nav lights no longer work

[this4dave2]

Hi:

I need some help to figure out a problem with my FS9; all of my lights except for the landing lights have stopped working switchs work but no lights other than the landing lights

Thanks
David Wooster

[Milton Shupe]

Hi David,

The only thing that comes to mind if lights do not work for all aircraft is to check:

FS Settings/Display/Hardware/ Hardware Settings Hardware Rendered Lights = 8 (instead of 1)

[this4dave2]

Hi David,

The only thing that comes to mind if lights do not work for all aircraft is to check:

FS Settings/Display/Hardware/ Hardware Settings Hardware Rendered Lights = 8 (instead of 1)

thanks for your reply it was set at 6 I did reset it to 8 but no change

thanks again
David

[mgchrist5]

One other possibility: the effects files are missing from the main 'Effects' folder. I believe most FS aircraft lights (except models with hard-coded lights) are generated by corresponding .fx callouts in the aircraft.cfg.

[aeromed202]

Now and again I have the same issue. Seems I have some AC that load or otherwise start as cold, as in no electrical power. If I don't notice that the lights are off and switch to another AC it too will have no electricity. I can only surmise that when FS starts it takes the lead from the AC that is loaded first. I have fixed the problem before by choosing a flight I know is 'normal' and typing it into the appropriate line in the fs9.cfg. This kind of 'initial parameter settings' has been mentioned elsewhere relating to gauge or cold-start induced problems or crashes. If I choose a flight that has an iffy panel I can almost count on trouble until I stop and start the game using a safe AC a few times. Might be part my imagination but give it a try anyway.

[Sunny9850]

That's one of the few reasons why one should never delete the MS default flight with the C-172 at Seattle. It's the sure fire way to reset all panel and aircraft gremlins to load that flight first and then if a cold and dark start with another aircraft is desired simply shut down the Cessna and then move on.

On the other hand I have used a saved "Last Flight" now for about 3 years, including a migration to a new PC. I land and taxi to the ramp and shut down my current ride and then save that flight as "Last Flight" which is my startup flight. The only exception to that is when ever I use one of a few payware aircraft such as the AWX KA-200, the DA Piper Cheyenne's or just about any of the FSD aircraft in my hangar. All of which have one or more problems if they are loaded as startup flight. In those cases I will switch to a simple aircraft such as the C-172 before saving the flight.

I have rounded the globe a number of times in that fashion, always starting off from where I arrived last. But I do change aircraft on occasion :D

The easiest way to see if it is an electrical problem is to either reload the aircraft and see if you can start it, turn on radios etc .... or press CTRL+E for a dummy start and then see if the lights work.

IF all that still leaves you in the dark I would indeed see if you have the required effects AND the associated bitmaps in the effects and effects\texture folder of FS.

For the default C-172 the light section looks like this:

[LIGHTS]
//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit
light.0 = 3, -2.88, -18.11, 2.95, fx_navred
light.1 = 3, -2.88, 18.11, 2.95, fx_navgre
light.2 = 2, -3.15, -18.31, 2.95, fx_strobe
light.3 = 2, -3.15, 18.31, 2.95, fx_strobe
light.4 = 1, -20.60, 0.00, 6.33, fx_beacon
light.5 = 4, -2.27, 0.00, 1.45, fx_vclight

The red nav light highlighted above would require the file fx_navred.fx to be present in the effects folder. Once you examine that fx file in a text editor you find this section establishing the "particles" of light as:

[ParticleAttributes.1]
Blend Mode=2
Texture=fx_2.bmp
Bounce=0.00
Color Start=40, 5, 0, 255
Color End=40, 5, 0, 0
Jitter Distance=0.00
Jitter Time=0.00
uv1=0.00, 0.00
uv2=0.50, 0.50
X Scale Goal=0.00
Y Scale Goal=0.00
Z Scale Goal=0.00
Extrude Length=0.00
Extrude Pitch Max=0.00
Extrude Heading Max=0.00

So now you know that in order for the light to be visible you need the file fx_2.bmp in the effects\textures folder.

Cheers
Stefan

[VPL Paolo Lao]

The same thing happen to me before, and the problem was a missing effect BMP file,. It was deleted by accident.

[this4dave2]

Hi

It looks like I dont have the effect textures needed for the lights to work or maybe the original effect texture file was deleted some how

thanks to all who replied to my request for help

David

[Sunny9850]

They should be easily recovered from the original disks. I don't remember on which of the four CDs they are though.

Cheers
Stefan

[Tom Clayton]

Disk1\MSGAME1.cab has the effects. Use WinRar or 7-Zip to open the cab and still be able to view the folder structure.