Allow marketplace aircraft sellers the option to unlock config files

Official Microsoft Flight Simulator Wishlist
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TL;DR: Please allow publishers the option, at their discretion, to provide unencrypted configuration files for their aircraft sold in the marketplace.

Happily, SU10 will implement the config file unlocks for Premium/Deluxe aircraft, as was requested in this topic.

Community mods have not only enhanced stock MSFS aircraft, they’ve often also tweaked and added functionality to third-party planes as well. It would be nice to have the option to allow the community to tweak performance or other functionality of third-party Marketplace aircraft if the aircraft’s creator approves of this.

The request here would be to allow sellers who publish their planes in the marketplace the option to have their configurations files unlocked, while maintaining protection of the overall aircraft, just as is being done with the Premium/Deluxe planes. (EDIT: By configuration files I mean files that can be edited to affect performance/handling/etc, so that can include .xml and other files in addition to .cfg.)

This would allow publishers who don’t have the bandwidth to update older aircraft, or publishers who don’t mind users creating variant performance profiles, to let the community add value (and promotion, as the files on sites like Flightsim.to essentially promote marketplace planes elsewhere) to existing planes.

This is suggested as an option because we realize MS has agreements with Marketplace publishers and the marketplace planes are the property of their creators. But this way, if a publisher like Carenado or DC Designs wanted to allow tweaks, they could, while still maintaining the protection and security of selling through the Marketplace.

Would love to hear concerns about, or support for, the idea from third-party aircraft creators and publishers!

EDIT: Also, MS could likely do this right off with Local Legends and Famous Flyers, since they are the publishers.

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I absolutly agree with that. The encrypted cfg files are the reason I avoid buying from the marketplace.

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This is 100% under the control of the Developers, and they could do this at any time.

While the files remain encrypted on the MS-Marketplace, there is NO REASON why, if a developer chose to, they could not either supply version of the unencrypted files in their website,
or
even better, and cleaner, include the unencrypted files with the product, in a sub folder, that is not included in the layout.json (in the extreme naming those files say *.cfg.txt )

So why don’t they ?

#1 reason to cut down in Tech Support time, spent on addressing issues by users who have messed with the .cfg files, and now find their plane is not working as it should.

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You say that like it’s a truth, but unless you have inside knowledge I’m not sure it is. I would imagine MS has restrictions on what can/can’t be part of the marketplace packages, and that there’s some level of automation in what gets pulled into the encryption process. Have a separate folder with duplicate config files for the community is a whole level of complexity and possible support needs versus just clicking box on submission that says “Do not encypt aircraft.cfg and other config files.” Ditto on posting them on a website.

There’s no harm in making this an option. If it’s there and some developers choose not to use it out of support concerns, customers can make it known that affected their purchase decision. No harm in at least adding this as a potential benefit for thier planes and for customers, so why try to argue stopping it in its tracks?

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I do not see the complication of including a duplicate set of .cfg files, with an added .txt extension, in part of the packet’s Documentation folder,

A .txt file in a “Documents” folder would not get ENCODED !!!

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Even doing that would likely require a change in Microsoft’s certification and distribution process. MSFS Marketplace is a closed ecosystem to protect the security of the Xbox and I’m certain developers are limited in what can be included in a Marketplace package. So it’s not like a dev could just stick a .txt copy of aircraft.cfg and other config files in a documentation folder. There’s a certification process on what can be in a distribution.

If MS is going to change policies anyway, why not just allow the uncompressed .cfg files instead of adding extra layers of complexity of extra files in a documentation folder? MSFS supports uncompressed configuration files and protected main files now with the Deluxe/Premium planes in SU10, so likely doing that for Marketplace planes would just be a matter of tweaking what’s encrypted when the distribution packages are created.

Your argument is that it’s possible now. Possibly, but it doesn’t happen, so obviously something needs to change. Thus this topic.

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it seems like it is due to Microsoft:

unlock request

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Yep. Would be great if they could unlock the .cfg files while keeping everything else protected.

They could offer an option for devs to encrypt those too if they don’t want user mods. (User mods are like free publicity for the plane, and also push some hesitant users into buying, so that’d be shortsighted. But it’s their IP.)

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I’ve voted but I think I agree with the view that it’s on the devs. If the example given Carenado wanted to allow access they could simply sell the open file access aircraft directly or via another store just like many other devs. Because they choose not to tells me they are happy with this arrangement. They are missing out on sales but that is their call.

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Choosing to sell in Marketplace vs third-party stores is a totally different issue. That has everything to do with balancing the expanded potential market with the costs of inevitable piracy.

As I understand it from reading developer discussions, when planes are submitted to MS for Marketplace, all files are encrypted as part of the publishing process. So it’s not like Carenado made a choice to keep the files locked down here.

So we’re just asking for devs to have the option. We won’t know if they’d take advantage of it or not when its not even an option with the current Marketplace publishing process.

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There is also no TECHNICAL reason (except not wanting to do so), that a 3rd party dev could not publish a copy of the .cfg file for their product as part of the Plane’s Documentation, in the Plane’s Documentation folder, where it would NOT automatically get encoded. :+1:

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It’s not different. Not encrypted on the MS store is virtually the same as selling directly from their own web store. Like I said I firmly believe the devs have a choice, so this is on them. Remember I voted so I’m not suggesting an alternative is not ok because every little helps but if this doesn’t happen the devs can still make it available wherever they wish.

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No, it’s not the same at all. Nobody’s suggesting decrypting the entire plane, just the configuration files. The plane would still be protected from ****bag pirates. We’re just asking for the config files to be decrypted.

Not trying to prolong an Internet argument. But the whole reason the initial request to decrypt the config files for the Premium/Deluxe planes was initially rejected by Asobo was because it was interpreted as a request to decrypt the entire plane. That’s not what we’re asking for here. Just to decrypt the flight model configuration files, so people can mod the planes, but the actual plane will still be protected from theft.

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Ok I get it but it’s still the devs choice. So it’s on them really. If they all don’t want this then there is little point and as already said they could make these files available elsewhere if necessary.

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Right, but this adds to their choice — they can have unencrypted configs AND still stay exclusive to Marketplace. Which is better for us than the current situation, although, yep, ideally we’d like a choice of storefront. But some devs won’t do that, and having heard some of the piracy stories, I get it.

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NO, the point is MS is probably not going to want to modify what they encode, on a plane by plane basis, or on a Dev by Dev basis, so all “payware” 3rd party Dev products in the MS- Marketplace will end up being encoded.

BUT

The Dev can choose to include a copy of the .cfg files in the plane’s Documentation. if they wanted to … :nerd_face:

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As you said on July 11. But it can’t hurt to ask.

Perhaps we could be supportive of something we’d all like to see? The Internet’s got plenty of cynicism without us adding more to it. :slight_smile:

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So, Asobo / MS have unlocked the encoding of the Premium / Deluxe planes .cfg file.

With the other files still encoded, NOBODY, (not even the smartest FS Hacker) is going to be able to create a hacked copy of the Plane that will run on anyone’s PC or X-box, because the other critical files being encoded.

It does not take Brain Surgery, to write your own set of .cfg files…( almost all the required info is already in the SDK), but with the Model and other files still encoded, you are NOT going to be able to pirate the plane – which is why Carenado is so secure from having their planes pirated - and would remain so, even if their .cfg were not encoded, or were to be supplied as documentation with the plane,

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I would also like to vote for opening the CFG files. I play with some other addons that oftentimes demandes that I change some things about the title of the plane or things like that. With encrypted files I can’t, and this is the #1 reason i chose to NOT buy from the Marketplace if I have the choice, or not buy at all if it’s a Carenado/ Marketplace only plane.

Plus, some planes could use some community mods to make the behave how I want, and encrypted files prevent that.

Please let CFG files be unencrypted. FSX worked just fine with unencrypted CFG files. FS2004 and FS2002, too. That’s as far as I remember, can’t vouch for earlier file formats.

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Once again, it is up to the individual Developers who sell on the MS-Marketplace, to decide if they are going to include UN-encrypted copies of their .cfg files, in their plane’s documentation.

This is 100% up to them… and has nothing to do with what MS does with the encryption, when they put the plane on the Marketplace, using their standard processes.

The way I see it, if a dev does not do so, they risk limiting their sales, by being so narrow minded, and not supporting the wishes of their customers.

I for one, now, would never purchase “say” a Carenado Plane on the Marketplace, unless Carenado supply a copy of the .cfg file, so, "IF I CHOOSE: - (or more likely NEED) to mod/fix the plane, I can do so.

Your mileage vary vary … what you choose to do is obviously up to you :wink:

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