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Does anyone out there know if missions (so far extremely few; all payware) created for FSX STEAM will work with the "old" FSX (Acceleration version)? I know that STEAM got rid of a lot of bugs and made the programme faster, but are the missions still written as .XML or .SPB files, and do they contain new commands that the old FSX doesn't understand?



Cheers,

eskil

eskil wrote:Does anyone out there know if missions (so far extremely few; all payware) created for FSX STEAM will work with the "old" FSX (Acceleration version)? I know that STEAM got rid of a lot of bugs and made the programme faster, but are the missions still written as .XML or .SPB files, and do they contain new commands that the old FSX doesn't understand?



Cheers,

eskil

I will go out on a limb here but I do not see why they would not work. I was one of the beta testers for the steam version but to be honest I never tried any of the missions. I am not one for missions. I kind of create my own mission. But not ones that you would use in the missions. I pick a random airport and aircraft and than create a flight plan to a random destination. But I do not actually create it as a mission.

I think you wont have problems, but the usual subject is install programs from the boxed edition in Steam, not as you want.

I explain the problems I have detected installing missions from boxed to Steam edition for anybody interested. In your case if you get problems you should think in "reverse mode".

Dou you have FSX-SE and FSX in your system?:

A- If not (so you only have FSX boxed) probably no problem. But take into account that the installer can create new folders, so we are in case B.

B-If yes, in spite of the separate folders of FSX and FSX-SE, there are problems:

1- If the missions are flights, there is a risk of being installed in User\...\"Flight Simulator X files", instead "Flight Simulator X - Steam Edition Files". The solution is cutting and pasting in the proper folder.
REVERSE: A FSX-SE can install the flights in Flight Simulator X - Steam Edition Files instead in Flight Simulator X files

2-If in the mission there is a scenery addon, the Scene files can be properly installed in FSX-SE but not in the FSX-SE scenery.cfg, I mean that the installer writes the lines of the scene in the C:\Program data\...\FSX\scenery.cfg, not in the Steam one. The soultion is install manually the scene.
REVERSE: The scene will be installed in FSX but the lines of the scene will be written in the FSX-SE scenery.cfg

Good luck

Thank you both for commenting. I was actually going to purchase (maybe, maybe) the third-party set of missions found on fxinsider.com. They are done by the very knowledgeable Jane Whittaker, writer in PC Pilot and herself a real airliner pilot.
As for installation, I hate automatic installers, as I never have control of what's deposited where. Most of them (unless they are .msi files) can be fooled by directing the install to the desktop or to a temporary folder.
My worry rather consists in risking finding that a mission written for FSX:STEAM might contain new commands or scenery items or effects or whatever (a bit like trying to run an Acceleration mission in the default version). Still, after your comments I think I might risk the 20 euros and get it.

Solved: The STEAM missions are indeed identical to those of the original FSX, but you first need to purchase and install FSX-STEAM, as the installer for the two commercial packages out so far (Dangerous Approaches and Cargo Crew - payware) need to place the new missions in the STEAM folder. Having done that, you can copy them to your original FSX (including the reward files and the two new categories used).

Glad to see that it works.