FSX Steam Edition Boats Question

[StayinArrive]

Okay I'm back at it.....that is trying to get my boat moving.. Note that I've posted my problem here several times and many have tried to help me. It is greatly appreciated. There are many experts here who are kind enough to help us novices. Can't say enough about them.

Anyway to summarize. I have a boat in position offshore with valid BOATS, PLANS, and ROUTES txt files. The boat has never moved. Yet from time to time I see other AI boats sailing around. So the Steam Edition does in fact support boat traffic.

I've also raised the question with the Steam tech support folks who just apologize and tell me they don't support third party add-on stuff like AIBTC. I can understand that except for the fact it isn't an add-on, it's a tool independent of FSX operation.

Now to my very last question on this subject.

AIBTC properly compiles my text file and and puts the .bgl file into the.scenery/World/scenery folder as shown below.



Note that there is also a generic trafficboats bgl file of 1784 kb in the folder as well. My guess is that's where the indvidual bgl files for the AI Boats that I see moving around at my airport, as well as for all the AI boats in the Steam Edition package are located....1784kb worth....to my 1kb.

I've tried to copy/paste my file to the that location but can't. I've tried to set the AIBTC destination to that location but it will only let me go down to the scenery/World/scenery folder.

The solution then is more about hacking than it is about AI traffic...any ideas?

 

[Flattermann]

Hi, could you load here your traffickmw_sailbig.bgl? Or the file as zip.file?
You could the 2 txt files and the kml file upload also. I'll have a look.

 

[StayinArrive]

Hi, could you load here your traffickmw_sailbig.bgl? Or the file as zip.file?
You could the 2 txt files and the kml file upload also. I'll have a look.

I appreciate that Flatterman but I've finally managed to get the Steam software developers looking at the problem. The first echelon of Steam support folks copped out on me claiming it was an AIBTC issue. But then kicked it over to the software folks after I linked to my original post above.

Bottomline is AIBTC properly compiles (after you and others found faults with the text files). The snipped image (above) of the Steam FSX/....scenery/World/scenery folder clearly shows that AIBTC compiled the files and placed them at the bottom of that folder. It is the only specific identifiable bgl file in the folder. Yet, in the sim, at my airport, there are several moving boats but not mine. It just sits there.

I don't know the structure of the file "trafficboats.bgl" pointed to, but I do know it has 1784 kb of boat traffic, plus 6 kb of Carrier traffic, and 22 kb of aircraft traffic. If I knew how to decompile the "trafficboats.bgl" file to XML, I might be able to add my sailboat.

I'll keep you posted and thank you again.


Ohh...by the way the BGL2XmlGUI app from ScruffyDuck encountered some kind of error and wouldn't decompile.

 

[Flattermann]

I don't know why you make this matter so complicated. I made a lot of trafficfiles for boats and they work. You send the files and I 'll see.
Trafficboats.bgl is for the whole FSXboats all over the world. So the file is so big.
if you make a trafficfile for one boat it has 1 or 2 kb not more.
The BGL2XmlGUI I don't know; I never used it. I work only with AIFP2 and with this program I'll make and test my traffic-bgl.files.
Why should you decompile trafficboats.bgl? I made this with AIFP; the result was a lot of mistakes and issues! It is not worth to do so.
I really would help you but I think you don't wish

 

[StayinArrive]

I don't know why you make this matter so complicated. I made a lot of trafficfiles for boats and they work. You send the files and I 'll see.
Trafficboats.bgl is for the whole FSXboats all over the world. So the file is so big.
if you make a trafficfile for one boat it has 1 or 2 kb not more.
The BGL2XmlGUI I don't know; I never used it. I work only with AIFP2 and with this program I'll make and test my traffic-bgl.files.
Why should you decompile trafficboats.bgl? I made this with AIFP; the result was a lot of mistakes and issues! It is not worth to do so.
I really would help you but I think you don't wish

Okay....


AC#2,15,"sailboat_big_u_sm"

AC#2,sail_big,20%,4Hr,02:00:00,02:40:57,1000,reverse,ferry,03:00:00,03:40:57,1000,normal,ferry

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2" xmlns:gx="http://www.google.com/kml/ext/2.2" xmlns:kml="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
<Document>
<name>1000.kml</name>
<open>1</open>
<StyleMap id="m_ylw-pushpin5">
<Pair>
<key>normal</key>
<styleUrl>#s_ylw-pushpin4</styleUrl>
</Pair>
<Pair>
<key>highlight</key>
<styleUrl>#s_ylw-pushpin_hl0</styleUrl>
</Pair>
</StyleMap>
<Style id="s_ylw-pushpin4">
<IconStyle>
<scale>1.1</scale>
<Icon>
<href>http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/kml/pushpin/ylw-pushpin.png</href>
</Icon>
<hotSpot x="20" y="2" xunits="pixels" yunits="pixels"/>
</IconStyle>
</Style>
<Style id="s_ylw-pushpin_hl0">
<IconStyle>
<scale>1.3</scale>
<Icon>
<href>http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/kml/pushpin/ylw-pushpin.png</href>
</Icon>
<hotSpot x="20" y="2" xunits="pixels" yunits="pixels"/>
</IconStyle>
</Style>
<Placemark>
<name>1000</name>
<styleUrl>#m_ylw-pushpin5</styleUrl>
<LineString>
<tessellate>1</tessellate>
<coordinates>
-80.89848918059785,29.09974803290757,0 -80.87005741150652,29.04273219462939,0 -80.85152349947178,29.01225748454213,0 -80.83530595179762,28.99705924157535,0 -80.82724243150899,28.98991705581452,0 -80.81725271493852,28.97850732352762,0 -80.80872510664736,28.9619146582259,0 -80.80392256530496,28.95257702284378,0
</coordinates>
</LineString>
</Placemark>
</Document>
</kml>

 

[KL791]

While I can't see other mistakes the reason you can't decompile is that the name sail_big in line 2 is too long - it must be maz 6 characters (maybe 7) - else you get a Error 8 when decompiling.

 

[Flattermann]

I think you can take the follow
AC#2,SailB,20%,4Hr,02:00:00,02:40:57,1000,reverse,ferry,03:00:00,03:40:57,1000,normal,ferry

Now I have to ask: How can I make the XML file visible in Google Earth or FSX? Normally I use KMLfiles

Edit: I tried the files (Boats and Plans) with a new kml-file and it works great! If there is amistake, it must be in your xml-file.

 

[Flattermann]

In the meantime I found a way to compile xml-files to bgl-files using xml2bgl.exe. I tried this program with your xml-file but I get only a lot of errors!? Try to send me the bgl-file or I can't help any more.

Edit: I've got it! I am thankful because I learned a lot. I haven't known your XML-File is a KML-file for GE! So I can convert with AIBTC program your files to a bgl-file and it works in my FSX. The sailboat "cruises" e.g. on the first of June at 40:40 UTC at X50 (Massey Ranch, New Smyrna Beach, Florida)

 

[jpfil]

XML is a data langage. KML files are simply xml files adapted to GE. In FSX many files are in xml langage.

 

[StayinArrive]

I think you can take the follow
AC#2,SailB,20%,4Hr,02:00:00,02:40:57,1000,reverse,ferry,03:00:00,03:40:57,1000,normal,ferry

Now I have to ask: How can I make the XML file visible in Google Earth or FSX? Normally I use KMLfiles

Edit: I tried the files (Boats and Plans) with a new kml-file and it works great! If there is amistake, it must be in your xml-file.

Yes, it works great in the FSX Deluxe boxed edition but not in the Steam Edition which I use simply because the fps are much higher than I ever obtained before. 30's and 40's ! I thought I had mentioned that I'm using the Steam Edition which, with respect to AI Traffic, is just different

Anyway, I said I'd keep you posted. I'm getting closer. I managed to decompile the Steam Edition trafficboats.bgl and the structure is far different. All the files are combined into just 3 folders...BoatsBoats, PlansBoats, and RoutesBoats. There are only 16 boats, but hundreds of plans and hundreds of routes for them. Here's a Google Earth picture of some.



Having decompiled the file I found the first problem to be the identifier of my sailboat, AC#2, duplicated the identifier of a cargo ship in the Steam Edition "BoatsBoats" folder. I was able to insert my sailboat (with another identifier) to that folder and it's plan in the "PlansBoats" folder. I also moved my route file into the "RoutesBoats" folder. You can't see it in the GE picture of course but it's in there.

I was certain that would do it, but there's still a problem. When I compiled there was an error message that my route "1000" was "unknown"?

I'll figure that out next, but I can't wait to figure out what time I have to be there to see a ship going through the Panama Canal.

 

[jpfil]

Do you trace your route in GE, name it and export it as KML files?

Why you dont make your own traffic files? I dont touch to the default traffic files and always made my own. Simple, easy and secure.

 

[Flattermann]

I managed to decompile the Steam Edition trafficboats.bgl and the structure is far different. All the files are combined into just 3 folders...BoatsBoats, PlansBoats, and RoutesBoats.

This is the same in FSX. I said to you: I need 3 files 2 txt-files called Boats.txt, plans.txt and routes.kml (or XML). Only you have to specify the names for each Route (like Arrive.bgl) Try the bgl - file and you will see it works. If you use ABTC.exe you can decompile this bgl-file. It will be the same files you send me here.

When I compiled there was an error message that my route "1000" was "unknown"?

You have to load this file in GE and the unknown will be known.
Best regards

 

[Flattermann]

XML is a data langage. KML files are simply xml files adapted to GE. In FSX many files are in xml langage.

Thank you, I worked now more than 4 years for FSX but this I hadn't known before