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FSX Availability of SDK with FSX Steam Edition

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scruffyduck

scruffyduck

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I guess y'all are aware that the FSX Steam Edition as delivered by Dovetail Games does not include the Compilers. A number of us have been trying to get this resolved and today I received this reply from DTG in respect of this:

I have now heard back for you regarding the SDKs. Microsoft remains the developer of FSX and is solely responsible for implementation of any features or content. Meanwhile, Dovetail Games is acting as a publisher for Microsoft and is only licenced to modify the simulator in order to make it Steam compatible. Although we have optimised FSX: Steam Edition for use on Steam, in accordance with our licencing agreement with Microsoft we are not at liberty to make significant functionality changes to the simulator.


We know that the SDK is highly important to the FSX developer community and that the current situation regarding its use with FSX: Steam Edition has not been made clear. Implementation of the SDK currently falls outside of our agreement with Microsoft and therefore we have brought your enquiry to their attention so that we can best provide you with the information that you require. This has meant that we have been unable to address your enquiry as quickly as we would like. We are sorry for any frustration this may have caused.


Microsoft has now issued us with clarification on this matter. FSX: Steam Edition does not include a developer SDK and the focus for this release is to provide players with a stable standalone simulator which utilises the advantages of the Steam platform. If you wish to use the SDK it remains available in the boxed edition of FSX and all functionality will continue to work as it did prior to the release of FSX: Steam Edition. There are no plans to introduce a SDK to the Steam edition at this time.
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It is not what we wanted to hear. However at least we know where we stand. It does mean that FSX:SE becomes effectively closed to those folks who do not have the boxed edition and I think that is a great shame. However, at the moment it is possible for anyone to download the P3D 1.4 SDK from Lockheed Martin.
 
Is it not possible just to backup the FSX SDK folder and use that in future? It has all of the compilers etc?
 
Shaun said:
Is it not possible just to backup the FSX SDK folder and use that in future? It has all of the compilers etc?
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Yes of course and there are other ways around this but the fact is that for a new user who only has FSX:SE then they are not able to do their own enhancements. Tools like ADE are used by thousands of folks to enhance their local airport. This will not be possible for FSX:SE new users. That may not matter to them of course and this is all a storm in a teacup.
 
Yes it does Pete but that won't install unless the original version is present. The bottom line is you need at some point to purchase a version of FSX (DeLuxe or Gold) to get access to a working version of the SDK. The installers like the one above will search for that version before installing.
 
Shaun said:
Is it not possible just to backup the FSX SDK folder and use that in future? It has all of the compilers etc?
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Is that it - simply copying existing folders from the SDK? There are no other changes to the overall FSX system to be linked-in when installing the SDK?
 
Is that it - simply copying existing folders from the SDK? There are no other changes to the overall FSX system to be linked-in when installing the SDK?
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That's true for folks who have the boxed edition but the issue here is for those folks who do not have the boxed edition but only the Steam Edition. They have no legitimate way to acquire the Microsoft FSX SDK. And before anyone says it - yes they can currently get the P3D v1.4 SDK from Lockheed Martin and use that...................
 
I am afraid that Dovetail Games have not been very clever in reading and signing contracts with Microsoft (Lockheed Martin apparently had better 'advisers').
From what I read, you would need to have FSX and then FSXSE and the P3D SDK to be able to add something (worthwile mentioning) as an update to FSX???
In my earlier life (just one year ago) I would fire the one that made this stupid contract!!!
 
scruffyduck said:
Yes it does Pete but that won't install unless the original version is present. The bottom line is you need at some point to purchase a version of FSX (DeLuxe or Gold) to get access to a working version of the SDK. The installers like the one above will search for that version before installing.
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The box version of FSX Gold are now selling at Amazon for as high as 167.00 USD. The deluxe is a little bit less while they last.

However all the ones I checked were for the country of Germany

My email read the same as Jon's that Dovetail sent me.
 
If that is true, then why did DTG even bother to include any of the SDK in their release of FSX:SE...???

Jon, it sounds to me as though the person from DTG doesn't really understand what the SDK is for, since it has absolutely nothing to do with them making changes to the core product!

As it is, it is just plain S T U P I D to even have the ..\sdk folder at all, much less GMax and the gmax_FSModelExp.dle but no XToMDL.exe with which to compile the export from GMax! :yikes:
 
n4gix said:
If that is true, then why did DTG even bother to include any of the SDK in their release of FSX:SE...???

Jon, it sounds to me as though the person from DTG doesn't really understand what the SDK is for, since it has absolutely nothing to do with them making changes to the core product!

As it is, it is just plain S T U P I D to even have the ..\sdk folder at all, much less GMax and the gmax_FSModelExp.dle but no XToMDL.exe with which to compile the export from GMax! :yikes:
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I could not agree more Bill. I completely fail to understand what it is all about. :oops:
 
Feel free to cut-and-paste or simply reword my comment and send it back to the DTG Drone Idiot. See what kind of response that generates. :stirthepo:rotfl:

More to the point however is just how they expect any new developers to create DLC for them given that "boxed editions" of FSX-Deluxe and FSX-Gold are for all practical purposes non-existent, or at least as scarce as hen's teeth. :scratchch
 
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So... what is the workaround...? I changed my PC recently and only install FSX:SE and when I try to run the Gmax exporter, even with the same folders from my old PC it doesn't work. I want to avoid install my old FSX because I don't want two FSX's... what can I do?

(Sorry about my english)
 
scruffyduck said:
Yes it does Pete but that won't install unless the original version is present. The bottom line is you need at some point to purchase a version of FSX (DeLuxe or Gold) to get access to a working version of the SDK. The installers like the one above will search for that version before installing.
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The files can be extracted using lessmsi.
 
Gerli said:
So... what is the workaround...? I changed my PC recently and only install FSX:SE and when I try to run the Gmax exporter, even with the same folders from my old PC it doesn't work. I want to avoid install my old FSX because I don't want two FSX's... what can I do?
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You don't need FSX (disk) installed. You only need the FSX SDK installed. If you have removed it, then simply reinstall it.
 
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