GSX Pro - Top or Flop?

[wingview]

Emanuel is not only talking about the CTD's but also that this addon was released way too early and he is right about that. There are so many flaws even when you get it to work. Those are maybe minor for some of you but that many is just annoying. We paid about €40,- to be a beta tester at best, normally you get paid for it (in money or the product itself). With that it doesn't work as advertised if those airport addons from the Marketplace can't be found by GSX. I can't test it because I can't get it to work but legally this should be enough for a refund.

Potentially it's can be a great addon but for now it is wasted money.

[Phil7789]

With that it doesn't work as advertised if those airport addons from the Marketplace can't be found by GSX. I can't test it because I can't get it to work but legally this should be enough for a refund.

To also be fair on GSX side, this is not GSX fault as the files are encrypted. Any addon would face similar issues if trying to access marketplace scenery. This might get fixed in the future but it is Asobos turn and it is a known "problem" for month, although I don't know if this is clearly noted anywhere. You get this information mostly as side information in some threads

[Tuskin38]

With that it doesn't work as advertised if those airport addons from the Marketplace can't be found by GSX. I can't test it because I can't get it to work but legally this should be enough for a refund.

To also be fair on GSX side, this is not GSX fault as the files are encrypted. Any addon would face similar issues if trying to access marketplace scenery. This might get fixed in the future but it is Asobos turn and it is a known "problem" for month, although I don't know if this is clearly noted anywhere. You get this information mostly as side information in some threads

There's an API coming with SU10 that might allow GSX to read important data needed from encrypted airports without the current SU9 workaround.

[DarrianCZE]

A huge flop. Not because of the design, but because of the bugs and issues, which are currently present.

[mopperle]

There's an API coming with SU10 that might allow GSX to read important data needed from encrypted airports without the current SU9 workaround.

I guess this is the Navdata API that could be used in this case. But this API was present from day 1 of the SU10 Beta, so I'm wondering why Umberto didnt make use of it or waited till it is finally available? Or is he not participating inthe MSFS Beta program?

[Luxuryceo]

In all due respect NGX driver was given a free copy, way he moaned and picked about little things like baggage animations, came across like an entitled little brat..I understand there is issues upon release.I had them myself..I must admit once I updated to latest 2022 in the live update..It has been ok..yes there is some bugs, sure FSDT will iron them out..

i have to agree with this post  i didnt like the way the youtuber moaned  and picked things out like  the entitled little brat as said here   i even disliked that video   Virtuali works his backside off trying to give us addons for msfs or any other sim but then people bitch and moan and bang their head of the floor and throw a tantum after buying it on launch when it doesnt work  let the dev iron the damn bugs and issues out for god sake.

if you buy it use it and find an error or a bug/issue  post it on the forums and let the devs help you with it or sort it out...

[Julean]

The ABSOLUTE TOP!

I have CTDs today as well, which didn't appear before GSX pro.

Well all these problems have to be sorted out....
FSDT claimed that GSX was not responsible for the CTDs - well that was to bold a move... This really got people upset...
When that fire has fused off, back to work, for all ... and get this wonderful addon working..

There are many issues, and it seems many have identified problems, but some of the problems seem to be how MSFS influence scenery through marketplace...  so a lot of things seem to be involved.. There are maybe the usual combability issues. The simulator is loaded with a lot of programs and this one is complex, a lot of things are happening - and the sim has to handle this also. This addon is a very ambitious addon, and for me it brings soo much life and realism and play into the sim experience.. I so much hope it will thrive ...

And by the way, an addon without beginner issues? Does that exist? I have been flightsimming since 2000, and CTDs - Oh my God.. I have been ready for therapy many times..

All the best to all developers and pilots.

Julean

Love to watch the airport life.. even other AI planes get handling... wonderful.

[virtuali]

I guess this is the Navdata API that could be used in this case. But this API was present from day 1 of the SU10 Beta, so I'm wondering why Umberto didnt make use of it or waited till it is finally available? Or is he not participating inthe MSFS Beta program?

We surely have the Beta and the API documentation. But it's not as if we could use it right now, for many reasons:

- It still has bugs, some developers reported not all data is correct, sometimes returning garbage. Before we can use something like this, which is integral to how GSX work, because it's the very data GSX lives with, we need to be 100% sure it's rock solid, it performs well, and it report 100% accurate data about the airport.

- Even if, hypothetically, the new API was 100% perfect since "day1" of the beta, doesn't mean we can use it because, if we released a version of the software linked with the SU10 Beta Simconnect, it won't work with SU9, likely crashing with unresolved dependencies, because the SU9 version of the sim doesn't know what to do with the new calls. I don't even think it's possible to connect to an previous version of the sim using a newer version of the Simconnect client.

So, before we can begin working on this APIs all the conditions must apply: it must be released officially first, so we can be sure of what can do and what can't, what is working and what needs another workaround and then, after having assessed its feasibility, we'll start working on adding it to Couatl, possibly replacing the whole "airport cache" concept, the need to read .BGL files and the inability to use Marketplace airports without other workarounds.

So yes, if the API is feasible and reliable (and we can only be sure of this *after* it come out officially ), we surely plan to use it. We started asking for it 2 year ago. In fact, more than 2 years ago, because way BEFORE MSFS was even in Alpha (January 2020), a few days after it was announced at the 2019 E3, Microsoft sent an email to all known developers, asking which features we wanted to have, from an SDK point of view. My list was of course very long, including many things that probably will never happen, but accessing to the airport data without having to read .BGLs was one I labeled as crucial so, it would silly not using it now it finally arrived.

[Wimma]

So, before we can begin working on this APIs all the conditions must apply: it must be released officially first, so we can be sure of what can do and what can't,

So why didn't you just wait with releasing it until after SU10?

The thing is, I have been using GSX since 2016 and I really LOVE the other renditions of it! I was also eager to get my hands on to the MSFS version but I would rather have a working product I can use once I buy it than to buy it and uninstall it hours later because it causes problems; not only for me but for a rather massive amount of people.  I am impatient myself, but when it comes to stuff like that I would wait a month, heck, even 2 months longer and then have fun with it.

[virtuali]

Emanuel is not only talking about the CTD's but also that this addon was released way too early and he is right about that.

I think he said 3 TYPES of things:

CTDs

Evidence that is coming out right now seems to indicate we were right in the middle of a generic "CTD season", possibly related to MS Servers adapting to the upcoming SU10.

Bugs new of this version

Sure there are some, we are obviously going through them, one by one, until everything is sorted. Do I really NEED to say something like that ? After 10 years of GSX history of continuing updates ?

Things he didn't like since "forever"

This one should have been covered in a completely different review. Precisely because GSX has been out since 10+ years, we can only assume users generally LIKE what it does. Of course everything can be made more realistic, more fun ( sometimes these are in conflict with each other ), but the very idea of "realistic" or "fun" is very different for each user. We can only go so far imagining what MOST users want, and the only instrument we have is...actual sales. Which is something users don't have, especially when they don't understand why we did this before that.

Sure, from an aviation point of view, having push-pull pushback is probably more important but, what made the sales spike were the GRAPHIC upgrades, like when we worked for almost 9 months to support PBR when P3D4.4 came out, user were angry because we went silent about new features because we were at work remodeling and retexturing but, when it came out, sales spiked up immediately, like a clockwork. This is only human: eyesight is our most important sense, and we are affected more from what we *see* compared to anything else. If we weren't, everybody would still use P3D 4.5, which was the most powerful (SDK) and at the same time the most stable version of every sim I know, and MSFS would be considered just a glorified Xbox game. However, that's not the world we live in, and somebody that works with "moving images" like a YouTuber, should fully understand that.

The issue is, studies have proven many times that, videos with catching titles and possibly controversial issues are far more engaging that glowing reviews, which most users would assume to be sponsored anyway. And to do that, you had to put all 3 things together, to make a stronger point. Doesn't mind if the most serious one wasn't an issue to begin with.

However, I don't think he was dishonest. I think he HONESTLY believed his CTD were caused by GSX, because there were some coincidences which *seemed* to indicate that, but they seem to have been disproven, since there's just too much evidence the CTD happened these days with an unusually high frequency even to users that never had GSX.

[Emi]

However, I don't think he was dishonest. I think he HONESTLY believed his CTD were caused by GSX, because there were some coincidences which *seemed* to indicate that, but they seem to have been disproven, since there's just too much evidence the CTD happened these days with an unusually high frequency even to users that never had GSX.

Exactly this Umberto. We'll have to agree it would be too much of a coincidence to believe it would remotely be possible that Asobo introduces an issue exactly at the time GSX is released, and after it's uninstalled two flights go without issues. That believe is actually supported by one CTD happening right during a GSX pushback AND by even more users reporting the same after GSX is installed. Seems like it's almost impossible that that's a coincidence, right?
However that might possibly have happened here.

That's why I've put out an updated video adressing this very possibility:

https://youtu.be/1GexGufs1tQ

[virtuali]

Exactly this Umberto. We'll have to agree it would be too much of a coincidence to believe it would remotely be possible that Asobo introduces an issue exactly at the time GSX is released, and after it's uninstalled two flights go without issues. That believe is actually supported by one CTD happening right during a GSX pushback AND by even more users reporting the same after GSX is installed. Seems like it's almost impossible that that's a coincidence, right?

It's not "impossible", it might be unlikely but, in fact, the more and more evidence we are getting, seems to indicate EXACTLY that, check this post, which is just a summary of various posts on the Microsoft forum about this:

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,26580.msg174887.html#msg174887

It's clear from those posts, that:

- CTDs started basically *before* the day GSX came out, and started to happen to users that never had crashes before.

- MANY users have CTD who never installed GSX.

- MANY users have CTD and they reinstalled the sim from scratch, with zero add-ons

And it's continuing to be confirmed from some test users of this forum made:


http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,26580.msg174980.html#msg174980

I just performed 4 different tests the first:

- a flight between brussels and corfu with gsx and online service = CTD
- Same flight without gsx and online service = CTD
- Same flight with GSX and offline service = NO CTD
- I then returned to corfu - brussels with gsx and offline service = NO CTD

So this is not a gsx problem but a microsoft problem.

I apologize for pointing fingers at you Umberto

Another one:

I can confirm that before loading into a flight I turned all online services off in the sim and loaded succesfully into the sim, once I was in I just turned them all back on again. I don't believe this to be a GSX issue at all.

So yes, however unlikely and improbable it might sound, the more and more evidence we get, the more it really seem there IS something going on MSFS servers, and it IS a coincidence that happen to start slightly *before* GSX came out, so close that lots of users assumed it was "caused" by GSX.

[Bentree]

However, I don't think he was dishonest. I think he HONESTLY believed his CTD were caused by GSX, because there were some coincidences which *seemed* to indicate that, but they seem to have been disproven, since there's just too much evidence the CTD happened these days with an unusually high frequency even to users that never had GSX.

Exactly this Umberto. We'll have to agree it would be too much of a coincidence to believe it would remotely be possible that Asobo introduces an issue exactly at the time GSX is released, and after it's uninstalled two flights go without issues. That believe is actually supported by one CTD happening right during a GSX pushback AND by even more users reporting the same after GSX is installed. Seems like it's almost impossible that that's a coincidence, right?
However that might possibly have happened here.

That's why I've put out an updated video adressing this very possibility:

https://youtu.be/1GexGufs1tQ

Again an honest reaction Emmanuel....its all so confusing and expectations where so hi on the GSX release because many people really likes this must have addon for P3D.

What was not helping (and wich seems to turn around in a more positive way now) is the way Umberto is reacting on posts (or his lack of reaction).
I know he was overwhelmed by all the negativity....i wished he prevented this by getting a bigger betatest team and tested more longer.

Anyway...IMHO everything is getting a bit more positive and FSDT will sort many problems out in the future. (I for once will try to not judge too hard on the product and try to enjoy at least the technical pushback sequence)

[Emi]

So yes, however unlikely and improbable it might sound, the more and more evidence we get, the more it really seem there IS something going on MSFS servers, and it IS a coincidence that happen to start slightly *before* GSX came out, so close that lots of users assumed it was "caused" by GSX.

I've read those posts and agree that the almost-impossible might actually be happening here.
Doing some testing myself right now, turned all the online services of MSFS off and will see if another CTD occures.
If none happens I'll install GSX again and will check again.
Of course there's a certain chance I might just be lucky on the initial flights and then be unlucky with GSX installed. But we'll see.

[Emi]

However, I don't think he was dishonest. I think he HONESTLY believed his CTD were caused by GSX, because there were some coincidences which *seemed* to indicate that, but they seem to have been disproven, since there's just too much evidence the CTD happened these days with an unusually high frequency even to users that never had GSX.

Exactly this Umberto. We'll have to agree it would be too much of a coincidence to believe it would remotely be possible that Asobo introduces an issue exactly at the time GSX is released, and after it's uninstalled two flights go without issues. That believe is actually supported by one CTD happening right during a GSX pushback AND by even more users reporting the same after GSX is installed. Seems like it's almost impossible that that's a coincidence, right?
However that might possibly have happened here.

That's why I've put out an updated video adressing this very possibility:

https://youtu.be/1GexGufs1tQ

Again an honest reaction Emmanuel....its all so confusing and expectations where so hi on the GSX release because many people really likes this must have addon for P3D.

What was not helping (and wich seems to turn around in a more positive way now) is the way Umberto is reacting on posts (or his lack of reaction).
I know he was overwhelmed by all the negativity....i wished he prevented this by getting a bigger betatest team and tested more longer.

Anyway...IMHO everything is getting a bit more positive and FSDT will sort many problems out in the future. (I for once will try to not judge too hard on the product and try to enjoy at least the technical pushback sequence)

yeah, the amount of bugs in the normal operation of GSX suggest that something else might be wrong as well. Add to that the CTDs occuring right at the same time and a pretty clear picture can quickly develop that suggests that GSX is also responsible for the CTDs.
It would seem very unlikely that those are actually MSFS induced.

Adding to my personal confirmation BIAS, as Umberto pointed out, the issues started happening the day before the GSX release. But as a YouTuber I *have gotten* GSX a day before the public release. So I got it right at the moment CTDs started to happen.
What is always the first course of action if things start acting up? Reverse what you have done. So in my case: Uninstall GSX.
Before I did that I tried a full more day of flying and on those four sectors where GSX was installed I got CTDs on each one of them.
Then after I uninstalled it I did two more sectors, without CTD.
That is sort of a confirmation that it just HAS to be GSX. And then I recorded the video. 100% convinced that it HAS to be GSX.
A day later then however I had CTDs again. Initially of course I believed there might be leftovers from GSX causing them. So troubleshooting, more flights, etc. started. All of them taking time, actually taking the whole day.
Then in the evening I got more and more reports from people not having GSX, who also have CTDs and thus started searching elsewhere. And came across that topic in the MSFS forums.
That's why I recorded todays video, to let users know that there may be something else going on in the background. I'll do a second one this evening with the information how todays tests went.