AI Carriers

[wellis]

Okay, I thought I would throw caution to the wind and ask the dumb question for the day. How do you launch and land on carriers in P3Dv4? I have been engrossed in another project so have not spent much time with P3Dv4 (though I bought it the day it was released . I did manage to get AI Carriers working just fine, but have not figured out how to launch and land, having previously relied on Rob Barendregt's Carrier Ops gauges, which I have not been able to get working in P3Dv4.

Patience from readers and help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[PhantomTweak]

As long as the plane you want to use has the correct "things" in the .mdl file, like Dino's planes or the FSDT F/A-18, you can simply put your tail hook down, and land on the carrier. As long as you're not going too fast, and have the correct AOA when you touch the deck, the hook should catch. Another assumption: You are trying to land on one of the better carriers. Javier's Nimitz v2, for example.
Get your plane out over the ocean someplace and place the carrier you want, presuming you have it in the AICarriers .cfg file. I usually place the carrier 10nmi ahead of my plane to give myself a little time to see it, get lined up on it, etc. Put the carrier in motion with the menu selection for FORWARD. That will give you most of the WOD you need.
Dino's planes, and the FSDT bird, have the updated HUD that lets you set your NAV1 frequency to see the carrier, and once lined up correctly, get the ILS needles for it. The updated HUD can be added to most planes, should you desire.
I can't speak to the P3D key assignments, but in FSX, the tail hook is lowered/raised by SHFT+Q. To launch, place your plane's nose wheel in the little square outlined at the aft and of the catapult track, hit SHFT+U to lower your launch bar, give it a second to lower completely, then SHFT+I to "connect" to the cat. Run your throttles up to 100%, and hit SHFT+SPACE BAR to launch.
All this is assuming the key assignments in P3D are similar to FSX.

You shouldn't need any add-on programs to launch/land on the carriers made for FSX Acceleration. Boats along the lines of Javier's Nimitz v2 are all set up and ready to go. I don't know if P3D has any "default" carriers, boats included with the program, but if it does, they should be set up also.

Does this help at all?
Pat☺

 

[wellis]

As long as the plane you want to use has the correct "things" in the .mdl file, like Dino's planes or the FSDT F/A-18, you can simply put your tail hook down, and land on the carrier. As long as you're not going too fast, and have the correct AOA when you touch the deck, the hook should catch. Another assumption: You are trying to land on one of the better carriers. Javier's Nimitz v2, for example.
Get your plane out over the ocean someplace and place the carrier you want, presuming you have it in the AICarriers .cfg file. I usually place the carrier 10nmi ahead of my plane to give myself a little time to see it, get lined up on it, etc. Put the carrier in motion with the menu selection for FORWARD. That will give you most of the WOD you need.
Dino's planes, and the FSDT bird, have the updated HUD that lets you set your NAV1 frequency to see the carrier, and once lined up correctly, get the ILS needles for it. The updated HUD can be added to most planes, should you desire.
I can't speak to the P3D key assignments, but in FSX, the tail hook is lowered/raised by SHFT+Q. To launch, place your plane's nose wheel in the little square outlined at the aft and of the catapult track, hit SHFT+U to lower your launch bar, give it a second to lower completely, then SHFT+I to "connect" to the cat. Run your throttles up to 100%, and hit SHFT+SPACE BAR to launch.
All this is assuming the key assignments in P3D are similar to FSX.

You shouldn't need any add-on programs to launch/land on the carriers made for FSX Acceleration. Boats along the lines of Javier's Nimitz v2 are all set up and ready to go. I don't know if P3D has any "default" carriers, boats included with the program, but if it does, they should be set up also.

Does this help at all?
Pat☺

thank you Pat. I will give it a try. I was using the Razbam T2 so I'll switch to Dino's planes and give it a go!

 

[PhantomTweak]

For carrier ops, I recommend Dino's T-45, or his F-14. He says they both work in P3D v4, except some of the sounds, and the airborne refueling system. There is a quirk with that which will refuel non-existent external fuel tanks. He recommends not using the airborne refueling system at all until he has time to fix it. He also says that until they get caught up to P3Dv4, TACPAC is completely non-functional.
Other than those little details, his planes work great. The STOVL system in his F-35 doesn't work either, but he is working on it. He says that when Mr. Dowson's FSUIPC is updated for P3Dv4 it should be restored, using the alternate STOVL gauge included in the F-35 package. I recommend reading his notes on all this.
Personally, I love the F-14, but, being a trainer, the T-45 is easier to land on a carrier. It has a small problem with the plane's length to it's tail-hook. Apparently the carrier's IFLOLS and ILS set-ups are all tuned for the F/A-18. The T-45, being a shorter aircraft, if you follow the ILS and IFLOLS, will tend to land a bit long. You will get a 4-wire trap vice a 3-wire, or a bolter. You can fly a little under the indicated glideslope, however, and catch the 3-wire. Again, remember to have the correct AOA and speed for the plane you're using to get a good trap.
The frequency for Javier's Nimitz v2 is 115.00, if you need it. In FSX, the default carrier frequency is 114.00. These are ONLY for the HUD included in Dino's and the FSDT plane's. This frequency assignment is for that HUD to display the ILS needles, and guidance to the carrier. It's internal to the HUD, and has no existence in the "real" world, IE: Other plane's HUD's or NAV radios.
I believe those frequencies are also valid for the RFN gauges as well, but I don't use the RFN stuff, so I can't say for sure. I have heard they work pretty well with P3D, but I don't know.
Have fun! I sure do
Pat☺

 

[wellis]

For carrier ops, I recommend Dino's T-45, or his F-14. He says they both work in P3D v4, except some of the sounds, and the airborne refueling system. There is a quirk with that which will refuel non-existent external fuel tanks. He recommends not using the airborne refueling system at all until he has time to fix it. He also says that until they get caught up to P3Dv4, TACPAC is completely non-functional.
Other than those little details, his planes work great. The STOVL system in his F-35 doesn't work either, but he is working on it. He says that when Mr. Dowson's FSUIPC is updated for P3Dv4 it should be restored, using the alternate STOVL gauge included in the F-35 package. I recommend reading his notes on all this.
Personally, I love the F-14, but, being a trainer, the T-45 is easier to land on a carrier. It has a small problem with the plane's length to it's tail-hook. Apparently the carrier's IFLOLS and ILS set-ups are all tuned for the F/A-18. The T-45, being a shorter aircraft, if you follow the ILS and IFLOLS, will tend to land a bit long. You will get a 4-wire trap vice a 3-wire, or a bolter. You can fly a little under the indicated glideslope, however, and catch the 3-wire. Again, remember to have the correct AOA and speed for the plane you're using to get a good trap.
The frequency for Javier's Nimitz v2 is 115.00, if you need it. In FSX, the default carrier frequency is 114.00. These are ONLY for the HUD included in Dino's and the FSDT plane's. This frequency assignment is for that HUD to display the ILS needles, and guidance to the carrier. It's internal to the HUD, and has no existence in the "real" world, IE: Other plane's HUD's or NAV radios.
I believe those frequencies are also valid for the RFN gauges as well, but I don't use the RFN stuff, so I can't say for sure. I have heard they work pretty well with P3D, but I don't know.
Have fun! I sure do
Pat☺

Thank you very much Pat. I will let you know how things go in a few days. I have ben working with Milton Shupe on his A-20 model and should have some time to fly something different. I am anxious to try as I have missed carrier ops.

Bruce Ellis

 

[delta_lima]

Crash when removing formation

Hey all,

Have had this issue for a few weeks now and it's starting to get really annoying. AICarriers has been working fine on my my system (W7, P3DV4.5) for almost a year as it should. I've made no changes that I can think of (other than the recent 4.5 hotfix) but lately I've noticed that nearly every time I "remove formation" - to load a different formation - my whole sim will crash with an "unexpected error" message.

Any ideas as to why? I suppose the workaround could be to place all my formations in the SWS Fleet Placer, which works super smoothly, and arguably has extra features. I just find that especially for testing, it's super fast and easy to add formations into AICarriers. But having to restart the whole sim every time I want to change formations is getting really old.

Thanks in advance.

dl

 

[expat]

Hey DL,

Think there are two versions - Java and .NET? Could be an update automatically disrupted your install?

OT - I have problems with the SWS CV-43 since installing the PBR F-4. Where is your CV-43 installed - in the Simobjects//Boats or is it with the F-4 in user/documents (externally to your P3D install)?

 

[delta_lima]

Hey DL,

Think there are two versions - Java and .NET? Could be an update automatically disrupted your install?

OT - I have problems with the SWS CV-43 since installing the PBR F-4. Where is your CV-43 installed - in the Simobjects//Boats or is it with the F-4 in user/documents (externally to your P3D install)?

Sorry - I didn't notice your reply. Yes, I'm using the .Net version.

This issue is completely intermittent. I've had a few days where I have been testing and placing/deleting different formations successfully without issue. No idea to what it correlates. Other than I'm noticing more non-FS apps and browser functionality are breaking, and so I suspect I have to make a move from W7 to W10 in short order. Will likely begin reading up on that over the next few days.

As to your question, I install everything to the My Documents/P3DV4 Addons/ folder set. No addon has ever been isntalled into my actual P3D install, except for I believe the MILVIZ Phantom, which I believe needed to be. As to the location, I just pointed the installers to the aforementioned addons folder, and it created it's own SWS folders, with boats folders, etc.

 

[fsafranek]

Is there any common denominator among the formations you are switching between?

One certain one up first and anything after it causes the crash?

Going from any ship/formation to a specific one causing the crash?

SWS has had a ton of new builds this week for testing. Do you completely uninstall the previous build or do you install over the top?

And somewhat OT, when you put other ships into the SWS Fleet Placer do they show up with wakes? or do only SWS ships?

 

[delta_lima]

Is there any common denominator among the formations you are switching between?

One certain one up first and anything after it causes the crash?

Going from any ship/formation to a specific one causing the crash?

SWS has had a ton of new builds this week for testing. Do you completely uninstall the previous build or do you install over the top?

And somewhat OT, when you put other ships into the SWS Fleet Placer do they show up with wakes? or do only SWS ships?

Hi Frank,

Thanks for commenting. No, at present, my list of included formations has been short - 7-8 or so. And that's all non-SWS ships - more on that later. A couple of Klauss's straight deck Essex boats, the two SDB carriers (prior version), and Gary's CVT-16 angled deck Essex. Wouldn't matter which I'd remove. It was never placing a formation, it was always on the removal.

As to your question, that's an interesting one, because I contemplating making SWS Fleet placer my replacement "boat placer". Especially with the extra features. I'm a creature of habit, so because it takes me so little time to add a new boat in AICarriers2, I tend to do it there and just run that, unless I want to load one of the SWS boats, where I do it using the Fleet tool.

I did experiment putting other vessels into the Fleet tool back in FSX - I don't recall the vessels losing their wakes, but that was a good year or so ago, and I've not used FSX since.

Are you noticing that to be happening, with using other dev's boats in Fleets?

Maybe after my W10 migration I'll look into that.

dl

 

[fsafranek]

Are you noticing that to be happening, with using other dev's boats in Fleets?

If you mean missing wakes then I can't really say.

I had intended to include the necessary files (AI Carrier cfg files basically IIRC) to get the latest Enterprise and destroyer escorts to work
with the SWS Fleet Placer by none of then had wakes when they showed up. It was a last minute idea and I didn't want to spend much
time on it since it was otherwise ready to go. So I dropped the idea. I may revisit again and it is intended to make the Enterprise fully
CEX compatible.

 

[expat]

Hi Daniel,

As I cannot get the SWS Coral Sea to engage cats at all with any a/c at the moment pending a promised fix from Alex so I am using for now just AICarriers2 - also I have not found any instructions on how to use the SWS Fleet Placer but have used the "warp to deck" to get on the CV43, which is fun. Don't know how to add other fleets there yet. Be interested to hear more about its features from someone!

Suggest you not give up on AICarrier2 as I think once we track down your bug it is very stable and as you say fast to use and test navair stuff. To be clear, do you get the crash when you "delete" a formation? On my setup it is usually no. 8 Delete Formation in the drop down. One idea might be you have a non native FSX boat model somwhere which it might not like. You also might try swapping your aicarriers.cfg for a simple test one with maybe just one fleet.

The only problem I have with AICarriers2 is often when I go back in the sim with it running in the background I have to then exit AICarriers2 and start it again to get my fleet dropdowns working again.

Let us know what you find.

 

[fsafranek]

As I cannot get the SWS Coral Sea to engage cats at all with any a/c at the moment pending a promised fix from Alex so I am using for now just AICarriers2 - also I have not found any instructions on how to use the SWS Fleet Placer but have used the "warp to deck" to get on the CV43, which is fun. Don't know how to add other fleets there yet. Be interested to hear more about its features from someone!

When in doubt, Google it.

https://simworksstudios.com/knowledge-base/knowledge-base/midway-manual-fleet-placer.html

 

[delta_lima]

Thanks Frank and Lee,

Yeah, AI Carriers isn't going anywhere for now, don't worry. I'm in a good run of no-crashes, so I haven't pinpointed what's caused it. Right now I'm running a very short list, so hopefully things will stay working well.

As to Frank's question, I'll try and see how adding say a CVN-65 to Fleets works out. I wonder if because all the their ships don't live in the standard My Documents/Prepare3D Addons/Simobjects/Boats folder, but rather their own SimworksStudios/Simobjects/Boats folder, that there's a disconnect in how it calls for wake effects that are back in the Addons folder? I can't recall off hand, but maybe their wakes are all mdl-driven versus effects, so their boats don't need that link? Or what if you created an effects folder within the SWS folder structure? Just spitballing here ...

dl

 

[expat]

Thanks for the link Frank.

Guys, I set up some new formations in the Fleet Placer and these work. However, I see that when I try to save a parking space on the freeware CV-41 or CV-34 there is no place to click this in the drop down. When I use the Fleet Placer with the SWS Coral Sea, the drop down has a "save parking" tab. How do I add this for non SWS carriers?

 

[expat]

"Manual" (still under construction) says it's in the CEX SDK. That just has a bunch of data and specs but does not explain how to add parking spaces to non SWS carriers.

 

[expat]

Apologies if I am hijacking the thread . .