P3Dv4 Add-on structure and how to use and move it

[milindur]

Hello and thank you very much for this first update to P3Dv4. I already took the C172 for a ride and the performance looks great.

It is great to see, that you are using the new approach to install add-ons into the sim. FS Dreamteam also updated to this new approach, but they are installing into their own directory and just create the add-on.xml in the "documents\Prepar3D v4 Add-ons" folder. I have to admit that I like this approach a bit more than installing the whole add-on into the documents-folder. This way it is quite easy to install the add-on to a dedicated SSD. Since also P3Dv3 supported this approach, they now also do this for P3Dv3 installation of their add-ons.

I know that it is possible to move the A2A-folder to another location (I already did this), but I am not sure if this is going to work with future accu-sim-updates and you manually have to modify the add-ons.cfg.

As I said, I really appreciate your effort to upgrade to this installation approach. I really hope that all other developers are going the same way.

[shortspecialbus]

I know that it is possible to move the A2A-folder to another location (I already did this), but I am not sure if this is going to work with future accu-sim-updates and you manually have to modify the add-ons.cfg.

That's actually a really good question, since I was planning on doing the same.

Lewis (or anyone from A2A) - will moving out of the default install location mess up AccuSim updates, or will it search that config file to see the possible locations and find it in there? That would be ideal, I think!

-stefan

[mallcott]

Hello and thank you very much for this first update to P3Dv4. I already took the C172 for a ride and the performance looks great.

It is great to see, that you are using the new approach to install add-ons into the sim. FS Dreamteam also updated to this new approach, but they are installing into their own directory and just create the add-on.xml in the "documents\Prepar3D v4 Add-ons" folder. I have to admit that I like this approach a bit more than installing the whole add-on into the documents-folder. This way it is quite easy to install the add-on to a dedicated SSD. Since also P3Dv3 supported this approach, they now also do this for P3Dv3 installation of their add-ons.

I know that it is possible to move the A2A-folder to another location (I already did this), but I am not sure if this is going to work with future accu-sim-updates and you manually have to modify the add-ons.cfg.

As I said, I really appreciate your effort to upgrade to this installation approach. I really hope that all other developers are going the same way.

Won't be an issue if instead of just moving the folder, you create a symbolic link (Google mklink)

[milindur]

Won't be an issue if instead of just moving the folder, you create a symbolic link (Google mklink)

Yes, that would be possible, but it would also be a "hack". You should always have the average user/customer in mind and great products should be easy to use without googling for special tools. We have 2017 and P3Dv4 already supports everything what is needed and - thankfully - A2A is already using this concept, just a little detail could be better.

Just for comparison: The "Twotter" airplane was ported to P3Dv4, but the installer still installs the add-on the old fashioned way directly into the simulator install directory. That is not what I would expect, so I am very happy that several developers (incl. A2A) seem to switch to the new system.

[Lewis - A2A]

Hello,

as in the first post with my own example of moving it to a directory on my E: drive, you can move it to where you wish.

thanks,
Lewis

[PurdueKev]

Won't be an issue if instead of just moving the folder, you create a symbolic link (Google mklink)

Yes, that would be possible, but it would also be a "hack". You should always have the average user/customer in mind and great products should be easy to use without googling for special tools. We have 2017 and P3Dv4 already supports everything what is needed and - thankfully - A2A is already using this concept, just a little detail could be better.

Just for comparison: The "Twotter" airplane was ported to P3Dv4, but the installer still installs the add-on the old fashioned way directly into the simulator install directory. That is not what I would expect, so I am very happy that several developers (incl. A2A) seem to switch to the new system.

I have to agree with milindur here... while yes, a careful user can certainly follow those directions to set up their own folders each time they install a new aircraft (I just did it for the C172), it is an extra set of manual steps, involving manual edit of a config file (that by the way by default is located in a Hidden folder in Windows), that is almost certain to guarantee errors and confused customers, which leads to more support overhead.

I am probably like a lot of people in that I have a separate SSD for my OS that is substantially smaller than my dedicated flight sim SSD - I simply don't have the space on my OS drive for multiple add-ons. So it is a necessity for me (and I am probably not in the minority) to have Add-ons installed into a user-specified location. I believe the FSDT implementation to handling this automatically during the installer process is more elegant, user-friendly and reliable. As A2A products are always consistently polished and user-friendly, I would request that A2A consider such an approach in a future installer update.

I absolutely applaud A2A following the SDK convention here, but IMHO there is room for improvement in your implementation.

(I love your products, so please take this as constructive feedback )


P.S. I also have to ask the question as to whether the Accu-sim update installers will be "smart" enough to find our Add-on folder location during the update process? Otherwise, there will be some BIG headaches...

[PurdueKev]

I already discovered an issue where when you move the A2A folder to the new location, the shortcuts in the Windows app menu can't find the new location for the folder where the Input and Aircraft Configurators reside.

Again, I can browse to the new folder to open the file - but it is another less-than-polished aspect of this implementation.

[shortspecialbus]

I already discovered an issue where when you move the A2A folder to the new location, the shortcuts in the Windows app menu can't find the new location for the folder where the Input and Aircraft Configurators reside.

Again, I can browse to the new folder to open the file - but it is another less-than-polished aspect of this implementation.

Yeah - honestly, I'd like the option to set a preferred install location the first time I run an A2A installer (and maybe it can default to that for future ones or allow those to be custom set as well) just because it would just kind of streamline things for those of us that don't have a ton of C drive space but don't want to relocate our Documents folder for an assortment of reasons (or do symbolic links or junctions.) I'm a Linux Sysadmin so it's not like moving things around or doing said links is exactly taxing or confusing, but I think a lot of people would benefit from having an option during the install, especially if it could set a registry to be a default location for future installs I think the RealAir installers for P3Dv3 did something along those lines and it was nice.

Just my $0.02. I'll make it work either way, but it'd probably eliminate a lot of future support requests

-stefan

[zazaboeing]

I'm sorry but I have to agree with the guys here, please make this option appear in the initial installation. I'm all confused already, and lost quite a few shortcuts moving the entire documents folder.

Thanks and BTW, thanks for the v4 move! Future is here!

[PurdueKev]

To avoid any future issues, I went ahead and moved the location of my Documents folder to my larger flight sim SSD, per these instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoJhk8Ud8TU

I did not want to risk anything getting screwed up while editing config files or when applying updates, and I prefer not going through the additional steps. Plus, I didn't want to have to keep straight which developers were following the SDK and which weren't. The method in the video is I suppose a form of a symbolic link, but is managed totally by Windows and doesn't require messing with command prompts and such.

By the way, I also want to thank A2A for the quick release of the updated C172 for V4 - she looks amazing with the vastly improved v4 anti-aliasing, and flies wonderfully. I think the improved fluidity of the v4 graphics helps to highlight the realistic flight model much more than before.

[walterg74]

Hello,

Not only do I agree with the guys, but I think you have misinterpreted LM's directions on this...

The documents folder/area is supposed to be for add-ons' configuration files, nit for the complete add-on itself...

It would be really benefitial if you looked into this and corrected it. Nobody wants their C drive / OS drive loaded with these, or start hacking the system with symlinks, etc when there is no need to do so.

[Lewis - A2A]

Hello,
The documents folder/area is supposed to be for add-ons' configuration files, nit for the complete add-on itself...

It would be really benefitial if you looked into this and corrected it. Nobody wants their C drive / OS drive loaded with these, or start hacking the system with symlinks, etc when there is no need to do so.

Hello,

this is not correct the recommended method from the P3Dv4 SDK is that the add-on be installed with the xml. Lockheed allow you to edit the paths but recommended is that the xml be with the add-on. We are looking into a different method, but will load the installer up with warnings, to try to help users install correctly allowing us to update the products once installed in the future

The moving of my documents etc is a windows native feature, please check links above. But rather than move my documents you can just move the folders as outlined above to wherever you want allowing users to have there own custom installs relevant to there particular system needs.

thanks,
Lewis

[shortspecialbus]

Hello,
The documents folder/area is supposed to be for add-ons' configuration files, nit for the complete add-on itself...

It would be really benefitial if you looked into this and corrected it. Nobody wants their C drive / OS drive loaded with these, or start hacking the system with symlinks, etc when there is no need to do so.

Hello,

this is not correct the recommended method from the P3Dv4 SDK is that the add-on be installed with the xml. Lockheed allow you to edit the paths but recommended is that the xml be with the add-on. We are looking into a different method, but will load the installer up with warnings, to try to help users install correctly allowing us to update the products once installed in the future

The moving of my documents etc is a windows native feature, please check links above. But rather than move my documents you can just move the folders as outlined above to wherever you want allowing users to have there own custom installs relevant to there particular system needs.

thanks,
Lewis

Do you have a documented way to do this that doesn't break all the links in the start menu? It's easy enough to go and fix them 1 by 1 but at some point when everyone has all their A2A aircraft moved for p3dv4, that'll be a lot of start menu items to fix.

-stefan

[walterg74]

Hello,
The documents folder/area is supposed to be for add-ons' configuration files, nit for the complete add-on itself...

It would be really benefitial if you looked into this and corrected it. Nobody wants their C drive / OS drive loaded with these, or start hacking the system with symlinks, etc when there is no need to do so.

Hello,

this is not correct the recommended method from the P3Dv4 SDK is that the add-on be installed with the xml. Lockheed allow you to edit the paths but recommended is that the xml be with the add-on. We are looking into a different method, but will load the installer up with warnings, to try to help users install correctly allowing us to update the products once installed in the future

The moving of my documents etc is a windows native feature, please check links above. But rather than move my documents you can just move the folders as outlined above to wherever you want allowing users to have there own custom installs relevant to there particular system needs.

thanks,
Lewis

Again, I don't think this is 100% correct and there's a reason why you can specify the path in the XML.

I am not going to be looking into the links of moving my documents. I keep my flight stuff on an SSD and I do not want to waste my SSD space by moving all of my documents into it just to accommodate one add-on.

If you have the freedom of putting the add-on wherever you want, then I don't understand why you chose to arbitrarily place it in one location, instead of giving us the freedom to put it wherever we want.

[Ssnake51]

I am not going to be looking into the links of moving my documents. I keep my flight stuff on an SSD and I do not want to waste my SSD space by moving all of my documents into it just to accommodate one add-on.

If you have the freedom of putting the add-on wherever you want, then I don't understand why you chose to arbitrarily place it in one location, instead of giving us the freedom to put it wherever we want.

I'm having trouble understanding that too. Seems that we should be given the option when installing as to where we want the files to go.