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Carrier Tracks Volume 2: What should it have?

D

dswo

Charter Member 2011
Carrier Tracks Volume 1 is now available from the Sim-Outhouse (cartraks1.zip) and FlightSim (carriertracksvolume1.zip) file libraries.

What should Volume 2 contain? I've already got the Clemenceau steaming from Marseille to Cannes, and this afternoon I made a track for Oceana NAS in Virginia.

Meanwhile, here are the details for Volume 1.

Carrier Tracks: Volume 1
By David Scott Wilson-Okamura


These scenery files place Nimitz-class carrier models as moving AI boat traffic in Hawaii and four coastal locations, situated by Marine Corps and Naval air stations.

Operations in the Pacific use the U.S.S. Nimitz. Operations in the Atlantic use the U.S.S. Eisenhower. Carriers begin sailing at approximately 0700 or 0800 local time, depending on time of year, and continue throughout the day. Carrier speed is set at 25 knots; knowing this is useful when you are searching for them using AI Traffic Map (installed as part of the SDK Traffic Tools). On AI Traffic Explorer, they appear as CVN68 (for the Nimitz) and CVN69 (for the Eisenhower).

Sample flights are included if you want to start on one of the carriers. Note: each flight begins paused. Press pause again (usually the p-key) in order to begin. Be ready on the brakes, though. When a flight is saved, the relative momentum -- of aircraft and carrier -- is not saved with it. When you load the flight later, the carrier's momentum is conducted suddenly to the aircraft, and you can either roll off the deck or, with a small plane like the Goshawk, pitch over backwards. To compensate for this, I have parked the aircraft in deck positions that you would not see in real life. Another way to compensate is with slew mode. After the flight loads, but before you un-pause, go into slew mode with the y-key. Then un-pause with the p-key. Then exit slew mode, by pressing the y-key again. This method works, but I prefer not to use it, because it seems to affect the catapults; also, because the carrier keeps moving while you are in slew mode, it will create problems for any flights that you save on deck.


REQUIREMENTS

Freeware "FSX Acceleration USS Nimitz and Eisenhower" by Javier "Thrawn" Fernandez. Filename uss_nimitz_ike.zip in the Flightsim.com file library; search for Javier Fernandez, though, in case there's a more recent update.


INSTALLATION

1. Exit the sim.

2. Copy the .bgl files into an active scenery folder. If you don't know what you're doing, a safe bet is usually:

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

3. If you want to use the sample flights, copy the .FLT, .WX, and .FSSAVE files into the folder where your other flights are stored. This folder is usually named "Flight Simulator X Files" and can be found in the "My Documents" folder if you are using Windows XP, or the "Documents" folder if you are using Vista/Windows 7.

4. Restart the sim.

5. If you want to try one of the saved flights, their names all start with the word "Carrier."


SETTINGS

For carriers to show, you must have boat traffic set to 40% or higher.


THE TRACKS

1. Oahu, circles the island beginning and ending at Pearl Harbor. Accessible from Naval and Marine Air around the island. Included flight starts on a carrier south of MCAS Kaneohe Bay (PHNG), using the Acceleration Hornet (in Marine livery).

2. San Diego, travels up and down the southern California coast, from San Diego to Point Mugu. Accessible from NAS Point Mugu (KNTD), NAS North Island (KNZY), and MCAS Miramar (KNKX). Included flight starts on a carrier north of San Diego, configured for T-45 training quals. Aircraft is the freeware T-45 Goshawk by Dino Cattaneo, but if you don't want to install that you can switch to another aircraft after the flight loads (or edit the .flt file to accomplish the same result).

3. Juan de Fuca, starts in the Georgia Strait, travels down through the San Juan Islands and out to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Accessible from NAS Whidbey Island (KNUW) and CGAS Port Angeles (KNOW). Included flight starts on a carrier in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, using the Acceleration Hornet.

4. Pensacola, hugs the coast from Mobile Bay to Fort Walton beach. Accessible from Eglin AFB (KVPS), NAS Pensacola (KNPA), and NAS Whiting (KNSE). Included flight starts on a carrier configured for T-45 training quals. Aircraft is the freeware T-45 Goshawk by Dino Cattaneo, but if you don't want to install that you can switch to another aircraft after the flight loads (or edit the .flt file to accomplish the same result).

5. Key West, circles the archipelago from Seven Mile Bridge to the Marquesas. Accessible from NAS Key West (KNQX). Included flight starts on a carrier north and west of the airfield, using the Acceleration Hornet.
 
Unless anyone objects wildly, I am going to set the traffic level for 5% (instead of the 40% it was here) for volume 2. I will also package vols. 1 and 2 together, both with the new traffic level.
 
I'm sorry if this has been covered already.


in the future of the program is it intended to support a multiplayer type platform?

I'm sure the server could just run the scenery file and as long as everyone has that same file they should see a carrier moving along a path, yes?

Thanks for your time and bringing your experience and knowledge to FSX.
 
In multiplayer, there's no AI traffic. Even as "scenery," though, the carrier is AI traffic. I think the only way to make a MOVING carrier work in multiplayer is with a mission; so far, at least, that's beyond my capabilities.
 
Hi David,

The track around the Mobile/Pensacola area will do good service for the T-45 Trainees at NAS Meridian who have to trap for quals.

Another highly used area is off the coast of Corpus Christi and NAS Kingsville, TX. Kingsville is the other T-45 training location for the USN.

Also, the US always has a carrier homeported out of Yokuska, Japan.

Cheers!

Jim
 
Hi, David!
I just want to say, I really love Vol.1, most the flights. Apart from practicing, for me there´s also a "touristcal" aspect (oops..), cruising at hawaian coast with a carrier!
So I´d like to say: stay close to beautiful landscapes (out on the sea we can use aicarriers), how bout homecoming into a lightened harbour at dawn or night? Nimitz looks best at that times...

Cheers, Thilo
 
dswo said:
In multiplayer, there's no AI traffic. Even as "scenery," though, the carrier is AI traffic. I think the only way to make a MOVING carrier work in multiplayer is with a mission; so far, at least, that's beyond my capabilities.
Click to expand...

There is a file at Flightsim that makes the Nimitz "flyable" ...

FSX Nimitz Carrier

[ Download | View ]

Name: cvn68_pilotable.zip Size: 4,738,591 Date: 07-11-2009 Downloads: 631
FSX Nimitz Carrier. An update to Javier Fernandez' aircraft carrier to make it pilotable. Requirs USS_NIMITZ_IKE.ZIP. Upgrade by Bruce Fitzgerald.

... Perhaps that would solve the multiplayer problem if you assign someone in your online session to steer the ship, certainly would be rather boring to assume such a task, but it might be just a simple fix to the carrier not showing up?

Mike :running:
 
Flyboy208 said:
There is a file at Flightsim that makes the Nimitz "flyable" ... Perhaps that would solve the multiplayer problem if you assign someone in your online session to steer the ship, certainly would be rather boring to assume such a task, but it might be just a simple fix to the carrier not showing up?
Click to expand...

That should work -- in fact, I'm pretty sure that Bruce Fitzgerald, who made the mod, did it for multiplayer use. The only downside is that non-AI carriers lose their working catapults. Planes can still launch, but they have to do so on their own power.
 
Go for the 6 month cruise

Start in Norfolk, VA to the Med, through the Suez and Red Sea, up through the straits of Hormuz and then 3 to 4 months of boxes in the Gulf and then back home. That's if you want the real experience.:USA-flag:
 
navychief8 said:
Start in Norfolk, VA to the Med, through the Suez and Red Sea, up through the straits of Hormuz and then 3 to 4 months of boxes in the Gulf and then back home. That's if you want the real experience.:USA-flag:
Click to expand...

I hear you, Chief. The problem is finding the carrier if you don't start from it. I like the idea of those long routes, but with no comms or nav beacons, it's tough to rendezvous. (Cf. U-boats in the Atlantic.) That's one reason why all of my tracks are close to shore. Now, when someone makes a radar gauge that can track AI boats, we can move out to sea...
 
Something that tracked boats on Google Earth -- as opposed to just mapping their programmed routes -- would be almost as good.
 
David,

I got your earlier Oahu prototype to work perfectly using AICarriers2 but when downloading vol. 1 I get what appear to be no files with ".FLT" suffix types and what appear to be duplicate files. Have unzipped to another folder but that didn't help. I therefore can't tell which bgl files go in the scenery folder and which flight related files go in the documents and settings folder, etc per your Readme instructions.

I really like and welcome this work. Also would vote for a Guantanomo to Roosevelt Roads (or Key West) track which would be fairly realistic.

Regards

expat
 
This is mostly pasted from the readme (which I realize you've read):

Copy the .bgl files into an active scenery folder. If you don't know what you're doing, a safe bet is usually:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Addon Scenery\scenery
Click to expand...

NOTE: it's ok to overwrite older versions of the same file. That's probably going to be the case with Oahu.


If you want to use the sample flights, copy the .FLT, .WX, and .FSSAVE files into the folder where your other flights are stored. This folder is usually named "Flight Simulator X Files" and can be found in the "My Documents" folder if you are using Windows XP, or the "Documents" folder if you are using Vista/Windows 7.
Click to expand...

You probably have Windows Explorer set to hide extensions for certain file types; I'm writing this on a Linux machine right now, or I'd find the setting. But that's why you're not seeing the .FLT files. Actually, you are; it's just the .FLT part that's hidden. There are some .JPGs in your list that are treated in the same way. You can either turn on extensions (which I think will be helpful for other things as well) or match the extensionless filenames with .FSSAVE and .WX filenames. With FSX, saved flights have three files that differ only in the extension: .FLT, .FSSAVE, and .WX. So if you sort by filename, the three files should be grouped together, even if the .FLT extension is hidden. Worst case: you copy all extension-hidden files to your flight folder -- and the folder has some extra JPGs.

As for Gtmo: someone was going to send me a .kml route from the 60s, so I'm hoping to include that. I did Corpus Christi last night. I'm thinking that Volume 3 should be more scenic, possibly Caribbean? Or PNG/Solomons? Either of these would be good but, again, you want that boat radar to find the carrier! But just circling an island, or traversing the Slot, ought to be ok. (Someone here is thinking: carrier planes in WWII didn't have radar, so man up, slick sleeve! The parallel, though, is not exact because they did have an idea of where the carrier was supposed to be on the map at a certain day and time.)
</pre>
 
File extensions showing now - many thanks.

A track (or tracks) in, through, or around the Solomons and the Slot would be wonderful - whether with the Nimitz in contemporary times or with WWII ships, which there are plenty to go with using he AICarriers prog.:ernae:
 
I think this is what Vol. 2 will include:

1. Tokyo/Yokosuka. This track will include a night flight, ready to launch from Tokyo Bay. (This flight required a night landing beforehand -- my first.)

2. A figure-eight running between St. Maarten and St. Barthelemy; this one will feature the Clemenceau.

3. Nimitz doing circuits of Maui and Kauai.

4. A 48-hour trip from NAS Key West to Guantanomo Bay, hugging the northern coast of Cuba. VERY UNREALISTIC, and not intended to menace our friends in Cuba; just trying to stay scenic.

5. A T-45 training cruise for NAS Oceana.

#s 1 and 5 are done so far.

The South Pacific, I think, should probably have its own volume. Any thoughts on realistic or just interesting routes, post 'em here.
 
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