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How to find AI boats?

D

dswo

Charter Member 2011
This query was prompted by the Nimitz release, but since it has general application it goes in a separate thread. A couple nights ago I was looking for the Nimitz after it had left San Diego; see http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showpost.php?p=192665&postcount=96 for the bgl file that makes this happens. Couldn't see the carrier. Maybe it was just "June Gloom," but I didn't see it in Traffic Explorer either.

What's the best way to find AI boats? I have a couple of programs, FS Commander and FSMap, that display AI planes, but unless I'm missing a switch they don't show AI boats.
 
If you've got the SDK then the traffic explorer will show boats, although it's not the default setting, I think you have to untick 'Show Aircraft Only' or similar. If you then sort by wingspan (? something like that) carriers are generally the largest objects in the area!
The default radar and anything based on their coding won't show boats, I am developing a simconnect module that should give you the functions of a surface search radar for an aircraft I'm working on. However at the moment it only operates as a seperate window that lists range and bearing of ships in text!
 
SkippyBing said:
If you've got the SDK then the traffic explorer will show boats, although it's not the default setting, I think you have to untick 'Show Aircraft Only' or similar. If you then sort by wingspan (? something like that) carriers are generally the largest objects in the area!
The default radar and anything based on their coding won't show boats, I am developing a simconnect module that should give you the functions of a surface search radar for an aircraft I'm working on. However at the moment it only operates as a seperate window that lists range and bearing of ships in text!
Click to expand...
Thank you --- looking forward to that surface search radar:guinness::guinness:
 
Finding CV's and starting on deck

dswo said:
-SNIP-
What's the best way to find AI boats? I have a couple of programs, FS Commander and FSMap, that display AI planes, but unless I'm missing a switch they don't show AI boats.
Click to expand...

Looks like a good time/place to revisit one of my earlier posts
that seems to have gone missing after the 'crash'...

Hopefully I can get it all uploaded here in a single post:
----------------
Here is how you can put yourself on the deck of a moving CVN
in FSX Acelleration that has been placed with Lamont Clark's aicarriers2
or with ships placed using his AI Boat Utility.
EDIT: Or the default Acceleration AI CV's

You must have the SDK Traffic Toolbox installed!

Get your aircraft to the nearest airport to the desired carrier.
Pause the sim once you are on the ramp or runway, stopped.

Open the Explorer window and UN-check the "Aircraft only" box.
Look down the list for the "veh_car01_high_detail_sm" entries.

Highlight a CV entry. Right-click on the entry and select
"Set Position...".
You then see the current Lat/Lon and heading of the carrier.
Copy and paste the lat/lon/hdg values to a temporary text file with notepad.

Next,locate your aircraft in the Explorer list and right-click on your aircraft.
Select "Set Position..." and then simply copy and paste
the lat/lon/hdg data from the text file into the appropriate
boxes and set the ALT to approximately 67.2'.

Click "OK" and you should find yourself on deck.

After getting the aircraft on the CVN deck and BEFORE exiting PAUSE mode,
you need to enter SLEW mode ( Y key ).

Note: if your setup is like mine and slew mode sends you flying in
some direction at high speed, then go to the "Controls" menu and temporarily
un-check the "Enable Controler(s)" box.

When in SLEW mode, now UN-PAUSE the sim. You should hopefully remain on the deck.
Now you can exit SLEW mode ( re-enable controllers if necessary )
and taxi to the catapult!

Another method I have used when inflight...
Pause the sim and open the FSX "Map".
Move your aircraft icon to the lat/lon of the CV...
be sure to set the correct heading and altitude and
speed. The ALT should be set to about 67.2' for own aircraft. Set speed to "0" or 25kts if CV is moving.

You will need to use the "Enter SLEW mode, exit PAUSE, then exit SLEW mode" as above.

This is less precise than my first method but should get you there.

For some reason that only ACES knows, using the "Set position" for this method causes
the aircraft to immediately takeoff at 170 kts or so if you do not use the above SLEW mode
entry procedure first.

As for saving the flight for later use:

If the carrier you move to is one that has been programmed using the AI Boat Utility
( on a scheduled, defined route ) then you can SAVE the flight once on deck and then
load it again in the future. be SURE to enter PAUSE before saving the flight and when
you re-load it, go through the "enter SLEW, un-pause, exit SLEW" procedure.
EDIT: Should also work with the default Acceleration AI CV's

You can't successfuly save and re-load a flight that uses a CVN placed using the
aicarriers2 utility, however you CAN use the above "Set Position" procedure to place
yourself on the deck of those CVN's from inflight.

Paul
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To add to the above, if you save a flight on the carrier's deck you may want to edit the .FLT file that's generated. If you open it in the text editor of your choice and change the line SimOnGround=True to SimOnGround=False then you won't start at sea level when you reload the flight.
The .FLT files are in the [User]/Documents/Flight Simulator X Files directory.
 
Finding CV's and starting on deck

SkippyBing said:
To add to the above, if you save a flight on the carrier's deck you may want to edit the .FLT file that's generated. If you open it in the text editor of your choice and change the line SimOnGround=True to SimOnGround=False then you won't start at sea level when you reload the flight.
The .FLT files are in the [User]/Documents/Flight Simulator X Files directory.
Click to expand...

I don't recall having to do this when I initially tested this
method when I wrote it up, SkippyBing.

There may be a difference in the 'saved flight' parameters
between landing and saving and using the 'set position'
method that I used above.
It's probably a good idea to make your edit just to be sure.

Paul
 
Paul,

True, I think if you save it while in slew mode then when you load it you'll still be in slew mode which'll keep the height. I've generally thought 'I know, I'll save this as a flight' after I've been taxiing round the deck for a bit!
 
This is good information Paul. Thanks. It's funny that you MS has made it that clunky to actually start from a carrier. I don't understand the logic of why they would do that..but whatever.

Here is my question, how do I know what the routes of the say the Nimitz addon is traveling on? If I wanted to save a flight on that CVN without it being aicarriers driven.

I have never dealt with traffic / AI routes ..
 
Thanks David-

I have found it's a bit out of my league at the moment. I will continue to read up on the AI Boats and see if I can begin to make sense of it. I am not sure what to do with these files. I did manage to get a routes.csv file :)

Can I just add the .bgl to the scenery?

Thanks for your help...

Benjamin.
 
Bman. said:
Can I just add the .bgl to the scenery?
Click to expand...

If you've got one, sure. In addition, though, to your routes file you also need a plan and boats file. Compile these three and that will give you a new .bgl file.
 
I have the file that you linked me too... Oahu.bgl.
(I am re-reading about the three components in your thread) If I understand correctly, ultimately you end up with just one .bgl file, correct?

What do I do with that .bgl? Sorry to be such a newb ... I will keep reading.

BTW - Aren't you supposed to be translating another book instead of simming?
 
Bman. said:
What do I do with that .bgl?
Click to expand...

If you have FSX installed in the normal place and way, here will do:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Addon Scenery\scenery

BTW - Aren't you supposed to be translating another book instead of simming?
Click to expand...

So you know about my secret life? Wait, this is my secret life! I mailed off my Virgil book to the publisher yesterday.
 
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