Here's a quick question for subscribers, as I need to decide whether to include the custom autogen trees in future Subscription releases. (Initially the Coromandel.)
This is really aimed at subscribers only, but anyone can answer, as it may apply to all future Real NZ/Godzone releases. However if you never buy scenery, please don't partake!
Some info on the issue:
This custom autogen is added to the autogen configuration files, via a tool called Autogen Configuration Merger Tool, devised by Arno at FSDeveloper, to allow developers to add their own definitions to the autogen without having to overwrite the autogen files, and to prevent other developers from overwriting them. This tool runs when the simulator runs, and checks the autogen to make sure that the definitions are there, and if not, adds them. So it is called by the exe.xml file.
Some people hate anything which is called by exe.xml, but I don't really know why this is. Those who have bought Real NZ Dunedin will already know how this works, the installer also installs the Merger tool, which requires user input and an understanding of the process.
In New Zealand, the main culprit who overwrites the descriptions is Orbx, and they do it every time FTX Central runs. This would ordinarily mean that no other developers could use custom autogen, so Arno's tool is a great solution.
Because the tool runs when the sim runs, any additions made by it are not able to be used until the sim is closed and rerun. This is a nuisance, and if you use FTX Central a lot, you will find that this happens a lot. If you don't, then you may only need to run the tool once, when it is installed and then forget about it.
The alternative is to use default autogen, which I would really hate to have to do. Or offer a choice to users, provided there are enough who are against it.