way to be sure or not, if I should apply them or not. So I had to lose my time to investigate this and found that most probably, actual downloadable version is up to date.

Please, don't take it bad. I mean, my intention is not to be rude with you, but just to help you realize the little problems a newcomer may hit. 

Regards,

Alain Capt
ACSoft Productions

[virtuali]

Of course, but PMDG module has all its justification to be there. There is a lot of useful functions for flying this bird there !!! What can I do with your module ? Nothing (you just told me that), except actions which have nothing to do with flying an aircraft !

You are making the mistake of assuming that, since YOU don't do anything with it, it means the module has no use. The scenery use it, for several features, which you don't see, but it's EXACTLY like an airplane using FSUIPC in the background for reading/writing values from FS9 so, you need to keep it installed, even if you might not be necessarily interested in the other features you are instead interacting with, like joystick calibration, weather, etc.

I haven't said our sceneries don't use the Addon Manager except for protection, I've said our sceneries don't use the specific functions you asked that have a menu interface that you can interact with. But still the scenery use the Addon Manager internally and, there's EVEN A FAQ PAGE ON THIS SITE about what it does, other than activation. However, there are also additional features not mentioned on the FAQ, like time of the day/day of the week detection to create seasonal-specific objects like winter trees, etc, there's detection of the weather condition on ground to communicate to the scenery if it's raining/snowing to make specific objects like ice on side of the taxiways to appear, etc.

So, even if you don't have any need to *interact* with it, the scenery needs the Addon Manager. Now, you might say you are not interested in those features but...hey...it's our scenery, right ?

It would be also great if you always specify a version No somewhere.

The version number is shown on the installer when it starts.

So I had to lose my time to investigate this and found that most probably, actual downloadable version is up to date.

Our downloadable versions is ALWAYS up to date because, since we distribute products in Trial versions, as soon as we have a fix released, we immediately keep the installer in sync, because we obviously want to have the Trial version as updated as it could be.

The reason for this is just that you DON'T have to lose your time to look in the forum to know if you version is updated: if you just downloaded it, it certainly is.

I personally hate to be forced to keep a main installer, which might be old, and a series of patches that might have come out over the lifetime of a product, and have to install all of them in sequence to reinstall a product from scratch. But this is the only way for developers without a fully working Trial version that includes the whole product: they are forcing users to keep track of a main installer+several patches, because they can't let the whole installer to be freely available.

Please, don't take it bad. I mean, my intention is not to be rude with you, but just to help you realize the little problems a newcomer may hit. 

Yes, I realize you were probably just starting up knowing our stuff because, the discussions about the supposed usefulness of the Addon Manager were something we never heard in a while, since probably Cloud9's times, so the questions about how to be sure the version is updated, because our users have becomed accustomed about how we work, so it was a while since the last time I've heard such questions.

[ACSoft]

Sorry, but you didn't read carefully what I wrote:

I told you that now, the actually installed version IS COMPATIBLE WITH BOTH FS9.EXE VERSION.

This is exactly why I took the time to write to you all what I done in details. Because, IT WASN'T CONFORM TO WHAT YOU EXPLAINED IN THE FORUM WHICH I HAVE READED. Why to install two different versions, if one of them work in BOTH cases !!! So there is something strange and therefore, I repeat my question:

What shall I do ?

I have just again loaded all my four "cold start" situation flights on each different airport and all seem to work perfectly WITH EITHER FS9.EXE NO CD and ORIGINAL FS9.EXE.

I can only confirm there aren't any difference between the two versions with regard to menu creation or any supposed slowdowns, which shouldn't be there in the first place, as nobody else reported it before. This might be also depending on how many other additional menu items you have in FS9, though so, if you have several, you might notice a slowdown that you wouldn't otherwise see with less modules. 

Anyway, I still don't see the issue: unless the slowdown is really significant ( you haven't said how severe it is: it's in the order of 1/10 of a second, or it's several seconds ? ), you should worry if the program slowed down the *sim* while flying, rather than the menu creation.

It is about 1-1.5 second. But forget it. I will survive with that ! LOL !

Alain Capt
ACSoft Productions

[ACSoft]

Hi Umberto,

Thanks for all these further informations. Now all is perfectly clear (except why the bglman.dll for original FS9.EXE work also with NO-CD FS9.EXE).

Yes, I have readed also the FAQ, but didn't realized that the feature you mentionned, like customizing some objects according with the seasons, was one of the duty of this module. So, I have a great and good justification to think about, each time I will look at this ""damned"" unuseful menu !!! LOL !!!

And in any cases, as you said perfectly rightly, you are the father of this addon, not me !!! LOL !!!

Regards,

Alain Capt
ACSoft Productions

[virtuali]

This is exactly why I took the time to write to you all what I done in details. Because, IT WASN'T CONFORM TO WHAT YOU EXPLAINED IN THE FORUM WHICH I HAVE READED.

Nowhere in the forum has been said that the version that is compatible with the cd protection is not also compatible with the no-cd, we just said you need to run the installer each time you switch between versions, which is just the simplest thing to explain.

Since we keep updating stuff, it might be we gained compatibility with both versions in the meantime, but we can't just replace all the installers that have been already downloaded by several thousand of users, that have the logic to switch between the two versions, and automatically update them online.

Why to install two different versions, if one of them work in BOTH cases !

Because we simply have tested this combination better, so we can fully guarantee it will work. If you are noticing the version for the cd protection works good for you with a no-cd FS9.EXE, that's fine, just leave it as it is.