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Goofy AI placement....ideas??

FlyingMasterChef

FlyingMasterChef

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us-ohio
I load my airport probably 5 or 6 times an hour to check new paths, parking layouts, etc...

On one load, I get this (see pic) DC-3 sitting here. Kicker is, there is NO parking for a plane this size here, it's not facing any direction of any parking space on the entire airport, and it isn't even at a parking spot.... Anyone else ever seen this odd behavior? It is the ONLY time I have ever seen it, so not a huge deal, just wondering why this may have happened.

On a side note, I made the parking taxiways between my hangars just over 2x the size of the default Cessna, as I read that planes need about 2x their length to get properly aligned with the parking space. In rolls this Cub as I was about to take the picture of the DC-3, and I watched it park. As you can see in the pic...it parked to the right of the parking area. Not a big deal, but if a plane does this far enough, and someone comes into the game at a spot next to them, they COULD start with a crash right off the bat. That would suck.

I noticed, as I watched the Cub park, that 1) he was haulin' butt, and 2) he didn't even start his turn until almost past the parking spot totally. Is that normal for all planes, or just the tail dragers?

Thanks for any insight... Just an oddity I thought maybe someone had come across before.

- Greg
 

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SpectroPro said:
On one load, I get this (see pic) DC-3 sitting here. Kicker is, there is NO parking for a plane this size here, it's not facing any direction of any parking space on the entire airport, and it isn't even at a parking spot....
Click to expand...

That looks like the dc-3 STATIC aircraft object to me. I bet if you look at the <SceneryObject code areas in the xml you'll find a DC-3 static object there.


I noticed, as I watched the Cub park, that 1) he was haulin' butt, and 2) he didn't even start his turn until almost past the parking spot totally. Is that normal for all planes, or just the tail dragers?
Click to expand...

Some aircraft taxi better than others. I have noticed taildraggers being lazy in their turns, but I have also seen it in tricycle aircraft, too. I'd recommend more length on the T if you can swing it (although that looks like a tight spot you have there.)

I've had places so tight, that I had to change the whole parking scheme for that area--had to deviate from the real-world, which I never like doing.

Often times when we see a real-world parking arrangement (such as in GoogleEarth, or actually visiting the airport) often times that arrangement is simply not possible in the sim,...due to the turning capabilities of the aircraft.
 
Thanks! Yeah, I thought that about the DC-3 as well, however, I have one that flies around doing touch & go's. This would have been it, since it was no where else on the airfield..and should have been. Still trying to figure out why it went insane.. LOL

As for the spaces... This area is already HUGE compared to real-life. As in real life, you don't park planes in front of the hangars.. A trip to my local airport that I fly in and out of and a quick measurement of the distance between hangars give roughly 1.9x the wingspan of a Cessna (68feet give or take a foot). But of course, Since they can't park in them (well, ok, they could, but whatever....) this was as good as I could do. Yeah, some of the limits just of fs just suck.

I actually increased the space between when I read yesterday about AI not parking correctly with under 2x the length from the taxiway to the T. Oh well, I'll live with this config... (for now..lol)

- Greg
 
bobbyjack said:
In my sim the default Piper is a terrible AI plane.

Bob
Click to expand...

Bob, I agree...it's a beautiful model, and I like the pilot in planes... however, it does some really interesting things at times, especially if there is a crosswind (ie, it will use my 9/27 which is meant for small planes) coming from say 210 or so..

Another funny thing, about FS, is that it doesn't appear to be smart enough to tell a plane to change runways. Example:

My Cub will almost always use 9/27. That's how it should be at this airport. But, it will use 9, let's say, with a wind out of 140 of 5kts. It will do 10 tng's. After the 2nd one, the wind changes to 280 at 20kts. FS knows what is going on, it knows this plane is going to land on 9 because it just cleared it, and it also knows the winds are now 280 at 20. That actually should be a fairly simple algorithm for FS. Just before giving landing/tng clearance to a plane, check winds. Modify rwy in use. Tell plane new rwy. But, it doesn't. And watching it is a real fun time!!! LOL It will change directions constantly looking like a fish or a snake. Altitudes will change rapidly as well.. So it's a snake on a roller coaster. hahaha

- Greg

ps. Once my airport is ready, the planes used will all be AI planes. I just used some of these to test various aspects of parking, tower ops, rwy usage, etc...
 
Your Cub uses a runway? I'm jealous! Mine will wander all over, may make it to a runway (or not) and if it does take off, goes off in some odd direction.

Bob
 
HAHAHA Bob.. I actually had that problem in FS9, but have not seen it in FSX, YET!

I will tell you what really sucks, is getting caught behind it if it taxis down the 10,000' taxiway... I usually go around it.. LOL

I'll tell you one I can't get for the life of me.. Our Bluestream helicopter is a beautiful model (for FS9) of the Dauphin. I LOVE this helo as it is what I flew in the USCG. In FSX, however, there is a panel screwup (graphically) but totally don't care..I LOVE this helo. I fly it all the time in FSX as my own copter. However, when I use it as AI, it will NOT work. EVERY other plane, helo, automobile, etc... that I use in an AI environment has always worked just fine. They show up, they take off, they land, ....some have very odd behavior once they land (stopping in 10-20 feet) but other than that, perfect.. This helo will NOT work. I have 2 dauphin USCG helo's that ARE AI that work fine with my flight plans...but this one from FS9 just simply doesn't ever show up. Won't show waiting to go, won't show in the air coming in...

I am at a total loss as to why this is that way. A real bummer, because I would LOVE to see this beautiful bird zipping around my airports.

- Greg
 
Helo's are a challenge to get working as AI using the traditional SDK bgl system. Vertical landings and takeoffs are extremely difficult to tweak into the .air file especially if it's going to be AI.

However, using SimConnect, you can probably do just about anything with them. I am not sure but this may be the method the latest Helo payware AI package (there is one out there for FSX now) uses to control its birds.

When I experimented with helo's as AI in FSX, that was back in '07. I used a modified Cessna182 air file and I got a "respectable" result. The helos still did a little takeoff roll, and a little landing roll, but it wasn't too bad, and I wasn't too particular about it.

You should look up all the old threads here at FSDev about helos as AI. Holger did some work with them a long time ago now, and others since.
 
Thanks!!! What you say gave me an idea..maybe I'll try dropping the AI helo air file for the ones I have that are true AI helo's in my Dauphin and see what happens.. Otherwise, I will do some more research..

- Greg
 
And while you are at it, change the aircraft.cfg as well, if not, it still won't work. Check out MAIW.
 
SpectroPro said:
maybe I'll try dropping the AI helo air file for the ones I have that are true AI helo's in my Dauphin and see what happens..
Click to expand...
If by "true AI helo's" you mean the MAIW/NBAI AH64 and CH47 then it won't work. The vertical take-off for these models is built into the model and not done by the .air file.

Greg
 
All of my AI (real AI) aircraft are currently from MYTrafficX. The helo's I have flying around currently are the Dauphins from that package.

- Greg
 
SpectroPro said:
All of my AI (real AI) aircraft are currently from MYTrafficX. The helo's I have flying around currently are the Dauphins from that package.

- Greg
Click to expand...


Out of curiosity are those Dauphins in the MyTrafficX package doing vert takeoffs and landings?
 
Mace said:
Out of curiosity are those Dauphins in the MyTrafficX package doing vert takeoffs and landings?
Click to expand...

haha, you made me go look...these are actually from the Just Flight package. LOL I own both packs, but uninstalled the JF pack.....or so I thought. LOL Apparently, those AI are still installed..

also, they take off and land just like the planes. they taxi, and then start down the runway and then shoot upwards.

- Greg
 
SpectroPro said:
also, they take off and land just like the planes. they taxi, and then start down the runway and then shoot upwards.
- Greg
Click to expand...

Ok, that's what I suspected. That is what I had to do with the helo AI that I made in 07.

Incidentally, I think there is some new helo AI package (commercial) out there, and I think those helo AI do vert takeoffs and landings, in case you're interested.
 
Thanks man.... I would love to know how they do it. But I may not get if I I saw it.. LOL I have seen helo flight plans for landing and taking off from helo pad, and the plumbing looks like an absolute nightmare.

I don't learn well by reading text of how to do something and finished pictures. I either need step by step printed with pics of what it should look like at each step, OR, if someone shows me once, then watches as I do it once with any fixes told to me as I do it...then I can do it forever.

That was the bases of Flight Simulator Design University when we opened it. Students would WATCH the instructors via VNC actually do the work while listening to instructions on Teamspeak. Then, the instructor could go and watch each student on their own computer and give advice. It's the ONLY way to learn!!!!!

- Greg
 
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