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  • Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.

    Post 16 Update

    Post 17 Warning

Solomons Carrier Traffic: Testers Needed

D

dswo

Charter Member 2011
SOLOMON ISLANDS CARRIER TRACKS ver 1.0
Testers' temporary download: http://www.box.net/shared/d6m4ysmla2

This project was inspired by Mark Schimmer's World War II-era Solomon Islands scenery. See http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?32269-WIP-FSX-Solomon-1943-long.

This package will install (1) a traffic file and (2) the boat models that go with it. If you already have all of the boat models (see credits below for the full list), you can just install the one traffic file, trafficSolomonsCarriers.bgl. But the safest thing is to install the models in this zip file. The models called by the traffic file are AI only; you may have pilotable models by the same authors, but they won't work as intended.

There are two US carrier groups, comprised of one carrier, one battleship, and two destroyers. Yes, I'm sure the real groups would have had more ships. One group leaves Kula Gulf, north of Munda Field (AGGM), sails west to Vella Gulf and around Vella Lavella, pausing off the coast of Kumbolia. It begins at 2000 GMT and ends at about 0025; the return starts at 0030 and ends at 0455 GMT. Then it begins again. The second group starts in the Solomon Sea, south of Munda Field (AGGM) and sails south around Rendova Island and then around New Georgia, ending in the same Kula Gulf where the other group began. It begins at 2000 GMT and reaches Kula Gulf about 0351; at 0400 it sails back.

Plying the Santa Isabel Trough (a.k.a., "the Slot") are two smaller carriers: the light carrier USS Cabot and the escort carrier USS Bougainville. The Cabot patrols the northern shores and the Bougainville patrols the southern shores. The Cabot starts in the west, near AGGO and AGGE, at 0800 and 2000 GMT; it reaches the eastern end at 2336 and 1136, respectively, before turning west for the return trip. The Bougainville starts in the east, near AGGP, at 0800 and 2000 GMT; it reaches the western end of the slot, near AGGC, at 0037 and 1237, respectively, before turning east for the return trip. Both carriers are escorted by Fletcher-class destroyers.

No saved flights in this release, unless someone wants to make them...

CREDITS AND PERMISSIONS
USS Gambier Bay and Bougainville by Mark Fitch, distributed here by permission of the modeler
USS New Jersey battleship by Bruce Fitzgerald, distributed here by permission of the modeler
USS Enterprise carrier by Bruce Fitzgerald, distributed here by permission of the modeler
USS Fletcher destroyer by Bruce Fitzgerald, distributed here by permission of the modeler
USS Cabot light carrier by Alberto Garcia, distributed here by permission of the modeler

Tracks were created with Google Earth and Lamont Clark's AI Boat Traffic Compiler.
 
Mr. David "DSWO"
dswo said:
SOLOMON ISLANDS CARRIER TRACKS ver 1.0
Testers' temporary download: http://www.box.net/shared/d6m4ysmla2
...
Click to expand...

Count me in on this... :salute: ...as time permits over the next month. Glad your doing another project like this; your Carrier Tracks 1 & 2 were a good addition to my Ship AI traffic and lots of fun to do a SAR for.

Later! :wavey:


Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
From,
James F. Chams
 
OK, I checked them out and it's great! Works like a charm, as far as I can see.
Thanks for the effort!

:ernae:

Cheers,
Mark
 
Hi

I have flown a few sorties yesterday. I have not found a single carrier. Got to search again today ;)

Cheers
Martin
 
MartinM said:
I have flown a few sorties yesterday. I have not found a single carrier. Got to search again today.
Click to expand...

I have the same problem. The sea is big and ships are small. Try starting at 2000 GMT at one of the airports mentioned in the readme. The screenshot from Google Earth is somewhat helpful.

In real life, the USN sometimes had a good idea of where the IJN was going to be, because we were reading their codes. But if the sim is anything like real life, luck was still a factor. I've spent several hours on scouting missions, and the first glimpse -- esp. of the smaller carriers and their destroyer escorts -- is often very fleeting, even when you know where to look. A lot depends on weather, sun, and whether you happen to be looking out of the right window.

I am assuming, though, that in real life the big carrier groups (with Enterprise) had more ships and were therefore easier to spot.
 
dswo said:
I have the same problem. The sea is big and ships are small. Try starting at 2000 GMT at one of the airports mentioned in the readme. The screenshot from Google Earth is somewhat helpful.

In real life, the USN sometimes had a good idea of where the IJN was going to be, because we were reading their codes. But if the sim is anything like real life, luck was still a factor. I've spent several hours on scouting missions, and the first glimpse -- esp. of the smaller carriers and their destroyer escorts -- is often very fleeting, even when you know where to look. A lot depends on weather, sun, and whether you happen to be looking out of the right window.

I am assuming, though, that in real life the big carrier groups (with Enterprise) had more ships and were therefore easier to spot.
Click to expand...

The cool thing about this. Like in real life during WW2. You are flying a Catalina searching for the fleet ;) This time, however, the own one :icon_lol:

Cheers
Martin
 
For some reason I can't seem to get the add-on scenery folder to show up in my library?

Remember also that often the first thing searching aircraft saw was a ships wake which lead them to the actual thing. Just a thought
 
"Ship spotted - northwest of AGGM" !!!

On my last sortie yesterday i found a battle group northwest of AGGM with heading Vella Lavella. One carrier, two destroyers and a battleship. No support carrier.

Thats loads of fun!!

All we would need now, some Japanese battle groups!!

Cheers
Martin
 
MartinM said:
On my last sortie yesterday i found a battle group northwest of AGGM with heading Vella Lavella. One carrier, two destroyers and a battleship. No support carrier.
Click to expand...

I've been looking for a way to fatten up the main groups. There are two other carrier types currrently patrolling the Slot: light and escort. Which would be appropriate; and where in the group should it go?

MartinM said:
All we would need now, some Japanese battle groups!!
Click to expand...

Agreed: we just need some models!
 
dswo said:
Agreed: we just need some models!
Click to expand...

There are a few models over at fs-shipyard. Not all of them WW2, but would anyway give a good picture.

There is a WW hornet mission package for FSX that contains japanese AI ships.

Cheers
Martin
 
David? Would you be so kind as to include me as a tester?? The Solomons are of major importance to me, and i've been flying around them in fs for about four years now. it would provide me a test bed for my own work, as well as helping you with yours, and provide a historical backdrop as well..
Let me know..
Pam
 
Welll, i spent a couple hours flying around and didnt see them, but knowing me, i was probably flying everywhere but the correct place.. did a few runs up the slot, and around kuma gulf. i must have dived on a hundred yachts, but nothing a big a a battleship was there.. Checked out the area between vella and rendova too ( have a airport on rendova ) and there was nothing there either. i'm gonna go back in though and use a different search pattern and see hat i can come up with..
 
warchild said:
Welll, i spent a couple hours flying around and didnt see them, but knowing me, i was probably flying everywhere but the correct place.. did a few runs up the slot, and around kuma gulf. i must have dived on a hundred yachts, but nothing a big a a battleship was there.. Checked out the area between vella and rendova too ( have a airport on rendova ) and there was nothing there either. i'm gonna go back in though and use a different search pattern and see hat i can come up with..
Click to expand...

Thanks for checking, Pam. The best way to locate the carriers is to start where they start (see readme for this) and when they start (a little after 2000 GMT).

Oh how I wish we had a utility to display boat traffic along with air!

I think the next step (for me) is to make some saved flights that begin on deck. Question is: using what aircraft? I've been doing my own flights in the Vertigo Dauntless, but for the saved flights I want to use something that's (a) free and (b) commonly installed.

I'd also like to fatten up the main carrier groups with another ship type, light carrier or escort, if that's historically appropriate.
 
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