posted 04-05- 12:27 PM               

Always wanting to follow the K.I.S.S. method in life (Keep It Simple Stupid), I inquired one day how to change old versions of planes for new ones.

The simplest answer I got, was to simply go to my Fighter Squadron directory, get into the media directory, click on the aircraft folder, and delete the offending airplane.

Then I go to where I've downloaded the new version, and unzip it to the main Fighter Squadron directory.

This has worked every time I've done it so far. It almost seems...too easy.

I just want to run this by people smarter than me to make sure I'm not missing something, and creating extraneous veeblefetzer files in my foythboinder cache, or causing my DirectX drivers to crash when my furshlugginer textures have a conflict with my portzebee drivers.

It would be neat if in fact it was that easy, so then folks wouldn't look at it as being as hard as a hernia operation, or watching "Steel Magnolias" with your wife, and acting like you're really moved by the poignant portrayal of female love and friendship over like, a million years.

Thanks for any assistance,

posted 04-05- 12:53 PM               

Thats pretty much the deal
what I do is this

I unzip the plane into a temp folder
then go in and cut all the folders or the medie folder and paste that in the right spot. Its usually in the fs folder.

posted 04-05- 01:37 PM               

Then I open the new plane's zipfile and look at what it has in it. If it has all the bells and whistles, I unzip it where it belongs. Sometimes, guys just release a patch or replacement for selected files. If you delete the whole aircraft folder in that case, you lose the rest of the plane, like the textures, sounds, etc.

If the zipfile includes a "startup.ppf" file, I open it up without extracting it, and compare it to the existing file in the sim, to make sure the new one includes all the pre-existing airfoils. For example, if you install the P-47, and then download and install the most current SE-5 afterward, you will probably lose some airfoils, and end up with CTDs on the Hurricane, P-47, and D-VII, but if you install the Jug last, everything will work.

For a parfile planepack, I usually "unbig" the pack into a "holding tank" folder and look at what the parfile contains. Then I save any folders that I might want to retrieve stuff from later in a safe location, before I put the parfiles into the sim.

It's a good idea to take a look at the loadout.ppf, startup.ppf, aircraft folder, training folder, hangar and GUI folders to get an idea of what's in em. That way, if somebody like me goofs up a zipfile, you can recover from it and not be at the mercy of the next patch.

posted 04-05- 02:03 PM               

These were the kind of responses I got when I asked some pretty smart people, which you guys obviously are, about how to update planes.

After the first few words of people telling me basically what you guys just said, I lost my ability to pay attention. You know how Homer starts thinking to himself or something when someone starts saying something to him that he doesn't understand?

I am Homer.

This is why for your guys' purposes, you should probably do it your way to save pieces and parts and stuff that you need for stuff that people like me would never need, or for whatever deep, dark, reason smart people like you would want to do it that way.

When someone told me I could simply delete a plane folder that was "bad," and simply unzip the whole shootin' match of the new file into the FS directory and be done with it in about 5 seconds, I went, "Wow. That's neat. Sounds too easy though. I'm worried."

Now when I am online with someone who's computer accumen is as low as mine (don't laugh guys, it happens...) I will know that I can simply, quickly, and efficienly describe to a fella how to quickly update his aircraft file so he can fly a really cool, current creation online with me in a matter of minutes.

Far Out. I'm getting goosebumps all over. Well, not ALL over, but close.

posted 04-05- 02:06 PM               

I guess I've never had a conflict yet simply deleting the entire folder, and then just unzipping the new one to FS directory, but from what I think you're saying, it could happen.

More Prozac. Now.

Mk10=225th=

posted 04-05- 02:59 PM               

I hear ya! I am one of those computer literat/techie guys(at work and home also).

You are experiencing and ever so elequently explaining one of the biggest problems created by all these new fantastic planes. That problem is simply that each plane or zip file goes into whatever directory the owner decides it should go. Some go to the "Fighter Squadron" directory, some go to the "media" directory and so on. If I didn't understand computers so well, I would have a huge mess on my pc right now. I am not blaming anyone, I just hope a standard installation process will come out soon.

Until a standard installation process is created, it would truely solve your problem and hundreds of others if all the plane makers would agree to make each "zip" file extract to the same directory ie "Fighter Squadron".

On a positive note I believe someone is taking the reins on this and creating self installing packages for all new downloads. That will be a true blessing for us all(even those of us who know computers inside and out).

posted 04-05- 03:14 PM               

Just unzip the new file, and let it overwrite the old folder. Works fine about 80% of the time.

Safer, but still quick, way:

Save your startup.ppf file as, say, SAFEstartup.ppf

Save the old planes loadout.ppf file and "P-59X.sm" file (the airplane itself) somewhere.

Delete the folder for the old airplane.

Unzip the new file.

Congratulations! You now have either a brand spanking new plane, or a slightly steaming pile of partially functioning doodoo. BUT you also have the old startup, loadout, and airplane files, which should enable you to return to minimum operating capability

The good news/bad news is that, while the new planes with new airfoils are a big step forward, the proliferation of new airfoils and the way the game handles them now permits a builder to screw not only his own pooch, but the last 3 or 4 pooches you installed as well. Hasn't happened yet, but has the potential to do it, and there isn't really a way to insure a safe "brainless" install unless the user is willing to read and comply with the readme file, and the builder puts a good readme file in there.

If I had one piece of advice, (and obviously I have an almost endless supply) it would be: compare the new startup.ppf to the old one before you unzip the file. It's entirely possible you will have to edit one or the other to make sure all your planes work after the install.