Tekapo / NZSI Conflict

[ardypilot]

Hi Robin,

Recently installed FTX NZSI and ran the Southern Lakes patch as per instructions to make the two work together in FSX.

No troubles with the Wanaka area but every time I try to either load at Tekapo or enter roughly a 15 mile radius of the airport, my sim crashes to desktop with the non specific Flight Simulator has stopped working error message.

I've tried unticking the Tekapo scenery from my scenery library but it still happens. Any ideas?

Cheers.

[toprob]

I don't think that Real NZ Tekapo installs any files outside the ReaNZtekapo folder, so unselecting this in the scenery library won't leave any Real NZ files around the area. (Except for some replacement tree textures which the patch installs.)
There can be problems after running the NZSI SP, so if you have patched NZSI since installing the Southern Lakes patch, then let me know.

[ardypilot]

I installed FTX NZSI, the 2nd 1GB service pack which includes a cumulative update of the first service pack, then activated Oceania in FTX Central, moved all the Real NZ stuff above it priority wise, then ran the Godzone patch for southern lakes from your website.

[toprob]

In that case, it should be ok, but it is worth a check for duplicate NZSI files for Tekapo. I'd search FSX\ORBX\FTX_NZ for 'NZTL', and see if there are any duplicated files. Duplicates are those with the same file name, just a different extension. (.BGL and .BAK)

By 'moved all the Real NZ stuff above it priority wise' I assume you mean moved the FTX Insertion Point below the Real NZ stuff using FTX Central?

[ardypilot]

I found the following three files in the directory you mentioned Robin:

ADE_FTX_NZSI_NZTL.bak
ADE_FTX_NZSI_NZTL_CVX.bak
ADE_FTX_NZSI_NZTL_objects.bak

Removed them all to a separate directory. Can't find NZTL int he list of airport loading locations now, and also still get the crash when attempting to load/fly nearby.

And as for the Insertion Point, I was lazy and just dragged each of the Real NZ addons that I have active up higher in the library than the FTX entries which are all near the bottom of the list. Don't get that tool thing, but am aware from your readme's that this must be done each time Orbx is activated or deactivated. I've just kept it active since the first time I installed both NZSI and NZNI though. Any more ideas?

[toprob]

Sorry, no idea here. With Real NZ Tekapo deactivated, it could be another conflict somewhere nearby.

Once Real NZ Tekapo is deactivated, you will need to put back the NZSI files for Tekapo -- and rename them to .bgl otherwise as you've noticed there is no Tekapo. The Real NZ patch disables these files, assuming that you'll have the Real NZ version active, but if you don't have it active then you'll need the NZSI version active.

I guess it's ok to adjust priority using the Scenery Library rather than the Insertion Point tool, as you've said you don't use FTX Central to change regions anyway. But if you do ever change regions, then the lazy way is to use FTX Central to set the insertion point -- as you only need to do this once, rather than each time you change regions.

[toprob]

I admit I was confused a bit here by the fact that deactivating Real NZ Tekapo didn't make much difference, and I was not able to reproduce this crash at all.

But after another report of this, I've retested it on my new 64bit system (very similar to Trolly's) and it does look like there is a problem with 64bit systems, and hopefully a solution.

There was no default Tekapo airport in FSX, which normally makes things easier -- you don't need to worry about deactivating the default bits and pieces. And there is normally no need for a 'stub', which is the tiny extra elevation-change file in Scenery\World\Scenery. Orbx placed a stub for Tekapo, which I always thought was not necessary, but does no harm. However it looks like disabling this stub is what is causing the crash. On the other hand, it won't work to leave the stub, as the Orbx elevation is not accurate for Tekapo, and doesn't match the Real NZ elevation.

I've attached a stub which sets the elevation correctly. Extract the file from the attached ZIP and put it into Scenery\World\Scenery if you are having this problem.

Then you should be able to run Real NZ Tekapo with Orbx NZSI. Any problems let me know.

[attachment=602:NZTL_ADEX_GVF_ALT.zip]

[jpreou]

Thanks Robin, Tekapo now loads for me although I haven't tested 'extensively' (whatever that might entail) :-)

[jpreou]

Hi Robin,
per my post over at ORBX, success was short lived as I noted on a follow up actual flight that Tekapo is on a plateau now, albeit usable at least.
Understand from the ORBX forum you are looking into this and await a further fix, if there is one. No drama or urgency from my perspective; I have so little FSX time due to other family commitments anyway!
Will keep my eyes peeled to this thread.
Cheers

[frostynz]

sorry Robin, same problem as above

cheers Dave

[toprob]

As I mentioned on the Orbx forum, the plateau isn't a bug, although it isn't realistic. The patch for Tekapo simply removes the FTX files for Tekapo to stop them clashing, it does nothing else. So it uses the same flatten which worked for both the default and Vector Land Class, it just doesn't match up with the FTX mesh. Any area which couldn't really benefit from integration with FTX -- such as Tekapo -- normally didn't get a patch, but since I had updated Wanaka, and Tekapo is part of the package, it needed at least some work to fix the elevation clash.

This was a stop-gap until I could figure out how to actually update Tekapo. Unless someone releases a high resolution aerial image of at least the lake and airport, then this might be a while away.

However as I said on the Orbx forum, I will look at building a new flatten to make it blend better.

[ardypilot]

Hi Robin,

I dropped the BGL in the instructed directory, however, with FTX SI active and Tekapo disabled, I still get crashes when either trying to load at Tekapo airport or load in the air near Tekapo airport.

Are there any particular files I need to remove?

[toprob]

QUOTE (Trolly @ Aug 15 2013,9:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Robin,

I dropped the BGL in the instructed directory, however, with FTX SI active and Tekapo disabled, I still get crashes when either trying to load at Tekapo airport or load in the air near Tekapo airport.

Are there any particular files I need to remove?

First of all, I just need to know what you are trying to achieve -- with or without Real NZ Tekapo?

With Real NZ Tekapo, you need to check:

• FTX Scenery Library Insertion Point set as per Southern Lakes manual;
• Oceania activated using FTX Central;
• All FTX files relating to Tekapo (NZTL) DEactivated by changing ext to .bak;
• Real NZ Tekapo activated in FSX Library;
• The new stub file in Scenery\World\Scenery;
• The FTX stub file in Scenery\World\Scenery deactivated;

This particular crash which the fix addresses is caused by a missing stub in Scenery\World\Scenery; either the new stub or the FTX stub would prevent it, even though only one would give the correct elevation, so it may be something else causing the crash. Let me know how you get on, if you can't find the culprit then we'll look at the actual error message.

[ardypilot]

Ah, I hadn't disabled the 'ADE_FTX_NZSI_NZTL_elevation_adjustment.BGL' or 'ADE_FTX_NZSI_NZTL_elevation_adjustment.BGL' files. Did that, and re-activated the REAL NZ Tekapo in the libary and it works a treat. Thanks!

[Shasta62]

Hello,

I apparently have currently a similar problem. The NZSI patch for SLE installs a new stub file for Wanaka and after deactivating the FTX files Wanaka wors fine. But for Tekapo there is no new stub file in the scenery\world\scenery directory and Tekapo is not usable due to mesh problems. In a post in this forum I saw an attachment [602] called NZTL_ADEX_GVF_ALT.zip, but unfortunately this attachment is not available anymore. I assume that's the required altitude correction file. Is there a chance to post it again?

Thank you very much
Christian

[toprob]

Hi Christian
I think the stub you are referring to was to fix the crashes on 64bit systems, it won't do anything else.
Really, Tekapo is not really compatible with Orbx, but you can make it work by disabling all the FTX files for Tekapo (everything with NZTL in the filename, including the stub in Scenery\World\Scenery.)
Tekapo will then sit on a plateau, as mentioned in this thread, but at least it should work.

By the way, the Tekapo installer (1.1) would normally disable all these FTX files, but since then the FTX SI patch has put them all back, so some tidying up is necessary.

[Shasta62]

Hello,

I´m not sure, if I have version 1.1. I have the latest FSX version from simmarket, but it is from 2008 and there is no newer version available (just downloaded it again and installed it - to make sure I have the latest one available).

I deactivated all Tekapo files from NZSI and when I go near NZTL in the sim it crashes. As soon as I activate ADE_FTX_NZSI_NZTL_elevation_adjustment.BGL in the scenery\world\scenery folder I can go to Tekapo, but the mesh is a mess. The installation of Godzone Tekapo worked well and the scenery is activated, insertion point is set correctly. I was able to solve the mesh problem with the NZSI compatibility patch at Wanaka, because in the scenery\world\scenery folder a new elevation adjustment file was installed and the one from NZSI de-activated), but there is no such file for Tekapo. So I have the choice, either I keep ADE_FTX_NZSI_NZTL_elevation_adjustment.BGL in the scenery\world\scenery folder active and have mesh problems at Tekapo or I deactivate this file and the sim crashes. That´s the reason I asked for an elevation adjustment file, because it solved the problem at Wanaka. I run Windows 7 64bit.

Greetings from Germany
Christian

[toprob]

Sorry, Christian, I didn't realise that you were having the crashes. The fix has disappeared from NZFF, as someone pointed out last week.
In the meantime, you can download the stub here. Just put the BGL file from the ZIP into Scenery\World\Scenery.

[Shasta62]

It works perfectly - thank you very very much!