what prevents AI planes from flying?

[ripping]

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"

[garymbuska]

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)

[ripping]

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.

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 !

[wji]

"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

[ripping]

"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.  >:(

[dave3cu]

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

505=the cruise airspeed, taken from the [Reference Speeds] section of the 'aircraft.cfg' file.

[ripping]

ahhh.. .thanks

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 .

[RollerBall]

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.

[garymbuska]

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.

[ripping]

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.

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

[ripping]

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.

[dave3cu]

Maybe these are just typos, but:

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

[ripping]

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.!

[dave3cu]

Glad you got it working..

[ripping]

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.