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what prevents AI planes from flying? (Read 561 times)

Jun 13^th, 2006 at 11:55am

ripping Offline
Colonel
solo since '66
New Zealand

Gender:
Posts: 27

My first attempt at putting in AI worked fine.
I did an SR71, a Mustang and an F15. I did a couple of the default planes too.
I started having trouble when putting in an A380 repaint I was working on. It wouldn't appear at NZAA (departure airport.). Even tho I followed the same method that worked with the previous successful attempts. I also tried a Qantas 747 that didn't work.
What I have been doing is this.
Use Ttools to decompile traffic.bgl.
Use text editor to add in the new aircraft into aircraft*.bgl.
Use simple AI to make a flightplan using the new aircraft (eg AC#65)
recompile everything back to bgl files.

there might be something totally obvious (to you!) that I'm missing. But damned if i know what it might be. I've done lots of forum reading.. but nothing I've read really points the finger.

I do have a question tho... what the second field in a aircraft line represent ?
its like 505 for a 747, only 120 for a Cessna.
eg "AC#43,505,"Qantas Airways B747-438"

specs: Intel 1.6@2.4, 500Mb RAM, GeForce 4600Ti, 2x 80Gb Seagate. Dell 24

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Reply #1 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 12:01pm

garymbuska Offline
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I would rather be flying
Jacksonville, Florida

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Posts: 2850

One of the reasons for any AI aircraft not to appear at a airport is lack of parking space for that type of aircraft at that airport. This is a easy fix with AFCAD you can add parking spaces to any airport. Some of the default airports do not have a lot of parking spaces for each type of aircraft so as you increase traffic for that area those spaces will fill up fast.
You can also change the type of parking space needed for a aircraft by adding a line in the aircraft cfg file of the aircraft you want to change. There are three types of parking spaces HEAVY MEDIUM and SMALL. 8)

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Reply #2 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 12:08pm

ripping Offline
Colonel
solo since '66
New Zealand

Gender:
Posts: 27

Quote:

One of the reasons for any AI aircraft not to appear at a airport is lack of parking space for that type of aircraft at that airport. This is a easy fix with AFCAD you can add parking spaces to any airport. Some of the default airports do not have a lot of parking spaces for each type of aircraft so as you increase traffic for that area those spaces will fill up fast.

I thought I'd discounted that possibility, because I tested with an A380, that didn't work. I tested with a Qantas 747, that didn't work, then tested with a blank 747 paintkit, and that did work.

Angry

Angry

its frustratin' !
I've not tried AFCAD yet tho.. I want to win each little battle with addons as I go. AI is my current battle !

specs: Intel 1.6@2.4, 500Mb RAM, GeForce 4600Ti, 2x 80Gb Seagate. Dell 24

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Reply #3 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 12:46pm

wji Offline
Colonel

Posts: 1644

"Use Ttools to decompile traffic.bgl."
If you mean this literally, may I suggest test by creating smaller files; e.g., traffic_new.bgl

One can have as many traffic_files.bgl as there is discspace. Here's a sample of the three obligatory *.txt files:

P.S. AFCAD2 and TTools work together and were created by the dame author: Lee Swordy; also, one should have MS Traffic ToolBox -- (traffictoolbox_sdk_setup.exe / 1.5MB)
- a freebe from Microsoft to view your AI taffic in FS9

PhotoShop 7 user

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Reply #4 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 1:08pm

ripping Offline
Colonel
solo since '66
New Zealand

Gender:
Posts: 27

Quote:

"Use Ttools to decompile traffic.bgl."
If you mean this literally, may I suggest test by creating smaller files; e.g., traffic_new.bgl

One can have as many traffic_files.bgl as there is discspace. Here's a sample of the three obligatory *.txt files:

I must have been doing this just as you typed your reply.!!
I have zipped up and deleted the bgl files I made and the traffic.bgl.
I then compiled these three files

Aircraftnew.txt:
AC#1,505,"Airbus A380, Ripping Silk"

Airportsnew.txt:
NZAA,S37* 0.47',E174* 47.49',23
NZAP,S38* 44.37',E176* 5.05',1332
NZCH,S43* 29.35',E172* 32.05',121
NZDN,S45* 55.67',E170* 11.89',3
NZHN,S37* 51.97',E175* 20.10',171
NZNP,S39* 0.46',E174* 10.72',95
NZNR,S39* 27.93',E176* 52.19',3
NZNS,S41* 17.88',E173* 13.25',16
NZNV,S46* 24.88',E168* 19.18',3
NZPM,S40* 19.22',E175* 37.00',151
NZQN,S45* 1.25',E168* 44.33',1168
NZRO,S38* 6.53',E176* 19.03',935
NZTG,S37* 40.19',E176* 11.76',13
NZWK,S37* 55.22',E176* 54.84',20
NZWN,S41* 19.62',E174* 48.30',39

flightplansa380.txt:
AC#1,AIRB,10%,4Hr,IFR,00:28:00,01:13:47,400,R,1239,NZWN,02:00:00,02:45:47,400,R,
1240,NZAA

recompiled to bgl

And now its a ghost airport. Nothing there at all. Angry

Angry

specs: Intel 1.6@2.4, 500Mb RAM, GeForce 4600Ti, 2x 80Gb Seagate. Dell 24

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Reply #5 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 1:15pm

dave3cu Offline
Colonel
Procrastinate now, don't
put it off.
3CU, Northern Wisconsin, USA

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Quote:

eg "AC#43,505,"Qantas Airways B747-438"

505=the cruise airspeed, taken from the [Reference Speeds] section of the 'aircraft.cfg' file. It is used by TTools to calculate the 'leg' duration.

"Qantas Airways B747-438"-make sure this is identical to the 'title=....' line in the [fltsim.*] section or the ac will not show.

When looking for your ai at the airport, remember that all ai flightplan times are GMT not local.

Dave

« Last Edit: Jun 14^th, 2006 at 7:15am by dave3cu »

At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation. Igor Sikorsky

I intend to live forever....so far, so good. Steven Wright

You know....you can just rip up a to-do list.

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Reply #6 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 1:30pm

ripping Offline
Colonel
solo since '66
New Zealand

Gender:
Posts: 27

Quote:

ahhh.. .thanks
Quote:

505=the design airspeed, taken from the [Reference Speeds] section of the 'aircraft.cfg' file. It is used by TTools to calculate the 'leg' duration.

"Qantas Airways B747-438"-make sure this is identical to the 'title=....' line in the [fltsim.*] section or the ac will not show.

When looking for your ai at the airport, remember that all ai flightplan times are GMT not local.

Dave

Yep double checked both those points, and everything seems to be OK .

specs: Intel 1.6@2.4, 500Mb RAM, GeForce 4600Ti, 2x 80Gb Seagate. Dell 24

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Reply #7 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 6:44pm

RollerBall Ex Member

And when you've done all of that make sure you have parking spaces with sufficiently large radiuses to take those aircraft. Those babies are not small.

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Reply #8 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 7:35pm

garymbuska Offline
Colonel
I would rather be flying
Jacksonville, Florida

Gender:
Posts: 2850

If you have a line in your aircraft cfg file like below
atc_parking_types=CARGO
then that plane will need a empty cargo space in order to park, that is just one entry you can have.
I strongly suggest you use afcad to find out what types of parking spaces are at the air port you are trying to put the airbus in, just because you can put one 747 there does not means you can put a airbus there esp if it has a line like above it will need a empty cargo space and a lot of airports do not have them. 8)

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Reply #9 - Jun 14^th, 2006 at 4:53am

ripping Offline
Colonel
solo since '66
New Zealand

Gender:
Posts: 27

Quote:

I strongly suggest you use afcad to find out what types of parking spaces are at the air port you are trying to put the airbus in, just because you can put one 747 there does not means you can put a airbus there esp if it has a line like above it will need a empty cargo space and a lot of airports do not have them. 8)

OK I'll check out AFCAD , see if it tells me anything.. thanks

specs: Intel 1.6@2.4, 500Mb RAM, GeForce 4600Ti, 2x 80Gb Seagate. Dell 24

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Reply #10 - Jun 14^th, 2006 at 5:38am

ripping Offline
Colonel
solo since '66
New Zealand

Gender:
Posts: 27

I got AFCAD and had a look at NZAA.
There is one heavy Gate and one Cargo Ramp. The parking radii for these are over 50m. The airbus 380 says it has a 44m radius.
I put in a parking area and called it a heavy gate, just for good measure.
So after saving the file in the default location, I had a go in FS2004, but still no-one home at the airport.
The parking type for the 380 is a gate BTW.

specs: Intel 1.6@2.4, 500Mb RAM, GeForce 4600Ti, 2x 80Gb Seagate. Dell 24

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Reply #11 - Jun 14^th, 2006 at 7:45am

dave3cu Offline
Colonel
Procrastinate now, don't
put it off.
3CU, Northern Wisconsin, USA

Gender:
Posts: 3077

Maybe these are just typos, but:

Aircraftnew.txt:
AC#1,505,"Airbus A380, Ripping Silk"

<-

Recheck the 'title=', have never seen a comma used here.

flightplansa380.txt:

<-

the file name must fit with the others in the set-'flightplansnew.txt'
AC#1,AIRB,10%,4Hr,IFR,00:28:00,01:13:47,400,R,1239,NZWN,02:00:00,02:45:4 7,400,R,1240,NZAA

Dave

Edit: Took your source text from above, created the 3 source files and compiled (I used aircraft_nz, airports_nz and flightplans_nz.txt, tho' it makes no difference as long as they 'match'). I only changed the ac as I dont have that A320.

Dropped into the 1st leg departure, NZAA at 00:28:00 GMT, and there it was, ready at the gate.

(In the 'flightplansnz.txt' file change the 'R' to 'F' so that atc uses the flight #, not tail# )

At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation. Igor Sikorsky

I intend to live forever....so far, so good. Steven Wright

You know....you can just rip up a to-do list.

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Reply #12 - Jun 14^th, 2006 at 9:11am

ripping Offline
Colonel
solo since '66
New Zealand

Gender:
Posts: 27

Awesome stuff.. thanks, I got it working.
The title was right. But I took out the comma's just in case.
Changed the reference to the flight # not the tail.

but I think it was the fact that the three files were not 'similar'. I didn't know each 'pack' of files must have the same structure. anyway. thanks for your help Dave, and everyone else that chipped in.!

specs: Intel 1.6@2.4, 500Mb RAM, GeForce 4600Ti, 2x 80Gb Seagate. Dell 24

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Reply #13 - Jun 14^th, 2006 at 9:55am

dave3cu Offline
Colonel
Procrastinate now, don't
put it off.
3CU, Northern Wisconsin, USA

Gender:
Posts: 3077

Glad you got it working.. Cheesy

Cheesy

Lovely screen shot!

Quote:

The title was right. But I took out the comma's just in case.

Don't discount the importance of the errant comma. Even after sorting out the file name issue, that comma would have caused the failure. The string MUST be EXACT. Wink

Wink

Dave

At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation. Igor Sikorsky

I intend to live forever....so far, so good. Steven Wright

You know....you can just rip up a to-do list.

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Reply #14 - Jun 14^th, 2006 at 12:32pm

ripping Offline
Colonel
solo since '66
New Zealand

Gender:
Posts: 27

thanks. yeah, still some painting left to do.. they are BIG planes!

but with regards to the comma, both strings were exactly the same. It's just i removed the comma (and shortened the name) on BOTH references, just to remove the possibility that comma's are not allowed.
now I have issues with two other AI planes that DID work b4! No matter, I understand it all a bit better now.

specs: Intel 1.6@2.4, 500Mb RAM, GeForce 4600Ti, 2x 80Gb Seagate. Dell 24

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