Community Folder relocation

[MSFS 2024] Bug Reports
1

Version: 1.0.72.0

Frequency: Consistently

Severity: High

Context: Community folder

Bug description: There is apparently no way during setup to define a different location for community folder than the default one (C:\Users*myuser*\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Limitless_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Community)

2

Not exactly.
Before my installation, I had prepared a 1 TB SSD for MSFS 2024 under the letter I:.
During my installation I asked for the installation to be done under I: XboxGames and I have the simulator that is installed on I: by creating its usual directories Program Files, WindowsApps, WPSystem & XBoxGames.

Without information to find the Community folder, I search under the folder you said and i have found the same folder that you talk about:
I:\WpSystem\S-1-5-21-3880022473-3033334198-2254575957-1007\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Limitless_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages

3

You are right, using the Virtual File System feature of the Dev menu you can find it

Actually I also have the folder F:\WpSystem\S-1-5-21-2278104702-3942225087-3820608230-1003\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Limitless_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Community on my drive but the Virtual File System option point my community folder to C:\Users\myuser\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Limitless_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Community. The packages I have in it are actually in both folders

4

I looked into this a bit when the Tech Alpha came out. Like with @LagaffeVFR5476 I was prompted during install and picked my separate drive (F:\XBoxGames).

I also had the folders under my c:\users directory too, however they were simply symbolic links to the actual folders in F:\XboxGames. It isn’t two copies of everything.

5

Long folder names by default will bring a lot of issues.
Any mod with long names may fail more or less silently with partial content copied : this has already been experimented in msfs2020 and led a lot of incomprehension from users

7 Likes
6

Yes perfectly.
Using an installation under I:\XBoxGams, my Menestrel HN-433 has some problems with long names: some files aren’t copied under Community.
I will try to use symbolic links to see that appear …

7

Hard Links could work indeed…

8

This phenomenon of long names could be solved in 2020 by:

  • installing the launcher in C:XboxGames and
  • giving another path near the root of a drive F: for example when installing the rest of the program : for Official/Onestore and Community folders.

As MSFS 2024 is largely streamed this option may not be taken up for 2024.

9

There are a lot of way to mitigate that (also in usercfg.opt), but most users won’t do it.
It’s sad that the installer does not provide a choice here.

1 Like
10

for developing purposes, so I can as a dev locate the community somewhere else, how can we do this via usercfg.opt?

Best,
Raul

11

Yes. I did that in the tech alpha and now with the dev alpha by changing the location in usercfg.opt

12

my usercfg.opt is in :
C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Limitless_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

and last line is :
InstalledPackagesPath “G:\MSFS2024”

1 Like
13

Seems like you are missing \packages\ at the end

14

I tried changing the path in the usercfg.opt like

InstalledPackagesPath "F:\Games\MSFS2024\Packages"

but now there is no custom addon (the ones in the community folder) shown in the SIM like it’s still looking to the original one

Is this parameter really considered ?

15

I used this trick and it works perfectly but I nevertheless created the 3 subdirectories that were in “WpSystem\S-1-5-21-3880022473-3033334198-2254575957-1007\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Limitless_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages” i.e.

  • Community,
  • Official2020
  • Official2024.

To resume my installation:

  • My MSFS 2024 is installed under I:\

  • The last line of my UserOpt.CFG is: InstalledPackagesPath “I:\Packages”

  • I have moved my add-ons in this “I:\Packages\Community” folder.

16

Trying to make it working I just broke the sim so now I have to install it again
I’m really wondering how normal users will manage it

17

I faced filenane length limit (on windows 11 using explorer), then strange errors like “your organisation doesn’t allow you to put these files here” and so on

18

I have installed again the SIM and updated the usercfg.opt and now the issue is gone. Anyway I hope the final installer will allow to select it otherwise it will create a lot of issues

1 Like
19

I am happy that you have solved your problem.
I worked for more than 30 years as Windows/Linux administrator and one thing I learned is that despite all the progress of Microsoft, there are still many things inherited from MS-DOS.

So in case of installation of new programs, I try to install them:

  • in dedicated partitions,
  • as close as possible to the root of the drive and
  • if possible with short names and I avoid the blanks preferring underscore or dashes.

When it is impossible, the use of symbolic/hard links is a very interresting solution (Windows use a lot theses symbolic links).

2 Likes
20

Hello everyone,

This is a limitation of the DevAlpha.
We will expose a way to choose package directories in later versions.

Regards,
Sylvain

5 Likes